WWI - Which Regiment, please?

[jim1]

As you can see he's much younger in this so the 1st. photo must be closer to WW2.

jim

[jess5athome]

Hi STG, So, what we have up to now is:
John Rawlinson b Abt 1895,
                      d Abt 1965 (puts him in his 70's) as per your friend's info,

Gassed in 1914 - 1918, so served in the Great War, BUT pictured wearing a post 1924 uniform,
The photograph of the 1930's wedding has him looking to be in his 40's which again would tie in with age at death and death date of the 1960's.
As already said if he was in the Army post 1920 then his records would be with the MOD and about 60% of first world war records were destroyed during the blitz in the second war so you would be lucky to find them.
Sorry to ramble on a bit but I'm just trying to piece together what we have 
Frank.

[jim1]

Although it's difficult to tell in a b & w photo he looks to have the British War Medal & Victory Medal.
So if it is it would mean he served overseas 1916-18.

jim

[SmallTownGirl]

Yes, Frank.  That about sums it up.

Am off to the Local Studies Library tomorrow (yes, it is open on a Saturday morning) to see if I can glean any info from his marriage certs.  I know which church the 1930 one was held at and am hoping that would give his age and father's name.  Not exactly sure where in Derby his 1918 marriage was, but I know where the bride's parents were living in 1911 (and same address in 1901 for that matter) so I'll start from that parish and see where it leads me.

The 1911 census I found for a John Rowlinson (b. 1896 in Foxt, Staffs), living in Derby, a tailor maker, is him, I think - because he's listed as nephew to the adults in the house (Alfred Wood and wife Caroline Elizabeth) and I've found a Caroline Elizabeth Rowlinson (b. 1865 Ramshorn, Staffs) who married an Alfred Wood.  I've found Caroline on a couple of census records, with her parents (Robert and Mary), but no mention of a brother John (supposedly father of the chap in the photo). 


Edited to say:  I've just added the 1911 census into to my tree and Ancestry has thrown up a death record for a John Rowlinson in Derby in 1970, which gives a dob of 10 May 1894.  Someone up-thread said they needed a dob for elimination purposes, so am hoping that helps (assuming it is the right chap, of course).

[SmallTownGirl]

Back from Local Studies Library with good news and bad news.

First the bad news: It would appear that his first marriage in 1918 was at Derby Registry Office, so no image available without buying the certificate, which I don't think friend will do (because she's related to his second wife, not his first).  I trawled through the marriage notices in the local paper for the relevant quarter, but no luck there either. 

Now the good news: Found a death notice for him, which confirms he is the one who died in Q1 1970 (from the details of address, late wife, children etc), and that's the one where the indexes throw up the birth date of 10 May 1894. 

Found his second marriage in 1930 (16 Aug to be exact), which shows his age as 36 and that he was a crane driver (not a tailor, as friend said - arghhh, I should have known better!) and that his father was Robert (not John as the newspaper cutting reported).  Still think he's the one I found on the 1911 census with Aunt Caroline, because she's the daughter of a Robert Rowlinson and has a brother Robert Rowlinson.

So, we're a bit further forward with who he was and am hoping that somehow it will lead us to some info on his military service.

Any more help anyone can provide with that, it would be very much appreciated.   

STG

[jim1]

As I said previously he appears to have the BWM & VM medal ribbons.
There are 2 John Rowlinson medal cards with just the 2 medals & both in the RFA but no service docs.

jim

[SmallTownGirl]

i have found severial Rowlinson who served in the RA i would need a DOB

Thanks jim.  It was cobb113 who said he needed a DOB, so here's [still] hoping

STG