Southam, Ernest

Corporal Ernest Southam

Ernest Southam was born at 34 Upper Canning Street, Belfast on 6th January 1920 to Richard Francis Southam, Soldier and Mary Ann Southam nee Little. They were married at St Anne's Church of Ireland on 8th October 1906. Richard was a Lance Corporal in the Royal Irish Rifles based in Victoria Barracks, Belfast.

The 1939 Belfast Street Directory records Richard Southam as the caretaker of Northern Bank, 109-113 Royal Avenue branch.

Northern Bank, Royal Avenue branch

Southam, Service Number 7012844, served with the 1st (Airborne) Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles. He died in France on 23rd August 1944.

Casualty List extract - Cpl E Southam

Southam was married to Amelia Elizabeth Southam, of Brithdir, New Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales.

Ernest & Amelia Southam

[Courtesy of Michael Clarke's Ancestry archive]

Southam is buried in a CWGC marked grave in the Tourgeville Military Cemetery, Calvados Region, France.

Corporal Ernest Southam - CWGC Headstone

[Courtesy of Find a Grave website]

At the location of Southam's death, there is a marker listing the names of Southam and two colleagues:

[Courtesy of Michael Clarke]

A family 'in loving memory of' card:

[Courtesy of Michael Clarke's Ancestry archive]

I am grateful to Richard Southam's grandson, Michael Clarke, for permitting me to publish a couple of the  images above. Michael writes:

"Many thanks, yes my Grandfather Richard Francis Southam worked for the Northern Bank, he served in WW1 and afterwards was RSM of the Lisburn C Specials and then worked for the bank. My Mother lived in the bank with some of her siblings and Parents, I was in it a couple of years ago and was allowed to go onto the top floor where they lived. I have a photo of my Grandfather on the roof [see below] and a letter [see below] from the Northern Bank thanking him for saving the Company car from the stationary building during the blitz and awarding him £10. My Grandfather took my Mum and one of my Uncles up onto the roof after the air raids had stopped one night and my Mum said it was like a scene from hell, everywhere was burning all over Belfast.

Coincidently, the writer, Gavin Bamford worked in 109-113 Royal Avenue branch in the 1970s/80s. After Gavin's father died in 1961, his mother took on a 'charlady' called Bella (can't recall her surname) who lived in the caretakers flat in the 1960s.

Richard Southam, as a caretaker, would probably also have been a 'fire-warden' for the bank keeping an eye out at night during the German blitz periods over Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland. This next photo shows Richard Southam on the roof of the Northern bank head office on Victoria Street / Queen's Square.

[Courtesy of Michael Clarke]

[Google Earth view of the former Northern Bank head office 

showing the dome where Richard Southam is standing]

The letter from the bank relating to the 'incendiary bomb' that landed on the roof of the bank 'Stationery Store' on the night of 4th/5th May 1941. This period was known as the 'fire raid'.

[Courtesy of Michael Clarke]