Henry Joseph (Faulkner) Sims ^{4 5}

   Another name for Henry was Harry.

  Chronology:

In 1871 he was likely at 4 Earls Street, Plumstead, Greenwich with his grandparents, Henry and Sarah Sims. It is almost certainly him although he is recorded as what looks like John Henry Faulkner, 3, born Walworth. ¹⁰

In 1881 he was living at 20 Stephenson St, Canning Town, West Ham with his parents and was working as a Baker's Boy. ¹¹

In May 1888 at the time of his marriage both he and Emily were recorded as being resident at 20 Ada Cottages, Hoopers Road, (West Ham?). He was recorded as a Packing Case Maker and his name was given as Henry Joseph Faulkner Sims. ²

In 1891 he was a 23 year old Telegraph Cable Courier living with wife and first child, Henry, at 56 Hermit Rd, West Ham. ¹²

In 1901 he was Wood Sawyer (Ship Yard) living with his wife and five children at 44 Durham Road?, Canning Town. ¹³

In Dec 1903 at the time of daughter Edith's birth he was a Wood Sawyer living at 97 Lansdowne Rd, Tidal Basin, West Ham. ¹⁴

In 1909 at the time of his father's death he was recorded as being resident at 76 Priory Rd, East Ham. ¹⁵

He worked as a Carpenter (Journeyman) in May 1914 and resided at 43 Watford Rd, Canning Town. ¹⁶

He worked as a Journeyman Carpenter in 1915 and resided at 18 Richards St, Tidal Basin, West Ham. ¹⁷

The family believed that Henry and Alice perished in the Hallsville Primary School bombing but based on the death certificates Henry died a few weeks before in hospital and Alice the next year. Maybe they were there and survived or maybe the story of their deaths became mixed with that of Hallsville which almost certainly involved many of their neighbours and occurred at roughly the same time.

www.eastendtalking.org.uk/OurEastend/story/
The Blitz-Second World War "Black Saturday", 7th September 1940 The First day of the Blitz. 1939 - 1945 375 German bombers flew up the Thames Estuary in two waves with a 20 minute interval, to their target, London Docklands. Air-raid sirens sounded at 4.30pm and 5.00pm. Incendiary bombs lit fires throughout the riverside wharves, (the storehouses of the nation's essential commodities, such as fuel). Surrey Docks had the worst fires, where the Ports timber stocks were piled high in sheds or out in the open. With all the fires burning, London, normally "blacked out" was a beacon of light for more planes to come to bomb. As dawn broke shell-shocked Londoners and emergency services began the gruesome task of digging through the rubble for survivors. There was a total of 306 dead and 1,337 seriously injured. This was only the first day of 57 consecutive nights of bombing. During these 57 nights of bombing, falling bombs overshot the docks in nearby side-streets. The worst was in Hopper Road. Whole families of men, women and children were taking refuge in South Hallsville School, waiting for buses to take them to safety. The school suffered a direct hit, causing the biggest civilian disaster of the 2nd World War- as many as 400 people died under the rubble. The buses arrived minutes too late.

He worked as a Carpenter before 1940 and resided at 18 Richard St, West Ham. ¹⁸ (his wife Alice S Sims who was informant lived at 18 Richard St, Canning Town - same address)

He worked as a Carpenter (Gas Works) before 1941. ¹⁹

Henry married Eliza Emily French, daughter of Charles French and Eliza Julia Gilkes, on 19 May 1888 in St Lukes, Victoria Docks, Essex.^{1 2} (Eliza Emily French was born on 4 Oct 1868 in 2 Junction St, Canning Town, West Ham, Essex ^{6 20 21 22} and died on 29 May 1914 in 43 Watford Rd, Canning Town ²³.)

Henry next married Alice Sarah Fitzgerald, daughter of Alfred Fitzgerald and Unknown, on 18 Sep 1915 in Register Office, West Ham.³ (Alice Sarah Fitzgerald was born in 1881 in West Ham (Reg) ^{24 25} and died on 6 Jul 1941 in Campers Cafe, ???wick Road, Canvey Island ¹⁸.)