1897-1915 George Albert Hodkinson from birth to enlistment

George Albert Hodkinson: 1897 to 1915 – birth to enlistment

George Albert Hodkinson: 1897 to 1915 – birth to enlistment ... this page
George Albert Hodkinson: 1915-1918 – in the army in England
George Albert Hodkinson: 1918 – death in France

George Albert Hodkinson 1897-1918). Stockport Market Place.

Stockport's market place at around the time that George Albert Hodkinson moved to Stockport.

Parents: John William Hodkinson and Frances Eliza Hodkinson
Born: Thursday, 4th November 1897
Died: Thursday, 22nd August 1918 (age 20 years and 9 months)

George Albert Hodkinson's birth and baptism

This undated photograph is of the Hodkinson family with father John William, mother Frances Eliza and their three sons. George Albert is the tallest of the three.¹The photograph may have been taken towards the end of 1911 just before John William left for Australia.

George Albert’s birth: Thursday, 4th November 1897

1897 – the year that Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee – was also the year that George Albert Hodkinson¹, the tallest boy in the photograph, was born. His arrival on Thursday, 4th November in a newly built Victorian two-up, two-down terraced house at 11 St Paul’s Street, Stalybridge was exactly nineteenth months after his parents had married at St Paul’s Church which was – and still is – at the northern end of that street. George Albert's mother, Frances Eliza Hodkinson, was 25 years old when she gave birth. His father, John William Hodkinson was 28 and was working as a core maker/moulder.

Hodkinson History. Part family tree. John William Hodkinson and Frances Eliza Farrar and children.

As can be seen from the family tree, George Albert Hodkinson was the first son of John William Hodkinson and Frances Eliza Farrar.

With St Paul's church only a short walk away from the Hodkinsons' home, John and Frances did not have to worry about the distance involved in taking their five-month-old child to his christening on Sunday, 10th April 1898. The vicar, the Reverend Thomas Holmes Sheriff, had officiated at the marriage of John and Frances in 1896 and was still the incumbent, but it was the curate, Arthur Henry Samman, who took the christening service. As for George Albert Hodkinson's first names, they were also the Christian names of George Albert Kenyon, John William Hodkinson’s stepfather.

November 1897 had exceptionally high daily rainfalls and it is quite likely that the rain from a very stormy sky was hammering on the sash windows of 11 St. Paul's Street as George entered the world in one of the upstairs bedrooms. His father, waiting downstairs, would have been delighted that his wife and the new baby had come through childbirth safely.

George Albert’s Christening: Sunday, 10th April 1898

George Albert Hodkinson (1897-1918). St Paul's Church, Stalybridge.

This photograph of St Paul’s Church, Stalybridge, dates from around 1900. It was here that John William Hodkinson married Frances Eliza Farrar in 1896 and where their first son, George Albert, was baptised in April of the following year. (Photograph: acknowledgement to Tameside Local Studies and Archives.²)

To use those names shows how much John William loved and respected his stepfather - in fact, John William never named any of his children after his own father, James Hodkinson, who had died when John William was eleven years old.

George Albert Hodkinson's key places in Stockport

George Albert Hodkinson's key places 1907-1916

After a number of moves (including in and out of Stockport), the Hodkinsons finally settled in the Shaw Heath area of Stockport from 1907 onwards. They lived at 207 Shaw Heath, 78 Osborne Road and 61 Adswood Lane West.

George Albert went to Cale Green Elementary School, was a member of the Edgeley Boys' Guild, and began his working life as an apprentice turner in a factory on Range Road. In 1916, he enlisted in the army.

Hodkinson History. George Albert Hodkinson in Stockport.

This map was revised in 1907 and was eventually published in 1934. It is reproduced with permission from the National Library of Scotland. The map shows Albert Hodkinson's homes and school and work places in Stockport. The dates by the addresses are known dates, but Albert would have lived longer in Osborne Street and Shaw Heath than the length of time stated.

