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Ada Ricketts
Member of the Women’s Police ServiceBiography
Information supplied through Research Project led by Nigel Crompton.
Full name of worker at H.M. Factory Gretna (and any other names they are known by): Ada Ricketts
Gender: Female
Date and Place of Birth: 5 March 1870, Camberwell, Surrey
Date and Place of Death: 1957, Surrey.
Nationality: British
Childhood: She had 6 siblings.
Parents: John & Ann (nee Dunster)
Parent’s occupations: Her father was hatter.
Schools / universities attended and years of attendance: N/K
Occupation: Worked in the Police after her time at H.M. Factory Gretna and then home duties.
Place of residence at Gretna: Women’s Police Barracks No2, Gretna
Job title at Gretna: Police Constable
Marital status: Married Alfred Booker.
Children: None located
Travels: N/K
Awards/recognitions: N/K
Trivia / any other information:
Ada was born on 5 March 1870 to John and Ann Ricketts who lived in Camberwell, south London. Ada’s father was a hatter by trade but unfortunately died in 1878. She had six known siblings.
By the 1891 census, Ada aged 21 is working for a family in Lewisham. Her brother, Henry Stone was an East India Merchant, but lived on West Hill, Lewisham with his wife and two children plus three servants.
Whilst Ada has not been located on the 1901 census, interestingly neither have Henry or any of his family. Pure conjecture, but they might have been travelling as part of Henry’s business.
The 1911 census, indicates that Ada was a ‘boarding house keeper’ for premises at 2 Grove Vale, East Dulwich. The third entry is for Alfred Booker, who in 1919 married Ada.
However the next time we locate Ada, she is stationed at HM Cordite Factory, Gretna, living in No2 Women’s Police Barracks. Her signature appears on the 1918 WPS petition sent from Gretna to Winston Churchill, the Minister of Munitions requesting a pay rise and change of conditions.
In early 1919, Ada has joined the Metropolitan Women’s Patrol serving from 6/2/1919 until 10/2/1920.
In October 1919, Ada and Alfred marry and on the 1921 census they are living at 28a Grove Vale, East Dulwich, not far from where they first met when Alfred was a boarder in Ada’s boarding house. Alfred’s profession stays as working in gardening. The couple stayed in the East Dulwich area most of their lives together.
Ada passed away in 1957 aged 87.
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