Genealogy Chat

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Quick Search

Single word search

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

Irene E Edwards

Page 0 + 1 of 2

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. »
ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

JennyWren

JennyWren Report 3 Jan 2026 11:56

Please can anybody help with info on Irene? Edwards was her birth name but used the name Bristow. She was born in Dartford in 1923, in 1942 she married a Bernard Gilham and they had a son Raymond. She left them and in 1946 had a daughter, then did the same, she left again. Reaching out hoping someone might be able to help. Possibility she could have remarried more than likely did. Any help would be appreciated Dora

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 12:09

EDWARDS, IRENE EVELYN BELSHAM
GRO Reference: 1923 J Quarter in DARTFORD Volume 02A Page 1156


Marriages Jun 1942 (>99%)
Bristow Irene E E Gilham Surrey N.E. 2a 147
Gilham Bernard R Bristow Surrey N.E. 2a 147

1939?? (For accurate DoB if it's the right woman) Birth cert will confirm

Irene E Bristow 05 Apr 1923 Female House Parlourmaid Single 33 10

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 12:10

Under what surname was the daughter's birth registered?
And where was she born?

Did Gilham divorce Irene?

If not, she couldn't legally re-marry as long as he was alive

When did he die?

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 12:26

Not sure where you've looked

Have you eliminated this entry? On freebmd..........................

Marriages Dec 1947 (>99%)
BROOKS Leonard A Gilham Essex S.W. 5a 547
Gilham Irene E Brooks Essex S.W. 5a 547

ArgyllGran

ArgyllGran Report 3 Jan 2026 12:44

The woman who married Leonard Brooks in 1947 was Irene Ethel Gilham, born 1921.

Irene died 1994, and Leonard in 1995, both of an address in Denston, Suffolk.

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 13:02

Thanks AG.

Dora has responded by PM…….have asked her to post on the thread.

1939 is the right woman so we have DoB to work on

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 13:17

Deaths 1987 (>99%)
THOMPSON IRENE EVELYN 5AP1923 UTTLESFORD 9 3249

Maiden name should be on death cert...................but bear in mind that any info on there is only 'as known' to the informant.

ArgyllGran

ArgyllGran Report 3 Jan 2026 13:20

Bernard Ralph Gilham was born in Surrey in 1919.
In 1960 he emigrated to Australia, accompanied by wife Mary V Gilham (1938) and a son Peter (1959) with possible middle initial M, though really unreadable on record.
Bernard died in Australia in 1996.

If that's the right man, perhaps they couldn't marry if he was still married to Irene.

I don't see a marriage to Mary in the UK, and no UK birth record for Peter, unless he was registered under his mother's surname.
Perhaps she had been married before.

Peter M Gilham
in the Fremantle, Western Australia, Passenger Lists, 1897-1963
Name Peter M Gilham
Departure Place Southampton, United Kingdom
Arrival Date Nov 1960
Arrival Place Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
Vessel Fairsky


Peter Gilham
in the UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960
Name Peter Gilham
Gender Male
Departure Date 8 Oct 1960
Departure Port England
Ship Name Fair Sky
Shipping Line Sitmar Line Genoa
Destination Port Melbourne, Australia
Master C Sand

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 13:20

Name Irene Evelyn Thompson
Death Age 64
Birth Date abt 1923
Death Date abt 1987
Burial Date 2 Jul 1987
Burial Place Takeley, Holy Trinity, Essex, England
Source Description Burial Register; Service of Church: Registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Incumbent; Takeley, Holy Trinity; Parish Records;1920-1989

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 13:21

Dora has all the Oz info........................this is one reason why responding by PM is NOT a good idea.........wastes time

JennyWren

JennyWren Report 3 Jan 2026 13:23

Leonard and Irene not a match for me. Irene's name is Irene Evelyn

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 13:27

Yes, that's what AG posted

Now look at the death I found and consider getting the certificate

ArgyllGran

ArgyllGran Report 3 Jan 2026 13:29

????

Marriages Sep 1980 (>99%)
EDWARDS IRENE E THOMPSON UTTLESFORD 9 4123


Deaths 1987
THOMPSON IRENE EVELYN 5AP1923 UTTLESFORD 9 3249

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 13:30

That's the death I found............great minds think alike

Didn't take long once we had DoB..................

alviegal

alviegal Report 3 Jan 2026 13:31

If this is Bernard R(alph) Gilham in 1939, he seems to have remarried and gone to Australia.

1939 Register
14 Gordon Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Kingston-Upon-Thames M.B., Surrey, England

Household members (9 people)
First name(s) Last name(s) Birth date Sex Occupation Marital status Schedule Schedule sub number
Racheal H Gilham 16 Nov 1890 Female Collecting Agent (Porivedent Clothing) Married 197 1
George Arthur (G) Gilham 01 Jan 1888 Male ??? Married 197 2
Roy R Minahan 28 Aug 1916 Male ??? Single 197 3
>>Ralph B Gilham 23 Sep 1919 Male Cinema Operator Single 197 4
Yvonne E A Diggle (Gilham) 04 Mar 1921 Female Braiding Electrical Tubing Factor Single 197 5
Irene J Gilham 27 Aug 1924 Female Shop Assistant (Millinery) Single 197 6
The record for this person is officially closed.
Hilda I B (Betty Irene) Farmer (Gilham) 07 May 1919 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 197 8
Daphne Hilda G Manning (Gilham) 30 Aug 1939 Female Under School Age Single 197 9


ADDED Ooops you've already found this :-D

alviegal

alviegal Report 3 Jan 2026 13:39

Irene's residence at death was Residence 53 The Mount Caravan Park, Takeley

JennyWren

JennyWren Report 3 Jan 2026 13:52

Yes I'm Irene's daughter, it took me years to find out all that info you did in minutes. Bernard's info is correct as far as going to Australia and the child, he was registered under his mother's name then Gilham. But I'm not related to any of them. I was brought up using my dad's name Jeffery, it sometimes feels as l never existed as Dora Jeffery never had a birth cert. and yet everyone who knows me wouldn't know I'm registered as Gilham. At this point in my life I'm really trying to put a closure on my mother's life so a death cert would be what I need but what name would she have

ErikaH

ErikaH Report 3 Jan 2026 13:55

You’ve been given the death registration info - use it to order a copy certificate

Hope it helps to clear your mind.

alviegal

alviegal Report 3 Jan 2026 13:59

I think Irene married a Gerald Patrick Thompson. He is in a newspaper article with the address 53 The Mount, Coopers End, Takeley in 1970 which is the same address Irene died at.

JennyWren

JennyWren Report 3 Jan 2026 14:13

Thanks for all your help, info and patience will order that death cert hopefully will be able to get rid of all my unnecessary notes.