56. Curly and Florence Beale of British Burma

(Alfred or Arthur) Curly Beale was born in 1855 in Moulmein, Burma. His parents were Alfred and Jane Beale. My grandmother remembered his name as 'curly', which we initially assumed was a nickname - I've found the same question in other records since.

Florence Eleanor Crump was born in 1860 in Rangoon, Burma. Her parents were George and Agnes Crump.

'Curly' and Florence were married in 1878 in Rangoon, by which time both of Florence's parents were dead. He had entered government service in 1872 - at the time of the marriage, he was an accountant at the prison.

They had three children:

• 60.2.1 - Florence Muriel Beale (1882)
• 60.2.2 - Olive Eleanor Beale (1883)
• 60.2.3 - Winthrop Curley Beale (1885)

Florence died in 1890, in Rangoon, at age 30. Alfred remarried Isabella Marie Vaillant (1872-1929) ten years later, and they had two children:

• 60.2.4 - Julian Lionel Beale (1902)
• 60.2.5 - Phyllis Joyce Beale (1904)

In 1914, Alfred was an Assistant Extra Commissioner.

By 1886, when Upper Burma was annexed, British Burma consisted of eight Commissioners' divisions each in charge of a district of Burma, headed by a Chief Commissioner who was made directly responsible to the Governor-General of India. In 1897 the office of Lieutenant-Governor replaced that of Chief Commissioner. One of the districts was 'Ministerial Burma' which included Rangoon. The civil service was largely staffed by Anglo-Burmese and Indians, and this could include Extra Assistant Commissioners. Curly was Anglo-Indian, and it follows that he was a relatively senior civil servant from this group. One snippet has him as a 5th grade (Extra) Assistant Commissioner at some point. In 1888 he was promoted to 4th grade. One record suggests he retired in 1903, another that he was still working ten years later. The family describe his occupation as 'travelling magistrate'.

He died in 1929 in Rangoon, three years before the process began of separating British India from British Burma. It's also about the time that the memoir of a magistrate Trials in Burma was set. There are some photographs from the period in the Guardian, and a very short British Pathé film from the 1920s here. 

More on all these individuals in Chapter 60.

Next (Alfred's siblings)