Florence Annie POTHECARY

1867 - 1952  (84 years)

• Name	Florence Annie POTHECARY
  Birth	28 Aug 1867	Knock, Wiltshire   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Name	Annie
  _UID	EBD5E9C968484F5FADE85536B836B16DFCA0
  Death	29 Jan 1952	Burton on Trent, Staffs   [2]
  Burial	Aft 29 Jan 1952	St Mary's Stretton, Burton on Trent, Staffs   [1]
  Notes	Married as a spinster of Burton on Trent. On Monday 31 January 1916 there was a Zeppelin raid on Burton on Trent. Reports say that 15 people were killed and 72 injured. At the time, Florence and John were living at 87 Grange Street and very shortly after the raid Florence wrote the letter below to her son Albert John and his wife. The transcript of the letter (which is undated) has been kindly given by Enid Minter, with permission to reproduce it here. Enid comments "The transcript is as found, regarding punctuation and spelling. Considering the short and very elementary education Annie would have had I think it is expressed remarkably well. Their son, Edd, was to fall in the Battle of Arras the following year and their son, Jack, was to be wounded at Paschendaele six months after Edd's death. The 'dear little girl' was Elsie Winifred Minter, Jack and Lizzie's daughter. … you might find it interesting speaking, as it does, of the times with a woman's voice." Here is the letter: 87 Grange Street Burton on Trent My dear Jack and Lizzie Oh I am so glad to be able to tell you we are all quite safe we have had a terrible experience & A miraculous escape from death or of being killed there was A horrible air raid here on Monday night & the first bomb dropped A few houses from the bottom of our garden destroyed 3 houses & killed 3 persons and injured two so they tell me. we heard the engins it must have passed over our house droped another in Wellington St & killed a man & took his boys arm off that stood beside him another dropped on the Maltings on shubnal road and set fire to them & there are streets of houses with all the windows blown out there was a mission going on in Christchurch parish room one dropped there killed the Missioner & injured others I cannot tell you all that has happened it would take A newspaper for that all we are thankfull for that God took care of us we were huddled up in the cellar us & several of our neigbours waiting as it were for death oh it was terrible & I hope please God it may never come our way again it has so unnerved us that every sound we here makes us tremble and we shall never get the sound of the thing out of our ears now dears I must not say any more about it as I have been very poorly & it upsets me to talk about it I am pleased to see according to the papers Edd will be put back into married groups we feel if this war was over we could put up with anything but it will not be over yet now dears I cannot say any more now so I will close with fond & tender love from your own dear Ma Pa & Ciss praying that God will take care of us all at all times and in all circumstances if we are in His care all will be well with us kiss my dear little girl bless her I hope you are all in the best of health xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx From all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Footnotes (not part of the letter) Wellington Street runs parallel to Grange Street; Shobnall Road runs at right-angles to both. The man killed in Wellington Road lived at number 34; his name was Charles Gilson and his son was George Gilson.
  Person ID	I2104	Ickham, Kent
  Last Modified	20 Dec 2016

  
  

  Father	Albert POTHECARY,   b. Bef 6 Sep 1842   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Martha ANDREWS
  Family ID	F502	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	John Minter,   b. 26 Jan 1868, 6 Holly Hill, Hampstead, London d. 24 Mar 1951, Lichfield, Staffs (Age 83 years)
  Marriage	3 Jun 1888	Christ Church, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire   [3]
  	Married by banns. John Minter, 20, a bachelor labourer of Horninglow, father Jacob Minter (deceased), brewer; Florence Annie Pothecary, 20 a spinster of Burton on Trent (born 13 August 1867) the daughter of Albert Pothecary a labourer deceased (and Martha nee Andrews). Both signed. Witnesses - John Taylor and Sarah Pothecary both signed. Vicar - Charles Guest
  Children	1. Albert John Minter,   b. 4 May 1889, 22 Napier Street, Burton on Trent, Staffs d. 26 Nov 1943, 15 St Johns Road, Huddersfield, Yorkshire (Age 54 years)   2. Jacob Percy Minter,   b. 24 Sep 1890, Burton on Trent, Staffs d. 12 Aug 1952, Cradley, Staffs (Age 61 years)   3. Alfred Edward Minter,   b. Dec 1892, Burton on Trent, Staffs d. 28 Apr 1917, WW1 casualty at Roeux near Arras, France (Age ~ 24 years)   4. Elsie May Minter,   b. 14 May 1894, Burton on Trent, Staffs d. 4 Oct 1974, East Staffs RD (Age 80 years)
  Family ID	F501	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	8 Sep 2009

  
  

• Event Map

  Death - 29 Jan 1952 - Burton on Trent, Staffs  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S30] Richard Stanley, 2005. [S3] BMD index. [S29] Marriage certificate (copy).