Judy Watten’s information is as

follows:-

On 15 April 1890 William was a "Candidate for the Situation of a Police Constable"; and the following information appears on the Surgeon's Certificate: twenty years old, height 5 feet 9 3/4 inches tall, and weight 10 stones 8 pounds [148 pounds]. He had a dark complexion, brown eyes, and black hair. By trade he was a Grocer's Assistant last employed by W. S. Wolfe, 30 Tralton Street, Landport. He resided at 40 Stirling Street in Portsmouth. He joined the police force and subsequently served in Portsmouth and Chatham; he resigned 4 November 1918. In the Metropolitan Police Records, he is listed under both Rebbeck and Moody. After his resignation at age forty-nine, there is no further mention of William George Moody Rebbeck in the Civil Register, neither marrying nor dying

But there is more to know of William George Rebbeck Moody...

As a general point, the Rebbeck family always spoke of him as George Moody Rebbeck, but his birth certificate shows him to have three first names - William George Rebbeck. Helen Eliza certainly had no doubts as to his paternity and she ought to know. Of course he was George's son - there was great love in that family.

He worked for the Water Police in Portsmouth, the Metropolitan Police at the Sheerness Dockyard. He returned to Portsmouth, 14 Monmouth Road, where he finally succumbed to cancer of the throat. His granddaughter Audrey spoke of the Christmas before he died. He gave them all a very special and wonderful Christmas, almost as though he knew it would be his last and wanted to give them a treat. She seems to have inherited his love of travelling. As he used to travel for miles on his bicycle, she thinks nothing of driving over 300 miles to visit friends and family even at the ripe age of 80. The man whose trail appeared to end with him leaving the Metropolitan Police has left a wonderful legacy to his descendants.

His Obituary reads as follows:-

Uncle George, as the Brenton daughters knew him, was a regular visitor at the Brenton home before World War II. Kathleen (Kay) remembers that he too wore a beard. She understood that he had cancer of the spine, which caused his early death. He used to cycle all the way from Portsmouth to Ringwood which is a considerable distance.

Margaret Rebbeck Brown , Sydney Rebbeck’s daughter (then aged 84),
wrote in April 2000:

I conclude that "Moody" was the surname of the young woman to whom the baby was born after my grandfather had returned from another spell abroad in the Navy. Apparently she knew when he would be returning to England and took her small boy with her to meet George Rebbeck’s ship. But my eldest brother, George Rebbeck said that she had several big brothers. The baby had very dark hair and brown eyes though his mother was light and grandfather Rebbeck had bright blue eyes but he was evidently not going to argue. It is interesting to note that the three born after their marriage resembled each other and none were as big or strong as George junior, namely Sydney, Alice and Edgar. He must have been brought up with the legitimate children and I think he was known as Rebbeck at least before his own marriage. (Interesting if the marriage certificate could be obtained ) I believe that when he joined the Water Police they probably went by the surname on his birth certificate, so he was "Moody" from then on. He married Harriet Coombes, sister of my mother Emily. Two sisters married two brothers, first Harriet Coombes then my mother Emily. My father, Sydney Rebbeck was the eldest of the three born in wedlock, Alice and Edgar being the younger. George Moody was a keen cyclist. He went to Buckland Congregational Chapel with his wife regularly on a Sunday evenings. Edgar and Sydney both suffered with their chests, not so George, who carried my father downstairs at least once for a change when Sydney was recuperating from a bout of illness. George Moody and Harriet Coombes had two daughters, Alice and Edie Unfortunately he was involved in an accident afterward with a car on Warwick road at the top of Portsdown Hill. He sustained and injury to his neck. He smoked and ultimately developed cancer of the throat.

There are comments elsewhere on the fact that W. George Moody did not resemble his siblings. One thing cannot be doubted is the love he shared with his family. George carried his sickly brother up and down stairs; he cycled all the way to Ringwood to visit his family and named his daughter after his sister, Alice. Also his brother Sydney names his eldest son William George. Whether he was George's son or not has no bearing on the fact that he was certainly a loved member of the Rebbeck family.

Comment from Susan Hale Leake

In the previous story there were the comments about William George being robust where his brothers were weak? His sister,my grandmother, Alice, was also robust and the only illness she ever suffered was "quinsy" (a swelling of the glands in the throat.) She could walk for miles, and did. She also used to cycle miles and was still cycling well into her 70's (maybe 80's). She was "grounded" after an accident involving a taxi. She was not badly hurt but broke her glasses and had a nasty cut near her eye where the arm of her specs had stuck in her face. We were visiting at the time and I remember my father taking her bent bicycle and hanging it on the wall. She kept her promise to him and never rode it again.

The youngest of the Brenton daughters, had strong hair as a young woman. Her hair was, and is, quite dark unlike the other daughters who are dark blondes with fine hair. So perhaps the question mark over his parentage is unnecessary, for least one of his great-nieces bears some physical resemblance to him, even if only in hair type.