WALTER LAIT... an unknown Great Grand-Uncle....

Walter Lait... my great grand-uncle

This is a photo of Walter Lait, seventh child of Charles Graham Laite and Eleanor Kaye - my great-grandparents. Walter is a younger brother of Margaret Eleanor Graham Lait, my grandmother. 

He was born in February 1911 when the family lived in Moorgate Street in Wavertree with his parents and five older siblings. Walter was baptised in St Catherines Church, which was just a little way up Tunnel Road. This has since been demolished and replaced by new housing. 

He appeared in the 1921 census when the family were residing in 23 Moorgate Street, and was ten years old... his occupation given to be a scholar. By this time his parents family had grown with two further children, so Walter was living with seven siblings - two younger than himself. 

In 1938, now living at 48 Uxbridge Street, he married Susan Margaret Wardrope... a twenty-two year-old laundry presser of Swallowhurst Crescent, West Derby. Walter was twenty-seven years old and was working as a window cleaner. When the 1939 register was taken however, prior to WW2, Walter could not be found. This could be because he had signed up to go off to war. His wife however was living back at her parents address in West Derby. She was recorded as being married and employed as 'unpaid domestic duties'... another way of saying she worked as a housewife.

In the end, the couple are reported to have had at least four children - two girls (their names unknown), a girl Jean and a son called Frank. This information had been entered into a tree on Ancestry and I have yet to substantiate the data, so this has been flagged for further investigation in my records.

Walter's entry in the Lait family bible (bottom of page) - the date of his death was entered by an unknown family member in blue ink.

Walter died on 22 June 1977. No record has yet been found to substantiate this, but the date has been recorded into the Lait family bible against his name. One day I'll pick up the research on his family to try and fill in some of the gaps.

(c)2024 Graham Seaman

FRIDAY FOTO 29 - WILLIAM HENRY LAITE - 'Uncle Bill'

William Henry Laite was born in Liverpool on the 11 December 1915. He was the brother of my grandmother, Margaret Eleanor Graham Laite.

William is seen here in his uniform when he was serving with the East Lancashire Regiment. The date on the rear of the photo is 11 February 1945, alongside a simple message - 'To My Darling Wife with Love - Love Bill'   

Uncle Bill, as I knew him, had married his wife Madeline Milne in 1939. The couple helped look after my Dad and his siblings following the early death of my grandmother in 1947.

I remember them as a lovely couple. They both had rather deep gravelly voices and also had a keen sense of humour and laughter.

Bill, in particular, had the most hearty chuckle on him - I can just hear him now as he shared a joke with my Dad during one of their visits!

FRIDAY FOTO 16 - MARGARET ELEANOR GRAHAM LAIT

Margaret Eleanor Graham Lait, my grandmother on my father's side of the family, was born in Liverpool in 1901. Margaret was the third child of ten in the family of Charles Graham Lait and his wife, Eleanor Kaye.

MEG, as I affectionately know her, married my grandfather Joseph Seaman in September 1928 in St Catherines Church, in the Edge Hill district of Liverpool. The couple had five surviving children, the sixth-- my aunt, Joyce Seaman-- unfortunately passed away as an infant.

In the 1939 Register, MEG's employment was listed as being 'unpaid domestic duties'-- in other words, she was a housewife in the family home. At the time the record was taken, the family were living in 54 Moorgate Street, Edge Hill... just across the road from the railway station. 

Margaret died in Sefton General Hospital Liverpool in October 1947 of heart failure. She was only young at forty-six years of age. 

According to information from my uncle, Margaret was employed at one point in her life as a confectionery worker in a sweet factory (see photo above). MEG is pictured here on the left with one of her co-workers. Two things stand out for me looking at this photo-- the first is the highly-polished shine on my grandmother's shoes, and the second is the woman sitting at the rear by the cart, who was basically photo-bombing the couple, around 80 years before the term was even invented!  

Finally... the name 'Graham' in my grandmother's name referred to the maiden name of her own grandmother-- Mary Ann Graham, who had been born in 1853 in Raithby, Lincolnshire. And both my parents agreed that I should be named Graham in honour of my grandmother.  

95a SMITHDOWN ROAD - BIRTHPLACE OF CHARLES SEAMAN

One Sunday morning, a few years back, I decided to go and take a look along Smithdown Road, Liverpool to try and see if I could locate the place where my Dad had been born.

On arriving and parking the car across the road, I found this sight before me.

95A, the flat where my grand-mother gave birth to him, is the one with the missing front wall. 

Not only had I found the property where he had been born, but I could actually see into the rooms themselves!

The location didn't last long after this, for the area was scheduled for redevelopment and the property was demolished. I think only a few weeks afterwards!

I can't help but think that someone was behind my decision to go out with the camera on that day.

It had been my last opportunity... and I'm so glad that I took it. 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Margaret Eleanor Graham LAIT - HAVING A BREAK!

One for Wordless Wednesday.... my grandmother M.E.G. LAIT (left), having a break at the sweet factory with her sister Charlotte while wearing her shiny shoes! 

How I wish I could see through them to read the full name on that cart!

Plus an early example of photo-bombing, which at that time, hadn't even been thought of!