Herbert William Dunham

Rosie

Rosie

New Member
Hello
I am new to the forum and hope that I am in the right place!
I wonder if anyone can help find my husband's maternal grandfather.
Herbert was born in 1883.
He married Frances Ellen Potter on 27 Sep 1915 in Melton Mowbray Leicestershire.
He enlisted in Nov 1916 into the KOSB 6th Battalion. Service No 27280.
I have written to KOSB but they do not have any info. Have also looked at war diaries but again nothing there
There are no enlistment documents, they appear to be in the burnt records.
I have his war medals and his medals record.
He was killed between 20 to 23 September 1914 and on his death cert it gives his place of birth as England.
On Ancestry it states that he was born in Australia but his death cert does not confirm this.
I cannot find him on any census because of this lack of info and wonder if anyone can give me any tips of how to find his birthplace. Your help would be invaluable.
Thank you
 
Hello Rosie - welcome to Top Dog. :)
Rosie said:
He married Frances Ellen Potter on 27 Sep 1915 in Melton Mowbray Leicestershire.
Click to expand...
Do you have this marriage certificate? If so, what details does it give for his father? It might help to nail him down in earlier censuses.
 
Hi and welcome I am a bit confused you say he died in 1914, married in 1915 and enlisted in 1916o_O
 
Hello
Yes I have the marriage cert giving father's name as Robert and occupation Gentleman. I have found quite a few Herbert's with father Robert but not gentlemen. I have tried to trace all these Herbert's via the census but no joy. He was a good deal older than Frances, he was 32 she 21. He was a groom at Army depot in Melton but they do not have any records either. He also worked for the Holwell Iron foundry but again they have no records. Thanks
 
Hi Rosie, thought must be...........I have found a Herbert William Dunham who died in 1917 and one who died in 1915 who was on the Australian Imperial Force Nominal Roll so more confusion!
FMP has a Herbert in 1917 PD. He was the son of Robert Dunham, and the husband of Frances Ellen Sharp (formerly Dunham) of 21, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, Leics.
different last name for Frances ............I am not helping am I just making more questions sorry:oops:
 
Hello
Yes there is a Herbert William Dunham from the Australian Imperial Force but unfortunately not our Herbert.
FMP is our Herbert, Frances remarried hence the name Frances Ellen Sharp.
I too got very confused with all the name changes and Herbert's here there and everywhere. Many thanks
 
there is a Herbert W born 1885 in Kent to a Robert & Sarah Dunham
he is on 1901 and 1911 as a shipwrights apprentice
 
Hello Rosie and welcome to the forum :)

Just a few thoughts on 'Robert Dunham, gentleman'.

Robert may not have been a 'gentleman' in younger days: sometimes this term was used by someone after they'd retired, to indicate that they could afford not to work any more.

Another thing to consider is that Herbert either upgraded his father's occupation when he married (quite common, especially when someone was marrying a person of a higher status) or that he invented a father, if he never knew his own father. So I would also look on censuses for Herberts who have no father at all or have a father Robert who wasn't a gentleman.
 
who were the witnesses at Herberts wedding sometimes they are relatives and help to find family
 
Hello
Yes I spotted this Herbert too but think that he is not old enough as Herbert was 34 according to his death cert. I believe this makes his date of birth between Oct 1882 to Sep 1883, but of course I could be wrong.
 
Hello O Knowledgeable One
Thank you for that. I have also been thinking along those lines or indeed that he might well have been a bigamist, given the age difference. Frances's parents were quite well off. I am at a loss how to prove that he could well have changed his name or indeed his birthplace or in fact if he had been married before.
Many thanks
 
Hello Sandiep
Mr & Mrs Rose witnessed the marriage but I can find no link to the family there.
 
Its definitely a mystery........pity he wasn't the Australian forces chap plent about him online typical!!
need to charge my brain for a bit.......but will come back to have another look
 
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