Bill, George Soilleux

  General Notes:

Toni Percival recalls:

George carried on the cooperage business started by his father John but it folded around 1979. John used the name Archer instead of Soilleux as during the war foreign names made people the subject of
suspicion and was not good business. John fought in the first world war and deserted. He was given the option of a court martial (and presumably being shot) or going to the front, and surprise surprise! he chose the front, where he was injured, but survived. He was apparently a very popular man and I can remember quite a few stories, told to me by my Nan, who was a natural
story teller. They kept goats (in the East End!) who used to eat the pinafores, but not the buttons, and entered my Mum and Uncle George in the Lord Mayors show (probably around 1926/8) dressed as a pearly king and queen pulled in a goat cart, of which there is a photograph somewhere, which I don't have.