Census & Service Families

[Coffee Lover]

I am looking at 1911 census and am wondering where, if anywhere, service families' details are recorded and births / deaths registered.

[mofid42]

If they are in the UK then BMD would be registered as normal with the GRO. For overseas BMD there is/are a separate list/s.

The website Find My Past has indexes to some of the lists dating from the mid 1700's to 2005.

Many of them are based on Chaplin's returns, depending on how diligent the Chaplin was at reporting BMD back to the UK, will effect how lucky you are at finding overseas BMD.

[KGarrad]

The 1911 census also includes:
Military bases
Overseas Military
Royal Naval at Sea

But remember that, if you are using Ancestry, they haven't finished indexing the complate 1911 census!

[Valda]

Hi

Some of the army returns do cover births in this country despite the fact they are held in the GRO overseas section.

'Regimental registers of births and baptisms start in 1761 in England and Wales and around 1790 in other countries, and continue to 1924. They include births in the United Kingdom and abroad. The indexes are arranged alphabetically and give a name, place, year and regiment.'

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/birthmarriagedeatharmedforces.htm
http://www.findmypast.co.uk/help-and-advice/knowledge-base/overseas-military/records#6


Regards

Valda

[Coffee Lover]

I am having great difficulty posting!

Thanks to all of you for responding so quickly.

Would the normal search facility pick these records up?

I have a WW1 MM holder, killed with his wife in the blitz in WW2.  I cannot pick him up on the census neither can I identify any birth or marriage records and do not know which of the London Gazette entries relates to him.

Also having got the one line entry in the gazette, how does one then find out why the award was given?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[KGarrad]

If you give us his name, approx. date of birth, and place of birth, then maybe one of us can find something?
His parents, wife and children might help, too!!

[Coffee Lover]

The CWGC records list a Mr Alfred J Drury MM, husband of Mrs Rose E Drury both killed on 15th November 1940 at 147 High Road, East Finchley, London N2, aged 52 & 50 respectively (BMD records their ages as 53 & 51 which confuses me since I would have thought that both would use the same base record!). 

I initially thought that the MM may have been awarded posthumously because many others died with them, but if I understand correctly it is an award given for bravery in the field and given his age I therefore assume it was awarded in WW1.

I am not aware of there being any children from the marriage but that may change. 

[KGarrad]

aged 52 & 50 respectively (BMD records their ages as 53 & 51 which confuses me since I would have thought that both would use the same base record!). 

There is no such thing as a "base record"!
Ages on death certificates are those given by the informer.

[KGarrad]

Found their marriage!

December qtr 1908
Islington district    vol 1b, page 416

Drury, Alfred John
Lancaster, Rose Ethel