William Fitzpatrick

William Fitzpatrick (1886-1952) was the older son of Thomas and Lizzie Fitzpatrick. He married Dorothy Ritson in 1926, but they had no children.

They lived together in Tudhoe Village, in a bungalow just 3 doors down from his sister Lizzie.

Marian remembers "Will and Dolly lived in the cottage along from Gran's - the remains of which is now someone's garage! I went in there a few times - Dolly wasn't really a kids person - the only person I knew who still had gas lights. She later moved up to cottages by the Tudhoe war memorial, 2 along from Aunt Molly."


We have reports that he was held as a POW during WW II, and was very much a changed man on his return. Don't really know much about his life before the war. In the 1901 census, he is described as a Gardener.

I asked Tina about Uncle Will, and she remembered a lovely story he used to delight in telling from when he was a soldier in Germany...
He had a rather splendid gold pocket watch. When asked where he got it from he explained that when he was a soldier he'd met a German who had the watch, which Uncle Will had admired in fullsome terms:

'My, that's a bonny watch, yer've got there and no mistake.'

"Yes, I can see you are a man of great taste and discernment. Actually, it's a family heirloom, passed down from my grandfather to my father and now I'm very proud to wear it."

'Yer a lucky man. It must be quite valuable, being gold an' all.'

"Well, I value it more for the sentimental value it has, although you're absolutely right, it is gold."

'I'm from a poor farming village myself. I could never aspire to owning such a magnificent timepiece. Although I really would treasure it."

This went on for some time, always in very eloquent language, until the soldier generously gave the watch to Uncle Will, knowing it would be treasured and they parted with many expressions of mutual esteem.

So did you speak German then, Uncle Will? No.
Well...Could the German soldier speak English? No
So - I don't understand how you could talk him into giving you the watch?

'Well hinny, he had the watch and I had a gun and I just said 'Gizzit here' and somehow he seemed to understand and he gave it to me.'


Dolly travelled each week to help her family run their shop (a general store) in Wheatley Hill. That was very unusual in those days, a married woman at work. Tina remembers that Dolly brought home Dolly Mixtures at the weekend!