48a Eden Street, Cambridge

History of 48a Eden Street

1930s

A young girl in a school uniform walks a small dog on a leash along a brick-walled street lined with bicycles.

Norah May Seager and dog on Fitzroy Street

A woman with wavy hair in a light-coloured, belted dress stands before a wrought iron fence and brick terrace houses.

Norah May Seager at 48a Eden Street

A man in a suit sits on an Ariel motorcycle with the number plate DVE 607, parked by a brick wall and a wooden gate.

James Seager (b 1899 Dorset) at rear of 48aEden Street

James had served with the Army Service Corps in World War One.

A woman in a long, dark coat and hat stands before a metal fence and brick wall, with brick buildings visible in the background.

Nora Rosina Seager née Ayres (b 1894; m 1921)

1935

Norah Rosina Ayres

1939

James Seager, b 1899, radio sales manager,

Norah R Seager, b 1895

[Norah May Seager], b 1923 Wales, clerk costing office

Doris Lindsay [cousin]

? , under school age

Ethelreda M Wilson, b 1855, private income [lodger]

Charles S Adams, b 1903, hotel kitchen porter [lodger]

1942

Norah and Michael were engaged 14th April 1942 in Cambridge.. Norah had been born in Pontypool in 1923.

1943

Norah May Seager

Black and white head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman with dark, wavy hair, looking forward with a soft smile.

Nora May Seager

Michael Stewart Layton-Smith

Black and white studio portrait of a young man with wavy hair and a thin mustache, wearing a collared shirt and dark tie.

Michael Stewart Layton-Smith

Michael was born in Coventry in 1922. In 1939 his parents were living at 59 Cottenham Road, Histon. He joined the RAF in October 1941. In 1942 and 1943 he was training in the USA and Canada.

Michael James Layton-Smith born 11 January 1943

1944

26th May Birth of Stuart John and Adrian Barry Layton-Smith at Milton Road Nursery Home

Three men stand in a line on a chequered path outside the door of a brick terraced house with a wooden picket fence.

Michael James Layton-Smith and his twin brothers, Stuart John and Adrian Barry

19th August Michael died and was buried at the Bergen General Cemetery in Netherlands. He was serving in 7 Squadron based at Oakington in a Lancaster as air bomber. The plane was shot down By a night fighter into the North Sea west of Ijmuiden during a raid on Sterkrade on the outskirts of Oberhausen.

Ian Layton-Smith has recorded in detail the events of Michael’s life during World War II up until his death. This moving account can be found here:

1962

James Seager

Projects

Eden Street

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