BERTIE THOMAS (1885 -1965)WHO ?

Its 1917 - Bertie Thomas is off to France and later Salonika to join in the fighting during
World War One.
Two years earlier when he had tried to enlist officials told him he had to produce his birth certificate...............the problem was, Bertie didnt have one!

The story leads back to 1885 when one night a liveried carriage drew up outside the home of washerwoman, Mary Steer (1818-1904) a 69yr old washerwoman of Mill cleave cottage, Mill Close, Withypool, Somerset.

A nurse, Jane Storey (1837-1925) handed out a bundle to Mary Steer. The driver, who picked up his passengers from London at Dulverton station, whispered abruptly: 'not a word to anyone!'
The bundle was, in fact, a baby!
Tongues soon began to wag about the parentage of the new-born baby taken in by Mrs.Steer.
Rumors abounded as Mary, with hardly two pennies to rub together, paraded baby Bertie in fine clothes and a pram, later sending him to a private school.
The Locals reckoned it was connected to the weekly envelopes she received from a neighbour who was a woman related to the Mildmays of Dulverton. I believe this 'neighbour' was Lady Hamilton nee Edith Charlotte St.John Mildmay who married James Archibald G. Hamilton in 1889. She was staying at Hollom House in the 1901 census. This was the family home of the Mildmays. Edith being the sister of Alice Mildmay.
On leaving school, Bertie, aged 12, went to work for farmer John Williams at Stone Farm, Withypool. Bertie told Wilfred that Farmer Williams made him eat and sleep in the barn and barred him from the house. He worked alongside John Williams's son, Wilfred John Herbert Williams and remembered him saying to him "all you can see, as far as you can see, is yours!" again the significance of what he was told was never understood at that time.

Mary Steer died the beginning of 1904 and just after that, at the age of 20 Bertie left Withypool to live in Swansea. In 1908 he was working for Bowens Sarso Mineral Water Company which later became Corona. He was one of the first people in Swansea to hold a Heavy goods vehicle licence.
He married Mary Jane Harris on 19th Feb.1910 and they lived at 889 Neath Road Morriston Swansea.

At the outbreak of the war in 1914, when he tried to join up, he sent home for his birth certificate, but there was no trace of it or a Bertie Thomas born in Withypool, or London in 1885.
Bertie approached a solicitor a Mr.D.O.Thomas, who placed an advert in The Times in Sept. 1915 appealing for information about Berties birth and parents.
A keen-eyed Daily Sketch reporter picked up on the story and his interview with Mr Thomas was reproduced in the Somerset County Gazette the same month.

Poor Bertie never found out who he was and died in 1965 of a cerebral haemorage. He asked his son to try and find out so his proper name could be put on his tombstone.
Berties son, Wilfred of Wellington, now deceased, had tried to unravel the mystery. He reckoned Bertie was the love child of Edward VII and singer Alice Mildmay of Dulverton, but there is no proof of that.
Edward. as Prince of Wales, was notorious for picking up actresses and singers at the theatre. He certainly knew Alice from hunting trips to Dulverton, and the Mildmays were the only family in the area to own a liveried coach.
Why were Mary Steer and Withypool chosen for Berties upbringing?
Alice, who never married, went to live in South Africa around this time - Wilfred suggests she may have been shunted off to avoid a scandal.
Apparently Mr. D.O.Thomas said he found out who the parents were, but didnt tell Bertie, he only told him that he came from 'very high parentage' and they were still alive to that day - apprx 1915 which would rule out Edward VII who died in 1910. Was this correct or is it possible he said that to thow him off the scent! ??

Berties son, Wilfred was resting his hopes on finding a missing legacy to his father, printed in a Barnstaple newspaper. He believed the notice related to certain financial arrangements having been made for Berties benefit. Although he doesnt have details of the legacy, he claimed to be the rightful heir to a 700acre estate in Dulverton. If there was money provided for his upbringing, it seems certain that there would have been something for his future. Whatever it was, where did it go?

This is not a search for an inheritance as that would be long gone! It is a search for an identity!

