A012 - Some Hooe Families - Noakes Family

| Thomas George Noakes | Matthew Levi Noakes | Frank Noakes | William John Noakes | Walter Noakes

The story, of the Noakes' family, started for me when I came across a report in the "Bexhill Chronicle", dated 30th September 1916, concerning four brothers from a Hooe family by the name of Noakes, who had fought or were fighting in the Great War.

These were the brothers– William John Noakes, who joined the Royal Navy, in 1903, Thomas Noakes, who died in action on the beaches of Gallipoli, and Matthew Levi and Walter Noakes, who both fought in France, in the same regiment, at the Battle of the Somme, where each won a medal for bravery.

Though they were from Hooe, they had all emigrated to Australia before the war began and, with the exception of William John (who has joined the Royal navy), all had enlisted in the Australian forces.

The following is a transcription of the newspaper report: –

"News has been received from Australia of the death of Thomas Noakes, formerly of Hooe, but who enlisted in Australia. It occurred in the Dardanelles, but under what circumstances it actually took place is not known."

"Thomas Noakes was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Noakes, who lived at Glebe Cottage, Hooe, for very many years, and who ended their lives there. Three of their sons – Levi, Walter, and Thomas – emigrated to Australia, and had been there for some time when the war broke out. They at once responded to the call of the Mother Country, joining the Australian contingent. Another brother, William, is with the North Sea Fleet at the present time."

"The deceased soldier, was about 27 years of age at the time of his death, and had been associated before he enlisted with gold mining in the great Southern colony. The news of his death has travelled from the Dardanelles to Australia, and thence to his relatives in England. While thoroughly sympathising with the family in the death of Thomas Noakes, it is satisfactory at the present juncture to find that a family so well remembered at Hooe is represented in this great struggle by three other sons of an old resident."

A great deal of the information that follows came from a Trevor Noakes, who lives in Australia and is a grandson of Walter Noakes.

The story of where the Noakes brothers came from, why they emigrated, where they emigrated to, where, in Australia they lived, and how the Pont family of Hooe and Ninfield fits into their story, is fascinating, while being, at the same time, as life often is, very complicated.

According to the Hooe registers, there seem to have been only two families of Noakes living in the village, perhaps related, perhaps, not, and these were the family of a James and Lucy Noakes, in the early to mid-1800s, and Frank and Caroline Noakes, right at the end of the 1800s.

The surname Noakes was most common, at different times, in Mayfield, Burwash, Heathfield, and Battle – with the latter being the closest of these parishes to Hooe and that is where a James Noakes, who married a Lucy Dale, in 1827, at the church of all Saints, Lewes, was born and christened, on 24th June 1803.

The couple had the following children: –

James Noakes, christened at Lewes in 1836
George Noakes, christened at Hooe on 10th September 1837
Robert Noakes, christened at Hooe on 8th September 1839
Sarah Noakes, christened at Hooe on 25th July 1841
Samuel Noakes, christened at Hooe on 1st October 1843
Eliza Noakes, christened at Bexhill, in 1846
Francis Noakes, christened at Bexhill, in 1849

However, the records give no indication of a connection between James or any of his children and Frank Noakes, who was born in 1860, the son of a Sarah Noakes, from Heathfield, born in 1846. Like so many families, these Noakes may well have just drifted in and drifted out of Hooe so any connection is almost impossible to find – and almost impossible to guarantee

The story of the Noakes brothers, however, we know for certain, begins with a Frank and a Caroline Noakes.

Frank was born on 24th June, 1860, at Milkhurst Toll, Heathfield and Caroline Pankhurst on 24th January 1862, at Fair Oak Street, Mayfield. In 1882, on 4th November, the couple were married at St Philip's Church, Burwash Weald, Mayfield.

They had eight children, five of whom survived into adulthood, and these were: –.

Mercy Pankhurst who appears to have been only the daughter of Caroline, as her relationship to Frank Noakes’, in the 1891 census, is given as “daughter-in-law”. She was born on 6th May 1880, most probably, at “Goodsole Farm”, Burwash because her mother, Caroline, was living there, with her parents, in 1881. Sadly, Mercy died on 1st December 1892, at Battle.

Henry Charles Noakes (known as “Harry”, a common nickname for “Henry ) was born 25 April 1883, at Burwash. He died on 24th November 1892, in Battle and was buried, on 26th November 1892, in Battle Cemetery.

William John Noakes, born 11th August, 1884, at Burwash, joined the British Navy, survived the war and died in about 1951.

Thomas George Noakes was born on 22nd March 1887, at Mayfield and was killed at Gallipoli on 1st August 1915. He is buried in a war grave in Shell Green Cemetery in Turkey. His headstone details are given on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s website.

