Londoner's death in Brighton in 1916

[manui]

Rod,
Thankyou. All bits of info such as you've provided are of use, even though it might take me a while to find out what that use is! I see that there was a 'Refuge' next door - could it have been a case of overspill? Who did a 'refuge' cater for in those days?
That website is one I hadn't come across before - I'll make sure I use it during the next two and a half years that it is available.
And I'll keep Charles J Murray in mind, as he could well have been there still the following year.

Manui

[kizmiaz]

According to the Encyclopedia of Brighton, the French Convalescent Home was designed for the French Government and opened in 1896 to give accomodation to poor and aged Frenchmen and women in Britain. It was connected with the French Hospital in Shaftesbury Avenue in London and was run by the Sisters of St Paul of Chartres

[manui]

Interesting info, thankyou. I don't know what Andre was actually doing during the war. He came here, I think, as an interior designer and he was certainly making success for himself in that career in the 1920s. Wartime might have put considerable restraint on his income and therefore put him into a 'poor' category. I suppose war-time rules might also have been different. However, St Peters Place was apparently not all that near to the French Hospital, so it might not be relevant.

Incidentally. does anyone know what a French national in his early thirties would have done during WW1? Would he have been expected to return home to enlist? Would he have been able to enlist here? I have a faded photo of someone in uniform - could have been Andre, but I'm not at all sure.

Also, can anyone tell me what restrictions there would have been on French and Belgian nationals during WW2?
Andre and his Belgian partner suddenly moved from London to Lincolnshire in September 1939 and seem to have had some restrictions on where they could go (info from Aliens Registration Card). Would they have been required to leave London and go to a designated rural area even though they were from allied countries?

Again, any further thoughts on these issues appreciated.

Manui

[Dimps]

Two ideas:

Could Ada have been working at the French hospital because of her (I'm making an assumption) ability to speak French?  Of course, the hospital could be a red herring.

My mother suffered from rheumatic fever as a child during WW2.  She had to spend long periods lying out in the sunshine (drinking milk).  Perhaps Ada went to Brighton to convalesce.

Deborah

[manui]

Hi Jerome.

I don't know why I haven't seen your message earlier, but I hope you see this.

Andre Chaussedent came to work in England in 1905, initially only for 6 months, but he stayed for the rest of his life. He worked as an interior designer, and was of some repute.

If you get back to me, I will tell you more.

Manui

[Plummiegirl]

Must add here, my family also went from the Kilburn area to Brighton.   At this time Brighton and other places along the south coast (Bournemouth being another "in" place") was seen as on of THE places to move to for aspiring Londoners.

My g/grandfather moved to Brighton with his spinster daughter after his wife had died in 1904.  And right up to his death in 1930, his family regularly went down to Brighton to visit and stay (in times of family upsets).