Gwenyth Aileen De Brath (Hemy)

Gwenytth's birth registration is transcribed as: Gwyneth Aileen HENRY, born Darlington 3rd quarter 1883.

Notes on Gwen's maiden Name: It would seem that the name Hemy was once Hemmi. Johannes Hemmi (1740-?) came from Germany to the United Kingdom. And Henry Hemy, Johannes' son, was Thomas' grandfather. Later spellings were H e m y (misspelt Henry in many later records).

The De Brath and Hemy families both lived in Jersey, Channel Islands in 1901 - Harold De Brath and Gwenytth Hemy (both aged 17 and 16 respectively at the time) later married.

1901 Channel Islands Census - Parish of St Matthew - living at 32 La Banquette, Queritez, Island of Jersey:

• Thomas M. Hemmy (transcription error) Aged 50, Artist Painter of Marine, etc.-Own Account, born 'At Sea' B.S.
• Annie Hemy Aged 49, born Durham, England
• Eve Hemy Aged 19, born Darlington, England
• Henry Hemy Aged 18, born Darlington, England
• Gwenytth Hemy Aged 16, born Darlington, England

1909, 14 June, Marriage of Captain Harold De Brath, A.S.C., (son of Stanley De Brath, M.Inst.C.E., of Charters Towers, East Grinstead, Sussex) to Gwenytth Aileen Hemy (daughter of Mr Tom M. Hemy of 24 Abercorn Place, St. John's Wood. Bridesmaids were sister of the bride, Miss Eve Hemy, and sister of the groom, Gladys De Brath, and cousins of the bride Misses Kathleen and Marjorie Clay. Best man was Mr. Robinson Smith, W.S. Ceremony conducted by Rev. canon Duckworth. (see clipping - portraits by Percival Ltd., Edgward road, London). They honeymooned in Scotland. Others: Fanny Mary Challen or Fanny Mary Chatten, Charles Thomas Kaye

1911 Summer Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts Exhibitor W. 1113 Hemy, G., (Mrs. Harold De Brath), 4 Belsize Studios, Hampstead, London

1914 December- daughter born in Bournemouth

1928 October 31 Travelled with children on the ss GarthCastle

• First name(s) G
• Last name DE BRATH
• Title MRS
• Gender Female
• Age 44
• Birth year 1884
• Last Address in England: Choice End, Hadley
• Departure port LONDON
• Destination port DURBAN (PORT NATAL)
• Destination DURBAN (PORT NATAL)
• Country SOUTH AFRICA
• Destination country SOUTH AFRICA
• Ship name GARTH CASTLE
• Ship official number 129078
• Ship master's first name H
• Ship master's last name LINKLATER
• Shipping line UNION CASTLE MAIL STEAMSHIP CO LTD
• City LONDON
• Ship destination port DURBAN (PORT NATAL)
• Ship destination country SOUTH AFRICA
• Ship square feet 4014, Ship registered tonnage 7715
• Number of passengers 246
• Record set Passenger Lists leaving UK 1890-1960
• Collections from Australia & New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, United States & Canada

Gwen and Harold emigrated with children to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and had a country property at Ruwa, 15 miles from Salisbury (now Harare) - without running water or electricity. They had a wooden stove, paraffin lamps, water from the well and rainwater tank. By 1941 were living in Ndola - a copper-mining town - in North Rhodesia (now Zambia), Africa. (Source: "Short after Midnight" by Roland Geiger, edited by Heather Tyreman, recounting death of their son Peter 'Denis')

Granddaughter Di Kilpert recounts Harold was running an Allied prisoner of war camp during World War II (Italian prisoners among others) and were in fact living at Abercorn, N. Rhodesia (now Mbala, Zambia).

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Gwen was the daughter of Thomas M.M. Hemy (see below). "His daughter Gwenyth (Mrs Harold de Brath) was also a talented artist and exhibited at the Royal Academy." (Source: http://www.johnnicholsonfineart.co.uk/gallery_detail.php?paintid=182)

See her photo section for her sketches. Her granddaughter, Di Kilpert, notes "She had a powerful style and understood the anatomy of these big cats so well. She was very proud because one of her oil paintings.. was accepted for the Royal Academy."

1911 her picture of three leopards "Hunters Three" was accepted at the renowned Royal Academy of Art (143rd) Exhibit in London (see http://ia311218.us.archive.org/0/items/exhibitionofroy143londuoft/e... - lists her as G. Hemy, Mrs Harold De Brath, living at 4 Belsize Studios, Hampstead, [London] NW.).

Also exhibited at this Exhibit were her uncle C. Napier Hemy "In Spite of Wind and Weather", "A Night Catch", "Sailing Hard", "The Trawler's Crew" and her father Thomas M.Hemy "Discipline: The wreck of the 'Abercrombie Robinson' in Table Bay, 1842", "The Tyne"

She was also an illustrator, as was her daughter Suzanne De Brath. They both illustrated the 1944 book of poems "Thanks to the R.A.F.", published by Corporal Robert Smalley, R.A.F. Norton, Southern Rhodesia.

Three brothers of the Hemy family were famous marine artists: Charles Napier Hemy [English Painter, 1841-1917], Bernard Benedict (Bernard Benedict Hemy (English Painter 1855-1913...The youngest brother of noted British marine watercolorist Charles Napier Hemy (1841-1917) and her father, Thomas M.M. Hemy (1852-1937) also a marine painter.