Edwin Freeth was the sixth child of James Freeth & Alice McGarvey born February 21st, 1879 at Smethwick, Staffs.
By 1881 the family were living at 62 Brook St, Smethwick & Edwin now had 2 older sisters & an older brother.
Edwin was still at home in 1891 at the same address & his father was now a glue maker. Edwin was a scholar & he had 4 sisters & a brother at home.
In 1901 Edwin was still living at the family home, now at 1 Pool Rd, Smethwick & he was working as a labourer at the brass foundry.
By 1911 Edwin was boarding with his sister Julia & her husband Thomas Barrowman Love & their young family at 47 Harding St, Smethwick. Edwin was described as a general labourer.
Edwin enlisted on August 29th, 1914. It was noted on his records that he was a Roman Catholic. He served as a rifleman with the Kings Rifle Regiment during WW1 & was posted to France. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal & the Victory Medal & was demobilised in 1919.
Edwin married Ida Beatrice Clifton on October 18th, 1919 at St Philip’s, Smethwick. Ida was born October 9th, 1886 at Birmingham, the daughter of Anne & George Clifton, a stationary engine driver.
The 1939 register shows Edwin & Ida living at 49 Addenbrooke Rd, Smethwick & Edwin was a labourer for the Public Works Department. Their daughter Alice was with them.
Daughter Eileen married Ernest R Olsen in July-September 1945 in Smethwick. Eileen & Ernest emigrated to the USA & there is a record of Eileen returning from New York alone to England in February 1948 & her proposed address in the UK was 49 Addenbrooke Rd.
Daughter Alice married Herbert Lawrence Trevor Evans in 1947 in Smethwick. Daughter Ida married Eddie Phillips in 1954 in Smethwick.
Edwin died in Jan-March 1951, aged 71, his death being registered at Smethwick.
Ida died in Jan-March 1972 at Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales.
The children of Edwin Freeth & Ida Beatrice Clifton were:
fh.4.6.1.6.6.6.1 Norman Edwin James Freeth born February 26th, 1920 at 36 Harding St, Smethwick; died Jan-March 1935 in Birmingham
fh.4.6.1.6.6.6.2 Ida Beatrice Freeth born May 10th, 1921 at Smethwick; died April 2006 in Birmingham
fh.4.6.1.6.6.6.3 Eileen M Freeth born Oct-December 1922 at Smethwick
fh.4.6.1.6.6.6.4 Alice Winifred Freeth born May 27th, 1925 at Smethwick; died April-June 2002 in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales