From single parent to marring Tajuddin Pir from Lahore - a barrister

[debbiebozkurt]

Hi

Very unusual story and not sure where to go next in our quest. A Gwendoline Fayers was a single mother from Northampton who moved to Leamington Spa. She had one son in 1911 in a wayward mothers home in Marylebone and all that her Grandson knows about her is that she married a barrister in law called Tajuddin Pir or Pir Tajuddin from Lahore, I can not find a marriage in Britain, though her husband was living in England at the start of the 1st Word War. Her Grandson has in his possession a letter written by his father trying to trace his mother through the British Embassy in India - his father last heard from his mother in 1924 when she wrote from Lahore. I found in British Indian newspapers, Civil & Military Gazette, Tajuddun Pir barrister in law and a Mrs Pir who was described as a European Lady. If it was Gwendoline she was managing an Orphanage in Lahore and was still alive in 1959. Does anyone know where I can go to find deaths, marriages, births that may not be registered with British overseas - we would love to know if this was Gwendoline and if so did she have other children. Her husband had at least 1 daughter which I found in an article Mrs Razia Attaullah Khan. There maybe other Indian Newspaper that have biographies that I can not trace. I did find a migration record for a Gwendoline Pir about the right age off to India via Sydney in 1923. Any help much appreciated.

[CaroleW]

The 1911 entry - if it's her - shows her b 1891 Northants but there is no birth under that name in Northants 

A Gwendolen Lyndon Houghton Fayers was baptised 16.4.1893 to single mother Frances Elizabeth Fayers in Northants.  There is a Fanny Fayers death Dec qtr 1901 aged 41

[heywood]

Gwen Pir - same person?

The London Gazette 2s June 1945
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37144/page/3281/data.pdf

This is the first page
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37144/page/1

[CaroleW]

A female G Pir aged 29 arrived London 3.6.1921 from Bombay1921

Outward - to Bombay  3.3.1922 - Mrs Gwendoline Pir aged 29- address 79 Gloucester St SW2. 

[debbiebozkurt]

The 1911 entry - if it's her - shows her b 1891 Northants but there is no birth under that name in Northants 

A Gwendolen Lyndon Houghton Fayers was baptised 16.4.1893 to single mother Frances Elizabeth Fayers in Northants.  There is a Fanny Fayers death Dec qtr 1901 aged 41

Yes that is her she was registered under the name Houghton. Her mother had 6 children by 4 different fathers and never married any of them. Her maiden name was Fanny Downing

[debbiebozkurt]

A female G Pir aged 29 arrived London 3.6.1921 from Bombay1921

Outward - to Bombay  3.3.1922 - Mrs Gwendoline Pir aged 29- address 79 Gloucester St SW2.

Saw the going back but not the too England. No idea how she met her husband he was wealthy muslim india and she was a poor illegetimate young girl and single mother. Her grandson thinks she married between 1918 and 1922 but knows nothing else except for the letter his father wrote with her husbands name on it. Just want proof that the news paper articles from Indian was of Gwendoline. Dont know how to get death or bith information from lahore thanks

[CaroleW]

I have tried to find 79 Gloucester St on ER’s for 1921 & 1922 in case there were any clues from the residents names at that time.  She doesn’t appear to have had any children up to 1922 unless they were still in India

[cuffie81]

As you may have already seen there looks to be a lot of possible newspaper references to Tajuddin and Gwen, some of which may offer some additional leads. A few below that seemed of interest.

And some of these have photos of Mrs Gwen Pir and/or Mrs Tajuddin Pir. If you have any family photos of Gwen you may be able to compare them.


India
20 Feb 1914
page 3, column 1
Mr Tajuddin Pir, of 18, Elgin Avenue, W, sends us an interesting letter, for which we regret we have not the room in its entirety, on the article entitled "The Congress as a Political Party", which appeared in or issue of last week.
...

