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Alfred Edward Woodhurst was born in 1898 to parents Alfred (3) Woodhurst and his second partner Eliza Gilbey. His birth certificate [Birth Index: Hampstead 1a 661, 1898 (Sept)] states that he was born on August 22nd 1898 at his parents' address 9, Netherwood Street in Kilburn. His father was occupied as a milk carrier and the informant was his mother.
The 1901 Census finds him living at age 2 with his parents and grandmother at 1, Kelson Street in Kilburn.
He married Annie M. Paterson in early 1924 [Marriage Index: Mile End 1c 423, 1924 (March)].
Most of what follows was kindly supplied by Alfred Edward's son Alfred John.
Annie was born in Glasgow and first married a Scottish seaman named Jeff (or Geoff) MacDougal (or McDougal) who went away to sea. Subsequently hearing nothing from him for over five years, Annie presumed he was dead and remarried, to Alfred Edward. Alfred John was born to them in May 1924. However, Jeff eventually reappeared and therefore Annie's second marriage had been bigamous. Around 1928 a judge ordered that Annie and her son should leave Alfred Edward, whereupon they returned to Jeff in Glasgow. Annie and Jeff produced three children there - twin girls Lily and Sadie, and a son Jeffery. Sadie died at age 13 months, and a week later so did Lily - both from gastro-enteritis. Alfred John travelled on the hearse with them to their funeral. Just 15 months later, in the middle of 1930, Jeffery picked up a splinter in his leg from crawling around on a carpetless floor and died from ensuing blood poisoning.
In 1930 Alfred Edward remarried to Ellen ("Nell") M. Fryer [Marriage Index: Stepney 1c 534, 1930 (Dec)], who was born on July 25th 1901. By her he produced a child Edward J. Woodhurst. In 1933 his older son Alfred John, now 9 years old, was sent back to London from Glasgow to live with him in Redman's Road, just south of Mile End Road in Stepney. Living there also was Ellen's brother Andrew Fryer. A few years later they were living in Pelling Street in Limehouse, and perhaps later on in Bethnal Green.
Annie later returned from Glasgow to London to live with Alfred Edward who by then had separated from Ellen. Together with Alfred John, they remained in London until the 1940s. After the outbreak of WW2 Alfred Edward, having been a member of the Territorials, went away with the army in the 7th London Fusiliers regiment, seeing service in France and ending up in Iceland. Annie and Alfred John continued in London until they were bombed out of their home, whereupon they moved to Bingley in Yorkshire to live with one of Annie's sisters. At some point in the post-war years, Alfred Edward went his own way and by the time he retired he was living in Morecambe, Lancashire with a third partner whose previous surname had been Hethering. The last occasion on which he made contact with Alfred John was in the 1960s when he sent a letter from Preston station (but without giving an address) to say he was returning to London, his latest partner having died.
If he did return to London then he appears not to have remained there, for he died in Lancashire in 1978 aged 80 [Death Index: Lancaster 40 1649, 1978 (Sept)]. Ellen died in 1986 [Death Index: Tower Hamlet 0786 14 1147, 1986].
Alfred John died aged 78 at Bingley, Yorkshire on February 4rd 2003. His obituary was published in The Bradford Telegraph & Argus.
Edward J. died aged 37 around early 1969 [Death Index: Poplar 5d 682, 1969 (March)].