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The Patons in Belgium
1916 - 1918
Documentary evidence recording the life of the surviving
Patons in Brussels after the death of David Hepburn Paton, as held at the National Archives in London
In 2004, a series of letters were discovered
at the National Archives in Kew, London, which record the efforts of the British, American, and Dutch Governments to help
Jessie Paton and her children survive the aftermath of the death of Jessie's husband David Hepburn Paton, great great grandfather to Calum and Jamie Paton.
Amongst the correspondence are notes from Jessie herself, David's brother
James Paton, David's Glasgow employers, R. & J. Dick Ltd, and various letters and records as held by the British
Relief Fund, cataloguing the family's ordeal in occupied enemy territory from March 1916 to Noveber 1918.
The following are transcriptions of the entire collection held by the
National Archives.
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The Guardianship
of William Paton, John Paton and Charles Paton after David's death
The
following documents are held at the National Archives under the catalogue number FO383/136
225284. They catalogue the attempts of the American legation in Brussels, the British Foreign Office and the Scottish
Office to trace Jessie Paton in the aftermath of David's death, in order that they may supply him with a certificate issued
by the local Belgian commune regarding the guardianship of David's children, after his death:
64571
APR 5 1916
The American
Ambassador in London presents his compliments to His Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honour
to enclose herewith a copy of a communication, dated the 28th ultimo, from the Legation at Brussels together with
a document concerning the guardianship of the children of the late David Hepburn Paton, a British subject.
LONDON. April 3, 1916
American Legation,
Brussels.
March 28th 1916.
1490
His Excellency
The Honourable
Walter Hines Page,
American Ambassador,
London
Sir,
I beg to transmit
herewith for your information and for such disposition as you may deem proper to make of it, a document issued by the commune
of St Gilles, concerning the guardianship of the children of David Hepburn Paton, a British subject, who died in that municipality
on March 12th instant.
I have the honor
to be,
Sir,
Your obedient
servant,
(Signed) Brand
Whitlock
Enclosure: Document.
The British were somewhat confused as to the nature of the document, but set in motion attempts to find
Jessie:
Received by Apr 5th 1916 64571
Guardianship
of children of the late D. H. Paton
Tro document
issued by Commune of St Giles respecting
? Copy H.O. with
enclosure
Mr H. B. Warner,
I should have
thought Mr Whitlock might have given some indication of the purpose for which the document was sent. It would seem that the
mother must be in this country and that it is destined for her. She is stated in the document to be domiciled in Glasgow.
Copy Scottish
Office with the certificate in orig and ask them to pass it on to mother if she can be traced at Glasgow.
Mr Mallin
___________________________________________________________________
This document
is issued, apparently, under of the Private Int. Law Conventions to which we are not a party. But in existing circumstances
we can hardly go into this, and I think we can only act as Mr Warner suggests. It can at any rate do no harm.
H.W.H
7.4.16
The search
for Jessie was passed on to the Scottish Office:
FOREIGN OFFICE,
10
APR 1916,
(64571/16/P)
Sir:-
I am directed
by Secretary Sir E. Grey to transmit to you herewith, to be laid before the Secretary for Scotland,
a copy of a note, with enclosures, which has been received from the United States Ambassador, relative to the affairs of the
family of the late Mr. D. H. Paton, who died at Brussels on the 12th
ultimo.
It is presumed,
although the Certificate is by no means clear on the point, that Mrs Paton is at present residing at Glasgow,
and should it be found possible to ascertain her whereabouts, Sir E. Grey will be obliged if the accompanying documents can
be communicated to her, if Mr. Secretary McKinnon Wood sees no objection to that course.
I am,
Sir,
Your most obedient,
Humble servant,
(Signed) A. Law
The Under Secretary
Scottish Office
___________________________________________________________________
79242
27 APR 1916
Received by 64571
Family of D.
H. Paton, deceased
Cannot be traced
from information sent from Brussels. Perhaps US authorities could throw more light
on the matter.
? Can Mr. Saye
ascertain whether any further detail can be obtained.
27.4.16
___________________________________________________________
SCOTTISH OFFICE,
WHITEHALL, S.W.
26th April, 1916.
