Azadouhi Axorian / Grace Beckerlegge 1921-2018
Azadouhi Axorian was born into an Armenian family, probably in 1921, living, it is assumed, somewhere on the north coast of Turkey. She lived with her parents and her grandmother. She had a feeling, an impression (not a memory) that, “there may have been a sister”.
What she clearly remembered was the day, when she was 4, when the house was invaded by “men with knives”. Her grandmother took her by the wrists and lowered her out of the window into the yard below. No one followed her out of the window or came to find her. As she was standing in the yard, crying, an older girl, called Eftig Hampartronian, ran past and “she said ‘run’ so I ran”. Somehow the girls found themselves on a ship which landed in Southampton on 23rd March 1925. She was thought to be about 4 and therefore given the birthday of 23rd March 1921.
Azadouhi and Eftig were admitted to an orphanage, where they stayed until Azadouhi was adopted in 1929, when she was 8. Her adoptive parents were an older, childless couple called Thomas and Ethel Beckerlegge. They renamed her Grace. So Azadouhi Axorian became Grace Beckerlegge. It was a very successful adoption and a happy family until Ethel died in 1933 when Grace was 12. Grace was then sent to a Quaker boarding school which was a secure and caring environment in which she spent the longest stable years of her childhood and early youth.
When she was 17, she met Philip Beckerlegge a cousin of Thomas. They married in 1941 and had a happy marriage for 60 years during which time they had 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. Philip died in 2001, and she was bereft – she had known him for 63 years and he had rooted and grounded her after her difficult earlier years. Before she married him, she felt that she was a nobody with a borrowed name – but Philip gave her an identity and a name – the same name but different now.
Grace brought the same strength, tenacity and independence which allowed her to overcome those early years for the rest of her life. This allowed her to say, at the age of 90 and moving nearer to her daughter, living independently to the end, that she was “ready for a fresh start”!
Philip used to say that it wasn’t the cards that life dealt you which was important, but how you played them. She played hers brilliantly.
Sadly, Grace had no desire to visit Armenia or find out more about her background. That has been left to her family who are immensely proud of her.
More than that she cannot say except to say that she has recently said that she has the feeling, the impression (her words) that, again in her words “there may have been a sister”. A sister? A possible sister! I know nothing more than that
More than that she cannot say except to say that she has recently said that she has the feeling, the impression (her words) that, again in her words “there may have been a sister”. A sister? A possible sister! I know nothing more than that
Perhaps children are very incurious about the early lives of their parents – we, my mother’s children certainly were – and so asked little. As we got older, we were told that her life began when she was 8, and told it so firmly that it was beyond challenge. We knew that she had been adopted at age 8, but that was all.
Then, one day when we were grown up and had all left home, I happened to be visiting my aunt (my father’s sister) who for the first time mentioned the thrilling word “Armenia”. I had no idea what she was talking about, and when I asked my brothers, neither did they.
We asked but got no further than that her life began when she was 8. She had and has little to say – it is buried so deep that it is difficult to dig out and now her memories are beginning to fade anyway
In her later years, she has been more willing to tell us what she knew – initially, she could not understand why we would be interested – it was all so long ago. I explained that it was her heritage, our heritage and indeed our children’s heritage.
As far as we can tell she was born in a town or city which we have always assumed to be Yerevan though there is no reason to think so. She had loving parents and was looked after by her Ayah which I understand is the Armenian word for Grandmother
More than that she cannot say except to say that she has recently said that she has the feeling, the impression (her words) that, again in her words “there may have been a sister”. A sister? A possible sister! I know nothing more than that.
The saddest thing of all, to my mind, is that she cannot remember, or has deeply buried and concreted over, her name.
She had loving parents and was looked after by her Ayah which I understand is the Armenian word for Grandmother
More than that she cannot say except to say that she has recently said that she has the feeling, the impression (her words) that, again in her words “there may have been a sister”. A sister? A possible sister! I know nothing more than that.
She has no memory of what lead up to this, but has always had a dislike of sitting with her back to the door. Indeed, in every house that she has ever lived that I am familiar with, “her” chair has been facing the door. Similarly, she has always insisted that her bed was snug against the wall. Then she knew she would be safe. We can only guess what was going on in the room but the guess is that whoever came in the room, came in with evil intent.
So she was alone, crying in the yard. No-one came through the window after her. No-one came to look for her. We have assumed that they all perished. As she cried, an older girl ran past the yard, saw my mother and said: “run” and, as my mother put it: “She said run, so I ran”.
My mother may not be able to remember her own name but she has been able to remember the name of the other girl. She was Eftig Hamparttronian (please excuse the spelling) who was then about 11 or 12.
Somehow the two girls found themselves in the care of the Society of Friends, the Quakers, who were working in the area. And somehow the girls found themselves on a ship and landed in Southampton on 23rd March 1925. My mother was thought to be about 4 and therefore given the birthday of 23rd March 1921. Somewhere along the line, she also became known as “Grace” – a very Quaker name so perhaps they gave it to her – another guess.
Grace and Eftig were taken to a children’s home, possibly in Westerham, Kent, run by a woman known as “Aunt Ruby” They were there until Grace was adopted in 1929, when she was 8. Her adoptive parents were an older, childless couple called Thomas and Ethel. They loved Grace very much and she loved them. It was a very successful adoption and a happy family until Ethel died in 1933 when Grace was 12. Grace was then sent to a Quaker boarding school which – though she hated it initially – became a very secure and caring environment in which she spent the most stable years of her childhood and early youth
Thomas had a cousin called Oliver, and one day Oliver’s son decided to visit various members of the family of whom he had heard but never met. So a rather skinny 22-year-old young man went to see Grace’s family and met the rather gorgeous 17-year-old Grace. This skinny young man was my father who told me, on the occasion of their Golden Wedding anniversary, that once he had met Grace, he had never looked at another woman. My mother has said something similar to me about my father.
They married in 1941 and had been married for 60 years when my father died in 2001. They had 3 children, myself and my two brothers. We all married and between us have produced 8 grandchildren. There are now 6 great-grandchildren.
Grace is now very elderly, having reached the age of 97 in March of this year, but very fit and healthy. She still lives on her own in her own flat about half a mile from my home. She looks after herself, shopping and cooking and carrying on as if she were 50 years younger. She keeps in contact with various grandchildren who are dotted around the world through email and Skype, and regularly meets up with her many friends for coffee or lunch.
We are immensely proud of her
So much of Grace’s story is shrouded in mystery but if this story in any part is familiar to you, we would love to hear from you through CAIA.
In particular, we would like to know:
1 What was happening in Armenia in late 1924 or early 1925? We have looked into the history of Armenia but can find nothing relevant
2 We would love to make contact with any of Eftig’s family if you are reading this or happen to know anything about them
3 We would like to know about the ship that arrived in Southampton on 23 March 1925
4 In particular, there was a young man on the ship who was old enough to retain in his name, and who became a leading light in the early electronics industry in this country. Does anyone know who he may have been?
