Find Ancestors

Arthur Thomas Barrett married Florence Martha Stevens in 1916. He was killed in 1917. As far as I know he was an East ender in the boot trade, a cousin spoke of a Canadian connection but just this. Does anyone have any knowledge of him before marriage.

From CWGC:
1 BARRETT, ARTHUR THOMAS Rifleman S/29993 04/04/1917 Unknown Rifle Brigade United Kingdom A. 24. NEUVILLE-BOURJONVAL BRITISH CEMETERY
2 BARRETT, A T Private 18925 24/11/1917 Unknown Northamptonshire Regiment United Kingdom II. B. 16. BLEUET FARM CEMETERY

Marriage registraton

Arthur T Barrett
Stevens
September Quarter 1916
Hackney
Volume 1b
Page 843

Hi Gillian -- there were actually a dozen Arthur Barretts in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in WWI. You can find them by searching here:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/archivianet/cef/001042-100.01-e.php

and you can view images of their enrolment forms with next of kin, place of birth, etc.

There is no Arthur Thomas Barrett specifically, nor is there a matching Arthur at the Virtual War Memorial:

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem

So it looks like he probably wasn't in the CEF.


There are two possibilities here:

http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp?menuid=14

Name: BARRETT, ARTHUR THOMAS
Initials: A T
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Rifleman
Regiment/Service: Rifle Brigade
Unit Text: 11th Bn.
Date of Death: 04/04/1917
Service No: S/29993
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: A. 24.
Cemetery: NEUVILLE-BOURJONVAL BRITISH CEMETERY

Name: BARRETT
Initials: A T
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Private
Regiment/Service: Northamptonshire Regiment
Unit Text: 6th Bn.
Secondary Regiment: Labour Corps
Secondary Unit Text: transf. to (363786) 219th Coy.
Date of Death: 24/11/1917
Service No: 18925
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: II. B. 16.
Cemetery: BLEUET FARM CEMETERY


Both are lacking in details for identifying them. There are other A Barretts with insufficient identifying details.

One might suspect that the Arthur Thomas Barrett above is yours, though.

If you don't have the marriage certificate, you need it.

Name: Arthur T Barrett
Year of Registration: 1916
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Spouse's Surname: Stevens
District: Hackney
County: Greater London, London, Middlesex
Volume: 1b
Page: 843

You should find that record at FreeBMD or Ancestry, e.g., and check the original image to make sure it has been transcribed correctly before ordering.

Did they have a child?

Name: Ronald A Barrett
Year of Registration: 1917
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
Mother's Maiden Name: Stevens
District: West Ham
County: Essex, Greater London
Volume: 4a
Page: 676


Aha. Ancestry has military records for him:


Name: Arthur Thomas Barrett
Age: 32
Birth Year: abt 1882
Birth Parish: Battersea
Birth County: Surrey
Regiment Name: Northamptonshire Regiment
Regiment Number: 11062
Document Year: 1914

Name: Arthur Thomas Barrett
Age: 18
Birth Year: abt 1880
Birth Parish: Battersea
Birth County: Surrey
Regiment Name: Northampton Regiment
Regiment Number: 5515
Document Year: 1898

You can view the records there; if you aren't subscribed, ask and I or someone else around here can take a look.

A possibility on 1891 census

1891 England Census
about Arthur Barrett
Name: Arthur Barrett
Age: 11
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1880
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Emmanuel
Mother's Name: X (Alberta Victoria Polexfen)
Gender: Male
Where born: Bethnal Green

Civil Parish: Hackney
Ecclesiastical parish: St John of Jerusalem
Town: South Hackney Ward
County/Island: London
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:
Registration district: Hackney
Sub-registration district: South Hackney
ED, institution, or vessel: 16
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Arthur Barrett 11
Emmanuel Barrett 38
Emmanuel Barrett 8
X (possibly AV) Barrett 33

Many hands make same work. ;)

So I took a peek at the 1914 records.

The 1914 document was signed in 1914 and indicates that he was born in Surrey (someone else can probably decipher the parish). Age 32, occupation porter. And he was married, something, Clapham. No next of kin info.

He was posted on 4.1.16. I don't know whether that means he was in England at the time ...


Maybe not your Arthur. Someone else may be able to make more sense of it all.

Think the Arthur Thomas Barrett on WW1 Pensions (Ancestry) is the wrong one. The one on Ancestry was in the Northamptonshire Brigade.

Don't think they figure in Pensions documents if they died during the War.

Edit: Why do I think the one we are looking for is not in the Northamptonshire Regiment ?

1881 England Census
about Alberta V. Barrett
Name: Alberta V. Barrett
Age: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1857
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: Emmanuel
Gender: Female
Where born: Mile End, Middlesex, England

Civil Parish: Bethnal Green
County/Island: London
Country: England

Street address: 13 Bonner Rd
Condition as to marriage: Married
Education:

Employment status:
Registration district: Bethnal Green
Sub-registration district: Bethnal Green
ED, institution, or vessel: 18
Neighbors:
Household Members: Name Age
Alberta V. Barrett 24
Arthur Barrett 1
Emmanuel Barrett 28

The best first move is to purchase the marriage certificate and find the name of Arthur's father.

I think if he was posted 4.1.16 then he couldn't have been married in SQ 1916