James Alexander Tidridge

Regiment:     Royal Garrison Artillery 82nd Siege Battery
Rank and Service Number:     Gunner / 67483
Records Found:     Medal Card and Medal Rolls
Medals Awarded:     Victory medal and British medal
Military Information:     James enlisted on 13 November 1915 aged 21. His address on enlistment was 5 Shanklin Road, Sunday’s Well, Cork. He was single and his occupation was a clerk / grocer’s assistant. He is described as 5 feet 11 ½ inches with 36-inch chest. In May 1919 James’ address was Mill House, Doneraile, County Cork. In 1918 he was on dangerously ill list at the Australian Hospital in Wimereux with influenza but was removed from the list on 2 December 1918. He was discharged on 14 February 1919 aged 24, “Sick and wounded” is stamped on his record
Family Information:    James was born 1894 in Cork, Ireland son of William Tidridge and Mary Baker Brown. James married Mary M Dympna Walsh in June 1925 in Kensington. There were no children from the marriage. James died in 1961.

The Family Tree Archives

The Cork Tidridges leading to New Zealand

William Tidridge (1845-1929), son of Henry Titheridge (1815-1868) and Ann Newell (1815-1873), came to Cork as a member of the British Army and in 1882 he married Mary Baker Brown (1856-1939) the eldest of six children of John Brown (c.1831-1909) and his wife Jane Dunlop (c1833-1912). When he left the army William became sexton at the Church of Ireland (Anglican) church of St. Mary Shandon in Sunday's Well, a suburb of Cork City where he died on 29th September, 1929 and is buried in St. Finbarr's Cemetery, Glasheen, Cork.

William and Mary produced ten children :-

1. John Harry Tidridge (1883-1918) married Evelyn Davies (1889-1989) and emigrated to Canada and,it is thought, settled in Windsor, Ontario. They had two sons, William (1916-1978) and Lionel (1912- 1980).

1 a.- William (Bill) Tidridge (1916-1978) and his wife, Shirley, had four children :-
Lorne Tidridge (wife Bertha and two? children),
Susan Tidridge (married Garry Wombach and had a son and lived in Piscataway?, New Jersey),
Lynne Tidridge (1953-?) married Bobby Grinder and lived in Scotch Plains, New Jersey) and
Judith Tidridge (1955-?) studied ballet and married into an Italian family.

Perhaps Bill and Shirley lived in New Jersey but it is thought that they moved to Arizona (Cottonwood?) following Bill's retirement

1 b - Lionel John Tidridge (1912-1980)and his wife, Helen Jane Musson (1925-?), married July 1943,, also had four children :-
Linda Jane Tidridge (1947-?) married James Sparrow in 1967 and had a son, James Scott (1967-?) and a daughter, Patricia (Tricia) Ann (1974-?), Linda and James divorced in 1988.
Nancy Ann Tidridge (1949-?) married Carl Boyle and later Daniel Heaney in 1978, and had a daughter, Heather Heaney (1978-?). Heather has a son Thomas (1999-?).
Timothy John Tidridge (1955-?) was married firstly to Lynn Charron and had a son, Nathan Tidridge (1978-?) , he later married Rosemary Kelly O'Conner and had three children.

a son Ryan John Joseph Tidridge (1984-?)

Ryan at 16 from his driver's licence.

a daughter Meagan Tidridge (1986-?) and Erin Tidridge ((1988-?).
 

Timothy still lives in Windsor, Ontario with his second wife Rosemary Kelly O'Conner and they have a daughter Erin Lindsy Tidridge (1987-?).

And
Elizabeth (Beth) EdithTidridge (1957-?) married to Robert Andrew Douglas in 1978 in Windsor, Ontario. They have three children, Neil William Douglas (1982-?), Alison Jane Douglas (1985-?), and Gwen Catherine Douglas (1989-?).
Robert and Beth emigrated from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada to Christchurch, New Zealand in 2000.

After Lionel's death Helen married William Stanley Jones (1982-?) from Chigwell, Essex, England and continued to live in Windsor.

2. Ann Amelia (Annie) Tidridge (1885-1930) married Thomas Joseph Kerr (1882-1957) of Carnmoney, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland and had six children.

2 a - Mary Louisa(Molly) Kerr (1919-2000) married George Owen Willis of Glanmire, Co Cork and had no children.

