Born as Florence Agnes Williams on the 17th
December 1883, the birth being registered during
the March quarter 1884 in the Salford R.D. - ref:
8d/84, the youngest daughter of Michael & Hannah
Williams.

1891 Census - 32 James Henry Street, Salford.  
Daughter - aged: 6 - Scholar - born: Salford.   
Head of household - Michael Williams - Married -
aged:53 - occ: General Labourer - born: Ireland.  
Also - Hannah Williams - Wife - aged: 38 - occ:
Tailoress - born; Ireland.   Plus 4 elder
siblings.

1901 Census - 32 James Henry Street, Salford.  
Daughter - aged: 17 - occ: Cop Reeler at Cotton
Mill - born: Salford.    Head of household -
Michael Williams - Married - aged:67 - occ:
General Labourer - born: Ireland.   Also - Hannah
Williams - Wife - aged: 50 - born; Ireland.   Plus
3 elder siblings.

Married Frederick Clement Willshaw at St.
Clement's P.C. on the 4th April 1907, the marriage
being registered during the June quarter 1907 in
the Salford R.D. - ref: 8d/130.

1911 Census - 8 Waddington Street, Salford.    
Wife - Florence Agnes Willshaw - aged: 28 - born:
Salford.    Head of household - Frederick Clement
Willshaw - Married - aged: 26 - occ: Railway
Shunter - born: Salford.   Also -    Plus 3
children, including Lilian Willshaw who was also
killed in this incident.

1939 National Registration - 61 Nora Street,
Salford    Frederick C. Willshaw - Born on the
15th October 1884 - Married - occ: Railway Shunter
Foreman at Yard.   Also a Railway ARP Warden.  
Florence A. Willshaw - Born on the 17th December
1883 - Married - occ: Unpaid Domestic Duties.  
There is one redacted record at this address. 
This is probably their youngest daughter - Doris
Willshaw born 1923.

Death registered during the December quarter 1940
in the Salford R.D. - rewf: 8d/923, aged: 57.

CWGC - Wife of F. C. Willshaw. Died at 61 Nora
Street.

Notes on Willshaw, Bolt and Newton Families:-

The Willshaw, Bolt and Newton Families’ tragic
involvement at 61 Nora Street, Salford on the
night of the 22nd/23rd December 1940:-

I am informed that according to the family story,
Florence Agnes Willshaw's husband – Frederick
Clement Willshaw was a foreman at Salford docks
and was working a night shift on the night of 22nd
December. He was also an A.R.P. Warden for the
Docks.  Their daughter Doris Willshaw was at her
fiance’s house for the evening discussing her
planned wedding due in February 1941. The bombs
started dropping at about 8.00pm and at this time
they refused to let Doris return home as it was
too dangerous and she spent the night there.
Frederick spent the night working around Salford
Docks and helping the families and bombed houses
in that area.

Back home at 61 Nora Street, when the air raid
siren sounded, Florence's married daughter –
Mabel Isabel Bolt, her husband - William Bolt, her
other married daughter - Lilian Newton and her
husband - Edward Newton, all made their way to No.
61's Anderson Air Raid Shelter in the back garden
which took a direct hit from the bomb.   [Although
Anderson Shelters saved many lives around the
country, they were not designed to take a direct
hit].

When Frederick returned to Nora Street the
following morning he was not allowed access to
Nora Street. Doris tried to return home at around
8.00 am and a journey that should have taken 15
minutes took over an hour due to the disruption of
the bombing. When she arrived at Adelphi Bridge
over the River Irwell she was denied access and
had to go the long way round trying to get through
by Peel Park; she was not allowed in there either
and spent the day wandering around the streets and
visiting make shift mortuaries to see if she could
identify any bodies as those of her family.  She
stated that make shift mortuaries were all over
the city in church halls and school halls. About
4.30 pm merely by chance she met up with her
father Fred who was doing the same. With nothing
else available to them they got some blankets and
slept in Peel Park for the following 2 nights.

On Christmas day 25th December Frederick went back
to Nora Street and gained access to it, where
there was a young soldier guarding the area as the
house at No 61 was totally destroyed. Initially
the soldier would not allow him on to the site
stating that it was too dangerous however
Frederick informed him that his family were still
in there and with the help of some local men they
dug the bodies out of the bombed Anderson shelter.
There were only three coffins available and so all
5 bodies were placed in these three coffins. The
five were buried together at Agecroft cemetery on
1st January 1941.

I understand that the family of Frederick Clement
& Florence Agnes Willshaw, comprised:

Elsie Victoria (b.1907)
John Leonard (b.1908 – d.1918)
Lilian (b.1910 – d.1940)
Mabel Isabel (b.1914 – d.1940)
Frederick C. (b.1918 - d. 1925)
Leonard (b.1921 – d.1924)
Doris (b.1923)

I am most grateful to Howard Milligan for much of
the above personal information.  Howard's wife is
a descendant of those killed in this incident.