a bit of a muddle?

[valnan]

Please may I ask for some help?   Family search for Thomas Irving MOFFAT. Northumberland Fuscilliers. Regt  23725
Known to have served WW1.

Now the muddle, 2 cards relating to same man.

1. Correct name, details as above...but shows    'see MOFFATT'   on Anc
2.  Incorrect spelling of surname, Thomas then shows second initial as 'J'......should be 'I' as in  Irving' 
Therefore all additional links show  Thomas J MOFFATT and therefore of no help. Both cards show the same  Regiment number.

 Current family remembers loss of fingers? and indentation in forehead.

Hoping that perhaps there is a Medical or  Service record  available.

At the outbreak of war....married to Minnie/Mary Johnstone  c1907 and 3 known children.
Occupation Gamekeeper in Northumberland/Durham areas

[lizdb]

I cant see a Service record on Ancestry, but then many were destroyed in WW2 bombing.

But his marriage is easy to find -

Oct/Nov/Dec 1907
Morpeth
10b 635
Thomas Irving Moffatt / Mary Johnstone

[AMBLY]

All his records which are under MOFFAT, Thomas Irving:
* Silver War Badge Roll (his badge & certificate number was 91627)
* British War Medal & Victory Medal Roll
* 1914-1915 Star Roll
* Medal Index Card for Victory  & British

The Medal Index Card for 1915 Star is the one under MOFFATT.
Ref: Roll 0/1/18B, page 933
Like as not a clerical error regards the extra T on his surname, which has been picked up somewhere along the line hence the cross-reference to "MOFFAT". However, I do think the middle initial here has been written as an I, not J as A**Y have transcribed.

From all the records you can discern:
* Enlisted 9 Oct 1915
* Theatre of War first served in was France, entered 23 Dec 1915
* Discharged 1 Dec 1916, Wounds
* Disembarked 23 Dec 1916

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/research/military-records/british-soldiers-ww1-service-records.htm
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/service_records/sr_soldiers.htm
From his dates, I thought he might have come under WO364 Unburnt Documents which are "750,000 Service Records which survived the Second World War bomb damage".  Mainly cover men who were discharged with pensions for medical reasons (illness or wounds) during the War He was discharged under:  Para. 392 (XVI) K
http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/swbrecords.html

Since no record is coming up for him, perhaps he didn't get a pension for whatever reason, and his Service record was indeed among those lost in the bombings/fires.

Cheers
AMBLY

[valnan]

Thank you both Lizdb and AMBLY.

Adds yet a little more for me to go on, truly excited.
Would so have love to find Service record, confirming wife and children, even possible injury, to uphold the memory from family.
Shall continue to track him down, hoping in the end to find his parents, who I believe originated from Ireland.

Again many thanks.

[rosie99]

Following on from lizdb's marriage find

From freereg

Ashington Church of the Holy Sepulchre
30 Nov 1907
Thomas Irving    MOFFAT - father James Moffat (fathers occ Miner)
age   22
occupation Water Bailiff
Abode Middle Steads, Widdrington
Bride Mary JOHNSTONE  father William Johnstone (occ Miner)
age   18
abode 1 Long Row

[valnan]

Thank you rosie99.

Getting closer now with Fathers name. Please can you confirm address 1 Long Row, is in ?Ashlington?

Again thanks

[lizdb]

1911 look ups aren't allowed, but I suggest you have a look at that census to establish his place of birth.


I reckon this is him in 1901:
174 Longhurst Terrace Pegswood Northumbetland
James Moffatt 48 coal miner bn Scotland
Jane 46 bn Cumberland Seberghan?
James 20 bn Cumberland  Brampton
Thomas I 15 bn Northumberland Haltwhistle
John 11 bn Northd. Haltwh.
Margaret 9 bn Durham
Frederick 5 bn Durham

He is indexed as Thomas J. Looking at the image it is hard to be sure if it is a J or a curly I, but generally other "J"s on the page curl below the line and this initial sits very clearly on the line, though I cant immediately see another capital "I" to compare it with.   

[lizdb]

We are on the right track!

Here is 1891
Heids House, Ryton Woodside, Durham
James Moffatt 39 widower coal miner bn Scotland
Joseph W 13 son bn Brampton Cumberland
James 10 son bn Brampton Cumberland
Jane Irving 35 single housekeeper bn Sebington Cumbrrland
Thomas Irving 5 bn Haltwhistle
John Irving 4 bn Haltwhistle

So it looks very much as if Thomas started life as an Irving, his mum was housekeeper to James Moffatt, she then married him and he then used the surname Moffatt, keeping Irving as a middle name.

(not that I can actually see a marriage!)

[lizdb]

Birth
April/MAy/Jun 1885
Haltwhistle
Ref 10b 343
Thomas Irving

Now I wonder if Jane Irving already had the boys before she became James Moffats housekeeper, and then when they married/lived together they combined their two families, or if she moved in with him as "housekeeper" some years earlier and was actually living with him, and the boys are James's?

Thomas's birth cert may hold some clues.