Muriel Hansford & Archibald Atkins: A Family History Mystery
In researching Hansford family history on the Isle of Wight, I came across a news article from the 1930s which concerned my second cousin twice removed, Muriel Hansford.
FAREHAM MAN MISSING
In Business at Ryde
NOT SEEN AFTER TRIP TO LONDON
Exhaustive inquiries at hospitals and institutions throughout the country have so far failed to reveal any trace of a 33-year-old clerk, Archibald John Atkins, who left a London hotel just after midday on April 20 to return to his home in Fareham and has not been heard of since. Mr. Atkins, who was lodging in Ryde, where he had been employed for the past seven years, came to Fareham to stay with his parents for a week in the middle of April. He left home on April 17 to go to London with his fiancee, Miss Murial Hansford, of Ryde, and a friend. He promised his parents that he would return to Fareham on the Thursday of that week. He left the London hotel, where he was staying, at 12.30 p.m. on the Thursday with the intention of getting the 12.50 p.m. train from Waterloo to Portsmouth. Since then he has not been heard of. His fiancee remained in London as she intended to visit some relatives. On the morning of his disappearance Mr. Atkins was carrying a week-end case. He withdrew £10 from a London bank to meet some current expenses. The father, Mr. A. A. Atkins, of East Street, Fareham, told an Evening News representative to-day that he had made inquiries at Ryde and found that his son’s business affairs were in perfect order. So far as he knew his son had no worries of any sort. I cannot understand it,’ he said. “My son was of the happiest disposition, there was no question of a quarrel between him and his fiancee in fact they were to have been married at Ryde on June 3, and preparations for the wedding had already been put in hand. They had obtained a house there. have explored every avenue in the hope of finding my son, and I am trying to arrange for a broadcast description of him to be circulated. The only thing I can think of is that he is suffering from loss of memory.” The missing man is over six feet tall, of fresh complexion with receding hair, prominent nose, and a trace of hesitancy in his speech. He was wearing a greyish mackintosh, a grey tweed suit and black shoes. He wore a gold signet ring with the initials A. J. A., and his week-end case had on it part of a label of an hotel in Switzerland where he stayed some time ago while on holidays. (Portsmouth Evening News – Tuesday 16 May 1939)
EXHAUSTIVE inquiries having failed to yield any trace of Archibald John Atkins, who disappeared four months after leaving a London hotel to return to his home in East Street Fareham, his father (Mr. A. A. Atkins) is offering a reward of £25 to the first person who gives information which will assist him in his search. Mr. Atkins believes that his son is still alive and wandering about suffering from loss of memory. In the last four months he has followed a number of clues which have not yielded any result… (Portsmouth Evening News – Wednesday 23 August 1939)
Finally, after over a year, Archibald was found. What could have happened? We’ll never know, but it appears to have been some kind of nervous breakdown, perhaps caused by Archibald’s having changed his mind about their approaching marriage..
FOUND AFTER 16 MONTHS Archibald John Atkins, the 34-years-old son of Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Atkins, of East Street. Fareham, who disappeared 16 months ago, has been found in a Midland town, where he is working for an engineering firm. His father told our representative it was obvious his son had lost his memory. His movements in the past year remained a complete mystery. (Hampshire Telegraph – Friday 6 September 1940)
Sadly, whatever went wrong could not be put right. From what I can find, neither Archibald nor Muriel ever married, either each other or anyone else.
