Who Do You Think You Are - Emily Atack 6th July

[kiterunner]

At 9 p.m. on BBC1 and repeated next Wednesday at 10:40 p.m. but in both cases, it could be delayed or moved to BBC2 because of Wimbledon coverage.

[Ann from Sussex]

Last night when there was a late running tennis match it was moved to BBC2 so that The Great British Sewing Bee could start at 9pm on BBC1 as advertised. Hopefully the same will happen tonight for WDYTYA.
I don't know who Emily Atack is.

[kiterunner]

I think it depends on who is playing in the match, though, Ann. I remember last year an episode of Sherwood was moved to BBC2 at the last minute. I don't know who Emily Atack is either, but I suppose we will find out tonight.

[Ann from Sussex]

Yes, you are probably right Kite and I believe Andy Murray has an evening match tonight.

[kiterunner]

Episode summary:

Emily Atackis the daughter of Keith Atack, a musician, and Kate Robbins, an actress and comedian. They have many relatives in the entertainment industry, including Sir Paul McCartney. Emily went to her mother's house in Bedfordshire to look at some old family photos, including some of Kate's parents David Michael Robbins (Mike) and Elizabeth Winifred Robbins nee Danher (Betty). Mike came from Wrexham and Betty from Liverpool. They met at Butlins where Mike was a redcoat and Betty was there for a holiday but later became a redcoat too. Betty's mother was Annie McCartney, sister of Jim McCartney, who was the father of Paul McCartney and Mike McCartney.

Emily went to Skegness Butlins and met an historian who told her about redcoats and showed her a photo of her grandparents and their marriage certificate, which showed that Mike's father was Ted Robbins, a football secretary. Emily then went to visit Mike McCartney (her first cousin twice removed) who showed her a photo of Annie with her husband Bert Danher, and also a photo of Annie's parents Joseph (Joe) and Florence McCartney and Annie's brother Joseph McCartney. There was also a photo of Jim and his jazz band "Jim Mac's Band". The 1921 census showed Joseph sr in Everton age 54, born Liverpool, a tobacco factory worker. Mike said that Joe used to play the tuba in a brass band at Stanley Park in Liverpool. Emily went there and met an historian who explained that many factories at the time had their own workers' brass bands. On the 1851 census, Joe's grandmother Rose McCarthy was age 23, born Ireland. Her son James McCartney was Joe's father.)

Emily then went to Wrexham AFC and met an historian who told her that Ted was the secretary of the Welsh FA, which was based at Wrexham, and showed her a photo of him. Ted was involved in picking the Welsh international team in the 1930's. Emily was shown a newspaper obituary of Ted, and she went to visit his grave at Wrexham cemetery.

Emily then went to Pontefract, where Keith grew up, to visit Keith and his mother Doris Atack, who showed her some old photos including some of her uncles Tim Atack and Simon Atack, and told her that the surname Atack is of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning "at the oak". Keith's father was Roy Atack, son of William (Bill) Atack and Emily. Bill played various musical instruments, including the saxophone and the clarinet, but during the Great Depression he had to go back to work as a coal miner. Roy's sister Doreen Atack was a famous professional whistler or siffleuse, using the stage name Doreen McKay. Emily went to the Theatre Royal in Wakefield, where Doreen had performed, and met an historian who showed her a newspaper story which said that one of Doreen's teeth was damaged in a childhood accident and that that was why she was so good at whistling. Doreen also conducted the band which played her backing music. Another newspaper report, from 1931, said that her father taught her to whistle.

Emily went to the National Coal Mining Museum and met an historian who showed her William's birth certificate, dated 1884, which gave Joseph's occupation as colliery banksman at Nostell. On the 1881 census Joseph and Emily had one son, Thomas, and two boarders, both coal miners, at 21 Nostell Row. Emily was shown a photo of the street, also the 1882 birth certificate of another child, Martha. Emily went down into the mine to find out what Joseph's job was like, and she was shown an 1886 newspaper report about the death of a miner, Richard Brundle, who was crushed in an accident at Nostell Colliery. The mine inspector's report said that Brundle jumped on the cage as it was leaving the bottom of the shaft, and the death was ruled to be an accident. Emily went to Nostell Priory, which belonged to the owners of the coal mine, and met another historian who showed her two more birth certificates, of Bertha in 1886 and Mary in 1888, and a newspaper report from 1889 which said that Joseph Atack drowned in Nostell dam, aged 33. He was said to have left home to go to work but never arrived there. He was said to have been worried that he would be charged with manslaughter for a colliery accident, although this was not the case, and his death certificate showed that he died by suicide while in a state of temporary insanity.

Emily met an historian at Wragby Parish Church who showed her the marriage certificate for Joseph's widow Emily's marriage to Thomas Osbiston, age 24, in 1890. Both gave their address as 45 Nostell Row, and the marriage took place at Wragby Church. Joseph's burial record showed that he was buried there, by coroner's order, on the 21st Jan 1889. Emily's family tree showed that her 4xg-grandparents Benjamin and Hannah Atack also lived in the parish of Wragby.

[kiterunner]

I can't believe they didn't mention that Paul McCartney's brother Mike used to be known as Mike McGear and was in the group "The Scaffold"!

[Olde Crone]

Not very interesting, except that my great great aunt Pamela Holden was a stage whistler and won competitions. No one ever believes me, so I was glad of this vindication!

OC

[kiterunner]

I knew someone on here had a whistler in their family!

[Ann from Sussex]

All the time Mike McCartney was speaking I kept thinking "The Scaffold, The Scaffold". It wasn't all that long ago we had a discussion on here about professional whistlers. Emily was very good at it I thought. I had never heard of her before this and I thought she came across very well.