How would a Soldiers Death be registered in 1923

[Xenofex2]

Have I really found the right Death so I am now wondering how would a Soldier’s death have been Registered in 1923, possibly in Ireland?

I am wondering because of confusing and conflicting information found so far in his Service Record. Looking through these Records so far found, one sees two dates of death, although admittedly they could just be a dyslexic error, 12^th or 21^st. The actual Widows Pension Record tells us that he died on 21^st Feb 1923 but gives no cause of death. He seemed to have served in four Units, Machine Gun Corps, RAF, Connaught Rangers & Royal Irish Fusiliers with different Service Numbers, although I have no dates for each. He enlisted in the RAF in April 1918, marrying three months later it is his wife’s name and address given as Dependant and I can see no previous Dependant entry crossed out. His 1918 RAF Record tells us he was born in Cheshire whilst a transcript of a Connaught Rangers Burnt Record suggests it was Shankill, Antrim yet can find no birth registered in either place. Another Record, after his supposed Death Date says he even resides in Canada. A faked death? Covert operations? Enough curiosity to obtain a Death Certificate.

The confusion though continues. However, right name, right age, a formerly of address in Belfast on the Death Certificate matches to one seen in the Army Records. Yet, the Death Certificate says this person supposedly died at 27yrs of age, a Bachelor (five years after marriage), at The Abbey, Whiteabbey of Tuberculosis and Cardiac Failure and was buried the next day in the City Cemetery. Same person or someone of exactly the same name?

So as a Widows Pension seemed to have been paid, if I have found the right Death Certificate, why does it not give any details of his Army Unit? Hence wondering how a Soldier’s death would have been registered in 1923.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Can't help as yet, but here are a few random thoughts. Was he still in service when he died? I have a soldier who died in Jan 1919 - he'd returned home, taken ill, died in hospital of pneumonia (Spanish flu, I think.) His death was registered in the usual way and can be found in the GRO index, relevant quarter and district.

What do you know about his wife? Have you tracked down the marriage and got the certificate, which would have details of the fathers, and so might help with cross-referencing or eliminating other possible records?

John Galbraith is not an unusual name, so there were probably several around of a fairly similar age, which makes it more difficult to confirm you have the "right" man, or even the "same" man in the various records. Are you working forwards in time (from a confirmed birth) or trying to track backwards from a probable death, or are you trying to piece together life events for a soldier whose military record you have come across?

With regards to the death cert you have posted, the scanty info on it could have been due to the deceased dying in hospital, an apparently single man with no known relatives??? Alternatively the name and address given in the last column shown in the image - Whitehall Buildings, Ann St, Belfast - could suggest officialdom, to do with a government department or the army??? I found this reference to the building :

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Common...nantGAMLeathem)

[teasie]

I assume we're taking about John Robert Galbraith?

His RAF record shows he was discharged to the reserves in April 1919, so he was no longer a serving airman when he died.

[teasie]

I think you may be looking at the military records of two completely different people

John Robert Galbraith's RAF record does not indicate any current prior service,, ie he didn't transfer from the army (see section 3, Current Engagement). He enlisted inti the RAF on 26 Apr 1918 when he was said to be aged 24 years and 10 months and his enlistment was for the duration of the war.

At some prior time he does seem to have served with the Machine Gun Corps, but for less than a year (Section 4)

Im not an expert at the pension records, but it looks like the widows pension was refused.

The man who served in the Machine Gun Corps, Royal Defence Corps and Gordon Highlanders had an address in Glasgow, and had no middle name.

What has made you link the two?

[teasie]

Have you seen the merchant seaman record for him, from after the war?

It includes a photo and says her was born 1 Dec 1895 at Birkenhead

ADDED: Possibly a coincidence but there was a John Galbraith born in the workhouse at Belfast on 2 Dec 1895. Mother Rachel (unmarried)

[Xenofex2]

How I first came to John Robert Galbraith was that I had actually been tracing his Wife’s family. I had found the wife in the 1921 Census, seen that she had got married since the last Census and had a child. (The Child had been born 3 years before the marriage and no father was named on the Birth Certificate.) Am currently waiting for the Marriage Certificate. It was as a result of finding a transcript of the Marriage that I searched Service Records and then found his RAF application that mentions the names of wife and daughter.

Agree that John Robert’s RAF record tells us that his previous Service was only with the Machine Gun Corps but from his Medal Record, have found that he joined the MGC in August 1914 and was released from the MGC in June 1917 due to his Wounds. Another Index Card record (attached) quotes various Regimental Numbers. The RAF number quoted matches his Application to join the RAF and the MGC number on this Index Card matches a number on a John R Galbraith MGC Medal Card. Another number quoted on this Index Card also matches an undated transcription of a Burnt Record document for Connaught Rangers, and where his birth place was given as Shankill and which is different from the birth place quoted on his RAF record.