Levi Matthew Noakes, was born 17th February 1889, at Mayfield, fought in Europe in WW1, survived the war, and died on 6th August 1954 at Collie Hospital, Collie, Western Australia. He is buried in the Collie Cemetery. His headstone reads – “NOAKES, Matthew Levi. 6 Aug 1954. Aged 65 years. Husband of Annie. Anglican I.66”

Frank Noakes, born 27th August, 1891 at Mayfield. He died, on 8th January 1982, at Hawthylands, Hailsham and is buried in Bodle Street Green.

Walter Noakes was born 16th October 1893, at the “Pepper-in-Eye” Farm (in Peppering Eye, Battle, East Sussex. He survived WW1 and died on 23rd July 1969 at Bethesda Hospital, Claremont, Western Australia (Claremont is a suburb of the city of Perth). Walter was cremated on 25th July 1969 at the Karrakatta Crematorium and his ashes interred with his wife in the Bunbury Cemetery, Western Australia. Karrakatta is the main cemetery in Perth.

Lilian May Noakes was born in mid-1896, at Hooe but died in late 1897. She is buried with her parents in the Churchyard of St Oswald in Hooe.

Frank, Caroline and family moved to Hooe at sometime between 1891 and 1901 (the census of 1891 shows them in Mayfield and 1901 shows the family in Hooe).

1891 Census of Mayfield - RG 12/783 Folio 67, Page 3
Address: Little Broadhurst

Life for the family took a sad turn when, on 1st December 1892, Mercy Pankhurst, aged just twelve, died at Battle, and, her step-brother, Harry (Henry Charles Noakes) died just six days later. Why the two children, who were far from being the youngest and were so near each other in age, should die so close in time together isn’t known.

Only six years later, in 1898, Caroline Noakes, died leaving Frank to work and look after the family; the oldest thirteen and the youngest four - but help came from Frank’s sister-in-law, Mercy Pont, who took on the job of being their housekeeper; this must have been a great relief for Frank who had enough sorrow to bear with the loss of his wife.

1901 Census of Hooe – RG13/888 Folio 64 Page 15
Address: Glebe Cottage

In 1903, Thomas, at the age of just sixteen, emigrated to Western Australia, on the ship, the "Orizaba", arriving at Fremantle on the 26th November. He, almost certainly, went to join his Uncle and Aunt, Harry and Alice Pont, who, in 1891, had emigrated to South Australia, moving on to Western Australia, in about the year 1896. Henry, was the son of the childrens' grandparents, Matthew and Sarah Pont (née Noakes), and had married Alice Fuller, in late 1888.

Why Harry and Alice emigrated is unknown but they ended up in the town of Bardoc, in the Kalgoorlie goldfields and there, on 18th April, 1896, opened up the township’s first wine and beer Saloon; this was, later, to become the “Miner’s Arms Hotel” – and this is an interesting story in it′s own right, which, one day, I hope to tell!

The “Bardoc Postal Directory”, of 1899, has the following entry – “POINT Henry W. Miners Arms Hotel, but the name “Point” is an obvious misspelling of “Pont” and was, in fact, corrected in later issues of the Directory.

Back in England, disaster, sadly, once again struck the Noakes family when, on Sunday, 19th of June,1904, Frank Noakes was found drowned in a sluice. The reason was never known; whether suicide due to the loss of his wife or an accident (he suffered from fainting and dizzy spells) was never decided at the inquest and remains a mystery.

Both the “Bexhill Observer” and the “Bexhill Chronicle” reported this tragedy and transcriptions of their reports can be seen by clicking on this link.

After the death of their father, the older children would have been taken in by other relatives but, it′s known that the two youngest, Frank and Walter, were brought up by their grand-parents, Matthew and Sarah Pont (née Noakes), in Burwash Weald, East Sussex.

All of the Noakes brothers were offered passage to Australia by their uncle, Henry William Pont, son of Matthew and Sarah Pont. Henry had married Alice Fuller in late 1888, and, sometime before the census of 1891, they had both emigrated to South Australia, moving on to Western Australia about the year 1896.

Exactly what Henry and Alice did on their arrival in Australia is unknown but they ended up in the town of Bardoc, in the Kalgoorlie goldfields and there, on 18th April, 1896, opened up the township’s first wine and beer Saloon, which was, later, to become the “Miner’s Arms Hotel”.

The “Bardoc Postal Directory 1899”, has the following entry – “POINT Henry W. Miners Arms Hotel “ – the “Point” is an obvious misspelling of “Pont”.

Matthew Levi, Walter, and Thomas were the only brothers to accept their uncles offer; William John already was in the Royal Navy, and Frank married a Mary King, who, so it is said, refused to go.

The “Bardoc Postal Directory 1899”, has the following entry – "POINT Henry W. Miners Arms Hotel" – the “Point” is an obvious misspelling of “Pont”.

It′s at about this time that the "children" begin to go their separate ways, as does their stories, so, please, select a name at the top of the page and follow the link.