421 Grangemouth Road, Radford, Coventry

I wonder if anyone can help me figure out what happened to one of my distant relatives. Edna Eileen Smith (nee' Garvin, born June 1912) was living at 421 Grangemouth Road Radford Coventry in 1968, when her husband died. With a surname like Smith I haven't been able to work out when she passed away, so I thought a hint would come about when I knew she had ceased to live at this address. I know the house was sold to someone in 1998. Edna was actually born in South Wales, as was her husband). By the 1939 census they were living at 421 Grangemouth Road Radford Coventry with her husband's parents.

Hi Helen, welcome to the forum I hope someone can help but it could be tough.

Rather limited help but I can confirm there was no registered death for Edna in Coventry 1983-2019; source gro.gov.uk

Looking through the newspapers in the CET there was furniture being sold in May 1968. In 1972 a Smith was selling a car, an Austin 1400 from that address,

Yes welcome Helen I can see them listed on the 1939 directory (under Leslie R Smith) however you might be interested in this image - Grangemouth Road has not really changed tbh apart from the front gardens are now pavement parking! You can just see the houses in the distance at the junction with Owenford Road. My Dad lived there at number 245 around the same time so you can see what it was like then in this picture of him here - I think this is slightly later as he was born in 1937 and appears to be around 5 or 6 there. They were evacuated to Kenilworth during the war due to the proximity to the Daimler works.........so probably not long after this photo was taken.

In the 1930's Dunlop Aviation built their new factory in Holbrook Lane, Coventry. They found it difficult to recruit enough staff locally because there was plenty of work available in the city's car factories so they went to South Wales where they recruited former coal miners and brought them to Coventry to work. Most of these people would have settled in the area around the factory and this in turn led to the strong Welsh community, particularly in the Holbrooks area. The social hub for these Welsh folk and their descendants has always been the Hen Lane Social Club in Beacon Rd, plus of course the Coventry Welsh Rugby Club in Burbages Lane. Grangemouth Rd is within easy walking distance of the Dunlop factory so this may have been the reason that the Smith family relocated to Coventry.

Hello, Yes indeed. I can echo that, in that my regular Saturday coffee morning meet up at Holbrooks Evangelical church (it's not my church, that's in Foleshill), was maintained by a huge Welsh contingent.

Hi HelenH, I went to the Herbert research room to look at the electoral rolls for 421 Grangemouth Road, Coventry. I recorded the occupants (^{note: only residents of age, over 18, able to vote would be recorded}) of said address across 10 different years: •  1946- Ellen M. Smith. Leslie R. Smith. Leslie Smith. Edna C [Sic] Smith. (Most likely a misprint for 'E') •  1950- Ellen M. Smith. Leslie R. Smith. Leslie Smith. Edna E. Smith. •  1965- Leslie R. Smith. Edna E. Smith. Richard G. Smith. •  1967- Leslie R. Smith. Edna E. Smith. Richard G. Smith. Michael L. Smith. •  1968- Leslie R. Smith. Edna E. Smith. •  1970- Tom Smith. Stella Smith. •  1971- Tom Smith. Stella Smith. •  1984- Tom Smith. Stella Smith. •  1991- Stella Smith. •  1994- Stella Smith. ((My theory is that after her husband's passing in 1968, in 1968/9 when she was about 56/7, Edna decided to move and left the house with family. Whether she moved within Coventry, back to Wales or moved elsewhere in the country is beyond me.)) Hope this helps