John (DARNEY) George LOCKS

John George (Darney) LOCKS 4 John George Locks 1911 John George and Prince John George LOCKS Blanche with J G Locks John George (Darney) LOCKS John George (Darney) LOCKS Summer 1947 JG Locks at desk John George (Darney) Locks Newspaper Office Kensington post Express and Independent Newspaper office

John, known as DARNEY, was born on January 20th, 1864.¹ 

• Birth Notes

  For the Notebook, see photo under brother Frank Rice Locks

DARNEY's father was Thomas George LOCKS and his mother was Suzannah Elizabeth DAWSON.  His paternal grandparents were Thomas William LOCKS and Ann (Annie?) RICE; his maternal grandparents were William DAWSON and Sarah HALES. He had six brothers and five sisters, named Thomas, Walter, Alfred, Frank, Frederick Charles, Harold, Annie, Emily Mary, Fanny Elizabeth, Ada Elizabeth and Maud.  He was the third oldest of the twelve children.  He died at the age of 86 on January 24th, 1950.

• General Notes

  From an email from Ian Locks:
  "Two of the sons left Boston to make their fortunes.  JG to work for the Toms family, who owned a printing operation in Leytonstone and a wonderful little newspaper know as the East Wind (I have the original bound copy of the earliest editions from 1876 when the paper was founded.)
  
  JG was a smart lad and married the boss’s daughter and so developed the East Wind into the Leytonstone Expreess and Independent.
  
  The four sons, Monny, Leonard, Cyril and Clifford made their main contribution between the wars when they bought up local papers in London (Kensington Post, Marylebone Mercury (where I started as a reporter/photographer in 1958), Paddington Mercury, Willesden Citizen and Middlesex Independent) and the Times/Recorder series in East Essex – Southend, Laindon, Basildon, Wickford etc.  The Express and Independent meanwhile had extended from Leyton to Epping along the Central Line.
  
  The four sons, plus Lilly, their elder sister, all had plenty of progeny so the firm become overloaded with us – and we sold out when there was a property boom in 1972.  Clogs to Clogs in three generations!
  
  The other brother (name on Stephen’s excellent website) founded the Ilford Pictorial  that became the Greater London and Essex Newspapers (GLEN) and lasted quite a lot longer than we did.  The “blood” never seemed to be particularly good between the two dynasties.  I never quite knew why and think I only ever met the Ilford relatives once.  Strange that!
  
  If you dig back further I am told that a generation back from the “Boston fishery Locks’s” you get to a fish and chip shop in the Mile End Road…..but that’s only what I have been told and I like the story! "
  
  

Details of DARNEY's family with Florence (Dooney) Jessie TOMS