Edwin Pennell was the oldest child of Edwin and Mary Pennell who were married on 6 August 1874 in Birmingham. His father is noted as a Chandelier Maker on his marriage certificate and on also on the 1881 census. By the time of that census Edwin had three sisters, Beatrice Meleta, aged 4, Rachel Amena Elizabeth, aged 3, and Emily Maria Harriet, aged 1. At this time the family were living at 2 Back 161 Devonshire Street, Birmingham.

Edwin is my wife’s grandfather. Ten years later in 1891, Edwin had two more siblings, Mary Louisa Ada, born 30 March 1882, and Herbert Francis, born 31 July 1884. By this time Edwin Snr. and Edwin Jnr are both working as Brass Finishers.

Edwin married Minnie Elizabeth Bullock on 27 August 1898 at St George’s Parish Church in Birmingham. I don’t have a picture from their wedding but below is a picture of Minnie, probably a couple of years before the wedding.

Edwin and Minnie had five children Edwin Francis H, born 20 February 1899 and known as Ted, Minnie Elizabeth born 24 September 1900, Herbert C born 22 October 1901 and known as Bert, Arnold Samuel born 25 October 1906 known as Arne. My mother-in-law, Mary Beatrice, the youngest, was born on 17 June 1916.

Edwin and Minnie obviously enjoyed getting out and about, including travel on their motorcycle and sidecar. I sent the photo below to the National Motorcycle Museum and they kindly identified the bike as a Triumph 4hp 550cc which when new cost £49.85. The museum also supplied the link below which gives more details about the machine

http://www.go-faster.com/1914Triumph.html

Mary remembers going with her father to Snow Hill railway station, on his shoulders, to meet her brother Ted coming back from the First World War. Mary also remembered the family home in Yew Tree Lane, Yardley, when it really was a lane, and this is confirmed by the 1939 World War II register when Edwin and Minnie were living at 23 Yew Tree Lane.

We have already seen Minnie with a banjo (above) and it was obviously a family skill. Below are pictures of Edwin and his son Bert at different times in their lives with their instruments. Birmingham was the home of the world renown banjo makers “Windsors” and it would appear, from pictures available on the internet that Bert is pictured with a Windsor modele de luxe.

Below is a picture of Edwin and Minnie but we don’t know where, we don’t know when or who they are pictured with. Minnie died in 1945 when she was in her late sixties.

Edwin died in 1960 aged 85.