The Guild of the Blessed Sacrament

Don Mackie was a member of the Guild of the Blessed Sacrament. The picture above was taken at one of their processions at St. Joseph's Convent, Abbey Wood. That's Don with the moustache in front of the second window on the right. The picture was probably taken some time in the 1950s. The convent and school subsequently became part of Bexley College, but have now been converted to residential use as St. Jospeh's Court. Below is a GBS lapel badge.

Don & Eileen at the seaside

This must have been taken sometime between 1946 and 1952, after Don had been demobbed but before they had children of their own. I would guess they must be somewhere on the south coast and it is a shingle beach. It looks a bit breezy too; Eileen's hair is being blown about and they are all keeping their jackets on.

The other couple are my godparents, Dennis & Maisie Smith. I haven't seen they since they emigrated to Australia in the early 1960s. They used to run the off licence in Bostall Manorway, Abbey Wood. They had two sons - the younger one was about a year or so older than me. But that would still leave the schoolgirl on the left of the second picture (notice her straw boater matching her uniform) unaccounted for. But of course the group also included the unseen photographer.

The Mackies and their WAGs (1940s style)

The first picture shows Don's brother Jack, Jack's wife Celia, Eileen and Don. They are outside the house in Chapel Lane. I think this one was also taken prior to October 1944. The second is the only picture that has come to light of Don and Eileen's wedding. It looks like wartime austerity dictated that this was not a lavish affair. They married in June 1945. Although the war was over, there was still alot of soldiering to be done. After his marriage, Don had another tour of duty overseas, this time to Glinde near Hamburg to deal with returned ordnance. He was not finally demobbed until July 1946.

Don meets his prospective in-laws

These are all stamped with the same number on the back, Eileen is wearing the same clothes and the setting is the same (outside the front door of the house in Chapel Lane) so I think they must have been taken at the same time.

Don is not wearing medal ribbons, so I think these pictures must predate him being posted to Caen in October 1944. (For more about Don's military service, particularly the army dance band he played in, see my blog http://bandof14aod.blogspot.com/) Before going overseas, Don had been based at the Ordnance depot at Old Dalby. It was during his time there that he met Eileen, the future Mrs Mackie. Had it not been for the war, your blogger would not have been born!

The other gentleman seen here is Eileen's father Bill (William Kilby) Bailey. There will be more about him later. He worked at Stanton Ironworks and was a keen cricketer; I still have some of his trophies. He died when I was very young, but I dimly remember him.

Albert & Donald on the beach

Note that even on holiday, Bert is wearing a collar and tie. Donald cannot be more than five in this picture, dating it no later than 1925. I do not know the location, but it is most likely somewhere on the Kent coast.

From Bushey Avenue to Basildon Road

After WWII, Don and Eileen Mackie stayed temporarily with Don's brother Jack at Bushey Avenue. But in February or March 1948, they moved into what had been Don's family home in Basildon Road. (Or more precisely, the new house that had been built on the site, as the original had been destroyed by a bomb in WWII.) Here we see the estimate and receipted invoice for removal from Furlongs of Woolwich. Some of these are slightly larger than A4, so I have had to scan them in as overlapping sections. You will notice that the invoice is made out to Mrs A.M. Mackie. No doubt the young couple setting up home appreciated some help from the "Bank of Mum and Dad".

Ada's National Registration Identity Card

Maybe the current debate about identity cards is not so new after all. Here is Ada's card. The first entry is dated 29 May 1943, so maybe these were introduced as a wartime security measure. But it looks as if the powers that be were not keen to relax the rules once hostilities were over, as the latest entry was made on 16 November 1951. But from a genealogical point of view, this card provides a useful record of where Ada was living.

As I have suggested in previous posts, the move to Walsingham Lodge was probably connected with husband Albert's work for the Ministry of Supply. After the war, they would have needed to vacate this address, but their old house in Basildon Road, Abbey Wood was bombed during the war and had not then been rebuilt. So the move to Royal Parade must have been a temporary expedient as they were only there three months. Next stop was 623 Westhorne Avenue SE9, but again only for a few months. Possibly she was staying with her sister Lyn Saward, who I know lived in Eltham. September 1946 sees her at 10 Red Hill, Chislehurst, where I believe she and Albert settled - and where Albert died in August 1950. The final entry finds her at Scrips, Coggeshall, Essex. I am looking for information about Scrips, but I think her visit here must only have been temporary as she subsequently lived at various addresses in Chislehurst.

Neither Ada nor Bert ever moved back to Basildon Road, but the house stayed in the family as their son Donald and his wife moved there in 1948.

Gas masks in Basildon Road

These pictures show Ada Mackie and son Donald in the back garden at 84 Basildon Road, Abbey Wood. I presume they were taken early in WWII when dressing up in gas masks and tin hats must have been considered a bit of a laugh. Also, Don is still in civvies; he didn't enlist until November 1940. The house was destroyed by a bomb during the War (fortunately with no loss of life as Ada and Bert were then living at Walsingham Lodge, Chislehurst and Don was away on active service.) It was subsequently rebuilt. I don't think Ada and Bert ever moved back there, but Don and his wife Eileen moved in during 1948 and the house stayed in the family until your blogger sold up and moved out in November 2004.

Your blogger, his sister and father

In the back garden at 84 Basildon Road, Abbey Wood. (Taken by Uncle Jack)

First Communion

Comparing with the holiday picture of (see posting of 9 October 2008) I think the lad in front of the priest must be Donald. Date would be around 1926-1928.

Ada

Ada Mary Mackie (nee McCann, later Warden)

14 October 1890 - 13 March 1980

Ada, Bert and their sons

Left to right: John Adam Mackie, Albert Charles Mackie, Ada Mary Mackie (nee McCann) and Donald James Mackie. Bert died in August 1950 and he looks quite frail here.