Tag: collections

Growing up in both Admiralty St and Renown St there were some special moments that stick in the mind. Maureen leaving for London was a sad occasion the only close person other than Mum and Dad and suddenly I’m on my own. But Christmas was an entirely different occasion, apart from all the Church services and celebrations across the faiths, it was a time when all the family came together in different host homes over the period up to New Year.
This was a big family interconnected across both Grandma Ingham’s line and Granda Riggs line. Mum was one of fourteen children born and lived in Ker St. Of course not all survived an number died in early infancy and it seemed it was accepted as normal and probably was the reason why big numbers of children were born into working class families. Mum was the youngest and her sister Vera was the next up, Bert and Walter, Leonard and Earnie these were the ones who survived. I have no recollection of Grandad Riggs like Grandad Ingham he died before I was born. I recall Leonard as a child he lived at Wombwell Crescent with Grandma and Aunty Vera who became a widow in the War with the loss of her husband and also lived at Wombwell with her daughter Mary. Her surname was Morris. Leonard developed a brain tumour early in my life and whilst I can clearly recall him in stature, without the technology we have today nothing could be done and he died when I was about seven.
All of the male Riggs worked in the Dockyard as labourers or skilled labourers and at this time the Dockyard was employing up to 20,000 people but not all jobs were permanent, in fact when you became classed as an established employee that gave a permanence and security for the future.The opportunity for a mortgage became within reach and the Keyham houses two up two down were within the range of affordability once this status was reached. There were also a number of naval personnel who this also applied to as well so Keyham was a place where Naval and Dockyard workers lived.
Uncle Bert had a house in Fleet St and he had married Vera who was my Dad’s cousin from the Warren side of Grandma Ingham’s family line. Earnie had married and lived at St Budeaux but they couldn’t have children and it was only recently that I found out that his daughter Biddy who was the eldest of my cousin’s was in fact adopted. It would seem that Grandma Riggs true Irish Catholic that she was played a big role with Canon Gaynor to bring pregnant Irish girls out of wedlock to the area to have their babies and the children were adopted here locally. Apparently in Ireland the disgrace would have been overwhelming for the girl and there was no knowing what the family would do, probably thrown her out, so this provided a solution all round.
I had no idea of any of this until only a few years ago when Maureen and Mary related the story, Biddy herself confirmed that she had tried to trace back to her mother and had the name, whatever came from that I don’t know.
Walter was also in the Dockyard  and lived in Ernesettle he had three daughters and a son and in later years his Grandson Michael Riggs was elected as a Councillor in 1991,,which we will cover in due time. Walter was the most full of life of all of the brothers, they could sink a lot of beer but he seemed to be entertaining all the time. The one feature they all had was Grandma Riggs white hair they all went pure white and Mum had such  fine hair with it,that eventually she took to having some wigs done in white.