William Henry Fluen
also known as BILLY HENDY was born in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England on 06. February 1906 and died in Grangetown, 27. June 1969. He was the son of THOMAS HENDY FLUEN and ELIZABETH ANN JOHNSON, who married 1896 in Middlesbrough.
NOTE: While Earl Spencer (painting on the left) was an offspring of their daughter, Elizabeth Middleton married to Sir William Calverley (c. 1521-1572), Billy Fluen was an offspring of their daughter, Margaret Middleton married to William Clapham of Beamsley, Esq. (c. 1516-1579).
Earl Spencer (1924-1992) hisself has been the maternal grandfather of HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
(born 1982) and HRH Prince Henry ('Harry') of Sussex (born 1984). For that reason both brothers are 15th cousins of all grandchildren of WILLIAM HENRY FLUEN respectively of his siblings, too.
However different to Earl Spencer, Viscount of Althorp, Northamptonshire WILLIAM HENRY FLUEN was a child of the Edwardian era (1901-1910), which stands out as a time of peace and plenty. There were no severe depressions, and prosperity was widespread. However in the early years of the period, the Second Boer War in South Africa split Britain into anti- and pro-war fractions. While the Edwardian period is sometimes imagined as a romantic golden age of long summer afternoons and garden parties, basking in a sun that never sets on the British Empire, it was rather a mediocre period of pleasure between the great achievements of the preceding Victorian age and the catastrophe of the following Great War, which Billy Fluen lived to see as boy.
The aftermath of World War I saw drastic political, cultural, and social change across Europe, Asia, Africa, and even in areas outside those that were directly involved. In the United Kingdom, funding the war had a severe economic cost. From being the world's largest overseas investor, it became one of its biggest debtors with interest payments forming around 40% of all government spending. Inflation more than doubled between 1914 and its peak in 1920, while the value of the Pound Sterling (consumer expenditure) fell by 61.2%. Reparations in the form of free German coal depressed local industry, precipitating the 1926 General Strike. British private investments abroad were sold, raising £550 million. However, £250 million in new investment also took place during the war. The net financial loss was therefore approximately £300 million; less than two years investment compared to the pre-war average rate and more than replaced by 1928. Material loss was "slight": the most significant being 40% of the British merchant fleet sunk by German U-boats. Most of this was replaced in 1918 and all immediately after the war. The military historian Correlli Barnett has argued that "in objective truth the Great War in no way inflicted crippling economic damage on Britain" but that the war "crippled the British psychologically but in no other way". After World War I women gained the right to vote as, during the war, and they had had to fill-in for what were previously categorised as "men's only jobs", thus showing the government that women were not as weak and incompetent as they thought they were.
"My mother was anything else than weak. On the contrary she was like her father very proud in her attitude, and it is fair to say that she was the one, who wore the trousers in the house at least if it was about to sort out any trouble her family had to face. She always stood her ground if necessary and did not let anyone pick on the family, especially not on her children. She was definetly the daughter of her father who was bare knuckle boxing champion of Durham before he married her mother."
In spring 1926, WILLIAM HENRY FLUEN and MABLE WALKER* married in Middlesbrough and had CHILDREN. She was the daughter of David Walker and Mary Markley. But the Fluens and Walkers were already acquainted families before Billy and Mable got together, because both knew each other and were friends since childhood, although they went to different schools; William Henry Fluen to St Philomena's in Ayresome Street and Mable Walker to Victoria Road School.
Mable (Walker) Fluen was very determined and indeed a quite emancipated woman as she did not represent a typical pre-war wife, whose life circled normally round children, kitchen and church, then. But she always worked additionally outside her household to support financially her big family and to make sure that they would never go hungry even in them very hard times of the world economy crisis and World War II. That's why she was used to work as barmaid in the Green Tree and Empire in Middlesbrough and run little house shops in 86 Barritt and 69 Milton Street until she took over from her brother, Jack Walker, 'Walker's Grocery Shop' in 42 Barritt Street, which was owned originally by their mother. She run the business under the name'Fluen's General Dealers' afterwards and sold it end of the '50ties to the Doolan family, in-laws of her eldest son 'Billy Fluen'.
