All of the girls with the exception of Ada Allen were orphans living in a children’s home in Grove Street, Leamington Spa when they were included in the 1881 census. Eliza Pratt was the youngest aged 8, Mary Thompson the eldest aged 14. They would all be trained to enter service as soon as they were of an appropriate age. Ada Allen aged 11 was on the steerage list of the Victorian, bound for Canada. Henry Tandy was born in Leamington, spent much of his childhood in homes and was reputed to have spared the life of corporal Adolf Hitler during his service in WW1.

Mary Partridge
 

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