Jessie and Laurence sailed to England in May of 1936

Jessie was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis sometime before early 1936 and she returned to England along with my father Laurence Barnett in May of 1936 on the "Esperance Bay". She gave their proposed address as 6 Grayling Road, Stoke Newington which was the address of her sister, Phyllis Frances Barnett. Soon after,  she was admitted to the Hackney Infirmary and she died there on the 20th October, 1936. No hospital records are available but I have located details held by the hospital re funeral arrangements which once gain confirmed her previous address and her brother as contact. along with a correspondence address for her sister Phyllis  Her brother Percy Barnett was the informant on her death certificate and also provided details on the Jewish  burial authorisation at the Edmonton  Jewish Cemetery.
She could not be buried in the Edmonton cemetery without proof of her Jewish affiliation. Her mother and one of her sisters had been buried in the same cemetery. In the case of her mother, that was in 1928 and her sister Betty had predeceased in 1933.

These details were to provide me with clues to her family and I will cover this in another blog article.

Dad returned to South Australia on the ship "Largs Bay". leaving Southhampton on the 18th March 1937, just 4 days before he was to turn 15

"Largs Bay" passenger list 1937

Oral family history says he had possibly been placed in an orphanage after the death of his mother Jessie, but I now believe he may well have stayed with his mothers spinster sister, Phyllis Frances Barnett at 6 Grayling Road, Stoke Newington. He was to later in about 1943 give this same address as a home address on his merchant navy record card.

Merchant Navy record card for Laurence Barnett. Note the Stoke Newington address .