Charles Pearce Pitt was my husband's father.
He was born on 18th January 1918 in Paddington, London, the youngest of 9 children born to Albert Pitt and Ellen Brooks.
At the outbreak of the 2nd World War his address on the Electoral Register was 50 Portnall Street, Paddington. He was a Railway Guard.
During WWII Charles was with Royal Engineers Railway Operating Company and served in the British Expeditionary Force in France from 16th April to 31st May 1940 and in North Africa and Italy between 10th December 1943 and 8th June 1946.
In 1946 Charles’ address was 161 Church Road, Ealing and in 1949 it was 101 Kenmore Road, Harrow East. In 1951 he was living at Flat 2 Stanmore Station, London Road, Stanmore.
On 29th August 1951 he set sail from Southampton on the New Australia bound for Melbourne. Unbeknownst to him he encountered his future wife on the crossing when she was being seasick and he enquired after her health. She was reticent to talk as she had taken her teeth out. They were both moving to Australia as ‘£10 Poms’.
Charles married Annie Leach on 24th December 1955 at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia. They set up home together at 3 Reid Court, Dandenong and Charles worked on the Melbourne trams
They had 2 children in Dandenong, the younger being my husband, Charles Pitt.
The family moved to 184 Great South Road, Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, where Charles worked as a Railway traffic Assistant.
They all returned to the UK to visit family, sailing from Auckland on board the Aurelia on 29th October 1965. They never returned to New Zealand.
Charles got work driving a train on the London Underground and the family lived first at Clitheroe Court, Rayners Lane, Middx and in 1969 moved to 19 Glebelands Ave, Newbury Park, Essex.
Charles died in King George Hospital, Newbury Park, Essex in 1986 and his ashes are scattered at The City of London Cemetery.
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