Walter was born in Blyth District 27th August 1880. He married Gertrude May Barham of Great Glemham, born in Snape in 1904 and on both occasions he was registered as Walter Lumpkin. (There is confusion over the names – it seems that there was an illegitimate birth at some time and both surnames have been used.) On the 1881 census Walter’s birthplace is listed as Theberton, as was that of his father, Henry, an agricultural worker. His mother Mary Ann was born in Middleton. Their other children were Harry, Edward, George, Herbert and Burton, all born in Theberton. In 1891 the family are listed as Lumpkin, except for oldest son Henry, now listed as surname Baggott, born in Bulcamp. All the boys are employed as agricultural labourers apart from Bertie and Walter, still at school. By 1901 the family had moved to Middleton Moor, were listed as Todd again and Henry Sr, Edward and Herbert were working as farm labourers. George, Bertie and Walter were fishermen.
In 1911 Walter was away at sea on census night. Gertrude’s address was Saxmundham Road, next door to Boundary Farm. There were two young boys, Walter Leslie, 6 and Clifford H C, 5, both born in Yoxford.
In 1915 Walter’s WWI Service Record states that he was serving in the Coldstream Guards, Regimental No 15195, enlisting at the age of 34 as Walter Lumpkin. He had married Gertrude 20th January 1904 in Yoxford and their address was given as Barkbarn Cottage. There were three children by this time – Walter Leslie, known as Leslie, Clifford Hubert Cassell and Iris Heather Rosina, born in 1913. Walter was wounded, suffering shrapnel in his left arm and was hospitalised at Poole in Dorset.
Walter and Gertrude were living at Boundary Farm (Rookery Park) in Yoxford where Walter was a farm worker engaged in ‘heavy work’. Clifford was still at home, employed as a painter and decorator. Iris was working as a cashier and Viola, born in 1925, was still at school.
Sister Audrey was born in 1918. All the children attended Yoxford School.
Gertrude died in 1958 at the age of 73, her death registered as Gertrude Lumpkin-Todd and Walter in July 1967, aged 87, registered as Walter Todd.
Leslie married Isabel Newson and Viola married Cyril Studd.
Clifford Todd, born 25th July 1905, became a self-taught painter, although it is thought by his son that he may have taken some evening classes at some point. There are several unframed paintings & portraits in Yoxford Archives, donated by his son Rodney. Clifford married Phyllis Meadows. Clifford died in April of 1968, aged 62. Phyllis lived until 1991, aged 81.
Audrey was born at one of the four Fife & Drum cottages at the top of Hog Hill (now Strickland Manor Hill). These were owned by Colonel Brooke of Sibton Park. Around 1930 the family moved to Boundary Farm and then in 1941 to Rookery Cottages, as her father Walter worked for the Hamblings. For the rest of her life she lived in Darsham, first at Granary Cottages, tied cottages for Simpsons Granaries, with her parents and her sister Iris after Walter retired. In about 1982, when she retired, she moved to New Granary Cottages, on the opposite side of the road. It is believed that the three sisters lived there together after Viola was widowed.
She gained a scholarship to the Sir John Leman grammar school in Beccles but was unable to take this up as her father could not afford the train fare. Leaving school at 15, she worked in various shops in Yoxford, then went into service as a parlour-maid for the Parry-Crooke family at Darsham House. She was there for three years and in later life spoke very highly of how well they treated all their staff. From 1942-48 she was employed by the Co-op in their shop in Yoxford. She was a small, slight girl and found the work hard and heavy. She learned to drive and during the war she and another female employee delivered groceries to Westleton and Middleton. Iris worked at the Simpsons Granaries from 1941 and Audrey joined her to work in the office in 1949. She was then aged 30 and worked there for over 30 years for the Frasers, father and son. It became a very successful, busy company and Audrey was engaged in making up over 100 pay packets each week. All the local farmers called in to settle their bills, order and collect seed corn or selling corn in the early days.
Stanley Smith, A Betts, Audrey (l) and Iris (r) seated on ground
She befriended widowed District Nurse Cora White (see her story) and looked after Cora’s cats when she was called to a confinement. They took holidays together in Devon and Cornwall, setting off in the middle of the night to get a good start on the journey, in Nurse White’s Ford Prefect. (Audrey continued driving until at least her late eighties). At other times Audrey would visit her sister Viola who lived on the Isle of Sheppey.
There was a card club in Yoxford, the chief protagonists being the Rev Knight-Parker (before he left the village in 1958).
After her sisters died Audrey was left alone at New Granary Cottages, which she found very lonely. She had good views over the open countryside but disliked being alone and needed to keep busy. She was occupied with church, chapel and other village activities and a staunch member of the Mother’s Union for over 20 years. Their banner hung in the church at her funeral service 5th May 2011. There were many tributes to her kindness and her willingness to ‘be there’ wherever people needed help or a friend. She was always smartly dressed in pretty, colourful, stylish clothes. Passionate about animal welfare, particularly dogs, she gave generous donations to many charities. She and Iris had a poodle, ‘Pepi’, who they often walked on Westleton or Dunwich Heath.
