EPIP Tent

EPIP Tent

During the North African Campaign of WW2, many British and Commonwealth servicemen became familiar with EPIP tents – large, square (or almost square) tents with conical roofs – although precisely what “EPIP” stood for has proved rather difficult to discover.

A search of the Internet has turned up a number of suggestions, mainly recent recollections by the men who were there in 1940-1943:

1.      European Personnel Indian Pattern

2.      European Personal Indian Pattern

3.      European Pattern Indian Personnel

4.      European Privates Indian Pattern

5.      English Pattern Indian Police

and even

6.      Egypt, Palestine and Iraq Pattern

Definition 1 appears to be the correct one - but if anyone has official proof for a different answer, please let Pea-Bee know

Edgell Story 2 continued

The Edgell Family Story

Part 2 continued

The second of the surviving sons of Henry and Thirza Tucker was:

Tom Tucker (1846-1922) born East Hetton, Durham, and baptised 5 March 1849[1]. While christened Tom, he frequently appears in the records as Thomas. Like so many of his family, Tom was destined to be a coalminer, and he spent his working life in the Durham Coalfield, living at Hetton-le-Hole.

In 1873[2], when he was 27 years old, Tom married Ann Walker (1849-1897[3]), who was born in West Moor, Northumberland, the daughter of another miner, James Walker and his wife Jane, who had moved to Hetton-le-Hole in the mid-1850s[4].

Tom and Ann remained in Hetton-le-Hole all their married life[5] and Tom stayed there after he was widowed. The couple had at least six children:

·         Henry Tucker (1874-post 1920[6]) married local girl Blanche Jenkins (1878-1964[7]) on 20 May 1899[8]. Henry began his working life as a miner, first living in Hetton-le-Hole where he had been born, but later – between 1902 and 1904 – in Castletown, Hylton[9]. He and Blanche had six children by 1915[10] and possibly another three afterwards. He served with the 1^st Battalion, Royal West Kent (Queen’s Own) during WWI and was enlisted as private on 28 February 1915. He was posted overseas in October 1916 and shortly afterwards received a gunshot wound to his right knee. He was eventually discharged on 23 January 1918 and was award a Silver War Badge[11] as well as the British War Medal and the Victory Medal[12]. He received a war gratuity of £65 and a weekly pension of £5 for the injury. It is not known if this affected his work as a miner.

·         Jane Tucker (1877-post 1911[13]) married Matthew Duff in (1878-1914[14]) in 1901[15] and had two children[16]. Matthew’s mother, Ann Robson (1844-1911[17]) was married three times – to Isaac Berriman (1844-1873[18]), John Duff (1846-1877[19]) and to Edward Willis (1841-post 1911[20]). Like so many other miners in the Durham coalfields, the Berriman family had come north from Somerset in the mid-1850s. Isaac Berriman was born in Wellow, Somerset, in 1844[21]. He was the second of eight sons born to William and Ann Berriman, all of whom worked down the pit[22]. One of his brothers, Jacob, was killed in a major accident at Walter Scott’s Trimdon Grange Colliery when, on 16 February 1872, 74 men were killed by a gas explosion. Jacob, who was just 37 and left a wife and three children, was buried in Kelloe Cemetery[23]. Ann Robson married Isaac Berriman in 1866[24] and had three children[25]. Within a year of Isaac’s death (he was buried at St Nicholas, Hetton-le-Hole, on 5 March 1873[26]), she married John Duff[27], a marriage that was last just three years. Nevertheless, John and Ann had one child[28], and then a second arrived some while after John’s death. John was buried at 19 July 1877 at St Nicholas, Hetton-le-Hole[29], and the birth of his posthumous son, Matthew Duff, was not registered in the third quarter of 1878[30]. After John’s Duff death, Ann had to take herself and four of her five children into the Union Workhouse (the eldest was in service). They were there when Matthew Duff was baptised on 12 March 1879[31], and were still there in 1881[32], when both the Berriman children present were listed with the family name Duff. Ann’s third marriage, to Edward Willis, was in 1885[33] and the couple had two children. At the time of the 1891 census, these children were joined in the household by three of Edward’s stepchildren – one Berriman, and two Duffs[34].

·         Thirza Ann Tucker (1879-post 1911[35]) Her later life is not known.

·         John Tucker (1881-post 1911[36]) His later life is not known.

·         Margaret Tucker (1887-post 1911[37]) married John Alfred Wright (1879-post 1911[38]) in 1909[39] and had one son by 1911 – Tom Tucker Wright (1909-1994)[40]. Her later life is not known.

·         Ethel Tucker (1890-post 1911[41]) Her later life is not known.

