Genealogy Chat

I seem to have hit a brickwall trying to find my paternal grandfather. On his marriage certificate in 1918 he gives his name as Alfred William Cole aged 24years resident in West Hendon. He married my grandmother in Portsmouth, Hants.
On all the childrens birth certificates he is just Alfred Cole.
Very little is known about his background other than that he may have had sisters named Maggie & Nellie.I've found a family in the 1901 (and earlier) census with the correct fathers name & profession & 2 sisters Margaret & Helen (?Nellie) with Alfred. Unfortunately he's not still at home in 1911 & I can't find him elsewhere.
So where is he from 1901 to 1918?
How can I be sure this is the right family?
Any ideas would be welcome!
Thank you.

did he serve in WW1?

He's of the right age



sylvia

what does he give as occupation on marriage cert?

He's a Gunner (RGA) on marriage certificate & I think re-enlisted as on 2 (out of 4 ) childrens birth certs is still in th RGA. I requested his army records in October & have been told 6-8 months wait. I don't actually know if he served abroad.

Where does he give as his place of birth on the census that you have found him on?

Do you have his parents name an mothers maiden name?



nicky

should maybe know this but what does RGA stand for?

As I said the census info is based on the father & sisters names being right really. The place of birth for 5 of the children including Alfred is Hampstead. Mothers maiden name is Ross.

I think RGA is probably Royal Artillery ( Army). He is a gunner/bombardier/signaller RA on different birth certificates.

Royal Garrison Artillery

This is him then?



British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920

Name: Alfred William Cole
Estimated birth year: abt 1893
Age at Enlistment: 21
Birth Parish: Hackney
Birth County: London
Document Year: 1914
Regimental Number: 46329
Regiment Name: Royal Garrison Artillery
Number of Images: 33



sylvia

Hi Sylvia
I've seen this record, but this man married an Ellen in 1917 (further in the records). He also had tattoos & a completely missing forefinger when he enlisted. Although I know very little I would have thought the missing finger might have been remembered.
It would also presumably make the marriage to my grandmother inMarch 1918 bigamous - not impossible I realise- but would he have been given leave to marry twice?!
Rosemary

well, I did look through those records, and saw that he had married in 1917

so I ignored it



but then you said your Alfred was in the RGA


and so is this guy


ages about right


Not so unusual of course




and I don't know about the missing forefinger


I do know that we have a friend with a missing forefinger .................. and I have not noticed that since about the first couple of times after we met him, and that is over 40 years ago!


So it is possible not to notice something ..... especially if the person has become very adept without the digit.




I did notice that the records had a male name as NOK, that was crossed out and replaced with the 1917 wife's name .................... did that name match the name of your Alfred's father?



sylvia

Sue

All WW1 records are now available on ancestry, you can download them onto your computer ..... and have been for quite a long time. They started copying them about 2 years ago, and completed the task late last October.


but there is one HUGE caveat



Only about 40% of the records for the men now survive, and many of them are very damaged, almost to the point of being indecipherable. Officer records fall into a different category.


The problem was that WW1 records were kept at the Department of Defense in ondon. At the outbreak of WW2, they were moved to another building in London for safe keeping

That bulding was bombed

The remaining records were moved to a building at Kew ............. deemed a safer place


That building caught fire


What we are left with is the records that survived both events, many showing burn damage.


I was lucky and got most of my grandfather's records last November, EXCEPT ............ he was in England, and then 16 months later sailing from Bombay to Basra. No records existing to show how or when he got to India. That wlll I fear forever remain a mystery!




sylvia

Hello Sylvia & Sue
Thank you both for your replies - sorry about the delay in getting back to you,I've only just got in from work.

Sylvia - I don't know what to think about these army records now. When I first saw them I thought it was him & then doubts set in because of the wifes name & the fact that he was a coal porter. His father was a motor engineer/ carriage builder as were the other sons. The fathers name is correct but the address is a new one,too. I daresay you could be right about people not noticing his missing finger. I had a quick look at the marriage entries for 1917 & this wife has an unusual name. I haven't found her in the deaths yet but haven't had time to look thoroughly.If this is him it's going to cause some consternation, isn't it?! His marriage to my grandmother is in the following March i.e. 6 months later!
Good to hear you managed to get your grandfathers records last year - just a pity you can't join up the trip to India yet.


Sue - thank you for your encouraging words - hopefully I won't have to wait the full length of time then. Your WW2 ones sound wonderful - so much detail. I really hope they can find my grandfathers records now & clear this up!

Kind regards
Rosemary