George Benjamin WEBB

1870 - 1942  (71 years)

• Name	George Benjamin WEBB
  Birth	21 Dec 1870	5, Union St., Jamaica Level, Bermondsey, Southwark   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Post Office Letter Sorter  [2]
  1871 Census	At 1871 Census, he is 3m  [3]
  1881 Census	At 1881 Census, he is 10  [4]
  1891 Census	At 1891 Census, he is 20, occ "GPO sorter"  [5]
  1901 Census	At 1901 Census, he is in South Africa at the Boer War  [6]
  1911 Census	At 1911 Census, he is 41, occ "Sorter GPO", "head", "married" and with his mother  [7]
  1921 Census	At 1921 Census, he is 50y 5m, occ "Post Office Sorter"  [8]
  1939 Register	At 1939 Register, he is "Civil Servant Retired".  [9]
  Individual Note	He had 2 houses, one at Morden and one at Yorkletts. No money ever came to GH Webb, and his family were thrown out of the house in Morden when he GBW died by the eldest daughter. No will has been found.  [10]
  Occupation Note	At 1891 Census, he is a GPO Sorter. Eric Webb remembers his occupation as GPO Sorter/Overseer, presumably reflecting a career progression.  [5, 10]
  Death	3 Feb 1942	Yorkletts, Whitstable, Kent   [10, 11]
  Burial	8 Feb 1942	Seasalter Old Church, Whitstable, Kent   [12]
  Person ID	I12	Webb
  Last Modified	17 Jan 2025

  
  

  Father	John WEBB,   b. 25 Nov 1841, 17, John St., Bethnal Green, Middlesex d. PRE 2 Jun 1895 (Age 53 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Elizabeth Caroline TAYLOR,   b. 1 Sep 1845, Pear Tree Court, Bethnal Green, Middlesex
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	1 Dec 1867	Parish Church, South Hackney, Middlesex   [13]
  Family Note	They were living at 36 Selsdon Rd, Camberwell in Oct 1883  [14]
  Family ID	F6	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Emma MERRINGTON,   b. 2 Apr 1873, Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead d. 29 Jun 1926, 6, Etherdon St, Southwark (Age 53 years)
  Marriage	2 Jun 1895	St. Marks, Walworth   [15]
  Marriage Note	Both were living at 5, Flint St at the time of their marriage.  [15]
  Children	1. Annie Grace WEBB,   b. 23 Mar 1896, Bermondsey d. 7 Feb 1983, 33, Emmerson Gardens, Swalecliffe, Whitstable, Kent (Age 86 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. Emma Rose WEBB,   b. 24 Sep 1904, Peckham, Surrey d. 3 Aug 1970 (Age 65 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. George Henry WEBB,   b. 9 Feb 1898, 21, Flint St, Walworth., Southwark d. 30 Oct 1944, Guys Hospital, London (Age 46 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Elizabeth Kate WEBB,   b. 19 Jun 1899, 24, Flint St., Walworth d. Jul 1901, Boxmoor, Hertfordshire (Age 2 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F1	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	17 Jan 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Burial - 8 Feb 1942 - Seasalter Old Church, Whitstable, Kent  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos

  George Benjamin Webb

  
  

• Notes

  Both George and Emma were living at 5, Flint St when they married He served in the Army Post Office Corps. He served from 24/8/1894 for 1 day(?). There is evidence that he had a court martial but the details are unclear. He then served on the reserve list. He was recalled to Army service under a special Army order dated 7/10/1899 and rejoined on 9/10/99. He served in South Africa in the Boer War and was made Corporal 1/3/1900 and Sargeant 1/11/00. He was discharged 23/8/01 with a war gratuity. The personal information on him includes the following fair compexion brown hair and eyes scar above the left eyebrow Height 6' 5 3/4" (or 5' 5 3/8"). Weight 119 lbs. At discharge, he described his next of kin as Elizabeth WEBB, 5, Flint St (ie his mother, not his wife Emma), but he did say his intended home was 24, Flint St presumably (based on 1901 Census), with Emma etc. He states his marriage as 3/6/95 (rather than 2/6/95). Cannot find any evidence in the divorce records up to 1911, but appears to be living away from Emma at both 1911 and 1921 Censuses There is a George Benjamin WEBB at 46,Paulin St, Southwark in 1897 (also with William Edwin BARBER at the same address) Cannot find him in Kent in the 1938 phone directory At the 1939 Register, he is No 3 in the list (implies he does not own the property?), living with Fanny MILES (nee EDWARDS?) and her son Dennis. One of the family stories is that all his money went to his daughter Annie, and none to the other 2 surviving children. There does not seem to be any record of a will for George (anything) Webb in 1942, 3, 4, nor a Benjamin Webb in 1942. If there was no will, then the intestacy rules from the act that was current (1925) say that for an intestacy death, with no surviving spouse, there should be a statutory trust, with (broadly) the estate shared amongst the surviving children. The executors would nomally be the beneficiaries. Is it possible that in a time of war, the oldest sister took more than a third? Or maybe George gave her, for instance, the house before he died. Or even, perhaps George did not own the house (note the 1939 Register comment above), and so there was not actually very much money.

  
  

• Sources

  [S41] Birth Certificate :- George Benjamin Webb (1870). [S42] Birth Certificate :- George Henry Webb (1898). [S13] 1871 Census :- ?5, Union? Place, Bermonsey, Southwark. [S18] 1881 Census :- ?6 Rewitt St?, Camberwell. [S23] 1891 Census :- 10, Darwin Blgs, Newington. [S119] Army records :- George Benjamin Webb. [S35] 1911 Census :- 120 Gladstone Buildings, Finsbury. [S2627] 1921 Census :- 15, Devonshire Road West, Merton. [S398] 1939 Register :- "Jocelyn", Yorklets Rd, Whitstable. [S54] Information from the family. [S204] Death Certificate :- GB Webb (1942). [S399] Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald 7 Feb 1942. [S57] Marriage Certificate :- John Webb - Elizabeth Taylor (1867). [S111] Baptism register :- St Luke's, Camberwell (1883). [S55] Marriage Certificate :- George Benjamin Webb-Emma Merrington.