FOR almost 50 years, Reg and Maurice Williams were among the most familiar faces in Bowerham – running the neighbourhood post office.

But how many of their customers knew their family connections with Bowerham stretched back even further and helped to build the
foundations of this popular area?

Reg and Maurice's grandfather – Ellis Williams – was the first to stake his claim in Bowerham even though he was Welsh by birth.

His parents were farmers but as soon as he was old enough, he left his village – Hanmer – and moved to Lancaster where he joined the King's Own Royal Regiment.

He served in Gibraltar, Jamaica, Ireland and the South African War of 1899-1902.

However, Ellis never forgot his roots and wrote a poem dedicated to the village. On retirement from the Army, he stayed in Lancaster and built a shop and small terrace of houses in Bowerham which he named Hanmer Place in honour of his home village – and which still exists to this day.

Ellis became a wholesale grocer, married and had six sons all of whom served during World War I. Three died, two were wounded and one became a Prisoner of War.

Ellis's eldest son, also called Ellis, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

On leaving the Army in 1921, Ellis Jnr retained contact with the King's Own by joining the Territorial Army and in 1928 was appointed battalion quartermaster.

However, in 1922, on his father's death, he took over the family business and was appointed the first sub-postmaster of what had by now become Bowerham Post Office. He had three sons: Ellis James, Reginald and Maurice.

Ellis James joined the RAF and served for 40 years. He was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1949 for services during the Malayan conflict.

Reg and Maurice were educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School but in 1941, aged 15, Reg left full-time education to join the family business due to the deteriorating health of his father. However, later he was conscripted into the RAF, leaving his parents to cope with the business.

Maurice joined the Queen's Bays as a boy soldier and served in Palestine and Egypt.

At the end of the war both brothers returned to Lancaster where they resumed work in the family business.

On December 26, 1954, on their father's death, the boys took over and Maurice became sub postmaster.

In 1971, the grocery was discontinued and it was decided to concentrate instead on stationery, greetings cards and the post office.

Both brothers had then married: Reg had two sons, Simon and Ian Ellis; Maurice had a daughter Pauline.

In 1983, the brothers were subjected to an armed robbery at the post office, where a large amount of money was stolen.

However, due to their prompt action in taking down the registration number of the van, and calling the police, the robbers were apprehended
within six hours. The money was recovered and the brothers commended by the chief constable for their part in the arrest.

In 1988, after serving the public of Bowerham for 47 years, Reg and Maurice decided to retire. The business was sold, and ownership of the post office passed out of the hands of the Williams family for the first time in 82 years.

The new owners asked Reg to continue working with them part-time. Meanwhile, Maurice was relief postmaster at various offices throughout the area for a number of years, before retiring to Arnside. For many years he was a member of the TA but is now involved with the British Legion.

Despite being in his 81st year, Reg continues to help out for a few hours each week at the post office.

It is a job he thoroughly enjoys and says that by now he has become part of the fixtures and fittings.

Having skipped two generations, the artistic gene has resurfaced in Reg's youngest son, Ian Ellis Williams.

Ian attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School and later trained at the Moor Hospital. He became charge nurse at Red Oak House Children's Unit before moving to the North East where he is now a senior manager for children's services for County Durham Primary Care Trust.

In his spare time, Ian also writes humorous and romantic poetry, inspired by people and places around him. His background in mental health comes through in his verse too.

He has been commended in a number of nationally run poetry competitions and has had items included in anthologies. Of Ian's two children, his 15-year-old daughter, Emily, is following in the footsteps of her great great grandfather Ellis Williams, as she also writes poetry.

One of her poems was accepted for publication in the 2006 Young Writers' Poetry Competition, Poems From The North.

She is also very concerned about the use of drugs amongst teenagers, and has written a poem on the theme which she distributes around local schools.

Thus the family circle is completed.