Is this Elgin Avenue the street in Maida Vale, London? If so, it's a short distance from Warncliffe Gardens, where the Fayers were in 1911. (I had the wrong Fayers family here)

Map: Elgin Avenue, NW London
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=51.52843&lon=-0.18885&layers=170&b=1

Map: Warncliffe Gardens, NW London
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=51.52705&lon=-0.17545&layers=170&b=1

Map: Elgin Avenue, NW London
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/51.5260/-0.1872


Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
21 Dec 1920
page 5, column
Mr Harkishen Lal's Election
Congratulatory Dinner
A very pleasant function took place on Saturday evening when Mailk Girdhari Lal Mullick, merchant, and Mr K C Vidyarthi, Manager, Bharat Insurance Company, entertained Mr Harkishen Lal to a dinner at Neou's Hotel in honour of his election to the Legislative Council.
...
[Guests included Mr and Mrs Pir Taj-ud-Din]


Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
26 Dec 1927
page 7, column 5
St John Ambulance
Lahore, Dec 22
The following is a list of the candidates who were successful in the Home Nursing Examination held in the Masonic Hall on December 16:-
Mrs Kapur, Mrs Pearce, Sahibzad Kusia Begum, Mrs Hatton, Miss Sells, Mrs Sethammal Iengar, Mrs Khuda Buksh, Mrs Thomas, Mrs Hardie, Mrs Guran Ditta, Miss Bonnaud, Mrs Gwen Pir, Mrs Niamatulla, Mrs Swahney, Miss Battye, Miss Johnston and Mrs O'Connor.
Certificates will be presented  to these ladies by Mrs Dent, Lady Superintendent-in-Chief of the Brigade Overseas, at a public meeting at the YMCA on January 6 at 6pm.


Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
25 Jan 1949
page 9, column 1
Begum Liquat Ali Khan Visits Hospital
Begum Liquat Ali Khan accompanied by Miss M E A Macqueen visited the Red Cross Disabled Soldiers Home and the Combined Military Hospital at Sialkot on Sunday. She was met by Brigadier Latiff Khan; Lt-Col Hussain; Mr M M Ahmad, Deputy Commissione, Sialkot; Capt Rashid, in charge of the Red Cross Home; Mrs G Pir; and Mr C E Gibbon, Honorary Secretary, Pakistan Red Cross.
...


Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
03 Apr 1949
page 8, column 4
[photos of Major Wainwright and Mrs Pir; good quality]
Major J M E Wainwright, Additional Military Secretary, will on Monday succeed Colonel Craster as Military Secretary to the Governor. Mrs Taj-ud-Din Pir (right) has taken charge of Ganga Ram Refugee's Home from Mrs R Craster.

Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
05 Apr 1949
Colonel Craster Departs
[photo, including Mrs Taj-ud-Din Pir; poor quality though]


Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
25 Mar 1950
page 3, columns 3, 4
Recipients of Red Cross Awards
[photo of recipients; reasonable quality]
Above - Proud recipients of Red Cross awards at t the Annual Meeting of the Society held at Government House, Lahore, on Friday. From l. to r. - Mrs E M Thick; Miss Gladys Ada Penhearow; Mrs Gwen Pir; Mrs Robina Hardy; Mrs Najma A Huq; and Mrs Nusrat Akram.

Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
09 December 1954
page 4, column 2
[death of Pir Tajuddin]

If you can find death records or wills you might want to follow up on Tajuddin's death, to see if Gwen is named in any documents.


Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore)
27 Apr 1961
page 5, column 1
Girl Guides Fund Raising Drive Inaugurated
Mrs M Khurshid, wife of the Provincial Chief Secretary, said in Lahore yesterday that projects of adult literacy and grow more food were the two most fundamental needs of the country.
...
Mrs Khurshid distributed the following awards to Girl Guides workers for long and meritorious service.
1. Miss K Niazi, (Provincial Secretary), Medal of Merit
2. Miss N Rauf (Trainer), Medal of Merit
3. Mrs G Pir, Crescent or [of?] Pakistan
4. Mrs Maqbool Nazir, Certificate of Merit
5. Miss Anisa Nazir, Certificate of Merit


The Pakistan Girl Guides Association has a Crescent of Pakistan award for adults. You might want to check to see if they have any historical records to see if they have more details about this Mrs G Pir.

Pakistan Girl Guides Association - Awards
https://pgga.org.pk/awards/

[KN]

THere's a photo of a Mrs Gwen Pir receiving a Red Cross award in Lahore (it's not a very good photo!), in the Civil & Military Gazette, 25th March 1950. 

I've accessed it via FindMyPast - I don't think that I'm allowed to repost here, unless anyone can tell me otherwise?!?   just noticed that you've already found it!

KN