Walter Sidney Willingale

1902 - 1974  (71 years)

• Name	Walter Sidney Willingale
  Birth	31 Jan 1902	Rochford, Essex
  Gender	Male
  Census	1911	Spread Eagle Pub, Prittlewell, Essex
  Occupation	Aft 1918
  	Cabin Boy on P&O liners, rising to 1st Class Cabin Steward
  Residence	Between 1935 and 1955	72-74 The Broadway, Leigh on Sea, Essex
  Occupation	Between 1935 and 1955
  	Pastry Chef, Willingale Restaurant, 72-74 The Broadway, Leigh
  Occupation	Aft 1955
  	Steward Orsett Golf Club
  Death	1974	Thurrock, Essex
  	Cause: Cancer
  Notes	1911 census - Spread Eagle Public House, Victoria Avenue, Southend on Sea, Essex RG14/10157 WILLINGALE, Caroline E Head Widow F 60 1851 Licensed Victualler Essex Leigh WILLINGALE, Sidney W Son Married M 35 1876 Manager Hotel Essex Southend WILLINGALE, Ada R Wife Married 10 years F 31 1880 Hampshire Shrewsley WILLINGALE, Walter Grandson M 9 1902 Essex Southend WILLINGALE, Reginald Grandson M 2 1909 Essex Prittlewell FLYNN, Jessie Servant Single F 36 1875 General Servant D London Mile End
  Person ID	i0587	Willingale One Name Study
  Last Modified	7 Sep 2011

  
  

  Father	Sidney Walter Willingale           b. 13 Nov 1875, Southend on Sea, Essex           d. 1950, Prittlewell, Essex (Age 74 years)
  Mother	Ada Rosetta Shearman           b. 4 Feb 1880, Shirley, Hampshire           d. 1948, Rochford, Essex (Age 67 years)
  Family ID	F0169	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Walter Sidney Willingale           b. 31 Jan 1902, Rochford, Essex           d. 1974, Thurrock, Essex (Age 71 years)
  Marriage	1930	Rochford, Essex
  Children	+ 1. Ann Willingale           b. 1936, Rochford, Essex           d. 2005, Southend on Sea, Essex (Age 69 years)  [Natural]   2. Living + 3. Living
  Family ID	F0170	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Click to hide
  		Birth - 31 Jan 1902 - Rochford, Essex Census - 1911 - Spread Eagle Pub, Prittlewell, Essex Marriage - 1930 - Rochford, Essex Residence - Between 1935 and 1955 - 72-74 The Broadway, Leigh on Sea, Essex Child - Ann Willingale - 1936 - Rochford, Essex Death - Cause: Cancer - 1974 - Thurrock, Essex  = Link to Google Earth
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• Photos » Slide Show		Willingale's Restuarant Willingales Restaurant 72-74 The Broadway, Leigh on Sea, was started by my parents some time early in the 1930's. I don't have and exact date as I have no documents that relate to it. My father, Walter Willingale, ran away to sea when he was very young and served on the cruise liners that were very popular at that time. He worked his way up to being a 'bedroom steward' for the first class passengers. After he met my mother he sent all his wages to her to save for their future venture. After they were married in Janury 1930 they opened a small tea/cake shop in the Broadway, Leigh, in the section that bends round by the Grand Hotel. My mother had been trained as a professional cook so it wasn't such an unlikely venture as it might seem. She had been the head cook at the restaurant in Boots' the chemist in Southend High Street (amazing to think of now - they also had a lending library there too, very genteel ). She taught my father to be a pastry cook. The first small shop was obviously sucessful and, with the money they made, they moved to a larger property further round the Broadway. The two shops were amalgamated into one for the restaurant by my (maternal) grandfather, Bill Matthews, who was a builder/ architect. He installed mirrors to give the illusion go space and the whole was decorated in cream and green. The external tiles were green and black. The kitchen was lined with embossed tin (difficult to describe,and I've never heard of it since) to avoide condensation damage. The living accomodation at the rear of the two properties was taken up by my parents at no.72 and at 74a by my maternal grandparents, their unmarried son, Barnard Matthews and their daughter, Gwen and her husband, Reginald Willingale. Aunt Gwenny did the waitressing, my mother did all the 'plain cooking' and my fathre did all the pastries. It was extreemly popular with the business men in the area for lunches, 1s 7d, that's about 15p., in todays money, for a 3 course lunch! Afternoon teas were popular too. Roes , tomatoes or sardines on toast and a huge selection of cakes and tea cakes. No evening meals though. Soon after the war began, in 1939 ( I was 3 by now ) German bombers came up the Thames to bomb London and also to vere off to bomb the midlands where the munitions factories were. Any unwanted bombs were dropped in the estuary on the return journey, several arround Leigh I believe. By this time my grandfather had developed a weak heart and it would seem the family decision was to evacuate, voluntarily. As my grandmother had spent her early life in the country with her grandmother in Wallingford (at the Falcon Public House, Crinny Lane, now Falcon Cottage, a private house house) they decided to go there. As you will understand being only 3 or 4 at the time not much of the details impinged on my memory. Accomodation was found about the area, my mother and I living in a flat above a jewelers and my grandparents and Gwenny went to lodgings in Brightwell cum Sotwell. All the men of the family went to Coventry to work in the munitons factories. My mothe, after joining the WRVS, took up the running of the British Restaurant in the Corn Exchange in Wallingford with the help of grandma on the till. Grandpa kept chickens on an allotment and Gwen joined the land army for a short while. After the war we all trooped back (sadly with out grandpa) and, after cleaning up the bomb and vandal damage the restaurant opened again, It continued to be very sucessful until the mid '50's when the landlord put up the rents beyond the means to pay and it had to be given up. It was a very traumatic and rather sad time for all the family. They were all split up again, my aunt and uncle going to a flat in Southend and my side of the familt to Orsett Golf Club where my father became the steward and my mother did the catering. Ann Carter 16/02/2004
  		Walter Willingale
  		Walter and Matilda Willingale Taken on their wedding day 22 Jan 1930
  		Walter Willingale in the window of his restaurant
  		Walter Sidney Willingale

  
  

  Documents

  Walter Sidney Willingale Identity Card