LOVE Bertram

Bertram Love was born in Ilkeston on July 4th 1881. He was the youngest of four, having an older brother and two sisters. Bertram’s father, Benjamin was a Blacksmith and originally came from Tipton in Staffordshire.  Bertram’s mother, Ellen Fanny came from Stanton in Derbyshire.

He was baptised on August 1 1881 at Ilkeston (Hallam Fields).

The 1891 census shows the family living at 225 Mitchell Terrace,  Hallam Fields, Ilkeston.  There are now 6 children living at home, the eldest daughter Ellen Gertude at 14 years old has apparently already left home, perhaps to go into service. All the other children are listed as scholars.  Benjamins place of birth has changed from Tipton Staffordshire to Horsley in Derbyshire!  Possibly the enumerator made an error.

Hallam Fields is 3 miles south of Ilkeston near to the old Stanton Iron Works (which later became Stanton and Staveley).  A short history of Stanton Ironworks can be found here

There is perhaps confirmation  below that Bertrams father did in fact come from Tipton! It also paints a good picture of the area Bertram grew up in.

Hallam Field and Crompton Street

by Danny Corns

I was born in September in the shadows of the giant furnaces situated at the New Works of Stanton. This great iron making company employed around 9000 men and women at this works alone. Everyone who lived on Crompton Street was employed there. The houses belonged to the company and building them began in 1875, the company employing iron workers from the Black Country i.e. Tipton and Bilston etc who arrived via the Erewash Canal on boats run by Totty Bonser, a local boat owner and Fellows-Moreton & Clayton, carrying the families and their furniture. Eventually there were 148 houses, a pub/hotel, a grocery shop, a Post Office, a chip shop, a confectionary shop and the church, making the remote community self sufficient in every way. This was essential in the early days as there wasn’t any transport to and from Ilkeston, some three miles away, until the coming of the trams in 1903.

Extract taken from -http://www.ilkestonhistory.org.uk/history/familyhistory/ilkestonremembered/ilkestonremembered.htm

In 1901 the family were still living at Hallam Fields but have moved as they are  now listed at Number 1 Mitchell Terrace.  There are  ten children listed all still living at home. Bertram has started work and his occupation is Iron Founder, it is probably safe to assume that was at Stanton Works. However, I have no documentary evidence to prove this.

Early in 1908 Bertram marries Minnie Knowles and on September 22nd they have a daughter Ida.  Sadly Minnie died the following year in the Spring of 1909.

Below is a copy of Ida’s Baptism record, she was baptised in June 1909(after her mothers death).

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The following is an excerpt from Derby Daily Telegraph 3 April 1909 explaining the circumstances of Minnies sad death.

SUDDEN DEATH AT ILKESTON

Mr W H Whiston, coroner, held an inquest at the South Street Schools, Ilkeston   on Friday afternoon on the body of Minnie Love, wife of Bertram Love, of Millfield Road Ilkeston, who was found dead in bed on Thursday morning. – Deceaseds husband said they had been married for nine months, and his wife was 24 years of age. – Elijah Silcox said deceased lived with him and his wife, her husband working away.  On Thursday morning he went upstairs to take deceased and his wife a cup of tea, about six o’ clock, when he found that she was dead.  Dr Paton, who had made a post mortem examination, said death was due to Syncope, and the jury returned a verdict to that effect.

(Syncope in the dictionary is described as temporary loss of consciousness caused by a fall in blood pressure).

By 1911 Bertram was living at 20 William Street  Old Whittington.  He is a boarder in the home of G H Toon and his wife.  He is classed as a widower and his occupation is given as Box Fitter in Iron Foundry.  His daughter Ida is not on this census record,  but after checking the 1911 record for Benjamin(his father)  Ida is listed as living with her grandparents.

On 3rd June 1911 happier times arrive for Bertram and he married for the second time at Old Whittington.  His wife was Ellen Robinson from Whittington.

On 11th April 1912 Bertrams son, Frederick Benjamin was born.  He was baptised at Old Whittington Church on 15th May 1912.  The family were now living at 98 Holland Road Old Whittington and Bertram is  an Iron worker. Unfortunately there is no way of telling whether Ida was now living with her father.

Bertram and Ellen had a daughter in 1914, Hilda May Love.

Bertram  joined the 1/6th Battalion (Sherwood Foresters) Notts and Derbys Regiment,  enlisting in Chesterfield.  His service number as a Private was 4221.

Photograph courtesy of Thomas Deakin

As many WW1 records were destroyed in 1940 I am unable to trace any Service Record for Bertram and cannot confirm when he enlisted, other than it was prior to October 1915.

The 1/6th battalion was formed in Chesterfield in 1914 it became part of the 139th Brigade (46th North Midland Division) on 12th May 1915  and took part in many battles during WW1, more information can be found at

According to the Medal Card for Bertram he served in France from 27th October 1915.

Between 27th September – 9th October 1918 the 46th North Midland Division were involved in The Battle of Cambrai/St Quentin. A report of the Battle can be found here

Taken from the WW1 War Diaries of 1/6th Battalion for 30th September 1918.

(Courtesy of Ancestry.com)

At some point Bertram was promoted to Corporal (Service Number 241404) the definition of a Corporal in WW1:

Corporal: typically the senior non-commissioned rank in charge of a Section in an infantry battalion.

By October 1918 Bertram must have become quite an experienced and reliable member of the Battalion.

Sadly on 3rd October 1918 Bertram was Killed in Action.  There is no record which I can find of where exactly Bertram Love was killed but the 46th North Midland Division were still involved in fighting around the St Quentin canal area and the Special Order of the Day below would indicate that Bertram was involved in quite heavy fighting again.

(Taken from Ancestry.com 1/6th Battalion WW1 Diaries)

Bertram is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial details can be found here  the memorial was built to commemorate the men who fell between 8th August 1918 to the date of the Armistice in the Advance to Victory in Picardy and Artois, and who have no known grave.

Betrams medal card shows that he was awarded the Victory and British War Medals along with the 14/15 Star.

He is commemorated on Old Whittington and The Brushes War Memorial and remembered on the Sherwood Foresters Roll of Honour here

The children Bertram left behind, Frederick and Hilda – Photo courtesy of Thomas Deakin

Bertrams daughter Ida married in Ilkeston in 1929 (which would indicate she quite probably lived with her grandparents) and his son Frederick Benjamin married in Chesterfield in 1934. Hilda married in 1936 and on the 1939 register was still living in Chesterfield.

Bertrams widow Ellen remarried in December 1919 to Albert Pateman from Whittington and in 1939 they were living at Dunston.