Another adorable wedding photograph with names and dates on the reverse – my favourite thing to find! This is the wedding of Cecil Mountain and Winifred Labrum which took place on 4 August 1924 at Mill Road Baptist Church in Wellingborough. Northamptonshire.
So let’s see what more we can find out about this handsome couple.
Well first of all, Cecil wasn’t Cecil’s real name – his name at birth was Arthur William! He was born on 1 September 1887 at 9 Cromwell Road in Peterborough to parents Charles and Laura. Charles was a commercial traveller.[1] His parents had married in Nottingham on Christmas Day 1884 and had one daughter, Ethel.[2] Charles had seven children from his first marriage. In 1891 on Cecil/Arthur’s first census, the family were still living at 9 Cromwell Road, Peterborough. From this census we can see what it was that Charles was selling: saddles. Cecil/Arthur’s name on this census was Arthur C Mountain.[3]
Meanwhile 35 miles away in Peterborough on 22 December 1898 his future wife, Winifred May Labrum was born at 50 Allen Road. Her parents were William, a shoemaker and Sarah Ann.[4] William and Sarah had married in 1889 and already had two daughters.[5]
In 1901 neither Cecil/Arthur nor Winifred had moved – they were both living at their birth addresses.[6] [7]
On the 1911 census Cecil was now calling himself Cecil and he was boarding with the Page family at 147 St Edmunds Road in Northampton. He was working as an assistant clothier.[8] At the same time, Winifred was living with her parents at 6A Knox Road in Wellingborough.[9] They were much closer to each other now, only 10 miles apart.
However, it wasn’t their time yet. On 22 April 1915 Cecil married Eleanor Annie Evelyn Carter at St Philips church in Leicester.[10]
In early December 1915 he enlisted in the army but following a series of exemptions granted by military tribunals he was not actually called up until 31 August 1916.[11] He arrived in France on 10 December 1916 to join the 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment. His service number was 27773. He arrived with his unit on 31 December 1916. His service record survives so we know quite a lot about his war time experiences.[12]
He was in and out of hospital for the first few months. He was finally properly settled with his unit on 31 May 1917. On 10 July 1917 the 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment took part in the Battle of the Dunes near Nieuwpoort on the Belgian coast. The battalion was almost wiped out. The Northampton newspapers reported on 23 July 1917 that Cecil had been missing since the battle.[13] Eleanor was sent confirmation of this on 30 July. In August the newspapers reported he was now a prisoner of war but Eleanor did not receive confirmation of this until mid-September.[14] He was held at Dülmen prisoner of war camp.
On 29 December 1918 he was repatriated to England and then hospitalised for a few days with flu. On 8 January 1919 he wrote to the army asking for a form to be sent to him so that he could apply for early release. He said that while prisoner in Germany a serious family trouble had arisen and he needed to be at home. He was obviously in a rush as he returned the forms on 11 January. He asked to be released early from his military service to run his business. He said that his wife had been managing the business and this had led to a complete breakdown in her health resulting in her going to her parents for a long rest. His discharge was granted on 28 February 1919.
Northampton newspapers reported on 5 December 1919 that he had started divorce proceedings on the grounds of his wife’s misconduct with a Corporal Lloyd. His wife and Lloyd had been living together while he was a prisoner. His wife was apparently quite upset with Cecil for coming back and separating her from Lloyd.[15] She offered no defence and the decree nisi was granted in March 1920.[16]
So on the 1921 census Cecil Mountain was living alone at 5A Cambridge Street, Wellingborough. He was working for Gent, Flavell & Co Ltd, Wholesale and Retail Clothiers who were based at the same address.[17]
Meanwhile, Winifred was a clerk for James Page & Co, Leather Manufacturers of Wellingborough. She was still living with her parents at 6A Knox Road, Wellingborough.[18] Cecil and Winifred were now living less than half a mile apart so it is easy to imagine how they might have met.
They were married on 4 August 1924 at Mill Road Baptist Church in Wellingborough. Northamptonshire. Three children followed: Sheila, Patricia and Rosalind.
On 29 September 1939 when the National Registration Survey was carried out, Cecil and Winifred were still living at 5A Cambridge Street, Wellingborough and Cecil was still selling men’s clothes.[19]
On 8 January 1960, in the local newspaper there was a notice that the shop was put up for sale for £3250.[20] It looks like at the grand age of 73 Cecil was retiring. Shortly after this the shop became Household Appliances before reverting back to fashion in the 1980s.