Sir,
With reference
to your letter (64571/16/P) of the 10th instant forwarding copy of a Note from the United States Ambassador regarding
the affairs of the family of the late Mr. D. H. Paton, who died at Brussels, I am directed by the Secretary for Scotland to
state for the information of the Secretary of State fro Foreign Affairs that he has caused some enquiry to be made but finds
that the documents which accompanied your letter, do not appear to contain sufficient information to enable Mrs Paton or her
children to be traced. Mr McKinnon Wood would suggest that the American Consul at Brussels
might possibly be able to ascertain from the municipal authorities at that place whether the papers of the deceased contain
any further clue in the matter.
The Brussels
document is returned herewith.
I am,
Sir,
Your obedient
Servant.
John Caul,
The Under Secretary
of State, Foreign Office
The following are details from the certificate issued by the Belgians regarding
the paternity of David's children:
Convention Internationale
de la Haye du 12 Juin 1902
PROVINCE DE BRABANT
JUSTICE DE PAIX
DU CANTON DE SAINT-GILLES
LEZ-BRUXELLES
Bulletin des
declarations relatives a la tutelle d’ etrangers
___________________________________________________________________
Numero
du register des tutelles: 31/1916
Date
du deces: 12/3
Nom
et Prenoms du decede: Paton, David Hepburn
Profession:
negociant
Emeure
avec indication de la commune, du hameau, de la section et du numero: Glasgow,
domicile legal. Residence rue d’ Espagne 100 St Gilles
Etat
Civil du decede celibataire, marie ou veuf: Epouse
Nom
et Prenoms du conjoint avec indication s’il est survivant ou predecede:
MacFarlane, Jessie
Nom
et prenoms des heritiers mineurs absents ou interdits avec mention de l’age des mineurs: William, 19 ans, John 17 ans,
Charles 11 ans
Si
Les Heritiers mineurs ou interdits ont un tuteur legal ou datif: oui leur mere
Si
le Decede laisse des biers, meubles ou immeubles: biens meubles
Parente
et d. meure des parents: en Angleterre
Saint-Gilles,
lez-Bruxelles, le 23 Mars, 1916
Le Juge de paix,
G. Verbier
After efforts in Scotland failed to find Jessie, the British wrote back to the Americans for more help
in tracing her:
No. 79242/16/P.
The Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the United States Ambassador and has the honour to refer to His Excellency’s
note of the 3rd ultimo, transmitting a document, received from the United States Minister at Brussels,
relative to the guardianship of the children of the late David Hepburn Paton.
As all efforts
on the part of the Scottish authorities to trace Mrs. Paton and her children have proved unavailing, Sir E. Grey will be much
obliged if Mr. Whitlock can be requested to be good enough to ascertain whether the papers left by the deceased afford any
clue to the whereabouts of the family.
Foreign Office.
1 MAY 1916
The Americans finally discovered the whereabouts of Jessie in Brussels:
135908 13 JUL 1916
Received by 64571
Mrs Paton &
children
Gives
address in Brussels
? Copy to Scottish
Office w. ref.
H.R. 14/7
_____________________________________________________________________
The American
Ambassador presents his compliments to His Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honour to transmit
herewith enclosed a copy of a letter he has received from the Legation at Brussels,
referring to Sir Edward Grey’s Note of the 1st May and giving the desired information regarding Mrs. Paton
and her children.
LONDON. July 12, 1916.
Legation of the
United
States of America.
Brussels.
July 5th 1916.
2715
The American
Minister at Brussels presents his compliments to the Ambassador in London
and in reply to the latter’s memorandum of May 2nd No. 39, begs to say that Mrs. Paton and her children reside
at 100 rue d’Espagne, St Gilles-Brussels. Her last residence in Great Britain
was Glasgow.
To the American
Embassy
London.
Efforts
to Sustain the Patons in Brussels after David's Death 1917-1918
After
the death of David Hepburn Paton, his son John Paton was imprisoned by the Germans
and sent to Ruhleben internment camp in Spandau, Berlin, Germany. With Jessie's eldest son William Paton
serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps in Gallipoli, she was in turn left in Brussels to look after her daughter Annie
Paton and her youngest son Charles Paton, Calum's and Jamie's great grandfather.
The following
correspondence, catalogued by the National Archives in London under the number FO383/259 222768, details the
efforts of the Foreign Office and the Netherland Legation to make sure that Jessie continued to receive a regular allowance
from her husband's employer, R & J Dick Ltd in Glasgow, as well as detailing the situation in which Jessie found
herself in occupied Brussels.
The first
letter includes a note passed by the Dutch to the British Foreign Office, from Jessie herself, to her brother-in-law James
Paton, manager of the Singer Sewing Machine Company factory in Hendon, London:
1.
