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[Wendy111]

Oh well, I guess Poplar and Lewisham are easily confused when you're in Halifax

[topas37]

I tried to put a photo of my grandad on here for you to see in case he looked  like anybody in your family, but I couldn't get it to post

[topas37]

Tried again he is the one sitting down not sure how old he was there

[topas37]

Have just spoken to one of my IOW cousins and he said Grandad was born within the sound of Bow Bells which makes Poplar as his birth quite likely but he doesn't know anything else other than it was thought he deserted from one regiment and joined another one in the North that could be the West Riding Reg in Halifax

[groom]

Have just spoken to one of my IOW cousins and he said Grandad was born within the sound of Bow Bells which makes Poplar as his birth quite likely but he doesn't know anything else other than it was thought he deserted from one regiment and joined another one in the North that could be the West Riding Reg in Halifax

So that could be the answer, he changed his name after he deserted, time wise that would fit.  Interestingly there is a soldier called Alfred May in Hartley Whitney in 1911, did he use his name? He must have been there at some point to meet Minnie. In the 1911 he is just down as Alfred May in Halifax, but perhaps he felt he had to use the Matthew William Hedges bit on his marriage certificate to make sure it was legal.

[topas37]

Could be this cousin is not in touch with any of the other relatives on the IOW but he is going to try and find contact details for them as he thinks they may have had my Nans paperwork when she died

[Wendy111]

I'm struggling with the idea that he changed his name just to avoid being ID'd by the Army - quite the opposite if my reading of this is right - he's gone to some lengths to keep his original name, in conjunction with his "new" name, alive throughout his life.  It just isn't jelling for me yet that he was hiding his identity from anyone - but maybe I've missed a loop somewhere...?

Also, East-enders of this generation didn't hold a candle to house-owning - more likely they were suspicious of it.  If they earned/acquired/came-by any money they'd put it into gold  - always pawnable when the rainy day came.  And those were the prudent ones, the rest just p* it up the wall on drinking and the dogs!   But these are my first-hand recollections of "my" Hedges family from what I knew of them in the 1950/60's.

Meanwhile, I should be getting Matt William's death cert in the next few days. It'll be interesting to see if it tells us anything we don't already know.  Wendy

[groom]

The thing that strikes me about all this is that he was relatively young when he made the name change - between 18 and 22. For whatever reason he did, as I believe Topas knew him as Alfred May, he obviously stuck to that name throughout his life. This would make a good novel. 

I hope the certificate sheds some light on it.

[Wendy111]

Yes, but when he died his "Hedges" name held enough resonance for it to be listed as an alternative name on his death cert - intriguing!  Course, it'll probably turn out - if we ever get to the bottom of it - to be something quite mundane.  But such are the speculations that keep us family researchers busy and guessing