Cecil died on 18 November 1969 at 1 Second Avenue, Wellingborough.[21] His ashes were scattered in the Garden of Remembrance at Kettering Crematorium.[22] Winifred died on the 24 August 1981. She was living at Ruddington in Nottinghamshire at the time. Her ashes were scattered in the Garden of Rest at Wilford Hill Crematorium in Nottingham.[23]
End notes
[1] Births (CR) England. Peterborough Registration District, Northamptonshire. 1 September 1887. MOUNTAIN, Arthur William. Vol 3b, Page 226. www.gro.gov.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[2] Marriages (PR) England. Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. 25 December 1884. MOUNTAIN, Charles and LITSON, Laura. Nottinghamshire Archives; Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England; Parish Registers for Nottinghamshire. www.ancestry.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[3] Census records England. Peterborough, Northamptonshire. 5 April 1891. MOUNTAIN, Charles. Class: RG12; Piece: 1228; Folio: 45; Page: 5; GSU roll: 6096338. www.ancestry.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024.
[4] Births (CR) England. Northampton Registration District, Northamptonshire. 1st quarter 1899. LABRUM, Winifred May. Vol 3b, Page 49. www.gro.gov.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[5] Marriages index (CR) England. Northampton Registration District, Northamptonshire. 3rd quarter, 1889. LABRUM, William and SWAIN, Sarah Ann. Vol 3b, Page 161. www.ancestry.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[6] Census records England. Northampton, Northamptonshire. 31 March 1901. LABRUM, William. Class: RG13; Piece: 1422; Folio: 103; Page: 16. www.ancestry.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024.
[7] Census records England. Peterborough, Northamptonshire. 31 March 1901. MOUNTAIN, Charles. Class: RG13; Piece: 1463; Folio: 145; Page: 38. www.ancestry.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024.
[8] Census records England. Northampton, Northamptonshire. 2 April 1911. MOUNTAIN, Cecil. RG14PN8407 RG78PN433 RD163 SD1 ED19 SN410. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 17 November 2024
[9] Census records England. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. 2 April 1911. LABRUM, William RG14PN8530 RG78PN441 RD166 SD1 ED22 SN43. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[10] Marriages (PR) England. Leicester, Leicestershire. 22 April 1915. MOUNTAIN, Cecil and CARTER, Eleanor. Leicestershire Marriages. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[11] Military Tribunals. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. 6 July 1916. MOUNTAIN, Cecil. Northamptonshire Military Tribunals 1916-1918. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 5 December 2024
[12] War Office Great Britain. Northamptonshire Regiment. MOUNTAIN, Cecil. No 27773. Collection: UK, British Army World War I Service Records, 1914-1920. www.ancestry.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024.
[13] Northampton Daily Echo (1917) Local Casualties. Northampton Daily Echo. 23 July, Page 3, col c. British Newspaper Archive. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[14] Northampton Daily Echo (1917) Local Casualties. Northampton Daily Echo. 8 August, Page 3, col b. British Newspaper Archive. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[15] Northampton Mercury (1919) Wellingborough Divorce Action. Northampton Mercury. Page 13, col e. British Newspaper Archive. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[16] Northampton Daily Echo (1920) Wellingborough. Northampton Daily Echo. 25 March Page 5, col e. British Newspaper Archive. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[17] Census records England. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. 19 June 1921. MOUNTAIN, Cecil. RG15/07711 SN127 RD 166 RS 1 ED 19. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 17 November 2024
[18] Census records England. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. 19 June 1921. LABRUM, William. RG15/07715 SN123 RD 166 RS 1 ED 23. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 17 November 2024
[19] National Registration Survey. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. 29 September 1939. MOUNTAIN, Cecil. Ref: RG101/6127B/006/26 Letter Code: RJMU. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 17 November 2024
[20] Peterborough Standard (1960) Business for Sale, Peterborough Standard. 8 January. Page 2, col i. British Newspaper Archive. www.findmypast.co.uk: accessed 4 December 2024
[21] National Probate Calendar. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. 18 November 1969. MOUNTAIN, Cecil. www.ancestry.co.uk: accessed 6 December 2024.
[22] Burials (CR) England. Kettering Crematorium, Northamptonshire. 21 November 1969. MOUNTAIN, Cecil. www.deceasedonline.com : accessed 5 December 2024.
[23] Burials (CR) England. Wilford Hill Crematorium, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. 28 August 1981. MOUNTAIN, Winifred May. www.deceasedonline.com : accessed 5 December 2024.
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