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Hello Mr Mouse,

The water bottle is in my personal collection. Purchased in 2006. I hope this helps.

See also: Water Bottles and Field Kit

Regards,
Neville

Hi Neville,

Thanks for getting back to me....I was going through my collection at the weekend and found that I have his QSA! I also have some other documents relating to him....he was a miner and had worked on digging the Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames in London in the late 1890's. From my records, I acquired this in 2006 as well.....maybe a house clearance had occurred somewhere given that you got his water bottle.

In the link to the ephemera section, you have a photo...it that of Rowe or is it just an example of a IY water bottle.

Andy

BTW, I have sent a message to the lady that opened this post to see if I can send her some info.

The photograph is indeed of Jesse.

I have done quite a bit of research on this one. Jesse's partner's first husband, William Townsend, committed suicide on his allotment by blowing himself up with explosives. As you can see the family history is rather complicated ......

It goes something like this, where Mary Ann Webber is Jesse's future partner (never married):


05/09/1891 William Townsend marries Mary Ann Webber in Bridgend, Glamorgan

02/04/1892 William & Mary Ann Townsend have their first child, Mary Ann

25/06/1893 William & Mary Ann Townsend have their second child, Bertie (born at 15 Commercial Street, Maesteg, Bridgend, Glamorgan). Bertie was originally named William (name changed after registration).

1894 William Townsend has his first child with Charlotte Rachel Gill (Wilfred Thomas). Charlotte remains living with her parents until at least 1901. The 1901 Census shows Charlotte as “single”, but with 2 children.

1894 William & Mary Ann Townsend separate (see William’s WWI attestation papers)

1895 William Townsend & Charlotte Gill declared as “married” (1911 Census), though William’s marriage to Mary Ann remains intact until at least 1914 (William’s WWI attestation papers)

28/02/1897 Mary Ann has her first child with Jesse Louis Rowe (Rosetta)

1897 Jesse working as a “miner at electric railway works” in London (Rosetta’s birth certificate)

26/06/1898 Mary Ann and Jesse have their 2nd child, Lettey (Lettie). The birth certificate reads: “Mary Ann Rowe, late Townsend, formerly Webber”.

1901 Mary Ann living in Ropley, Alresford, Hants with 4 children (Jesse away on active service)

25/03/1901 Jesse Louis Rowe leaves for active service in South Africa

??/04/1902 Jesse & Mary Ann’s 1st child, Rosetta, dies (in the asylum, Hampshire, of meningitis). Rosetta was severely disabled (probably cerebral palsy)

28/08/1902 Jesse Louis Rowe returns from active service in South Africa

03/09/1902 Jesse Louis Rowe discharged from Army

20/09/1902 J. Rowe (miner) leaves for the Cape. Is this Jesse???? Just possible if Fred was conceived immediately before Jesse’s departure.

15/11/1902 J. Rowe (miner) leaves for the Cape. Is this Jesse????

21/06/1903 Jesse Louis Rowe has his 5th and last child with Mary Ann (Fred Lewis). Jesse must therefore have been with Mary Ann in September 1902

1907 Jesse & Mary Ann’s 4th child, John Thomas, dies (epilepsy)

???? Jesse and Mary Ann separate (though they were never married)

1911 1911 Census shows Mary Ann as a “widow” living with 4 children (1 from her marriage to William Townsend; 3 from her relationship with Jesse Rowe)

30/11/1912 J. Rowe (miner) leaves for the Cape. Is this Jesse????

10/01/1914 Jesse Louis Rowe has his first child with his wife Hannah [formerly Reid: née Pattinson]. The child’s name is Lottie Louise. Living in South Africa.

30/04/1917 Jesse’s wife Hannah Rowe dies

18/06/1918 Jesse Louis Rowe marries his second wife, Hilda Elizabeth van der Westhuizen

23/08/1921 Jesse Louis Rowe dies in Boksburg Hospital, Boksburg, South Africa


Meanwhile:

1911 William Townsend and Charlotte Gill are shown living at 113 Llantwit Road, Neath, Glamorgan with 4 children. William’s occupation is given as “coal miner (hewer)”

02/11/1914 William Townsend joins the Army Reserve

28/07/1916 William Townsend transfers to Class “W” Army Reserve in order to follow former occupation as a collier

1917 William Townsend and Charlotte Gill have their 11th (or 12th?) and last child, Agnes May

24/05/1923 William Townsend commits suicide “whilst of unsound mind” by blowing himself up with explosives on his allotment at Fairyland, Neath, Glamorgan. Newspaper reports state that he left a widow & 7 children. Research suggests he had 9 living children (or 10, if Bertie is included)


....

That is a complicated life story! A gal in every port!

I have some work references given by employers when he worked on railway tunnelling in England, and I also have his official blasting certificate and records of companies/mines that he worked on in South Africa. He spent a lot of time in the gold mines. I also have some photos of him and presumably some of his partners/ kids. I also have a document that is calling him up for a training weekend some time in the 1930's...seems he stayed in the volunteers. A Union of South Africa "efficiency" / long service medal came up at Lockdales to a J.L.Rowe back in 2016... that could be to him as well.

I understand he named his son Jesse Louis Rowe as well.

Not sure how Jesse could have been called up for training in the 1930s, as he died on 24 July 1923 ...!!
I guess your document must refer to the son?




Death Certificate of Jesse Louis Rowe showing that he died in Boksburg, South Africa on 23rd August 1921.
The certificate also lists two wives: Hannah Rowe [formerly Reid; nee Pattinson] deceased, and Hilda Elizabeth Rowe.
Jesse had 1 child with Hannah & 2 with Hilda. This gives a total of 8 if one includes those left in England with Mary Ann (remembering that Bertie was William Townsend’s son).
Mary Reid, Hannah’s last child by her previous husband, was born on 12th March 1907. Jesse, therefore, could not have married Hannah before, say, 1908. Lottie Louise, Jesse & Hannah’s daughter was born on 10th January 1914. Hannah died on 30th April 1917. She was only 39.



....

Yup...if he died in the 1920's it would be unusual for him to get the call to attend a training camp in 1938. It must be to his son, J.L.Rowe....have attached the document and it puts the address as Durban. So that's cleared that up. I'll put up a photo of his mining employment record as that will fill in a gap in your dates as well.

By the way, did you have any luck tracing what engagement he was wounded in? I have a document with a pen mark suggesting he was wounded on 13th Nov 1901...I have no way of confirming whether this annotation is accurate or not. And although his papers confirm his wounding at "Frankfort" he doesn't appear to be listed on the official casualty rolls.

He's a fun one to research. Thanks for the info so far Neville.

Andy