Deciphering Royal Artillery army records

[Greensleeves]

The final sheet is his Army marriage certificate.  He married Polly Ball in Sheffield on 11 Oct 1897 witnesses Benjamin Ball and Emily Ball.

[nmcmahon]

I've been going through the records seeing what I can transcribed.

I've also noticed a couple of things I didn't before:

• John enlisted in Guernsey, and joined in Dover six days later.
• At the top of one page it was noted that his religion was Roman Catholic.

I am now pretty sure John was living in Guernsey. And I also believe his family is of Irish origin. His father may have possibly been born in Ireland. I have seen the family name recorded as Riordon rather than Reardon.

[Greensleeves]

It is interesting that on his discharge papers it says that he had been a School Teacher at Gosport  for three years.  Presumably that was whilst he was serving in the RA.

As he was born in Ceylon, I wonder if his father was in the military too?  Don't know if there was an army base in Trincomalee.

[Greensleeves]

Just found out that the British had a garrison at Fort Frederick, Trincomalee from 1795 until 1948 so it does sound possible that his father served in the British Army.