Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 22 July 1932

A Broomhill Family of Nineteen Perfectly Happy

See these two fine little chaps! They belong to a family in which there have been Nineteen children, including three pairs of twins and one set of triplets.

Moreover, that is not the fall extent of their title to “medals.” They have a grandfather living who is 82, and when the areoplanes were at Wombwell recently “grandpa” gave the boys something to crow about at school by taking a trip in the clouds.

Nor does that end the matter. A “South Yorkshire Times” reporter who visited the village of Broomhill on a mission of enquire this week discovered some other remarkable things about these two young Britons.

These boys have:

 Never seen the sea.

Never been in a train.

Never been to Barnsley.

Never ridden in a motor-car.

But their lives have not been entirely without incident. Once the eldest rode in a tramcar from the top of Broomhill Lane to Wombwell—fully half a mile!

You might suppose that these boys are backward. Nothing of the kind. They are as mentally alert as they are physically fit – two of the brightest lads in the school.

The two boys are Reuben Barker (12), batting; and Albert Harold Barker (11), stumping.

They are sons of Mr. and Mrs, Samuel Barker of Broomhill. Mr. Barker is a native of Broomhill, and Mrs. Barker also belongs to a family that has been settled in the village for three generations.

Her father the old gentleman who recently enjoyed a nip in cloudland, is Mr. George Allen aged 82, also of Broomhill. Mr. Barker’s father died a few weeks ago. The youngest of the surviving children of the Barker “clan” is five and the eldest, re resenting the surviving two-thirds of triplets, are Clara and George, aged 23 There are also two twins living, Mary and Billy, aged seven.

The house in which they live is not a big one, but the best is made of the accommodation. All the children are healthy, and the spirit of self reliance is strong among them. Largely they fend for themselves.

Miss Clara Barker who, when our representative called was doing her best to keep pace with the ravenous appetites of a platoon of youngsters rushing in from school, said they got along amazingly well together.

“We have our ups and downs,” she said, “but we are all very happy. Mother is sometimes at her wits’ end but she would give her last breath for any of us.”

What pleasure Mrs. Barker has had in life has been found in the bosom of her own family. She, too, has never had a trip to the seaside, but she is a thoroughly happy and contented woman.

Mr. Barker is a miner at Houghton Main Colliery was among the three hundred who received notices this week