John Veitch Snr.
(1856 - 1920)

Born at Porto Bello, Edinburgh, Scotland

To date my earliest reference to John is the 1881 Census. On the census night (3 ^rd April) the 24 year old Able Seaman was on board HMS Inconstant, one of 613 crew staying at The Cape of Good Hope replenishing coal stocks. The Inconstant was not yet a third way through a two year 'World' voyage. Read more about Inconstant's voyage on Diana Kennedy's family history article or the Soldiers of the Queen Website . The latter site has an early photograph of HMS Inconstant and also mentions The Khedive's Star which was awarded to crew members for service in the Egypt Campaign while at Alexandria. It could be the Khedive Star worn by John in the Burnham photo here,

In 1885 John married Emily Warren at Thanet and the 1891 Census shows the couple with their two eldest children residing at Birchington, Thanet, Kent. John is know recorded as a Boatman Coastguard.

Kelly's Directory for 1908 has John as Head Coastguard & deputy receiver of wrecks.

In 1901 he is at Caister-on-Sea where my grandmother Effie was born in 1900. He must have moved to Goldhanger shortly afterwards, serving 3 years as Coastguard there before moving to Burnham around 1904.

I believe John retired from Navy Coastguard duties in 1911 and became Landlord of the George & Dragon , Ostend, Burnham-on-Crouch (Kelly's Directory reference for 1912). Soon after the family moved down to Dorset, the area where wife Emily was born. My grandmother Effie also remembered well her teenage time in Dorset.

John and the family next moved to Aldbourne Wiltshire and took over The Crown Public House. It was while living at the Crown, just before WWI, that my grandmother met my grandfather Clifford Walter Brown.

Later John moved once more to another Pub in the village - The Boar on the village green. A pub, which 60 years later, featured as The Cloven Hoof in a classic John Pertwee Doctor Who series.

I hope to be able to check John's Navy record at Kew in the not too distant future.