TrunkCalls: Austin & Ivy Sennett

Max - Nuncy - Austin Sennett (1914 - 1991)

Austin Sennett was the older son of Elizabeth Fitzpatrick & James Sennett. He was born in Tudhoe Village, Co. Durham, on the 17th of July, 1914... and died aged 76 in 1991.

Some of the material below has already appeared in another message - I've brought it into here instead to try & be rational. It's a target, at least.

Our Austin was called Max because he had the same surname as the the great Filmmaker Mack Sennett (Keystone Cops etc).
He was called Nuncy because it was all his nieces & nephews could say when trying to get out 'My Uncle'!

Here he is as a 'baby Austin':

Below here is a photo of Austin in his scout hat, with his mother Lizzie, and sister Mary. Early 1930's? We always thought that the nickname Mack/Max was something given to him at work, but his boy scout stick was found recently and carved on it is 'Mack Sennett.'

Here we see Mack Sennett on the left (from 1910) and
our Max / Austin Sennett on the right!

"He was guns, cricket, tennis and cars."

Looking very smart!

Looking - well, not so smart!

Austin & his sister Mary

Another nice shot of Austin, Lizzie, and Mary Sennett
Again, no Jack - was he the photographer? Had he already moved away?

A right rowdy bunch, now: Austin is second from left on bottom row. We all see a huge resemblance between Nunc in this pose & his nephew (but he strongly disagrees!).

Austin's first job was as an apprentice (welder) at Coulson's foundry in Spennymoor, and he attended technical college evening classes for four years.
He later (during WWII) worked at the Royal Ordnance factory, Birtley - he worked his way up there. My uncle has an interesting copy of a 'CV' for our Nunc, so maybe I can add some more details later.

As he worked shifts so far away, Nunc needed a car - quite a rare thing in the village then. The rather poorly photo below (from the late 1940's) shows Nuncy with his nephew, his niece and his Flying Standard. The delightful Phil Homer from the Standard Motor Club tells me that while it's pretty difficult to be certain of the model, it's either a Flying 9 (a 2-door model), or a Flying 10 or Flying 12 (4-door models). The year, however, is much easier. It's 1937 - definitely prewar - and not later than 1938, when the radiator shape changed.

In 1964 Austin finally settled down and married Ivy Barningham from the Chester-le-Street area. They moved into a bungalow which they had built in the village where Austin was born. They lived there all their married lives! It was named Aiscroft, (for A & I Sennett).

Here we see some pictures from Austin & Ivy's wedding and then from just after, when they had finished building their house. Don't they look cosy!

Left to right; Bernie & Michael, Madge & Jack Sennett, Lizzie Sennett, Austin & Ivy Sennett, Little Josie & Douglas, Mary (nee Sennett), Tina, Marian & her pillbox hat, Eric.

Here's a shot of him one Christmas time - post dinner!

Unlike his sister, Austin was a dreadful cook - perhaps because he had no sense of smell. (He added vast amounts of white pepper to most food he was served.) He would (very occasionally!) make a soup and he was very proud of it. Sadly we were too polite or stunned to refuse to eat it. It's noticeable that no-one remembers Ivy ever having any, she was too sensible!

Austin loved to grow leeks in trenches, as did many of his generation in the North East of England. He entered them in the village show, and did once get a "Best in Show" for his prize leek. Nunc's hatred of cats stemmed from their use of his perfect Leek Trench soil as a litter tray.

Austin & his brother Jack were very musical.

He loved music and he and Ivy went to all the brass band concerts in town, staunch supporters of the Spennymoor Town Band. He took his family to Newcastle to see 'The Sound of Music' when it opened.

He had an upright piano in the sitting room at his Mother's house and loved to play the Bluebell Polka for the children to dance to. "He made you feel very special". When he moved into his own house he bought a new electric organ and later we broke up the old piano for firewood!! Very noisy and difficult.

I remember the easy rhythm he had when he played old tunes on his electric organ, with his slippers dancing about on all the pedals. He tried to teach me, too!
I wonder if Nunc ever taught our cousin? (He plays a bit now, here & there!)

We see here a shot of him with the accordion, and then an image (which had to be retouched as it had discoloured with age, so thanks are due to imageRestore) of him sat at the Mighty Wurlitzer! He & his wife were heavily involved with the North East Theatre Organ Association, NETOA. (They were fondly remembered at the recent NETOA 40th Anniversary celebrations, I hear.)

Here (below) are more photos of Max's time with NETOA, showing the Wurlitzer (back end & front end!) at a club in West Cornforth, from around 1985. Max enjoyed the woodwork bits of the project and the NETOA folks had a jokey shield made up for him. It hung on the living room wall. There was also a pewter mug with the wording

AUSTIN SENNETT I.S.O
12 YEARS as Chairman
of the
NORTH EAST THEATRE ORGAN ASSN 1976 - 1988
BEST WISHES FROM HIS MANY FRIENDS

Here they are as I remember them! This is with other members of NETOA. Their website has a page on the history of the refurbishment of the grand Wurlitzer which is all very familiar!

Here's a very festive looking Wurlitzer, isn't she bonny??

He died after a long illness in 1991, and is fondly remembered as 'Our Nunc' by many nieces & nephews, great-nieces & great-nephews.

Ivy Sennett, nee Barningham
I extend thanks to Alan, a nephew of Ivy's, who has been very helpful with some of the details here.
Austin's wife, Ivy Sennett, was born as Ivy Barningham on 20th May, 1921 in Chester-le-Street, Durham. Her father, Fred Albert Barningham was a school caretaker in Newfield. Her mother was Ethel Layton. Ivy was the youngest of four girls: Milly (Eleanor Mildred), Ethel, Lily (Lilian) and Ivy.

In the 1911 national Census, we can see that Fred A. Barningham in Chester-le-street is aged 24 (born in 1887), and he lives with his wife Ethel (born 1888).

When Ivy left Grammar school she worked at the ROF in Birtley and was in Army service in postwar Hamburg (see photo below), where she enjoyed a fantastic social life! When Ivy returned she continued at the Ministry of Defence, where she met the foreman Millwright Austin. After a long courtship, they finally married in 1964!

Ivy later worked as a secretary for the TA for many years, in Spennymoor and then Bishop Auckland. She and Austin attended many regimental dinners, which they thoroughly enjoyed!

Aunty Ivy had a very sharp brain; brilliant at crosswords & many other puzzles. She was fiercely loyal to her husband, a great listener, good friend to many and a Great-Great-Aunt!