What Became of Ann Turton? (FULLY UPDATED A SECOND TIME)

According to this Hebrew item I came across from the Davar daily on December 28, 1945, reporting on three attacks the previous evening conducted by the Irgun and Lechi - two joint operations on the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Police HQs and another attack in north Tel Aviv against an army arms and munition site - a nine-year old girl was left, for the second time, an orphan from her father.

The newspaper story informs us that 9-year old Ann Turton, daughter of Evelyn Thomas Turton, of the Palestine Police Force, who was killed on January 21, 1942 as a result of a bomb blast set off in Tel Aviv by the Lechi (Stern Group) underground, was adopted (?) by George F. Smith, Assistant Superindendent of Palestine Police Force, when her mother married him.  

Her mother passed away in March 1945 and her step-father was killed in a blast at the Jaffa Police HQ on December 27, 1945 which was attacked in a joint Irgun-Lechi attack.

If anyone has any information as to the fate of the daughter, please contact me:

yisrael.medad at gmail.com

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UPDATE:

I have now received this missive:

Yisrael
I have just been directed to your 2012 article about Ann Turton.I am her son, she also has a daughter; Ann is not only a grandmother; but a great grandmother; and is now 84 years old. I am currently researching her (tragic) life in Palestine, and her return to the UK.
If I can be of any help, let me know.
We all live in the south of England.
Hope to hear from you soon
Richard Filipczak 

More to come. 

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And finally, the details, received March 9, 2021:

Hi Yisrael

I have attached a document that I quickly compiled this afternoon.

Whilst it has plenty of details, it also has lots of unanswered questions; even today.

Mothers memory is not too good, so there's an ever decreasing chance of her remembering details from some 70+ years ago.

I tried many online search websites, but the two biggest mysteries is when did Ann return to England and onboard which ship; I failed miserably on both counts.

I'm happy to help you as best as I can.

Many thanks for your interest in Ann

Yours

Richard

Time line of Ann TURTON

Born- Nov 1935 in Haifa, Palestine

Ann's father joined the British Palestine Police Force (BPPF) in Jan 130 as a constable, and rose to rank of Inspector, he was killed by terrorists (The Stern Gang) in Yael Street, Tel Aviv on 21st Jan 1942.; aged 38

He was awarded the King's Police medal in 1937 for his gallantry on the 14th October 1937 when the Haifa-Lydda train was derailed by a party of Arabs. That sentence is from The Gazette newspaper here in the UK which lists royal and other ceremonial duties and awards. 

Her Mother remarries (to another member of the BPPF) in 19??

Ann's Mother dies of breast cancer in 19??

Her step father killed by terrorists during an attack on the King David Hotel. Aged 38, 

Both of Ann's parents and her stepfather are buried in Bishop Gobat Cemetery, Mount Zion where there is a section for the PPF and their families. 

Ann is then adopted by other members families of PPF for ? years

Ann returns to England, in 19?? accompanied by PPF staff and their families via ship (civilian or military?) when the occupation ended.

Ann is then cared for by unknown families for an unknown period of years, until she is taken into the care of her Aunty Ivy ( Ann's mothers sister) and her aunts husband-Stuart.

Across the road from her Aunts lived a Polish couple who had come to England during or just after WW2, and had taken in a Polish lodger-Henryk Filipczak, who was in the Polish Air Force that had transferred to the UK due to WW2

Henryk and Ann began courting and married in 1956 and purchasing their own home together.

I was born in 1957, and in 1963, Jenny, my sister was born.

My Father worked in several jobs until he gained employment as an engineer repairing knitting machines.

Ann was a housewife and mother until maybe early 1970, when she took work as a clerk and salesperson in a large department store; her lack of any recognised schooling due to a really tragic family life precluded her following any profession as such.

Jenny qualified as a nurse in the late 80s-early 90s, and met her husband; who had just qualified as a general practitioner. They moved to the south of England and have lived there ever since

In July 1971, (50 years ago this year) when I was 13 years of age, and Jenny was 8; Henryk died of Motor Neurone Disease.

In the early 1980s, Ann remarried, and a few years later moved down to be near Jenny and Jenny's ever expanding family; she has 3 girls and 3 boys. The youngest is now 19 and just started university, the others have jobs as diverse as tree surgeons, physiotherapists; mother/housewife

In approx. 2018, due to an abusive marriage, Ann divorced her second husband; and still lives in the warden aided flats she moved to in the 1980s

Ann is now suffering with Alzheimer’s and has very poor mobility. She sees her grand and great grand children (3 at the time of writing); as regularly as the current Covid restrictions allow.

I’d like to thank amongst others, the BPPF association for their help in finding out some of the above details.

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Received November 19, 2022:

My mother in law who passed away this week often asked if we would ever think of going to Jerusalem to see my wife’s grand parents graves. This led us to search the internet and come apon your article from 2012.

She was brought back to England  and cared for by various distant relatices before settling in Nottingham and when 21 marrying Henryck FILIPCAK  a native Pole who had fled the country during the war and served in the airforce. She was widowed age 37 having had two children Richard in 1957 and Jenny in 1963 who from 1985 has been my wife. Her death on 15th November concludes the tale and God willing she will be buried with Henryck in Nottingham

Tony Martin

Photographs from the family:

1947

with her daughter

^