PRISONERS,
&c. BELGIUM
Received
by 144733 23 Jul 1917
Mrs
J. Paton in Brussels
Send on message
July 25th
ENTER
P.W. DEPT. 144733 23 JUL 1917
His Majesty’s
Representative at The Hague presents his compliments to His Majesty’s Principle
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and has the honour to transmit, herewith, copy of a communication received from the
Netherland Minister (British Section) at Brussels.
British
Legation, The Hague. July 16th 1917
The Netherland
Legation (British Section) at Brussels present their compliments to His Britannic
Majesty’s Minister at the Hague and on behalf of Mrs J. Paton, a British
subject residing 100 rue d’Espagne, Brussels, have the honor to beg Sir Walter Townley, if possible, to communicate
the following message to her brother Mr. James Paton, Singer Works 42 St. Paul’s Churchyard, London E.C.:-
“Dear Jim,
As things here would have become impossible for us, I should like to know what you would advise me to do. Matters concerning
the Firm here have been decided & an indemnity of three months given. Viz until the
15th Sept. 1917 when the 75 francs I have been receiving since the
16th March 1915 will cease. Then of course I shall be entirely without means. Myself & the two children
who are still with me. The small sum left after the exceptionally heavy expense of poor David’s illness & death
is gone & had I means I should be allowed only to touch a very small sum monthly. The cost of living here at the present
moment is 10 times (and in some cases 20 times) more than in 1914 so you can well imagine my extreme anxiety in case we will
be as we have been. Over the winter in such case I shall be in a bad way. Kindly write to the firms and explain as I could
not explain myself properly from here. I shall leave it to your good judgement as to what you will say & arrange for me
as I know you will do everything in my interest. Kind regards to every one. We three are pretty well, hoping this will find
you all the same. Your loving sister J. Paton”
Brussels,
July 9th 1917.
___________________________________________________________________
The Secretary
of the Prisoners of War Department presents his compliments to Mr. James Paton, and is directed by Lord Newton to state that
he learns from the Netherland Legation at Brussels that Mrs. James Paton,
residing at 100 rue d’Espagne, Brussels, wishes the following message communicated to him:-
“Dear Jim,
As things here have become impossible for us, I should like to know what you would advise me to do. Matters concerning the
Firm here have been decided & an indemnity of three months given, viz. until the
15th Sept. 1917 when the 75 francs I have been receiving since the
16th March 1915 will cease. Then of course I shall be entirely without means. Myself & the two children
who are still with me. The small sum left after the exceptionally heavy expense of poor Davi’s illness and death is
gone & had I means I should be allowed only to touch a very small sum monthly. The cost of living here at the present
moment is 10 times (and in some cases 20 times) more than in 1914 so you can well imagine my extreme anxiety in case we will
be as we have been. Over the winter in such case I shall be in a bad way. Kindly write to the firms and explain as I could
not explain myself properly from here. I shall leave it to your good judgement as to what you will say & arrange for me
as I know you will do everything in my interest. Kind regards to every one. We three are pretty well. Hoping this will find
you all the same. Your loving sister J. Paton.”
Prisoners of
War Department,
Downing
Street, S.W.1
July 26, 1917
In
reply to Jessie's letter, the following correspondence took place between James Paton, the British Foreign Office, and the
company R. & J. Dick Ltd in Glasgow:
July 28th 1917
The Secretary
of the Prisoners of War Dpt.
Downing
St, SW1
Dear Sir,
Your favour 144733/1204/P
of July 26th sending me copy of a letter from Mrs David Paton Brussels my sister in law was duly received.
This is merely
to acknowledge your communication for which I thank you, and to say I will write you later when I have made some enquiries
re “the Firm”.
Yours very sincerely,
James Paton
I am writing
from my home address:
You wrote me
to our Management office Singers 42/43 St Paul’s Churchyard
___________________________________________________________
AUG 24 1917
R & J Dick,
Ltd, Greenhead Works, Glasgow.
23rd August 1917
Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs, Prisoner of War Department, Foreign Office.
OUR REFERENCE
No. 46/449
Mr James Paton
has forwarded to us copy of a letter which he received through your Department from his late brother’s widow in Brussels,
Mrs. David Paton, 100 Rue d’Espagne, from which letter we note that she is likely to be in very necessitous circumstances
in the near future.
Since the death
of her late husband, we have been allowing her 75 francs a week, which sum she obtained from the drawings of our Belgian business.
