Robert Brown Armstrong - North Shields?

[Shiny1]

Hi All,

I'm trying to find some information about Robert Brown Armstrong who married my relative Alice McVay Keating (nee English) in September 1941 somewhere in the Tynemouth District.

He was her second husband, all I really have is his name, I know that he out lived her (she died in 1975) and that they lived in the North Shields area.

I'd like to find out where they married, I know it wasn't Holy Trinity church where her first marriage was as I've checked the marriage registers for there.

Can anyone help identify him?

Thanks a lot,

Michael

[River Tyne Lass]

The page number for the marriage  - Vol 10b Page 480 - seems quite high for Robert Brown and Alice Keating which may indicate marriage was at a non conformist venue or at the registry office.
The registry office on enquiry, may confirm if this was so.

[Millmoor]

There is a death in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle 13 July 1991:

"Armstrong ( North Shields ) Tamar Close, on July 11th Robert Brown Armstrong, dear father and grandfather".

Equivalent death in death index gives date of birth as 7 May 1915. There is a likely birth in Tynemouth RD  Apr - June 1915 with mmn Pells.

He can be found in the 1921 census and using the above date of birth you may be able to find him in the 1939 register.

William

Added: there is only one entry with this date of birth in the 1939 register for a Robert Armstrong.

[Shiny1]

Thank you both very much for the help.

I was wondering if it might be a registry office marriage and that detective work re the DOB will really help me.

Thank you again,

Michael

[CaroleW]

Short lived first marriage for Alice

Marriages Dec 1939   
English    Alice M    Keating    Tynemouth    10b   604    
Keating    John T    English    Tynemouth    10b   604    

Births June qtr 1919

Keating    John T    Ainsley    Tynemouth    10b   385

From https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/43939:60931

John Thomas Keating   
Birth Date    4 Jun 1919
Birth Place    North Shields, Northumberland
Death Date    2 Dec 1940
Death Age    21

[Shiny1]

Thanks Carole,

Yes he was a sailor who lost his life when HMS Forfar was torpedoed.

Her second marriage was almost (but not quite) a year later.

Michael

[Tickettyboo]

Further to William's post, I just did a quick search for births surname Armstrong, mmn English and there are 3 possibles in Tynemouth (1942, 1954, 1958) and 1 in Newcastle 1944 which may be worth noting. I won't post names as they are all possibly alive (I am and some are younger than me!)

According to the Shields Daily News 14 Feb 1941, page 4, col 6, her first husband was reported missing at sea when the Forfar sank and his relatives were still clinging to the hope he may still be alive. Sadly CWGC confirms he died and gives a date of death as 2nd Dec 1940.

So her re-marriage between 01 Jul and 30 Sept 1941 may well have been a quiet one at a registry office.

Boo

[Shiny1]

Hi Boo,

Thanks very much, I hadn't spotted that particular story in the newspapers, I'll have a look for it and the BMD entries.

I know her first marriage had been on the front page with a photo so yes they may well have gone quieter, especially given the short length of time.

Michael

[Tickettyboo]

There was another Robert Brown Armstrong who died in 1984 (d.o.b. 27 Feb 1914), the image on FreeBMD gives a month of registration as 05.

This one can be discounted (which makes the one William led you to more likely) as his death announcement Newcastle Evening Chronicle 19 May 1984, page 16, col 1 gives his wife's name as Gladys (nee Currie) and that checks out to have been in Q2 1939 Tynemouth District.

There's a 3rd Robert Brown Armstrong in Free BMD Deaths between 1975-1997 (latest in the database)
who died Q1 1980, Northumberland North 2nd, d.o.b. given as 14 Sep 1914, I haven't looked at him yet.

Nosey as ever:
You said the man you are looking for survived his wife - what is you have to confirm that?

Boo