Residency

These pictures were taken when I suddenly felt like taking a walk last evening (Tuesday, Dec 7, 2010). Here in Lucknow if you seek some seclusion and you live in the heart of the city, I cannot think of a better place than the Residency. Seeing the canoodling youngsters will tell you that its lonely enough!
 When I thought of putting Lucknow's fast disappearing human connection with the past, what the graves signify, on a blog I planned to do a better job. But it's turning out, in my mind, only better than doing nothing.
 One will find graves repeated, and since my visits are unplanned I'm usually without pen and paper to write down names where they exist. Several graves have no name, or time, the weather and human depredations have taken their toll.

Ivy, Herbert Shepherd, Robin Aitkins

Nishatganj Cemetery, Lucknow

Ivy Hourigan nee Shepherd Born 1910
 Died July 1971.

Herbert Clarence Shepherd Born- 1910 Died -1930 (?)

Klyne Kershaw Aitkins Born 6th Sept 1881
Died 1st Oct 1951 (Grandfather of Robin Aitkins)

Klyne Kershaw Aitkins Born 8th Sept 1881 Died October 1951

Graves Robin Aitkins , Ivy Hourigan nee Shepherd. Ivy's twin brother Herbert who was drowned in a jheel (pond) in the locoshed compound, Alambagh, Lucknow. Herbert got caught in underwater weeds. He had died not long after his father, George Herbert Shepherd, a retired  PWI of the O&R Railway  had passed away in 1928. Herbert and the friends who were with him at the time of the drowning were in the railway. Robin Aitkins, a good friend of mine died age 28 in 1980.
Ivy had retired from the Telephone Exchange, Lucknow not long before here death.
(George Shepherd guava gardens blog author)

Ivy Gladys Hourigan nee Shepherd was the wife of Kenneth-McLenon Hourigan

In loving memory of Marion Grace Aitkins,
 wife of Klyne Aitkins Born 3rd July 1871 (?)
Died 14th Oct 1945. 

Fwd: Memorials disappearing!

This is an older portion of the Nishatganj cemetery in Lucknow. These beautiful memorials are gradually disappearing.

Rosalind Symonds

Wife of Karl Symonds of the NER. Survived by son Karl also of NER, Ian, Keneth, Colleen-Colin (twins) Clifford and many grand and great grand children

Bandariabagh Cemetery, Lucknow

 

I visited the Bandariabagh (Sadar Cemetery) for a funeral on June 22, 2010. Walking around I saw the pitiable condition of the graves. I was surprised to find that some graves were being renovated. On enquiry I was told that funds had been received from abroad. That made sense! I also noticed that many headstones seemed to have been deliberately uprooted. Then I thought more work will require more money. Some of the graves are being reconstructed without the original headstones which are being replaced with metal plates for the names. The question is whose name will be on whose grave?

I took a few pics of the scene. One grave whose stone had fallen off revealing the bricks below interested me because of the shoddy work, a mixture of modern bricks with lakhauri bricks between, unusual for those days.

 

Edward Bickers

Elsie Kathleen (nee Shepherd), Thomas W. James died 1968 and Thomas R. James died 1954

In Treasured Memory
of 
Our darling
ELSIE KATHLEEN JAMES
(nee Shepherd)
BORN 25TH JULY 1902
DIED 29TH JANUARY1965
**
"The call was sudden the blow severe
To part with one we loved so dear
Only those who love can truly tell
The loss of a loved one without a farewell."
THY WILL BE DONE

THOMAS W. JAMES,
DIED DECEMBER 1968 (?)
WAS PREDECEASED BY HIS
WIFE ELSIE (NEE SHEPHERD)
Tom James as he was better known worked
on the Railways

1930's pic
Thomas and Elsie James

 Tom and Elsie had three sons Freddy, Maurice and 

Dennis. Dennis died in Australia  several years 

ALICE COUPER, nee James, died in Pune,
sister of Thomas Richard James

ago while Freddy the eldest died in the UK 

Tom James after his wife, Elsie
passed away in January 1965, with his
 daughter, Dorothy on his right.
Dorothy died in Bangalore in the 1980s
 and Maud, wife of Jim Shepherd

about two years ago. There were two daughters 

Noreen the elder died in Perth one year ago 

and Dorothy passed on in Bangalore, India about 

20 years ago. Dorothy was unmarried. Maurice is

now in his 90's

IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
MY DARLING HUBBY
THOMAS RICHARD JAMES
WHO PASSED ON (in Bangalore) TO
HIS HEAVENLY HOME ON
MAY 10TH 1954
AGED 93 YEARS AND 5 MONTHS
*

Father of Thomas W. James (Tom)
and grandfather of Freddy, Noreen Vincent,
Maurice, Dennis and Dorothy