‘Well,’ I admitted, ‘I don’t have a clue how to begin. I know you said you didn’t have a death certificate. I wondered if you could show me how to look for stuff like that?’
‘Of course.’ Finn’s eyes shone. ‘I brought my laptop just in case.’
He got his computer out and I watched as he brought up a website called myancestors.co.uk.
‘Like I said, I did a bit of research into Elsie ages ago when we first got the book, and found her birth certificate and her employment record, but I’ve not looked her up since.’
‘Could the information have changed?’
‘Maybe,’ said Finn. ‘But I doubt it.’ He typed in Elsie Watson and hit return and up came the results.
‘There are a few,’ he said, ‘but obviously you can discount the ones whose dates don’t match, and then it’s easy enough to find our Elsie because she was born round here.’
‘In South London District Hospital?’ I said, wondering if Elsie had entered the world in Tall Trees. But Finn shook his head as he clicked on one of the entries.
‘At home, actually. Here she is. Elsie Watson, born 28 August 1919. Place of birth: 17 Cedars Road. Parents: Agnes and Anthony Watson.’
‘I know where Cedars Road is,’ I said, delighted. ‘It’s near my dentist.’
Finn laughed.
‘So we have her birth certificate, but nothing else?’ I said, frowning at the screen. ‘No marriage certificate? No children? No death certificate?’
‘No.’
‘And is that strange in itself?’
‘It is a bit.’ He sighed. ‘She might have moved abroad.’
‘When did she leave the hospital? Did you say you had her employment record?’
‘Here.’ Finn typed a few words, then he pulled up another page on his screen. ‘See, it has the same address: Cedars Road. Her next of kin is her brother William Watson. She trained at the hospital between 1936 and 1938, when she qualified.’ He pointed to the screen. ‘She left in 1941.’
‘Is there like a central database of nurses? Could we see if she went to another hospital in England?’
He shrugged. ‘There is, but it would just show that she was a registered nurse, not where she worked.’
Disappointed, I felt my shoulders slump. ‘I’ve hit a brick wall already.’
Finn shook his head. ‘Not necessarily. The interesting thing about social history is there’s always another way round. Maybe the direct route hasn’t worked, but you’ll find another way.’
‘Do you think so?’
‘I know so. It’s happened to me loads of times. And you often find out all sorts of other interesting stuff while you’re looking.’
‘Where should I start?’
‘Perhaps find out more about the history of the hospital? See what you can find out about its role during the war?’
‘Can you help me?’
‘There’s nothing I’d like more,’ he said with a grin, and again I felt my stomach flip. ‘But, I can’t.’
‘Work?’ I tried to sound casual and not show how disappointed I was.
‘Exams and assessments. But I’ll have more time in a couple of weeks. So how about you get started and I’ll help when I can?’
‘Sounds good,’ I said.