"However, although my mother was always working a lot, she was still a very warm mother, who showed us her love, found always time to listen to our problems and cared for a good home. When ever I came home there was something warm to eat on the oven for the family; her pies and cakes were legendary."
WILLIAM HENRY FLUEN hisself was a 'Boro Boy' through and through. He was one of the thousands labourers, who worked for 'Doorman & Long Steel co.' as steeple-jack and rough painter in heights causing giddiness. Because of this special ability he was classified as 'key man for industry' and was not allowed to serve oversea during World War II, but had to do home
Although Billy was a typical labourer of those days, his manners were rather that of a gentleman. He belonged to the freemasons of Middlesbrough and was a quite happy man, who loved musical evenings at home, playing the accordion himself, while his children played the piano and mouth organs. The piano originally came from the household of his deceased mother. His favourite pub was the 'Empire' at the corner of Victoria Road and Linthorpe Road or the 'Green Tree' in Jilks Street, but he did not need more than two pints of beer to sing his head off. He was never a big drinker or smoker, but made rather sure that his family was seen to first.
But like everybody else William and Mable had also to face common challenges, especially at the time when she found out that Billy kept a secret from her and the rest of the family. Also in years later it was not much spoken about it, because fragments only used to come out, when both were fighting about past times, which means about him and his mate who were used to go out for a drink with Ivy, Betty and Amy 'the widow'.
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"My parents called me the 'little pig with the big ears' when they caught me listening to them, when they were fighting and argueing about Betty and the daughter he had with her. So I already knew from a young age that I still had a half-sister and that she was born only a few months before me, although both never spoke openly with us children about her, at least not with me.
You can imagine, however, how surprised I was mid of the '80ties, when suddenly not a woman, but the former mayor of Middlesbrough (top photo) got in touch with me to find out about the whereabouts of my dad (bottom photos). He and his younger brother visited me in the Royal British Legion Club where I worked as club steward back then. They asked if they could speak to William Henry Fluen. I introduced myself and answered that they couldn't do so, because he had died years ago. I asked why they were looking for him. The elder one who had introduced hisself as former mayor explained that they had just found out that Billy Fluen was their biological father and that we would be brothers in that case. I suppose, looking back, their late mother who just had died had left a letter to them on her death. He continued to tell that he could still remember our common grandmother who lived in Lumley Street when they were children, but I cannot remember all of the conversation anymore. Their news had simply shocked me more than anything else. After 
all, who would have thought that I had two half-brothers instead of a half-sister? As I didn't know what to think and as I was very busy in the club at that time I hardly paid any attention to them on that day. My ignorance, I think, must have given them the impression that I had no great interest in their 
acquaintance. I was definitely overwhelmed by the situation. Of course, today I deeply regret my unpardonable behavior, because it was the first and last occasion we talked to each other. I missed a golden opportunity to get to know them, especially because both died still pretty young only a few years later."
In retrospect, it is pretty certain that 'Billy' Fluen had not only a brief affair, but rather a long-term relationship with Betty, the step-granddaughter of his stepfather, THOMAS WATSON TEASDLE. Their assumed daughter was seemingly nothing else than a red herring for Billy's wife and their elder children so that they wouldn't be able to put one and one together. After all, they knew Betty and her family of family reunions at the house of Billy's mother and step-father in 90 Lumley Street as both were in turn Betty's maternal step-grandparents.
"Although I can not remember ever having met in person before members of the Kirk family, I knew that in one way or another there was a family connection because from time to time I had heard the last name at home. However, I would never have come to mind that I have two half-brothers with this last name. Additionally, what's crazy about the whole story is that my half-brother's mother-in-law was the sister of my mother's brother-in-law. That was definetly the cherry on the cake!"
Two years before his death, WILLIAM HENRY FLUEN had to face a stroke of fate, when he lost his two legs through an accident on the works caused by someone else doing a rushed job on the ground, then. However instead of being shocked about what had happened his first words in the hospital were, when he came round, "I was dead lucky, because if I had not stepped backwards the girder would have hit me in the chest and killed me!" Also later he never wrangled with his fate, because, although he was tied to the wheel-chair up from then, he was not that type of guy, who cried at his downfalls.