Hi judith, it gets so very complicated!!!...
I have that birth cert, and it's not Harry, is fathers name is wrong, and that Harry dies aged 2.
I'm still trying to track down who lived at that address in 1914, I have it in the 1911 census, and there's a coats family there, and a widow, and a housekeeper, no one named Powis.
I also can't find an Edward John Powis at all, let alone one that's a metal buyer, i have a few death certs, but none are right.
the family story goes a bit like this.
Harry Powis , though boen in the UK, joined the AIF in Australia in 1914, he founght in Gallipoli, and France, received a GSW in Frmelle, ended up back in the UK , recovering I assume. At some stage he came here to Weymouth, dorset, met my Grandmother Nellie. She was already married, and had a child.
Nellie and Harry went on to have an afair, Nellies husband sued for divorce, so Nellie moved in with her mother, literally round the corner from where I live now! How odd is that? I never knew for ages, until my Mum told me one day.
Nellie and Harry married in 1914, had another child, who may or maynot have been Harrys, or her first husbands, then had my Mum. 1920, and Harry returns to Australia, and Nellie and the children are supposed to follow, but Nellies sick, with TB, so she doesn't go then. But, it seems that she's not too sick that she can;t have an affair with another married man, and a child by him.
Someone writes to Harry in Australia and tells him, and all communications are lost, hence the children growing up not knowing their Dad, and thinking he'd died.
Still living with her Mum, along with her 4 children, Nellie sadly dies of her TB, in her Mums arms, and my mum and Aunty witnessed this, so it must have been quite traumatic for them, and they never really spoke about their upbringing, or past, I guess it was too painful.
The difficult part is, that my Aunty Joan told my sister before she died some family snippets that she must have overheard as a child, hoe true they are i have no idea, but am starting to think that they might br partly right.
It's said that Harry Powis, isn't his real name, that he worked for Lloyds in London (well he does say he was a clerk/commission agent) did something very wrong, and got shipped off by his family to Australia.
So, all the factual things I have of him are the marriage cert, and don't know ,what of that is true, and his war records, again, which bits are true?
I'm assuming that his NOK will be true, but he doesn't actually name his Mum, he names her as Mrs Powis, I have to track down who lives at that address at that time somehow, they must be in some way related to Harry surely?
I have trawled the censuses pre 1911 trying to find a Harry and Edward born London , but nothing matches so far. I'm npw starting to list all the Harry's, and all the Edwards, seeing if I can link any of them somehow, but that of course is depending on the fact that Powis is his real name!
I have managed to find Harry (I think it's the right one) starting in 1924 in Melbourne, can't find him between 1920 , when he returned and 1924 yet.
Also, trying to find his arrival in Australia, and him in any electoral role pre 1914, but no luck so far.
I also think i have his right death, but again, need proof that this is actuall my Harry.
So frustrating, but will be a big cheer moment when I have a break through!