Over the years vital documents have gone missing. Papers given to the local Vicar, the Rev. Rowland Newman by Mary Steer, for safekeeping disappeared. and then records in Mr.D.O.Thomas's office were destroyed in bombings, during the second world war.
Whoever Berties parents were, any nurse/escort would have had to have been recommended for the job of escorting him to Somerset, and moreover, would presumable have been a person who could be trusted to act with discretion. The nurse, Jane Storey was in the employ of the Mildmays so must have been sent up to London to bring the baby to Withypool.
If Bertie was the son of Alice Mildmay, such an indiscretion would, surely, have been removed much further away from the family home. Its more likely that the Mildmays were co-operating in a cover-up for someone else - but WHO?
There is the story of Prince Eddy (Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence) who had a child with Annie Crook, this child was a daughter called Alice Margaret Crook. He died in 1892 aged 28.
One of Edward VII's affairs was with Jennie Jerome, the wife of Lord Randolph Churchill. There was a quarrel between the two men which was resolved in 1884 when Jennie reputedly started an affair with the King. See Churchill thrown out of England

But if it is true that both Berties parents were alive in 1915 then was his father George ? - Edwards' son? I checked to see where he was in 1884 and found he was in the Royal Navy from 1883. Then I found he was home to be invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter, which was on 4th August 1884. I dont know how long he was home, but maybe he met and had a brief affair with Jennie Jerome? Its possible he attended parties hosted by Jennie with his father. Bertie would have been conceived around October 1884 to be born in July 1885.

Whilst reading about Winstons' early life, it says that he was at a prep school in Brighton in 1885 and on returning home for his summer holidays that year, Winston and younger his brother, Jack were immediately sent off with their Nanny (Mrs.Everest) to a Hotel in Norfolk.
Is it possible that Jennie was pregnant? Bertie was born in July 1885.

A few clues to Berties parentage:

In 1881 census Alice Mildmay is living at 42 Porchester Terrace, Paddington. She was staying with her Great Aunt, Charlotte Trotter, whose husband was a naval Officer, Rear Admiral Henry Dundas Trotter (1802-1859)as was the husband of Alice Keppel,(a well known mistress of Edw.VII), the Hon. Henry Keppel, so they may have known each other. Charlotte would have been 36 when he died. Prince George (George V) was also in the Royal Navy.
Also in 1881 the nurse, Jane Storey, is in the employ of Mildmays at Hollom House, Dulverton. She is buried in the Mildmay vault in Dulverton cemetary, her epitaph reads: Jane Storey, wife of Robert Storey, for 67 yrs devoted nurse and friend in the family of Arthur St John Mildmay of Hollam, died 18th March 1925 aged 88 yrs.

The 1891 census show Berties place of birth being London.
1901 shows Bertie aged 15 as a carter at Stone Farm Exford, employed by 26 year old farmer John Williams who, incidentally, was the local church warden.

The Rev. Rowland Newman died 17th Nov.1919 and his son, Roland Alan Webb Newman(1878-1958) took over his fathers ministry. Maybe the papers were mislaid during the transition.

Berties daughter had haemophilia - sometimes referred to as the Royal disease.

His granddaughter, whom I know, is the image of Queen Victoria, even the same height and build.
Edward VII was born Albert Edward but always known to the family as 'Bertie'. In those days a child was often named after his paternal grandfather.

Alice Mildmay was born in India 23rd May 1857 and died unmarried in 1922 She was in Paddington in 1881 and later went to Africa. In 1901 she was living at Orchard Cottage, Mundesley in Norfolk with her servant, Zacchia Molape who was born 1881 in Basutoland, later known as Lesotho.
Edward VII actually visited Alice Mildmay on several occasions when she was at Weatherslade Farm Withypool, which was being farmed by Robert Williams - this information was given by Fred Milton who was living there as a young boy.

The picture below is the only early picture the family have of Bertie with his family. This is the picture from which I took Berties head. Scroll down to see pictures at bottom of page.

Finally compare the pictures below:-

The picture of Bertie has been taken from a family photo and is the only one his granddaughter has. I have pencilled in just the hair to match to show the similarity. Is it more than an amazing coincidence that the profile of Bertie and King Edward appear identical ?

Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert born 3rd June 1865 - Later to become George V	Prince Albert Victor (Eddy) Duke of Clarence, son of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Born 8th Jan.1864 and died 10th March 1892	Jennie Jerome, wife of Lord Randolph Churchill & Mistress of Edward VII
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There are connections here to the Jack the Ripper story which are written about in great detail elsewhere. I only mention it as Theodore Dyke Acland married the daughter of Sir William Gull, the physician of Queen Victoria who appeared to be implicated in some way to Jack the Ripper. Also it shows the connections between the Upper Class families in Somerset and the Royals at that time.

An interesting extract from an account of Edward VII

There is also a writeup about Bertie Thomas on Chris Newmans family tree website