🌹Grace Isabella Joyce Moffatt💖Henry Thomas William Peters💒

On Remembrance Day here’s one of my old photos remembering one family’s memories of a happy day.

This is just the most beautiful coloured photo, taken on Saturday 22 January 1944, Grace and Henry’s wedding day. The groom looked very proud in his uniform, and the bride looked wonderful in her wedding dress with super headdress, bridesmaids in light blue and green, wearing gloves and carrying bibles.

Any help with Henry‘s uniform would be really appreciated as I am unable to find a match for him in the records so far. I see he has his cap folded on his left shoulder.

I have a couple of names but the date is so important!

I’ve had this photo in my collection for a long while now and although I had the wedding date it’s been a while since I first had a hunch that I had the correct couple.

I searched through the records for the exact date with Grace and Harry or Grace and Henry. No Grace and Harry but quite a few Grace and Henry for Jan 1944. I decided to have a quick look through the first 10 results on Ancestry as I had no exact date or area and really there weren’t many other records that came up with the marriage record for most of them but for some reason this one, the fifth one down felt right, have no idea why.

Name Grace I J Moffatt
Spouse Henry T W Peters
Marriage Jan 1944 Worthing, Sussex, United Kingdom

Just a hunch and even more so for some reason when I saw that Grace was a Nurse living with her Mum Alice on the 1939 Register.

So I started a draft Blog early in 2022 and a small tree on Ancestry with the couple and added just a few records, I couldn’t find any conclusive Military records for Henry as his name is fairly common with lots of variations of initials. I was also looking for anyone who had any photos in a public tree on Ancestry that might have matched the couple but I had no luck.

Then in September, someone shared this photo below on a public tree, it’s always good to recheck every few months, and now I was sure I had the right couple, Henry on the far right and Grace on the left with the white hat on, in the centre is Grace’s Mum Alice Alberta (Smith) So I’ve now been able to add a bit more to the family tree that I had started. Love it when a hunch pays off!

Grace Isabella Joyce Moffatt was born on 16 January 1923 in Dorking, Surrey, her father was James William Moffatt and her mother was Alice Adelaide (Smith). Grace died in January 1987 in Worthing, Sussex, she was 64.

Henry Thomas William Peters was born on 4 July 1921 in East Preston, Sussex, his father was Nelson Thomas and his mother was Amelia (Dunn). Henry died on 4 January 1998 in Worthing, Sussex, he was 76.

The couple had four children, three boys and a daughter that I have found, born late 1940s- early 1950s.

Moffatt and Smith

Alice Adelaide Smith married James William Moffatt, sometimes known as just William, in October 1910 in East Preston, Sussex. They had five children, three girls, and two boys. Alice died on 12 March 1981 in Worthing, Sussex, at the age of 91.

Alice Alberta Smith was born on 16 May 1889 in Trincomalee, North Eastern Sri Lanka, her father Albert James Smith was a Soldier, and her mother Eliza (Jenkin) had married in the last quarter of 1880. On the 1881 census, they are living at 72 Duke St, Stoke Damerel, Devon not far from Devonport. Albert’s Occupation Corporal A S C Clerk (Soldier) But they must have gone to Sri Lanka before Alice’s birth as she and her brother Albert, born 1891 were both born there. Her younger brother Edgar was born back in Stoke Damerel in 1894.

Peters

Henry‘s parent’s wedding took place at St Paul’s Church, Worthing, Sussex on 15 November 1919. Henry was an only child, I haven’t found any siblings for him. On the 1911 census, Nelson‘s occupation was a Stoker on his majesty’s ship ‘Seal’ at Devonport, Devon. Then as you can see by the time of his marriage Nelson was a Fireman. Later on the 1939 register, his occupation was a Steam Train Driver for Southern Railway. Also on the 1939 register was Henry with his parents and his occupation then was an Apprentice Finisher Body Builder and Coach Work. In the right-hand column, he is also in the St John’s Ambulance Brigade no 10,077. Interestingly living next door was another young man of a similar age to Henry, his name was John A P Skinner and he was also In the St John’s Ambulance Brigade no 10,078. Maybe they both signed up together in the Army. I wonder what happened to him.

Was it here at St Paul’s that the couple married in 1944, the same Church where Henry’s parents were married?

Here’s the direct link to the small family tree on Ancestry that I have compiled: Grace Moffat Peters Family Tree

Although it is no longer a Church, it is still recognised as an important asset to the town of Worthing. It has been turned into a cafe and community venue for weddings, live music events, concerts etc with adjacent assisted accommodation: The Venue

Are you a descendant of Grace and Henry? Or do you have any more information about them? Comment here on this Blog or if you prefer send me an email at: lynnswaffles@gmail.com