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It could be William's death, I was hoping to find some more information from a death announcement but haven't had any luck finding one.

Could this be William's death (the date of birth given is only one day out and the informant may have been mistaken):-


Name: SMITH, William Edwin
Registration district: Sutton
County: Surrey
Year of registration: 1994
Month of registration: December
Date of birth: 7 July 1907
District no: 2541B
Reg no: B2B
Ent no: 148
DOR: 1294

Kath. x

Birth certificate arrived today, William Edwin Smith was born on the 6th of July 1907.

In those days the names Edward and Edwin were often interchangeable and people would use both.

Kath. x

Sorry, army records Edward not Edwin, It's one of those days!

Yes I have his service records but no records regarding his TA service. I also have no idea why he enlisted as Edward when he was actually Edwin, all his civil records are Edwin, army records Edwin! But I know we have the correct army records as his next of kin, his wife and some of his children are listed, 2 of his children were born in the West Indies, he married in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

These are father Edwin 's army records which you might find of interest ?


British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920 about Edward Smith
Name: Edward Smith
[Edwin Smith]
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1865
Age at enlistment: 18
Birth Parish: All Saints
Birth County: Leicester
Document Year: 1883
Regimental Number: 683
Regiment Name: Leicester Regiment
Number of images: 7

They are dated 23rd August 1883 and his age at that time was given as 18 years and 4 months, suggesting a birth around April, 1865.

If you look at image no. 26436 you will see his signature halfway down the page which is identical to the one on the 1911 census.

Dea x

Hi Kathleen, Yes Edwin joined the Territorials after a long career with the Regular army, that's something else I would like to find out more about.

Thank you, my aunts (they knew him, he lived in their house and they are getting on in years now) and I would love to know what happened to William, I'll wait until I have his birth record.

If the birth certificate comes back with a birth date of 7th July then I would definitely order the death certificate that Mary has found as the informant may be a relative. This is the full GRO reference:-


Name: SMITH, William Edwin
Registration district: Sutton
County: Surrey
Year of registration: 1994
Month of registration: December
Date of birth: 7 July 1907
District no: 2541B
Reg no: B2B
Ent no: 148
DOR: 1294

Kath. x

death
William Edwin Smith born 7 July 1907
died Dec 1994 in Sutton Surrey.
entry no 148.

The birth would fit!

Maryb

I have ordered William's birth certificate, should be here early September.

The only marriage certificate I have is that of Isabella in 1934 and William was not a witness. His other siblings married in 1922 and 1925, and William may have been too young to be a witness to those.

It seems that William, his father Edwin (army pensioner) and his sister Isabella were all living in Tewkesbury Street Leicester in 1934 when Isabella married (aged 41). Isabella then left to live with her husband in Oadby and the two chaps moved in with my grandmother her husband and their 5 children in Oadby Lane, Wigston Magna. Edwin lived there until his death in 1945.
Looks like I will need to get William's birth certificate to find out what happened next.

Was he a witness to any of his siblings marriages ?

Name: William Edwin Smith
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1911
Gender: Male
Age: 3
Birthplace: Leicester Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire
Schedule Type: Household
Registration District: Loughborough
Sub-District: Loughborough
Parish: Loughborough
County: Leicestershire

Kate

You stand a better chance of finding him with his full DOB. I would send for the birth certificate and then we can look for a death using his birth date

There are two possible births for William. This one which you seem to think is him as it's in the 3rd Qtr:-

Name: SMITH, William Edwin
Registration district: Ashby de la Zouch
County: Leicestershire
Year of registration: 1907
Quarter of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Mother's maiden name: Not available before 1911 Q3
Volume no: 7A
Page no: 94

but more likely is this one if he was born into a military family:-


Name: SMITH, William E
Mother's maiden name: Not available before 1966
Regiment: 17th Foot
Place: Ashby de la Zouch
Country: England
Year: 1907
Volume: 1009
Page: 132
Record source: GRO Regimental Birth Indices (1761 to 1924)

If you buy the certificate you will at least have his exact date of birth.

EDIT - after looking at the 1911 census where his father is in the Territorials perhaps the first birth IS the most likely.

Kath. x

Well if he did get married none of his family got an invitation!
His father died in 1945 so I would think that he would have got back in touch with his siblings then if he knew about his father's death, his father was an army man all his life, he didn't get on too well with his children or his grandchildren.

His mother was Henrietta Louisa Riggs. The probate date after his sister Isabella's death was 7 march 1961, looks like they got his mothers name wrong, but the right record.
I don't have his date of birth, just that it was the 3rd quarter of 1907 so the Stoke on Trent death may not be him.