Penney/Nicholass Family Ancestry

As researched by Roberta Henton (nee Penney)

Mum & Dad, 1945

This website is the result of my research into my family history - the ancestors of my Scottish-born father Robert Penney and my mother Hilda Kathleen Nicholass who was raised in Kent, England. For good measure some of my Mum's forebears originated in Ireland in the early 1800's.

The following pages trace the descendants of those forebears usually from my great X3 grandparents:

Dollar, Clackmannanshire	Penney/Monteith Descendants Chart: William Monteith
Tarbert, Argyll	Carmichael/McKeith Descendants Chart: Archibald Carmichael Descendants Chart: Lachlan McKeith
Cross Street, Dysart	Tod/Pearson Descendants Chart: Thomas Tod
Upper Greens, Auchtermuchty	Galloway/Adam Descendants Chart: William Galloway
Burnside, Auchtermuchty	Ford/Butters Descendants Chart: James Ford
Deal. Kent	Nicholass Family Descendants Chart: Zachariah Nicholass
Sheerness, Kent	McDowell Family Descendants Chart: Andrew McDowell
Quebec City	Bradford Family Descendants Chart: William Bradford
Alkham, Kent	Kitham Family Descendants Chart: Thomas (Sutton) Kitham

Grandparents: Penney	Archibald Carmichael Penney/Ancestors Margaret Ford Briggs/Ancestors
Grandparents: Nicholass	Frederick George Nicholass/Ancestors Beatrice Jane McDowell/Ancestors
New Zealand	Feedback. Please contact me (include Ancestry in Subject line). CLICK HERE

My Parents

Dad, Robert, was born 18 December, 1909 at 320 Tollcross Road, Shettleston, Glasgow. The family emigrated to Toronto, Canada and then to New Zealand in 1918. He attended primary school at Taupiri and Walton then secondary school at Hamilton High School.

He joined the Territorial Land Forces and became a 2^nd Lieutenant in 1929. At the outbreak of war he enlisted and sailed with 21^st Battalion to Britain. On 18^th April 1941 he was taken prisoner by the Germans near Larissa, Greece. During the ambush he received a bullet wound to his arm. The captives were imprisoned at Salonika until June 9^th when they were taken by train in cattle trucks to Germany to Biberach.

Mon 16^th June(1941): 12 months ago today we sailed into the Clyde, what a difference now. A P.O.W. in GERMANY. Passed AUGSBURG, ULM & then to our destination BIBERACH. 7 days, 30 men in a cattle truck & short on food, most days bread & water, thank God it is over. I think we have all had enough. Marched about 2 miles to the new camp, a nice clean looking place on top of a hill & overlooking some very nice country about 30 miles from the Swiss frontier. Arrived about 1900 hrs & got a great reception from the old lags who have been captured for more than 12 months, they gave us tea and cigs & were very good to us. We were all searched & then had to line up for a shower. We had all our clothes fumigated & did not get out until 0230 hrs but we certainly felt clean.

They were transferred to Warburg in October and in the following September (1942) to Eichstatt camp. At the end of the war Dad, now with rank of Captain, returned to England and married Hilda Kathleen Nicholass, (nursing in war-time London), at her parent’s home in Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, on 2^nd July 1945. They had met in the early war years when 21^st battalion was stationed at Leeds, Kent. Dad returned to New Zealand on the troops’ ship and Mum followed him to New Zealand a few weeks later.

Sept 2007 RJH