EDWARD STRATFULL
son of Edward Stratfull and Ellen Reynolds was born Bet. October - December 1908
in Cannock District, and died 9 April 1975 in Hither Green Hospital, Lewisham,
London.. He married (1) ELSIE LAVINIA BRADBURY 26 December 1933 in St. Lukes
Church, Cannock, Staffs., daughter of JOSEPH HENRY BRADBURY. She was born Abt.
1908. He married (2) CATHERINE MAY DORA DONALDSON 23 December 1940 in Salisbury
Register Office, Salisbury, Wilts., daughter of HERBERT PERCIVAL DONALDSON. She
was born 20 September 1914 in Irish Republic, and died 12 April 1992 in
"Old Cedars", 258 Kirkdale, Sydenham, London SE26.
Extracted from "Family Roots" - Published January 1990 by East Sussex Family History Association
Found in the British Library. Shelfmark ZC.9.b.1282
"THE NAMES THE SAME" - Submitted by Jack Stratfull
(Jack Stratfull was John Stratful born 7 February 1915 died 30 December 1996).
When I first became interested in family history some years ago, I had the good fortune to inherit a surname that appears to be unique. So far every Stratfull that I have found has been related to me. One of the results is you get feed-backs from all sorts of sources, the following is one such instance.
Many years ago I was talking to a recently discharged soldier who told me in his recent regiment there had been a Stratfull and later he showed me a photograph of the regiment, circa 1935, the size being about 6" x 18" showing 500 soldiers and officers staring at the camera. They were wearing riding breeches and leather cartridge bandoliers. Pointing to a figure in the middle who looked no different to the rest he said 'That's him, I remember him well because he deserted a few times'.
After the war a colleague at work mentioned he served with a Stratfull in the Cheshire yeomanry in the Middle East but only knew him as "Nobby". Some time after this I met another member of the Cheshire Yeo. and after asking him if he recalled serving with a Stratfull he said he knew him well, a bit of a character. Asking him if he recalled his christian name he paused and said 'To tell you the truth I never knew, but his nickname was "Dracula" due to his appearance, as he was of dark Visage with a fearsome scar down one side of his face'. My daughter who is a Dracula fan was quite pleased to find we had one in the family.
Some time later I obtained a copy of the Regimental History and he was mentioned as previously serving in The Dragoon Guards. With this clue I wrote to the Old Comrades Association and received this reply from the honourable secretary:
''I had a lot of correspondence with your cousin prior to his death, and he became well-known to me. He is also a much talked of member of the Cheshire Yeomanry. He was a particularly successful Regimental Boxer earning the title "One round Stratfull". During his service with the Yeomanry in Syria he was a cook and being a particularly good shot kept the regiment in frequent supplies of Gazelle, an animal which is fast and difficult to shoot.
He served in the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards 12.09.1929 - 11.09.1935 and in the Cheshire Yeomanry 01.09.1939-05.02.1946."
Edward Stratfull my cousin was born in Cannock, Staffs, in 1908, and he died in 1975. I never knew him personally. His father, my uncle, was born in Cheddington, Bucks. 1876 and went to work in the coalfields, Staffordshlre, where he married Elizabeth Reynolds in 1902. They produced ten children. He died aged 80 in 1956.
