Robert Henry Proom Senior (1894-1974)
Robert Henry PROOM (Also known as Bob) was born between January and March 1894 at Old Hartley / Seaton Sluice
In 1901 he was living at home on Sandy Island Seaton Sluice with his Parents John William and Lucy Proom (Nee Neave) and his brothers John (Jigger) and Alfred and a sister Minnie. Two other brothers had been born but died as children before 1901.
By 1911 the family had moved to 18 Avenue Row, New Hartley and Robert was working as a Sheaf lad (Note 1) in the Colliery, together with both of his brothers John and Alfred and his Father, James William.
Between 1911 and 1915 he left the mine and found work in Old Hartley, Seaton Sluice as a cabinet maker, (possibly for his Uncle, Arthur Neave, a Cartwright, who lived in East End, Old Hartley) but shortly after he moved to Waterloo Road Blyth as a Painter and Coachbuilder as a partner in the company 'Neave and Proom'.
His partner Arthur had a daughter, Alice Neave and it appears that Robert wanted to marry Alice, who was his first cousin and was six years older than him. He was told by the family that he could not marry a cousin. Alice was sent away into service for a family in Pontefract
When WW1 broke out in 1914 he was working as a Painter and Coach builder in Blyth, but in November 1915 he enlisted in the Royal Engineers. Regimental No 3111.
His partner (Uncle) Arthur Neave supplied the army with a Certificate of Trade Proficiency stating that RH Proom was a fair Cartwright and a good Coach painter.
At the time he was 5ft 5 and a half inches tall and weighed 142lb with good vision and fitness levels. He did his army training in Worksop.
He was stationed in Basra for rest of war apart from a spell of leave in India and received a good conduct award in December 1917. In 1918 he passed a test to speak Arabic, for which he received a pay increase. In February 1919 he was promoted to Lt Corporal, while serving in Basra. He did go into hospital a couple of times suffering with the heat whilst in the middle east.
He remained in Basra until April 1919 when he returned to England. The Ministry of Labour forwarded a form to the army stating that he had a job to go to at Neave and Proom Coach Builders, Waterloo Road, Blyth, as a Partner.
I have found a picture of the Company ‘Neave and Proom’ on the cover of a book entitled Old Blyth and it is possibly Bob posing on the picture having just painted a cart for a local farmer. They hadn't done much work on their own sign as it is barely legible. Amazon sell the book. Click here to see the cover
He came back to Blyth after the war. Due to the work situation, on March 24th 1921, he emigrated to South Africa on the ship Kenilworth Castle embarking at Southampton bound for Durban. The work situation in the North-east of England at that time was pretty bad, I know Jigger (Robert’s brother) was out of work for a time, and most of the work up there was in the coal mines, which he possibly did not want to do.
He went to the town of Verulam, situated in Natal, some 30 km to the north of Durban; this was the third settlement, after Durban and Pietermaritzburg, to be established in the former British Colony of Natal.
He sent some silver leaves from a tree on Table Mountain, Cape town, to his Brother Jigger, Jigger's wife Dorothy and my Mother Margarita who was less than a year old.
Robert Proom became a freemason, at the St Albans Lodge in Verulam being initiated on 15/1/1926 and 'raised' in March 1926.
He ran a coach building company, (Eshowe Wagon Works) with a partner, but apparently lost money and had to start over again on his own.
He played bowls and won a cup in 1929 at Eshowe Bowling Club in South Africa, about 100 miles from Durban
I was told he married twice but I know nothing of his first marriage which must have been in South Africa.
In England, while Robert was away at War, Alice Neave met Charles Davison probably in Pontefract, and they married in 1918 in Blyth before going to live in Pontefract where they had a daughter, Elsie Davison. They can be found on the Electoral Roll of 1921 and 22 at No 5 Sessions Hill Yard, Pontefract.
Alice’s parents Arthur and Mary Ann Neave went to South Africa in 1925 with their two youngest children and returned without the children by ship from a trip to Durban in December 1932. They were returning to Pontefract, presumably to see Alice. They returned again to South Africa on 13th January 1933.
Alice went to South Africa with her Daughter Elsie in September 1933. Alice and Elsie both returned to UK in July 1934 returning to 23 Mill Hill Pontefract, where her husband Charles Davison was living.
On 6th March 1936 Alice again departed from Southampton on the Ship named Armadale Castle bound for Natal, South Africa with Elsie.
Alice’s father, Robert former business partner Arthur Neave died in South Africa in 1938 and his wife remained a widow until her death in 1958
I cannot find a record of Alice and her daughter Elsie returning to England and by 1947 Alice was the Manageress of the Tongaat Hotel in Durban and Robert Henry Proom (Bob) was the Manager of the same hotel.
Bob wrote a letter to his father in January 1947, in which he explains how he has had a number of Jobs in South Africa and is now a Hotel Manager, but he neglects to say that he was about to marry his Cousin Alice less than a month after he wrote the letter.
Bob, married Alice by special licence on 3rd February 1947 in Durban, South Africa. I do not know what happened to his first wife, or Alice's first Husband.
Once they had retired from work they visited England in 1966. They came to see our family in Wolverhampton and also went to Seaton Sluice to see his brother (Jigger.), Jigger’s wife Dorothy Proom and his other siblings, including Minnie and Lucy.
After retirement they lived in a retirement home near Uvongo Beach, Natal.
Robert Henry Proom died 26th May 1974 aged 80. His wife Alice died on 19th March 1980 aged 92.
There is a memorial plaque in Stellawood Cemetery in Durban, South Africa containing this information.
Click here to see it
posted by oldwulf @ April 11, 2018
<< Home