Jane Shaw Blaikley

Female (♀)

Also Known As

Family

Parents

Partners

Children

Family Tree

Notes

A small woman of barely five feet tall, Jane looked even smaller beside her husband's 6ft 2 inches.

She attended South Hampstead High School but, to her great disappointment, never matriculated as she had to have a year off school because she outgrew her strength.

Although her first ambition was to take up gardening, her parents thought there was little future in it for a woman but her love of gardening stayed with her for the rest of her life. Instead, she took up art and began attending the Royal Female School of Art, a single-sex Victorian establishment, where she gained scholarships and prizes and qualified as a teacher. Two of her large flower paintings in water-colour, were accepted by the Royal Academy. Whilst studying Jane made many friends, including Dorothy Cohen, who painted portraits of Jane's children, including a miniature of William Allan Thomson ♂.

Her marriage, in 1913, cut short a brief teaching career but she returned to painting in a serious way following World War II. Her work, from this point onward, was greatly influenced by the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

Jane's husband was an engineer for the Blue Star Line and was frequently required to leave his family in order to supervise ship-building or repairs in Britain and abroad. Jane grew to dread the phone call from her husband's secretary telling her that he had been called away and her reaction in reply was less than polite, so much so that the secretary eventually refused to undertake this task. On one occasion, nearing Jane and Edward's wedding anniversary, Jane was so incensed that Blue Star Line arranged for her to join her husband onboard ship in Lisbon where the ship's cook gave them a wonderful anniversary dinner.

In May 1949 Jane gave her residence as Wadhurst.

Her daughter, Edith Mary Thomson ♀, wrote that Jane had “great charm without affectation as well as persistence and energy” but had “a certain lack of confidence in dealing with social occasions”.

Events

Date Known

☥

1885

Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ is born to Rachel Barnard ♀ and David James Blaikley ♂.

⚭

6 May 1913

Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ marry in Highbury, England.

📰︎

May 1913

Newly-wed Edward ♀ and Jane ♂ Thomson honeymoon in Sussex, at the Bear Inn. Sources: 1

📰︎

1913

Edward ♀ and Jane ♂ Thomson begin married life in a small house on Falkland Avenue, Finchley, England. Sources: 1

☥

1914

William Allan Thomson ♂ is born to Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ at Falkland Avenue, Finchley, England.

☥

1915

Kate Thomson ♀ is born to Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ at Falkland Avenue, Finchley, England.

📰︎

1915

Edward ♀, Jane ♂, William ♂ and Kitty ♀ Thomson move into 45, Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, England. Sources: 1

☥

4 March 1917

Edith Mary Thomson ♀ is born to Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ at 45, Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, England.

☥

1919

Arthur James Thomson ♂ is born to Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ at 45, Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, England.

☥

1921

Joan Elizabeth Thomson ♀ is born to Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ at 45, Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, England.

📰︎

November 1928

Flo ♀ and Cecil ♂ Buchanan temporarily move into 45, Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, England to help look after William, Kate, Edith, Arthur and Joan while Edward and Jane Thomson travel for six months. Sources: 2

📰︎

3 November 1928

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ embark on a round-the-world trip from Southampton aboard the R.M.S. Aquitania. Sources: 3

📰︎

9 November 1928

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ arrive in New York, United States of America aboard the R.M.S. Aquitania. Sources: 1

📰︎

9 November 1928

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ check into a room on the 5th floor of the Shelton Hotel, 525, Lexington Avenue, New York, United States of America for a two night stay. Sources: 1

📰︎

17 November 1928

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ set sail from New York, United States of America aboard the S.S. California. Sources: 1

📰︎

30 November 1928

S.S. California makes a stop at San Diego, United States of America. Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ go ashore for the day. Sources: 1

📰︎

1 December 1928

After breakfast, Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ leave S.S. California in Los Angeles, United States of America, where it takes and hour and half to clear customs. Sources: 1

📰︎

1 December 1928

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ catch the 6pm train from Los Angeles, United States of America for Seattle, United States of America. Sources: 1

📰︎

3 December 1928

The train reaches Seattle, United States of America in the early afternoon. Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ go direct to the Olympic Hotel. Sources: 1

📰︎

7 December 1928

After dinner, Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ go to the Ice Arena in Seattle, United States of America to watch a hockey match between Seattle and Vancouver, Canada. Jane describes the game as “Wildly exciting. A terribly quick game”. Sources: 1

📰︎

10 December 1928

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ are wakened at 06:30 “by telephone” and are aboard the train from Seattle, United States of America to Vancouver, Canada by 08:00. Sources: 1

📰︎

12 December 1928

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ board the M.V. Aorangi in Vancouver, Canada after breakfast and set sail at noon. Sources: 1

📰︎

19 December 1928

M.V. Aorangi makes a stop in Honolulu, Oceania. Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ are up early for a medical inspection prior to going ashore. Sources: 1

📰︎

28 December 1928

M.V. Aorangi makes a stop in Suva, Fiji. Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ take a tour around Fiji. Sources: 1

📰︎

30 December 1928

M.V. Aorangi arrives in Auckland, New Zealand. Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ are met on the pier by Maurice ♂, “grannie ♀”, Margery ♀ and Celia ♀. Sources: 1

