The Life & Times of Edwin Malkin

The Life of Edwin Malkin Snr: A Journey from England’s Shores to New Zealand’s HorizonsEdwin Malkin Snr was born on a winter’s day, Friday, 22 January 1886, in the historic market town of Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England—on the edge of Sherwood Forest, in a home at Bridge Place. He was the son of John Malkin, a butcher from Oldcotes, and Mary “Poppy” Johnson from nearby Brancliffe Farm. Baptised just weeks later on 18 February at St John’s Parish Church, Edwin grew up in a bustling family that included older brothers Harry, Arthur, and William “Billy”, a younger brother Leonard “Len”, and sister Winifred Annie “Winnie”.alamy.com

Childhood brought moves and losses: by the 1891 census, the family lived in Attercliffe cum Darnall, Yorkshire, and in 1889, young Edwin mourned his grandfather Charles. Tragedy struck again in 1911 when his sister Winnie died at age 20.As a young man, Edwin moved south to Brighton, Sussex. Between 1905 and 1908, he served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. By 1911, at age 25, he worked as a tramway motorman for the Brighton Corporation, living with his widowed father and siblings at 86 Riley Road, Preston, Brighton—driving the electric trams that clattered through the seaside town’s streets.ebay.co.uk

On 2 July 1913, Edwin married Florence Esther “Florrie” Beezer, born in Greenwich, London, at the Registrar’s Office in Steyning. His brother Arthur and friend Randolf “Dick” Leggatt witnessed the ceremony. The couple soon started a family amid the gathering storm of World War I.When war broke out in 1914, Edwin joined the Royal Sussex Regiment, serving with courage—including time at the front near Arras, France, in 1917. The war hit close: his brother William “Billy” died in October 1914, and their father John passed in September 1915.alamy.com

Yet joy persisted. The Malkins welcomed four daughters in Brighton:Florence “Floll” May (1915)
Wynne Victoria (1918)
Edna Elizabeth “Betty” (1921)
Cecilia Margaret Irene “Peggy” (1923)

By the 1921 census, Edwin, Florrie, and their three eldest girls lived at 76 Dewe Road, where he continued as a tramway motorman.Seeking new opportunities, the family emigrated in 1925. On 3 April, they departed Southampton aboard the RMS Corinthic, arriving in Wellington, New Zealand, on 14 May. They settled in Waipukurau, Central Hawke’s Bay, where Edwin and Florrie had two sons:Edwin “Ted” Jnr (1930)
John (1931)greatships.net

greatships.net

In New Zealand, Edwin served his adopted country during World War II—first promoted to Lieutenant in the Home Guard (1941), then to Flying Officer in the RNZAF Air Training Corps (1944), commanding No. 46 Squadron in Central Hawke’s Bay. He took pride in his service, later noting it on the family headstone.nzhistory.govt.nz

An enthusiast for early technology, Edwin donated a circa-1900 coherer radio receiver to the Dominion Museum (now Te Papa) in 1952.The family grew with marriages and grandchildren, including your father (one of Edwin’s sons) and eventually you, Richard Arthur Malkin—his youngest grandson. In 1963, Edwin and Florrie returned to England for the first time since 1925, sailing on the MS Oranje.Tragedy came in 1966. Florrie died on 1 September at their home in Raumati Beach, Wellington. Edwin followed just days later on 8 September, at age 80—said by family to have died of a broken heart, though officially from a heart attack. They were buried side by side at Paraparaumu Beach Cemetery, their headstone honouring their love and Edwin’s service across two wars and two countries.

Edwin Malkin Snr’s life was one of duty, adventure, and enduring family ties—a man who navigated trams in Brighton, trenches in France, and a new life in New Zealand, leaving a legacy that spans continents and generations