Who was Walter's Wife?

I think so....

 

Rather late, though if 1939 is to be believed - that said March 2nd.

 

I must admit that the 1939 Register has the wrong year for my maternal Grandfather - I have 3 different ones for him so far....

 

There are so many possibilities for finding out who Walter’s wife was and you have all been rather fantastic in the search, that I thought that I would try to summarise the findings thus far. It also helps me to clarify things in my own mind instead of flitting from possibility to possibility....

Walter GOLDSMITH was born in Ninfield, Sussex on 19th August 1887. This is confirmed in the 1939 Register and his wife, Sarah A’s birthday is recorded there as being 2nd March 1885. They are living at 49 Coleridge Road, Blackpool and Walter is a Master Painter.

@Archie's Mum and @MollyMay found the following death registrations in Blackpool:

Sara A Goldsmith 1966 age 82 (1884)
Walter Goldsmith 1960 age 73 (1887) – this has been ordered and the despatch date is 4th November.

Sarah left a will: she died on 21st November 1966 at Brindle Lodge, Langdale Road, Blackpool, which @AnnB found to have been an old people’s home of some sort. Although she only left £1918, it just says to solicitors. I wondered if any others are mentioned in the will so I have ordered a copy. Estimated despatch date is 16th November but I am not holding my breath....

Sarah’s Probate record says that her surname is GOLDSMITH but also known as SMITH. This ties in with a memory that I had of being told that Walter changed his name to SMITH.

From 1927, Walter is shown with the name Walter George SMITH (rather than Walter GOLDSMITH) in the electoral registers with an abode of 49 Coleridge Road Blackpool. The Electoral Registers that @MollyMay found show that both he and Sarah Ann are there with the surname of SMITH. @AnnB found adverts for a B&B running up to 1952

As Walter was discharged from the Army in 1916 under the name of GOLDSMITH, then something happened for him to change his name and move from Surrey to Blackpool in the next 10 or 11 years.

@MollyMay found a marriage between a Sarah A RALPH and a Walter G SMITH in the December quarter of 1926 in Fylde. Fylde and Blackpool are neighbouring registration districts and the towns are only 8 miles apart. Should I order this marriage certificate? (Okay, I know that you will all say yes... )

I traced back a possible Sarah Ann RALPH to a maiden name of Tomlinson who was baptised in Accrington the year before Walter’s said she was born. Could this be a transcription error in 1939?

That is where we have got to at the moment – and my head’s spinning...

 

Done.

 

Not sure. There were a number of Acts being passed about this time - legal adoption (1926), marriage age rose to 16 in 1929 (I think) - so I am not sure that proof was required. Cannot remember for my own....