As this business has now been closed by German officers, however, she will no longer be able to obtain the 75 francs in question.
We should be
much obliged if your Department could help us in this matter, either by helping Mrs. Paton to return to this country via Holland,
and at our expense, or (if this is not possible) by paying her 75 francs a week on our account.
We may add that
the late David Paton was an old and trusted servant of this company, and we trust that your Department will find it possible
to assist us in helping his widow.
We are, Sir,
Your obedient
Servants,
R. & J. Dick,
Ltd.
M. Porter, Assistant
Manager.
Representations
the German ??? to allow British women to leave but that the matter is still being pursued.
Law. Aug 25.
(different
hand)
I
do not think there is any useful purpose to be secured by suggesting that we will take any special steps to secure the repatriation
of individual Brit. women as there are too many in Belgium,
& the question of repatriation had better be dealt with ???
___________________________________________________________
Messrs
Dick Ltd Aug 29th
? Say that if
they will send us a cheque for £30/roughly 3 months allowance at 75 francs a week, we will request the Minister to pay out
the weekly allowance & to let us know when that sum is nearly exhausted. As to Mrs Paton’s repatriation say that
we fear little can be done at present but that we will take any steps possible in spite of frequent representations.
___________________________________________________________
To
R & J Dick,
Ltd, Greenhead Works, Glasgow
Prisoners of
War Department
August 29 1917
The Secretary of the
Prisoners of War Department presents his compliments to Messrs R & J Dick, Ltd, and is directed by the Controller to acknowledge
receipt of Mr Porter's letter, no 46/449 of the 23rd inst, regarding Mrs David Paton, residing at 100 Rue d'Espagne, Brussels
-
The Secretary
is to state that if Messrs. Dick will forward to the Department a cheque, payable to the Chief Clerk, Foreign Office, the
Netherland Minister at Brussels will be requested to effect the desired payment.
It is suggested that for the sake of convenience a cheque for the sum of thirty pounds might be forwarded at one time, that
sum being the approximate amount which will be advanced to Mrs Paton in three months at the rate of 75 francs a week. On receipt
thereof the Netherland Minister will be requested to effect payment of that sum in weekly instalments, and to report when
it is nearly exhausted.
The Secretary
is to add that little hope can be held out of Mrs Paton’s repatriation at an early date as in spite of frequent representations,
the German authorities will refuse to allow British women to leave the occupied districts of Belgium,
but the matter is still being pressed.
PRISONERS OF
WAR DEPARTMENT,
DOWNING
STREET, S.W.1.
29th August, 1917.
Jessie's attempts to get an early repatriation to Britain were unsuccessful. Back
in Britain, her brother in law James Paton continued to do his best for her, and her son John, by now a civilian
prisoner of war in Ruhleben race course in Spandau, near Berlin, Germany. The Foreign Office continued to support his request:
To The Hague
No. 1858 Sep 1st
re: Mr Paton Sep 1st.
Forward message
to Neth. Minister for communication to Mrs Paton, & Inform –
The part of Mr
Paton’s letter about Mr J. Paton at Ruhleben had better be copied out & entered separately, & we might inform
Mr Paton that he will receive a separate reply to that question.
Note
– please copy this heading and extract
August 25th 1917
The Secretary
Prisoners of
War Dpt
Downing St SW1
Dear Sir,
Your favour 144733/1204/P
of July 26th was duly received and acknowledged and I now take the liberty of asking that you will present my compliments
to Lord Newton & request the favour of transmitting the following letter to my Sister in law Mrs David Paton 100 rue d’Espagne
Brussels. Now that I have communicated with the firm and they are kindly arranging
with you for something to be done for her she will be expecting a reply from me.
Dear Jay! Your
message to me by the favour of Lord Newton of our Foreign Office was duly received. I need not say how much we all
regretted to hear of your change in circumstance & the sad plight it forecasted for you and the two children. I wrote
at once to the firm, and they have kindly undertaken to assist you. As however negotiations are being made through the
favour of Lord Newton I will merely say that you will I am sure find them satisfactory. We are all well now, but we have
had Nettie with pleurisy & Mother with influenza, but both are quite better
again. Altho’ in the former case we had a specialist so serious was the beginning of the illness. Love to you all,
Your affect.
Brother
James Paton
The
words struck through in the above letter were deleted by the British censor from the original note. James' letter to the Prisoners
of War Department's secretary had a further request, concerning the fate of his nephew, John Paton:
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