William Christman Footman

Now, William Christman Footman. Born in 1888

He worked as a messenger for the Deeds Registry Office, length of service was 2 years and 10 months. Resignation from the Deeds Registry came 11/01/1910.

He took the following days of leave:

06/07/08 - 15/07/08 Reason: serious indisposition - Bronchial Catarsh. Address during leave: Harman Terrace, Warwick Street, Claremont
01/08/08 - 31/08/08 Reason: serious indisposition - Bronchial Catarsh. Address during leave: 3 Muad Street, Kimberley
01/03/09 - 14/03/09 Reason: ordinary vacation. Address during leave: Warwick Street, Claremont
24/04/09 - 01/05/09 Reason: serious indisposition - functional derangement of the heart. Address: c/o Mrs Hillman, Westerford, Newlands (When getting my notes together, I came across these leave applications and then I saw Mrs HILLMAN! Well, I cannot tell you how exciting that was ^_^)

From 1915 to 1919 William Christman served in the army. There were medals awarded to him, but somehow they ended up on an auction block in the UK in 2009, and so have been lost to the family. I've tried to get in contact with the buyer, but due to privacy issues, the auction house cannot release those details.

Pair: Company Quartermaster Sergeant W. C. Footman, South African Native Labour Corps British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (C.Q.M.S., S.A.N.L.C.) mounted as worn, edge bruising to ‘Victory’ due to naming, otherwise nearly extremely fine (2) Footnote William Christman Footman was born in Wynberg. A Motorman by occupation, he served as a member of the 9th Infantry (Cape Peninsula Rifles), 17 December 1915-10 April 1916. He then attested for the 2nd South African Infantry Brigade on 11 April 1916. Footman embarked for East Africa on 1 May 1916 and landed at Kilindini on 8 May. He was posted to ‘A’ Company, 5th South African Infantry. Suffering from malaria he returned to South Africa in November 1916 and was discharged as medically unfit on 24 March 1917. On 26 March 1917 Footman then attested for the South African Native Labour Corps. Two months later he was promoted to Company Quartermaster Sergeant and served in France, 12 June 1917-19 September 1918. He was finally discharged on 24 February 1919. With copied service papers. My gran remembers being told that while William Christman was in East Africa/ France he was lying amongst the dead and mistaken for dead himself until someone hear him moan, and so was discovered to still be alive. (He also suffered from asthma which eventually cost him his job as a tram conductor.)

[This is the Footman burial plot in the Plumstead cemetery - I believe William Christman is buried there]

After William Christman died, his wife Alice struggled to support the family. They moved to Kenilworth to stay with Alice's sister. In 1934 Alice put the three kids (William, Audrey and Rita) into All Saints Home. She would visit on weekends, and as often as was allowed. They came out of the home in 1940 to stay in Sussex Road, Wynberg. Alice had remarried in 1939, a man called Friederich Haack, who became a new dad to the kids who fondly called him 'pops'.

Alice Marion Footman (back center). Audrey (left), Rita (front center), William (right).

Audrey Footman and Alex Andrews wedding (1950) (right of bride) Friederich Haack, Alice Marion, Rita Footman

(My gran dressing up like a lady, it must run in the family hahaha)

My gran (Audrey) married Alexander Andrews in 1950 and they had 2 boys, Gerald and Garth. Rita married Lionel Taylor and they had 2 girls, Cheryl-Ann and Wendy. William married Yvonne Dowling and they had 2 boys, William and Alan. He died in 1989.