[Anstey Nomad]

I haven't read the old stuff in any detail, so I can't promise anything new, so, eyes down and back to basics. In fact, it might be easier to work backwards.

You know when, where and why he died and what happened afterwards (bit of a schlep from where you are to Markeaton Marg – that was more my neck of the woods)

You know where he lived between completing his military service in 1919 and his death in 1965.

You have his army record, which covers the years of his service, but does not shed any light on his antecedents.

You have his marriage in 1908 and you are not confident that either his name or the details of his father are correct. Can you confirm there is no next of kin on the early part of the record?

You can’t find his birth registration and can’t be 100% sure that either the date or the year is correct.

So basically everything before he enlists in the army is at best uncertain and at worst a complete mystery and a lot of the rest is not too clear either.

*calls for icepack*

For the sake of completeness, this is him in 1911 at 14 The Green Ashby de la Zouch, verified by the other residents:

HARRISON, PETER HEAD MARRIED M 25 COAL MINER HEWER ROTHERAM YORKSHIRE
HARRISON, LILLY WIFE MARRIED 2 F 25 LEICESTERSHIRE ASHBY - DE LA ZOUCH
HARRISON, FLORENCE DAUGHTER SINGLE F 1 LEICESTERSHIRE ASHBY - DE LA ZOUCH
COX, MARY MOTHER WIDOW F 67 LEICESTERSHIRE ASHBY - DE LA ZOUCH
WILKINS, JAMES LODGER SINGLE M 48 RAILWAY SERVANT WAGGON EMPTIER LEICESTERSHIRE APPLEBY MAGNA

Our chap would have been 15 at the time of the 1901 census, 16 later in the year, so he ought to appear on the census as some sort of worker, apprentice, whatever, but I have to say he’s not jumping out at me!

*polishes crystal ball*

How about this as a scenario?

He joined the army in 1903 at the age of 18, just before Christmas, which suggests to me that he had not got a lot to look forward to if he stayed at home, wherever that was.

Tying in with what he said about not being wanted, do you think it’s possible that he grew up in some sort of institution? They would have kicked him out at 14 or so, perhaps he couldn’t make a go of it on his own and he opted for another institution where he wouldn’t have to worry about stuff like food and where to sleep. Had he got himself into some sort of trouble as an additional spur to joining up and did it go something like this:

What’s your name lad?

Er…

Come on lad, speak up!

Er…Peter … Harrison … sir

It’s as good a name as any.

Is that the wrong answer?

AN