Another Record (attached) quotes the RAF Regimental Number and shows his Discharge from the RAF, but this also quotes an address in Belfast and that is the very same address as is quoted on the Death Certificate. With regard to that Pension Refusal and again no date is recorded as to when this decision was taken. It seems that the Widow remarried in 1926 and so I interpreted the Refusal with about the time of her re-marrying

So to me the Records all seem to bring everything together. I had assumed that he was serving in one of those Irish Units at the time of death, hence wondering who would notify the Authorities but on further thought guess he could have been released from Service but was too ill to travel back to England and his Wife.

[teasie]

Also possibly of interest in 1911 in the Balmoral Industrial School, Belfast:

John Galbraith 15 born England, Presbyterian

The religion matches the RAF record.

If its the same person then Rachel was in Bushmills, Antrim with her parents and siblings in 1911, but was in Scotland in 1901 as a servant. She was also Presbyterian.

I could be completely barking up the wrong tree, but worth digging into further perhaps?

[Xenofex2]

Sorry, do I assume you are referencing an Irish 1911 Census?

Whether the Marriage Certificate may give any information on his father, at the moment I know nothing regarding any family for John R Galbraith so who is Rachel? Not a name I have so far seen.

Maud Ethel was the christian names of his wife that he married in July 1918.

[teasie]

In reply to post #6, gosh he is tricky, isn't he!

The record you've posted making reference to Canada could be interesting though as a newspaper search for Samuel Galbraith of Bushmills (Rachael's father) says (in January 1916) that he had 4 sons serving with the Canadian forces. One was his son Robert, who was killed that same year.

Hopefully the marriage certificate will throw out a few more clues.

[teasie]

Sorry, do I assume you are referencing an Irish 1911 Census?

Whether the Marriage Certificate may give any information on his father, at the moment I know nothing regarding any family for John R Galbraith so who is Rachel? Not a name I have so far seen.

Maud Ethel was the christian names of his wife that he married in July 1918.

Yes, I'm referring to an Irish census.

I only latched on to Rachel because the Merchant Navy record for John Robert Galbraith gives his DoB as 1 Dec 1895, and the Belfast birth for John Galbraith s/o Rachel gives a DoB of 2 Dec 1895.

[Xenofex2]

No I think possibly that that John Galbraith is another person. The one I am looking at, I don't think was ever in the Merchant Navy, or put another way, I have not yet come across any such Record . The Record I do have, for the RAF gives his DOB as 22nd June 1895.

[teasie]

Its on FindmyPast and includes a photo.

The name is John Robert Galbraith and he claims to have been born 1 Dec 1895 in Birkenhead, Cheshire.

Don't you feel its a little too much of a coincidence to have two men with the exact same name, exact same year of birth and exact same county of birth, but no birth registration for either of them?

The RAF record mentions him having tattoos of anchors and sailors, so there may have been some past association with the sea. The Merchant Navy record is undated but is recorded as being from 1918, ie before he joined the RAF. There are no ships numbers etc given, so perhaps it went no further and he joined the RAF instead?

My instinct - although admittedly with no tangible foundation - is that he wasn't always truthful and that he possibly deserted Maud not long after marrying her.

[Xenofex2]

Thankyou, just found that Record. Certainly food for thought.

Will the real John Robert Galbraith please step forward!

[teasie]

Have you also noticed that on the Burnt Documents record (which took me a while to find!) it says he attained the age of 18 on 18 Oct 1912, so there's yet another different date of birth he's given!

Trying to piece the fragments together, it looks as though when he enlisted he said he was already in the 3rd Royal Irish Fusiliers, which was a reserve (territorial/part time) battalion.

It looks like he joined the Connaught Rangers in September 1912 and was discharged 15 November 1913,

It seems he was disciplined with detention at least 3-times between January & March 1913, and then a few times more in Sep/Oct 1913. He appears in the Courts Martial register on 3 Oct 1913 charged with desertion, and apparently confessed that he fraudulently enlisted into the Royal Irish Fusiliers - presumably while he was AWOL from the Connaught Rangers.

There's mention of both the 1st and the 4th Royal Irish Fusiliers, but its not entirely clear in what context because of the damage to the record.

Either way, his character is described as bad,

There's mention of an address of 32 Leadbetter Street, Belfast, but it doesn't seem to appear in the 1911 census. Typical!

ADDED: He also appears in the UK Calendar of Prisoners in January 1914 along with a Richard Mackie for breaking windows in Aldershot. Each sentenced to 9 months for each charge (2) to run concurrently. There is an article about it in the Hampshire Observer and Basingstoke News of 10 Jan 1914 which says they did it to try and get out of the army, and that their commanding officer said they were both of very bad character.

[Xenofex2]

Wow. Totally Unbelievable. Thankyou.

I had found three Burnt Pages on Forces War Records and assumed that was all there was. Trouble was I could see none of the information you have just quoted. This time because of your posting I looked this time on FMP and found more of the Burnt Pages. Incredible. Perhaps I had not looked properly first time!

Cannot imagine John R Galbraith would have been great Husband or Father material.

What a turn-up. Amazing. Thankyou.