William Donald Milton

WILLIAM DONALD MILTON (DONALD)
Son of William and Beatrice
1912- 1963

Born 18th September 1912 at Holborn Hill in MILLOM, DONALD was the son of William H. Milton and Beatrice (Nee Stamper).

As we have already seen, his father was killed in action in France during World War 1 when Donald was aged 2.


He and his mother Beatrice continued to live at various addresses on HOLBORN HILL, MILLOM, and he would just have had his 7th Birthday when his grandmother Esther Stamper died two doors away.
Attending Junior School in Millom he also attended Sunday School and we have an outing photo (bottom) but are unable to identify Donald.

We can, however, just make him out in the top photo, holding the cushion for the Rose Queen Crown


In the summer of 1924 Donald joined the 1st Millom Parish Church Scout Group aged 11yrs and 7months.

 


Enrolement Certificate



Sometime around the early 1920’s Donald’s mother, Beatrice,  remarried, to Fred Dixon, and the family moved to POULTON-LE-FYLDE.
Here Donald attended Shieve St Senior School and by the time he was fifteen he had met and made friends with a girl at Sunday School. He used to walk her there and back from Carlton and they also met in the park on the swings.  Her name was ALICE.

When he was eighteen DONALD joined the St. John Ambulance Association, an organisation in which his mother was interested.  He attended numerous courses and gained a number of Certificates, one of the first of which he received in January 1931.


Donald was to retain his interest in St. Johns for the rest of his life, and in due course would pass this interest to his children…but we jump ahead.

From leaving school Donald worked as a Grocery Delivery Boy and, as he learnt the trade, assisted in the shop.   He was a regular attender at Poulton Parish Church of which, again, his mother was a keen supporter.  He was confirmed at the same time as his girl friend Alice, who by now he was helping as she ran the Poulton Cub Scout Pack.  She had the Jungle Name of “Baloo”.

Her real name, however, was ALICE MORRISON.

On 13th June 1935 WILLIAM & ALICE were married at St. Chads Poulton Parish Church.  They were both aged 22 years.

 


Before filling in the final pieces of the Milton Jigsaw we need to detour to look at the ancestry of ALICE MORRISON.