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Henry Boulter, was born at Trunch, Norfolk, in 1852, son of James and Susan. He was in the family home in Trunch in 1861, recorded as 8 yrs old and a farmers boy.
The next proven event was his marriage (by lic) to Lucy Angrave Gregory in Farringdon Berks on 24 March 1886 - Henry was a groom and a resident of Jesmond, Northumberland. The couple went on to have four surviving daughters between 1889 and 1898. In 1891 the family lived at Broadstairs Kent (Henry was a caretaker) before moving to the Guilford area , where Henry was recorded as a domestic coachman in 1901 and then a carman in 1911.
In 1915 (aged 63) Henry enlisted to join the RFA (declaring his age was 50 years
) and that he had previously served in the army. He was sent to serve in France, but, after hospitalisation due to a dodgy knee and emphysema , he was eventually sent back to England in November 1917 and was finally discharged from the army in February 1918, described as no longer physically fit for army service, along with the award of a silver war badge.
When he enlisted in 1915, he declared that he had previously served with the RFA, but had bought himself out in 1886 (this was the year of his marriage.)
I have recently discovered that Henry died at Millmead, Guilford in 1927 and a death announcement in the paper stated that he had fought at the battle of Majuba Hill in the first Boer War. This took place in early 1881; so, is army service the reason why I can't find Henry in census returns for 1871 and 1881??
I'm not very good at military research, nor in searching the National Archives, so if anyone can find out more, or suggest where I could look to find out more about Henry's possible army career, I'd be very grateful.
Bit shocking that they took an old man into the army even if he did tell a fib; I suppose the good thing for him is that as all his teeth were rotten, they were removed and he was supplied with a double set of dentures!
The next proven event was his marriage (by lic) to Lucy Angrave Gregory in Farringdon Berks on 24 March 1886 - Henry was a groom and a resident of Jesmond, Northumberland. The couple went on to have four surviving daughters between 1889 and 1898. In 1891 the family lived at Broadstairs Kent (Henry was a caretaker) before moving to the Guilford area , where Henry was recorded as a domestic coachman in 1901 and then a carman in 1911.
In 1915 (aged 63) Henry enlisted to join the RFA (declaring his age was 50 years
) and that he had previously served in the army. He was sent to serve in France, but, after hospitalisation due to a dodgy knee and emphysema , he was eventually sent back to England in November 1917 and was finally discharged from the army in February 1918, described as no longer physically fit for army service, along with the award of a silver war badge.When he enlisted in 1915, he declared that he had previously served with the RFA, but had bought himself out in 1886 (this was the year of his marriage.)
I have recently discovered that Henry died at Millmead, Guilford in 1927 and a death announcement in the paper stated that he had fought at the battle of Majuba Hill in the first Boer War. This took place in early 1881; so, is army service the reason why I can't find Henry in census returns for 1871 and 1881??
I'm not very good at military research, nor in searching the National Archives, so if anyone can find out more, or suggest where I could look to find out more about Henry's possible army career, I'd be very grateful.
Bit shocking that they took an old man into the army even if he did tell a fib; I suppose the good thing for him is that as all his teeth were rotten, they were removed and he was supplied with a double set of dentures!
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