George Albert Hodkinson's school days

George Albert Hodkinson (1897–1918). Cale Green Elementary School, Stockport.

This building – Cale Green Primary School on Shaw Road – was originally built in 1890. It was extensively renovated during 1906-1907, with the alterations, according to the Stockport Express of 11th April 1907, including "suitable cloakrooms, staircase, and lavatories, sub-divisions of two large classrooms, and the general remodelling of the building as a mixed department, having classrooms grouped around a central hall to accommodate 464." On 12th April 1907, the Stockport Advertiser said that the "extended premises are roomy, pleasant, well-lighted and ventilated" which would mean teaching would take place "under vastly more agreeable and more encouraging conditions than formerly." The 1907 map above shows two buildings which formed the Cale Green Council School. The building immediately adjacent to Shaw Road was the mixed department (for children aged seven and older) whilst the other building was a new infants' school, the site of which is now tarmac. (Photograph: Samuel Hodkinson.)

George Albert Hodkinson attended Cale Green Elementary School, within walking distance of the homes indicated on the map above.

In 1899 the school leaving age had been raised to twelve years, but many, including Albert, remained in education beyond that age. According to the 1911 Census, Albert was still at school: he was then aged 13 years and 5 months and living 61 Adswood Lane West.

George Albert Hodkinson 1897-1918). Cale Green Elementary School, Stockport 1910–1911.

In the above image, George Albert Hodkinson is sitting in one of the classrooms in the recently renovated school, in the front row, third from the right, and looking alert. This photograph is from about 1911. (The photograph is the property of Samuel Hodkinson.)

George Albert Hodkinson: member of Edgeley Boys' Guild

Albert, as he was known by his friends and most of his family (his mother preferred to call him George), was a member of the Edgeley Boys’ Guild which was located at The Church of Our Lady and the Apostles in Shaw Heath. The church opened in 1905.

The rector of the new church was Father McGeever, a strict but well-loved clergyman who would have been known to the members of the Guild, including Albert.

George Albert Hodkinson (1897-1918). The Church of Our Lady and the Apostles, Edgeley.

The Church of Our Lady and the Apostles, Shaw Heath, Stockport, was the home of Edgeley Boys' Guild. The church opened in 1905. The ornate railings and attractive flower beds to be found in front of the building are but a memory, with a dreary park for cars occupying the space where greenery once grew. If Father McGeever could make a fleeting return visit, what would he think about those strange, coloured bins on the pavement in front of his church? (Postcard: property of Samuel Hodkinson. Photograph taken by Samuel Hodkinson.)

George Albert Hodkinson: apprentice turner

After leaving school, Albert worked at McClure and Whitfield Ltd., Range Road, as an apprentice turner. It appears that this was the one and only job he had before joining the Army. Getting to work entailed a longer walking distance than going to school, but it still was convenient and he was lucky to have found employment not too far away from home.

War broke out in 1914, but generally it was felt that it would not last too long. Maybe Albert felt the same way, but as the world conflict continued unabated, he felt that he had to "do his bit".

Army life beckoned.

George Albert Hodkinson 1897-1918). McClure and Whitfield Ltd, Stockport.

This is the building where Albert Hodkinson worked as an apprentice turner. The picture is from the Stockport Directory of 1928 and is looking from the railway side of the factory. The company traded in its later years as David McClure until it was taken over by ATB Morley in July 2007. From 2019 to about 2021, the factory was demolished and replaced by housing.

George Albert Hodkinson's known homes

In many cases, it is not clear how long George Albert lived at the various addresses below, but the known dates are given. The dates for 61 Adswood Lane West include the time he was serving in the Army, but George would have had periods of leave at home.

Some of the information below is also found on other pages about other Hodkinsons.

To begin with, a summary ...

1897-1918 George Albert Hodkinson's homes.

Next, the details ...

The details of George's homes are on the website page about his dad's homes – here.