---

[1] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Durham Q1 1846 Vol 24 p91 (via Ancestry.com); Ancestry.com England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 FHL Film No 1519927; England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1916-2007 Houghton-le-Spring Q1 1922 Vol 10a p807 (via Ancestry.com); Ancestry.com England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966 1922>T>Tu>image 4

[2] England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q1 1873 Vol 10a p646 (via Ancestry.com)

[3] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Tynemouth Q4 1848 Vol 25 p440; England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1916-2007 Houghton-le-Spring Q4 1897 Vol 10a p265 (via Ancestry.com)

[4] 1861 England Census Class RG 9; Piece 3755; Folio 49; Page32; GSU roll 543182 (Ancestry.com 1861 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 2e>image 33)

[5] 1881 England Census Class RG11; Piece 4975; Folio 103; Page 10; GSU roll 1342197 (Ancestry.com 1881 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 4>image 11); 1891 England Census Class RG12; Piece 4116; Folio 75; Page 27; GSU roll 6099226 (Ancestry.com 1891 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 3>image 28); 1901 England Census Class RG13; Piece 4695; Folio 81; Page 26 (Ancestry.com 1901 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 3>image 27); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30076 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Hylton>District 12>image 602)

[6] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q2 1874 Vol 10a p607; UK, Silver War Badge Records, 1914-1920 Infantry (Hounslow)>E0001/2-0400/2 (via Ancestry.com)

[7] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q2 1878 Vol 10a p550; England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1916-2007 Durham Eastern Q3 1964 Vol 1a p271 (via Ancestry.com)

[8] England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915 South Shields Q2 1899 Vol 10a p1453 (via Ancestry.com)

[9] 1901 England Census Class RG13; Piece 4695; Folio 141; Page 28 (Ancestry.com 1901 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 5>image 29); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece: 30246 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 5>image 544)

[10] British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 T>Tu>Tuc>image 13670

[11] UK, Silver War Badge Records, 1914-1920 Infantry (Hounslow)>E0001/2-0400/2 (via Ancestry.com)

[12] WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls; Class: WO 329; Piece Number: 1451 (Ancestry.com image 178)

[13] Eg 1881 England Census Class RG11; Piece 4975; Folio 103; Page 10; GSU roll 1342197 (Ancestry.com 1881 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 4>image 11); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30215 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Sunderland>Sunderland North>District 3>image 78)

[14] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q3 1878 Vol 10a p502; England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 Sunderland Q3 1914 Vol 10a p829 (via Ancestry.com)

[15] England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q3 1901 Vol 10a p843 (via Ancestry.com)

[16] 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30215 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Sunderland>Sunderland North>District 3>image 78)

[17] England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q2 1911 Vol 10a p273 (via Ancestry.com)

[18] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Bath Q3 1844 Vol 11 p44; England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q1 1873 Vol 10a p287 (via Ancestry.com)

[19] England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q3 1877 Vol 10a p240 (via Ancestry.com)

[20] Eg 1891 England Census Class RG12; Piece 4116; Folio 7; Page 7; GSU roll 6099226 (Ancestry.com 1891 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 1>image 8)

[21] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Bath Q3 1844 Vol 11 p44 (via Ancestry.com)

[22] 1861 England Census Class RG 9; Piece 3755; Folio 34; Page 2; GSU roll 543182 (Ancestry.com 1861 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 2e>image 3); 1871 England Census Class RG10; Piece 4966; Folio 47; Page 16; GSU roll 847429 (Ancestry.com 1871 Census Durham>Coxhoe>District 4>image 17); 1881 England Census Class RG11; Piece 4969; Folio 56; Page 32; GSU roll 1342195 (Ancestry.com 1881 Census Durham>Kelloe>District 17>image 33)

[23] Coalmining Accidents and Deaths. Coalmining History Resource Centre. (cmhrc.co.uk); England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915 Easington Q1 1882 Vol 10a p232 (via Ancestry.com)

[24] England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q2 1866 Vol 10a p568 (via Ancestry.com)

[25] 1871 England Census Class RG10; Piece 4983; Folio 31; Page 7; GSU roll 847435 (Ancestry.com 1871 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 2>image 8)

[26] National Burial Index for England & Wales (via findmypast.co.uk)

[27] England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q3 1874 Vol 10a p699 (via Ancestry.com)

[28] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q1 1875 Vol 10a p533 (via Ancestry.com)

[29] National Burial Index for England & Wales (via findmypast.co.uk)

[30] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q3 1878 Vol 10a p502 (via Ancestry.com)

[31] Northumberland and Durham Baptisms (via findmypast.co.uk)

[32] 1881 England Census Class RG11; Piece 4972; Folio 47; Page 7; GSU roll 1342196 (Ancestry.com 1881 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 3>image 8)

[33] England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q4 1885 Vol 10a p597 (via Ancestry.com)

[34] 1891 England Census Class RG12; Piece 4116; Folio 7; Page 7; GSU roll 6099226 (Ancestry.com 1891 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 1>image 8)

[35] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q2 1879 Vol 10a p492 (via Ancestry.com); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30076 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 5>image 544)

[36] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q4 1881 Vol 10a p456 (via Ancestry.com); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30076 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 5>image 544)

[37] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q3 1886 Vol 10a p474 (via Ancestry.com); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30076 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 5>image 254)

[38] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Castle Ward Q3 1879 Vol 10b p266 (via Ancestry.com); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30076 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 5>image 254)

[39] England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q2 1909 Vol 10a p859 (via Ancestry.com)

[40] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q3 1909 Vol 10a p576 (via Ancestry.com); England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 Sunderland Q1 1994 Reg No C47E District 0581C No192 (Ancestry.com)

[41] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Houghton-le-Spring Q2 1890 Vol 10a p505 (via Ancestry.com); 1911 England Census Class RG14; Piece 30076 (Ancestry.com 1911 Census Durham>Hetton-le-Hole>District 5>image 544)

[42] England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 Durham Q4 1851 Vol 24 p90 (via Ancestry.com); England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1916-2007 Lanchester Q1 1917 Vol 10a p417 (via Ancestry.com)