Maurice Henry Harrison Leeds

[Bellas girl]

This may cause a laugh, but I have been told that it is true!

My Grandfather became a father for the first time in 1918
He was living at Bushire Street, Armley.
The baby was my aunt, Margaret / Peggy Harrison.
The. Story told ( via his wife, to her youngest daughter ) is that Maurice was so disappointed that the baby was a girl, that he went to the local pub, and got blind drunk….so drunk that he bought a horse, and took it home, and UPSTAIRS to show it off. My mother never met him, and indeed he skipped the Country, never to be seen again, after my father’s birth in 1920. He died in Australia. But she was told he slept with the horse !

I feel sure, that this event, must have been reported to the press. How on earth did he get it down narrow stairs in a terrace house. Fire Brigade  ?

I am sure this is true but where do I go?

JeannieR

[AlanBoyd]

I’ve looked in newspapers without result.

If your father was Joseph Maurice Henry Harrison and his mother was Alice, then the whole family (of 4) are in Bushire Street in 1921.

There's no sign of the horse however.

[Bellas girl]

Alan,

I have just spent a lot of the day, trying to find this in the Newspaper’s, like you, to no avail.

Thanks for trying
JeannieR

[CaroleW]

A possible amusing bedtime story for her youngest daughter - I very much doubt it was true

[Milliepede]

I doubt he had any pennies left to purchase a horse if he had spent on getting blind drunk!

[rosie17]

I think he would find it pretty hard trying to get a horse up and down a narrow stair 

Rosie

[Bellas girl]

Thank you all…

Think I will put this story down as a dream.

My aunt told me this quite recently. Needless to say, but my paternal grandparents were not happy. He ran away to Australia in 1922 and died there in 1933.

As far as the family go, they had no idea at all, and all died not knowing.
I found this out in my research. All been proved by his Australian death certificate.
They actually name the deceased’s parents….so helpful

Sweet dreams folks, but not about horses !