Maternal Family

William Jones was born 1902 in Liverpool he was in fact a Lewtas. His Mother and Father were not married at the time of his birth, and as was the practise in those days, the child was named after the Mother.  Billy grew up believing his surname to be Lewtas, but it was only when he married Mary Winifred O'Leary he found out that his name was in fact registered at birth as Jones not Lewtas and he could of course now he was married change it officially to Lewtas, Mary (aka Winnie) his wife to be did not like the name Lewtas and decided to keep the name Jones. All their children were then named Jones, not Lewtas as they should have been.

Billiy had a son also called Billy, and according to his son Alan, he was quite a character!... He has given me permission to publish memories that Alan has of his Father Billy jnr.  Many Thanks Alan, and sincere apologies for the delay in getting them on the site xx  Here are just a few, but there will be more to follow..... when I find out where I have saved them!!!!

Billy Jones the younger, was very proud of the fact that he was really a Lewtas lad, although his sister Winny said she didn’t have much to do with them, Billy and his brother Matty did, Matty associating with many of the Lewtas’ as an adult.  Billy was also taught boxing by some of the lads from the clan...

 

When Billy snr and his wife Winny (Mary Winifred O’Leary) moved to Huyton, Billy jnr stayed behind in town and lived with his Nin, Ada Catherine Jones, he spent his formative years with the Lewtas clan and maintained close and strong links with them all his life.  He felt very much that he was a Lewtas.

 

My Mother Pat remembers that Billy jnr used to be called at times Manny, she believing his second name to be Emmanuel...  Alan confirmed that Billy always signed his cheques W.E.Jones... but apparently it was his confirmation name, not his name given at birth, although he liked to joke that the family had Jewish links, hence the nickname Manny!!

 

A story that Alan relayed to me is one I never knew before, that when my mum was in labour with me, his dad Billy insisted on driving her to hospital, whilst my nan was insisting there was no need... so if it were not for Uncle Billy who knows, I might not have arrived as safely as I did.

 

During the Second World War the Lewtas family made the Guinness book of World Records for the most siblings serving in the Armed Forces at any one time. The certificate reads

The World Record for the most siblings to serve in World War Two is nine. Edward, Robert, William, Charles, George, Harry, Matthew, Thomas and Christopher Lewtas (all UK) of Pine Street, Liverpool. All served in various divisions of the forces during the conflict

George was the only one to serve in two different divisions of the forces. He first joined the Navy, but was discharged because it was discovered he had previously lost his middle and index fingers in a sawmill accident.  He immediately signed up for the Army to serve in the Royal Artillery where he served until the end of the War.

Henry Lewtas also served with the armed forces for four years and four months during the 1914-1918 war. Information taken from Liverpool echo in 1939.  Story from Winifred Jones, granddaughter, at Christmas time all the kids would be upstairs in bed he would come up and command one of them untie his boots.

Henry and his brother were chicken butchers according to the 1901 census, also this was confirmed by my maternal grandmother.  Henry died in 1942.

Death Index
Henry Lewtas 1942 62 Liverpool South 8b 43 

Mary Winifred O'Leary had an sister called Catherine, she married a man called John Kennedy who worked as a Merchant Seaman.  They had one child Annie, who is in the photograph above with Mary (winny). Unfortunately John was on the S.S. Lusitania on the fateful day it was bombed by a German U-Boat she was heading for Liverpool on May 1, 1915 when just off the coast of Queenstown Ireland she was hit.  Catherine then re-married to William Loyden and went on to have three more children, it is thought she died in childbirth with the last, although the child did survive.