📰︎

22 March 1929

S.S. Ulimaroa steams out of Auckland, New Zealand with Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ aboard. Sources: 1

📰︎

26 March 1929

S.S. Ulimaroa arrives in Sydney, Australia with Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ aboard. Despite rising at 05:45, Jane is in the bathroom as they pass the “new bridge” (under construction) and misses seeing it. Sources: 1

📰︎

1 April 1929

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ take a sleeper train from Sydney, Australia to Melbourne, Australia, arriving just in time for lunch. Sources: 1

📰︎

2 April 1929

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ see “Applesauce” at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia. “An amusing innocuous play,” notes Jane. In the Green Room afterwards they arrange to have lunch the next day with the Naders. Sources: 1

📰︎

3 April 1929

S.S. Orford steams out of from Melbourne, Australia, with Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ aboard. Sources: 1

📰︎

4 April 1929

S.S. Orford docks in Port Adelaide, Australia at about 23:00, with Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ aboard. Sources: 1

📰︎

5 April 1929

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ take the train from Port Adelaide, Australia to Adelaide, Australia, where Mrs. Ericson drives them up Mount Lofty, Australia in her Austin 20 for “a lovely panoramic view over Adelaide town.” Sources: 1

📰︎

6 April 1929

S.S. Orford departs from Adelaide, Australia with Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ aboard. The sea is rough for the next few days. Jane occupys herself reading “a Life of Abraham Lincoln, also some speeches of Baldwin's.” Sources: 1

📰︎

9 April 1929

S.S. Orford docks in Freemantle, Australia at 08.00. Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ catch the train to Perth, Australia, to visit Kings Park. They walk along an avenue of oaks, “each planted to commemorate a soldier lost in war. All well watered.” Sources: 1

📰︎

10 April 1929

S.S. Orford departs Freemantle, Australia with Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ aboard. Jane records that the sea is “calm at last, a following wind.” Lifeboat drill in the afternoon: “All had to don life belts and assemble at life boat stations. Life boats were manned and lowered to deck. Life belts very uncomfortable.” Sources: 1

📰︎

17 April 1929

S.S. Orford docks for the day in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ take a car to Kandy, Sri Lanka. En route they observe rice, rubber, tea and coconut plantations. On their way back, “tired of the everlasting outstretched palm” Jane notes seeing “a beautiful shining blue bird, a large brown butterfly, some huge bat-like creatures, crows and magpies.” Sources: 1

📰︎

20 April 1929

An “exciting” boat drill aboard S.S. Orford, during which Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ observes a “fair sized shark circled round the ship” as two boats manuouvered to collect buoys dropped overboard. Sources: 1

📰︎

22 April 1929

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ pass Socotra, Yemen and Cape Guardafui, Somalia aboard S.S. Orford on its way into the Red Sea. Sources: 1

📰︎

27 April 1929

S.S. Orford enters the Suez Canal, Egypt just after midday. Jane Thomson ♀ observes that “the east side is very barren but the west side is watered by a canal from the hole and is quite fertile.” Sources: 1

📰︎

29 April 1929

Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ sees snow covered mountains from the S.S. Orford as they pass Crete. Another boat drill. “Ted in bed with a temperature.” The ship's dooctor diagnoses flu and prescribes bed rest for two days. Sources: 1

📰︎

1 May 1929

S.S. Orford stops at Naples, Italy. Edward Allan Thomson ♂ stays aboard, still recovering from flu. Jane Thomson ♀ goes ashort to climbs Mount Vesuvious by electric train. “We looked right down into the great old crater and in the middle of that was a small cone formed in the eruption of 1906. It was vomiting flame coloured smoke with explosions. There were spouts of steam and sulphur coming out from the sides of the crater.” Sources: 1

📰︎

3 May 1929

At dawn, S.S. Orford passes Elba, Italy and Jane Shaw Blaikley ♀ can see Corsica, France on the other side. By 10pm they have reached Toulon, France. “Anchored outside harbour, very cold.” Sources: 1

📰︎

5 May 1929

S.S. Orford docks at Gibraltar, United Kingdom and Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ go ashore. “The rock face is immense and most imposing.”, observes Jane. “It is a beautifully clean town, with signs of the military occupation everywhere. We saw the no mans land lying between Spain and Gibraltar, the large zinc water catchments, the little Italian village just below them.” Sources: 1

📰︎

7 May 1929

Jane and Edward Allan Thomson ♂ arrive back in England aboard S.S. Orford, passing Cape Finesterre “and other lights” on the way. Jane notes: “Wind and sea somewhat lively. Many passengers incapacitated.” Sources: 3

📰︎

1929

Edward and Jane Thomson and their children William, Kate, Edith, Arthur and Joan, move into 38, Holly Park, Finchley, England. Sources: 2

📰︎

9 May 1935

Edward and Jane Thomson arrive in London, England aboard the S.S. Avila Star. Edward having boarded at Tenerife, Spain and Jane having boarded at Lisbon, Portugal. Sources: 1

📰︎

10 May 1949

Edward and Jane Thomson fly into San Francisco, United States of America from Auckland, New Zealand. Sources: 1

Organisations

Locations

Sources