Comments on: Remembering Frank Thompson

By: Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 09:28:18 +0000

Doreen Curtis
This is so interesting, we knew little about John Thompson except that he ran the children’s home where dad lived. He was our“grandad” and had gone to live in Devon with the Pedricks when he retired and his wife had died.
I knew nothing of his relatives and he died was I was 5 years old
Thank you for this information and I will ask my sisters if they had ever heard of Elizabeth Baron( ne Thompson)
I would love to see the letter from my dad that you found
If you email a photo of it to The gentle author on Spitalfield Life he will email it to me as emails are kept private
Kind regards
Sarah Thompson

By: Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 05:36:44 +0000

David Reding how lovely to know you remember us all from Ryhall
I don’t have your email as it’s not published
Sadly Jane died two years ago , I miss her so much but she has three children and four grandchildren which is lovely
I have one son and live in North London
Helen lives in France and Pauline is in Berkshire
Ryhall were very happy days
Mum and Dad are both buried in Peterborough Cathedral precinct and there is a commemorative plaque on one of the cathedral chairs
They retired to Peterborough and had 25 happy years there
All the best to you and your family

By: David Reding

David Reding — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 09:55:31 +0000

Hi Sarah

Long long time no see and speak. I think the last time I saw you and the family would have been 1965. I was in the Army then and was visiting Ryhall to catch up with old friends . Mum, Dad and my two brothers had moved to Norfolk in 1964, Dads new posting to a RAF camp near East Dereham.
Sorry to here of you Dad and Mums passing. My mother passed away in 2004 and dad passed away in 2011. We all live in Australia now.
Are your three sisters still with us, Pauline, Helen and Jane?
Well all for now. You have my email address should you wish to catch up?

Warmest Regards

David

By: Doreen Curtis

Doreen Curtis — Tue, 31 May 2022 09:32:30 +0000

Looking through my grans old letters I found one from The reverend Frank Thompson, son of John Thompson, John is the brother of my Gran Mrs Elizabeth Baron (ne Thompson) .
Sincerely D Curtis.

By: Al Sarpong

Al Sarpong — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 05:58:29 +0000

Lovely story, and very emotional. Sarah was one of my teachers at Berger Junior School in Hackney and she was always very good. I was one of her pupils when she had her own child. I was just curious to know what happened to her and what she looked like now. She has aged beautifully! 🙂

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 10:10:57 +0000

A remarkable story of one man’s journey through life . I don’t think I could imagine a worse start but, despite everything , Frank obviously found purpose and was able to show compassion to others through his ministry . Although incredibly sad in parts, the fact that Frank went on to raise a lovely family of his own , must surely be his sweetest victory .

By: Jane Caine [Thompson]

Jane Caine [Thompson] — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 19:09:59 +0000

I am the third daughter of Frank Thompson. I know my Father felt shame about his early life and the stigma of being illegitimate. That was the sadness.
In later life and particularly when he was nearing death he began to speak of regrets about losing touch with his Mother.
We never knew what happened to her, the trail goes cold. My fear is that she died and was buried in a paupers grave. We have been unable so far to track her death certificate and have no idea whether she died before or after the war. So much was hidden from us and there are so many gaps in our knowledge as a result.
I was in the process of adopting a baby son at the age of 27 when my Father told us some of his true circumstances. I had always been close to John Thompson and of course thought he was my grandfather! A lovely man. We never knew Muriel Thompson she died before my parents married.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 15:38:40 +0000

I think the shame came from being a single mother and NO father. The tragedy was Ellen having to give up her son because she couldn’t cope on her own. This meant Frank lived without either parents. Very happy ending to this story which could have been so different if it hadn’t been for John Thompson and his wife.

By: mi

mi — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 18:19:43 +0000

hummm this marrying malarky is really quite recent 1950’s innovation! I was asked by a friend in the 1990s to do some research for a TV programme in the Scottish Record Office to find out about WW1 soldiers shot for desertion. I failed to make much headway and a member of staff rushed up to me as I must have looked very bereft. He then explained that daily they were dealing out with people absolutely freaking out when finding that MOST working class people did not marry but lived in sin. For most it was too expensive or in remote areas of Scotland too difficult to find a minister. It was quite normal to ‘live in sin’ and have common law marriages in Scotland. Any other social historians reading Spitalfields life? perhaps they can comment on the experience of England/ Wales. But it seems to me illigitmacy would be hidden if attempting to move up a class.

By: Neville Turner

Neville Turner — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 17:53:59 +0000

A moving story of the strength of the human spirit to move a person forward against adversity and hold onto the inner good of people around you.