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| Two little boys in Victorian attire - but not the Goodings brothers! |
On
6th. June 1844 Private Robert GOODINGS of the 98th.
Regiment married Mary Ann MARSH in St. John’s, Hong
Kong. Robert was 21 years of age and Mary just 17.
At
this time the Hong Kong Administration was desperate to obtain constables for
the new police force and the majority of the early recruits were seconded from
the 98th. regiment. By 1845 Robert was
in the Force.
Over
the next few years Robert and Mary had several children but the climate was
harsh and babies died. Fortunately two
sons, Robert Augustus (born 20 December 1849) and Alfred Marsh (born 28 July 1851) did survive.
In
1852 the Gaoler (John Thomas Mitton) passed away and Robert transferred from the
Police to the Gaol staff.
The
family lived at the Gaol - and there was also a job for his wife as the matron
of the gaol hospital.
In
1854, ten years after their marriage, Mary gave birth to a daughter but this was one
child too far and she died in childbirth at the age of 27.
This is her headstone in the
Colonial Cemetery, Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Although
the paint has worn the name Mary Ann is still clearly visible. The name Collingwood can just about be made
out towards the bottom of the inscription – and this was the name of one of her
sons who had died as an infant.
Sacred to the memory
of
MARY ANN
wife of
ROBERT GOODINGS
who died at Victoria
23rd. May 1854
aged 25 years …………
………………………..
COLLINGWOOD
son of the above
who died 10th. November 1849
aged 3 ……….
Robert was left a widower with three very
young children to bring up. As a result,
six months after Mary Ann’s death, when a colleague at the Gaol passed away Robert married the widow Mary ROE. But Mary ROE came with a daughter so now
there were four children to support
A
few months later the little girl who had been
the last child of Robert’s first marriage to Mary Ann died at the age of 1 year
and 1 month.
But
the Goodings production line knew no bounds
and all too soon little Emily was born.
Robert
then caught dysentery and died on 2nd April 1856 at the age of 33.
His stone can
also be found in Section 9 just a few rows down from his first wife.
Sacred to the memory
of
ROBERT GOODINGS
Keeper of the Victoria Gaol
for many years …. of the
Zetland Lodge of Freemasons
Hong Kong
who died of dysentery
April 2nd. 1856
This
is the end of the story as far as Robert and his first wife are concerned but
of course it does leave his second wife all alone in Hong Kong with four children to raise. Sadly, a few weeks after Robert’s death her
newly born baby, Emily, passed away so the number was reduced slightly.
Mary
had taken over the job of Matron at the Gaol and this bought in a few pennies
but needless to say she really needed to find another husband. The expatriate community was extremely small
at the time so Mary ended up marrying the man who had replaced Robert as Head
Gaoler.
Mary
was a practical woman and knew it would be difficult to care for all the
children, especially as only one of them was her own. What was to be done with the two Goodings
boys?
The
solution was simple – they had to go into the army. Young Robert enlisted in Hong Kong on 28 May 1859. His age was given as 11 years
and 5 months when in fact he was only 9 years and 5 months. However, Robert did well with his army career
and from being a lowly Drummer Boy rose all the way to becoming Bandmaster.
Alfred
was 11 when he enlisted at Aldershot and his career saw him rise to the rank of Lance Sergeant.
Both
Robert and Alfred left the Army in the 1880s.
They moved to Liverpool and lived at 28 Carlton Hill. Alfred married
Jane Peck and they went on to have a son and two daughters.
The
brothers had managed to survive all that life had thrown at them in Hong Kong and throughout their army careers – but they both died young. Robert died in July 1888 at the age of
41. His brother, Alfred, followed him to
the grave just six months later. Unlike
their parents the brothers have no headstones to mark their graves. They were buried in common graves with 12-13
other people.
