Clara Anderson
Nursing, Member St John's Ambulance Brigade
Clara Anderson was the second of five children born to John Anderson, a wall stone dresser at a stone quarrier (meaning that he would give a proper size, shape and finish to the stone obtained from the quarry) from Bingley and Mary Elizabeth Anderson nee Dale from Doncaster. She was born on 11th September 1877 and baptised at All Saints Church in Bingley on 9th May 1878.
Baptism record for Clara Anderson
Her siblings were Anne (a year older), Sam (1881-1887), William (1883) and Harry (1897).
In 1881 the family lived at Cropper's Fold in Bingley. John was working as a quarry man. By 1891 they had moved to 6 Edward Street, also in Bingley. John was a stone mason. Anne and Clara were working, as a worsted weaver and worsted spinner respectively.
The Anderson family on the 1891 Census
The family moved to Keighley at some point over the next ten years, as by 1901 they lived at 15 New England Road, Woodhouse Road. John's occupation was described as wallstone mason dresser. I haven't been able to decipher the handwriting for other parts - Clara was working with cloth and William (known as Willie) was working on railway engines.
The family moved again, in 1911 they resided at 23 Cliffe Terrace. Although 67 years old, John was still working in the stone quarry. Clara was a cloth weaver in a worsted mill, Willie an iron driller for oil and gas engineering and Harry a doffer in a worsted yarn spinning mill.
Clara worked at Morton Banks from 1917 until 1918, she was a member of St John's Ambulance Brigade and undertook nursing duties there without taking a wage. Her brother Harry was serving in 1st/7th Battalion Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment as Lance Serjeant. Sadly he was killed in action on 11th October 1918 in France and Flanders, a month before the Armistice and aged just 22. He is buried at Wellington Cemetery, Rieux-en-Cambresis.
Clara never married or had children. She moved back to Bingley at some point, living at 11 Portland Place. She passed away at Bingley Hospital on 29th June 1938, leaving her estate to her only surviving sibling, Anne.
Sources:
England and Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915
England and Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index 1837-1915
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1935
1881 England Census
1891 England Census
1901 England Census
1911 England Census
UK, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923
UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
Global, Find a Grave Index for Burials at Sea and Other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current
www.cwgc.org
England and Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
England and Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995
