Genealogy Chat

I need to find the death certificate for my great grandad who died in WW1. He is on the commonwealth grave commission as dying on the 21/3/1918 but I would like to get a copy of the death cert (or military equivilant) as I can't find a trace of his birth and I was hoping that would give me a clue. I know from his marriage cert that he was born around 1894 but don't know where and no one in the family seems to know. Does anyone know who I need to contact??

Thanks for the replies for some reason I can't post a new reply only edit one so the information is below

Laurie Bowler, Married April 1916 to Ellen Nicholls in Banbury age 22 so DOB roughly 1894 listed as a Lance-Corporal living in 8 North Street, Banbury. father Samuel Bowler Retired (doesnt state what he was before he retired) Commonwealth Graves Commission listed as Sarjent died 21/3/1918 listed on Poizier memorial. Medal Card gives following info

Royal Irish Rifles 42286 Serjeant think 3rd battalion reserves
Royal Irish Fusiliers 41874 Serjeant

Family thinks his name is Laurence but listed on marriage cert and birth cert of grandad as Laurie. family don't think he is oxfordshire born

If you have managed to locate the details on the CWGC website you should be able to locate the death in the GRO indexes of military deaths.

These are a separate series of indexes to the usual England and Wales indexes. They can be checked on Familyrelatives website and also on findmypast. Look for the overseas indexes. There is a separate indexes for Army and Navy

If you get stuck send me a PM tomorrow with the name and I'll take a look.

Once you have the the relevant index reference you can order the death cert from the GRO. Don't expect too much info however. My great grandfather's certificate provided his age, number rank and regiment, cause of death and place of death.

Pete

I have the death certificate for my great-uncle who was killed at that time, it gives no information other than the date and place. Sorry. Does it give no name, ie next of kin on the CWGC certificate?

Would you care to post the name, Kerin? Perhaps we could find him on the 1901 census. (As long as he's not a John Smith!) Is any more info given on the CWGC site?

You'll get no info from the d.cert that isn't on the CWGC site, less most likely, except that you may learn he "died of wounds" rather than being "killed in action".

If you want to see what a page of a war deaths register looks like, you can see an example (link near end) at:
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=554&404
Given the source, as you might expect, this register is limited to soldiers with pob=SCT, or who enlisted in SCT.

The index of Soldiers who died in WW1 on Ancestry shows the following details:

Name: Laurie Bowler
Birth Place: Shirland, Derbyshire
Residence: Wakefield
Death Date: 21 Mar 1918
Enlistment Location: Banbury, Oxon
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment: Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers)
Battalion: 1st Battalion.
Number: 41874
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Theater of War: Aldershot
Comments: Formerly 07829, 18Th K.R.R.

1901 census

Name: Lawrence Bowler
Age: 7
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1894
Relation: Nephew
Gender: Male
Where born: Shirland, Derbyshire, England

Civil Parish: Mexborough
Ecclesiastical parish: Mexborough St John
Town: Mexborough
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England

Street address:27 Flowitt Street

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View Image

Registration district: Doncaster
Sub registration district: Barmbrough
ED, institution, or vessel: 14
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 226
Household Members: Name Age
Herbert Leane 55 occ Coal Miner
Eliza Leane 56
William Leane 20
Lawrence Bowler 7
Edith Leam 24




Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 4409; Folio: 23; Page: 38.

Name: Lawrence Bowler
Year of Registration: 1894
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Chesterfield
County: Derbyshire
Volume: 7b
Page: 676 (
Chesterfield reg district covered Shirland & Higham
area amonst others

thank you everyone for your help, I have a feeling that the Bowler family may be a military family and thats why they end up moving all over the place

Looking at the census they appear to be miners, moving around for work I expect.

Do you have access to the census? He is still with the LEAM family in 1911. The same family as in the 1901 census

Pete

Possible marriage of parents?
Samuel Bowler and Annie Leam or Leane, Sep. Q 1871, Belper. (7b 687)

Possible birth of Lawrence?
Lawrence Bowler, Mar. Q 1894, Chesterfield (which includes Shirland). (7b 676)

His family before he was born?
1891 census
Building Land, Shirland, derbyshire
Samuel Bowler, head, 38, coal miner
Annie, wife, 37
William, son, 16, labourer
Samuel, son, 14, miner
George, son, 12, scholar
Leonard, son, 2
Mary Ellen, dau, 9
Sarah A., dau, 6
Lilly, dau, 3
All born Shirland.

thanks for all the info, i don't have access to the census but bang goes my theory of them being a military family. now i need to work out why he was living with his aunt and uncle as his father samuel is listed as still being alive when he got married in 1916. maybe his mum died and he was left with family while his dad looked for work as has happened in another branch of my family and more curious how did he end up in oxfordshire. I have found them on the 1881 census

i love mysteries :):)

Did Annie die and Samuel remarry?
1901 census
Shirland, Derbyshire
Samuel Bowler, head, 48, coal miner, born Oakerthorpe
Mary, wife, 43, born S. Wangfield
Samuel J., son, 24, engine driver underground, born Heage
George, son, 22, coal miner, born "
Mary Ellen, dau, 19, born "
Sarah Annie, dau, 16, born Shirland
Lillie, dau, 13, born "
Lenard, son, 12, born "
Naomi Eva, dau, 9, born "

found a death for annie bowler in chesterfield on FreeBMD died jan-feb-march 1894 that would make sense to why he was living with his aunt and uncle. i wonder what happened to the other children listed on 1891 if they were shared out amongst family members

Naomi Eva was born 1891, Chesterfield.
Annie died 1894, Chesterfield, age 39.
A Samuel married Dec. 1894 or Dec. 1901, Chesterfield. (Probably can't be Dec. 1901 because he was already married on the census.)

just noticed annie died the same quarter as lawrence was born and the other children were still with their father and his new wife. maybe annie died in childbirth and lawrence was the only one sent away to his aunt and uncle.

samuel bowler married mary louisa mirfin in 1901

the 1894 marriage of samuel bowler the bride wasnt a mary

Kerin

He was probably in Oxfordshire cos that is where his regiment was stationed, perhaps for training.

Margaret

This seems to be the Leane family in 1861, with Herbert and Ann (Annie).

1861 England Census
about Herbert Leane
Name: Herbert Leane
Age: 15
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1846
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Jesiah
Mother's Name: Harriett
Gender: Male
Where born: Belper, Derbyshire, England

Civil Parish: Heage
County/Island: Derbyshire
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage: View Image

Registration district: Belper
Sub registration district: Ripley
ED, institution, or vessel: 12
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 92
Household Members: Name Age
Jesiah Leane 47
Harriett Leane 46
Charles Leane 18
Herbert Leane 15
Mary Ellen Leane 12
Anne Leane 6

Margaret