2 b - Margaret Elizabeth (Peggy) Kerr (1921-1979) had one daughter,
Avril (1946) who married Reggie Watson and had four children :- Audrey, Reuben, Marilyn and Luke. They live in Coleraine, Co Antrim.

2 c - Ruth Lydia Kerr (1924-1990) married John Stewart Wilson (1922-1978) of Portrush, Co Antrim and had four children -
Elizabeth (born 1947), married Robin Peyto and had two daughters :- Heidi in 1973 and Hailey in 1977, and two sons :- Christopher in 1980 and Noel (1981-1981)),
Patricia (born1950), married Alan McLester and had two daughters :- Joanne in1970 and Michelle in 1973, and two sons :- Steven in 1974 and David in 1981,
John (born 1954), married Marion Hamill and had two sons :- Jon in 1975 and Andrew in 1980) and
David (born 1959), married Clare McMullan and had one daughter, Sophie in1999).

All Ruth's children and grandchildren live in Coleraine, Co Antrim

2 d - William John Kerr (1925-1928)

2 e - Anne Amelia Kerr (1927-?) unmarried and living in Doneraile, Co. Cork.

2 f - Harry Tidridge Kerr (1928-?) married Aideen Mary Costello of Dublin and had four daughters :-
Janet Mary Kerr (1959-1959)
Dara Mary Kerr (1961-?) married Nicholas Shearer of Oamaru, New Zealand and had one son, David Nicholas in 1987 and one daughter, Lisa Kate in 1990 and now lives in Oamaru),
Elizabeth Anne (Lisa) Kerr (1964-?) married Peter Platts of Christchurch, New Zealand and had four daughters :- Cara Madeline in 1990, Maeve Annabel in 1992, Annie Aoife in 1995 and Eilish Piera in 1998. They live in Christchurch) and
Amanda Maeve (Mandy) Kerr (1965-?) married Tiernach Farrell of Douglas, Cork and had one son, Fergus Kerr in 1993 and two daughters :- Molly Maeve in 1995 and Niamh Aine in 1999 and lives in Oamaru, NZ).
Harry and Aideen also had one son,
Ronan Thomas Garrett Kerr (1969-1973) who was born with Down's Syndrome.

When Harry Tidridge Kerr retired from Irish Steel, Haulbowline, Co. Cork in 1993, he and Aideen migrated from Monkstown, Co. Cork to Christchurch NZ in 1994 to join their daughters and grandchildren.

3. William Alfred (Bill) Tidridge (1887-?) married Helen Geraldine Rea and migrated to London, England. They had no children.

4. Elizabeth Jane (Lizzie) Tidridge (1889-1956) never married but took over the care of the Kerr children when their mother - her sister Annie - died in 1930.

5. Mary Alice (Molly) Tidridge (1892-1956) married Richard Osmond Powell of Hereford, England. They settled in Cork and had two sons -

5 a - William Ernest (Bill) Powell (1922-1989) married Christine Morris and had one daughter and one son,
Gwyneth Powell (1964?-2001) who never married,
James Powell who lives in Blackrock, Cork with his wife, Joy, and two daughters.

5 b - Richard Arthur (Dick) Powell (1924-1999) married Betty ? and lived in Peterborough, England and had three sons.

6. Louisa Frances (Lou) Tidridge (1892-1942) Molly's twin, married Rev. John Hartley Roundhill, a vicar in Ashford, Kent, England and had no children.

7. James Alexander (Jim) Tidridge (1894-1961) married Mary Dympna (May) Walsh of Doneraile, Co. Cork. They lived in Doneraile and had no children.

8. Ruth Lydia Tidridge (1896-1977) lived all her life in Cork and never married.

9. George Tidridge (1898-1898).

10. Harriet Edith (Edie) Tidridge (1899-1980) married George Harley Bishop (1892-1957) of Bandon, Co. Cork and had one daughter :-
10 a - Ruth (born 1941), married in 1968 Harold William Fisher (1923-1973) and in 1981 married Harold's brother Albert Eric Fisher (b. 1925). Ruth and Albert live at Glounthaune, Co. Cork.

Information from Harry Tidridge Kerr of 10B Peel St, Christchurch 8005, New Zealand
e-mail harkerr@xtra.co.nz
and Ryan Tidridge
e-mail kickass4me@hotmail.com