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NEW ZEALAND

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

ian

ian Report 2 Nov 2015 10:04

Hi All, this is a long one, in 1931 my ggfather Hugo Harold Davies b 1907 m Alice May or May Alice Erskine (nee Gundry) b 1905 they moved to New Zealand mid/ late 1930s
on his second wedding in New Zealand in Sept 1945 it states on the cert that he is a widower & his wife died in August 1943, I can find no records in New Zealand, the only record I can see is on find my past for a davies whom died at sea, I am not a member so cannot see the full record, were do I go next.

GlasgowLass

GlasgowLass Report 2 Nov 2015 10:53

Hugo and Alice were divorced in 1939
Was his second wife called Hilda Caroline?
Her probate is dated 1975 whilst Hugo's is dated 1999
A search of the NZ bdm historical site shows that Hugo died in 1991 aged 84Yrs

https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Search/Search.aspx?Path=%2fdeathSelect.m%3fpage%3d2#SearchResults

The BDM historical site can be manipulated to give an exact date.
The entry shows his DOB as 17 May 1907 and by manipulating, his death date shows as 30 Aug 1991

This is the link to all 3 NZ files held for Hugo Harold Davies.
All held in Christchurch

http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/SimpleSearchResults.do

GlasgowLass

GlasgowLass Report 2 Nov 2015 11:13

You may also be interested in this....

Alice was still in England at 1937 and no mention that she ever went to NZ at all?

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=q&hs=1&r=1&results=1&dafdq=&dafmq=&dafyq=&datdq=&datmq=&datyq=&pbq=&sf=&ssnip=&tyq=&t=2&txq=hugo+harold+davies&e=-------10--1----2hugo+davies--&x=16&y=8

ian

ian Report 2 Nov 2015 11:24

very many thanks for the info, the divorce records cannot be seen for 100 years from 1939.
his second wife was hilda caroline
why state his first wife was dead if he divorced in 1939?

ArgyllGran

ArgyllGran Report 2 Nov 2015 11:28

Perhaps he committed bigamy? Said he was divorced when he wasn't?

[EDIT: No, sorry, that's rubbish!
Perhaps he married someone else between Alice and Hilda?]


Long shot, because of the mention of Shrewsbury in that last link provided by GlasgowLass:

Alice May Davies
in the England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007
Name: Alice May Davies
Birth Date: 1 Dec 1904
Date of Registration: Jul 1984
Age at Death: 79
Registration district: Shrewsbury
Inferred County: Shropshire
Volume: 30
Page: 338

Her birth was registered 1st qr 1905 (Atcham) , so that would fit.

ian

ian Report 2 Nov 2015 11:33

thanks ArgyllGran, iam now at a full stop!!

ArgyllGran

ArgyllGran Report 2 Nov 2015 11:42

Does the record which states his wife died in 1943 actually give her name? Was it definitely Alice, or could it have been someone else?

Another thought - perhaps he didn't want to admit he'd been divorced - still a shameful thing in those days.
Or maybe Hilda had religious reasons for not marrying a divorced man.

GlasgowLass

GlasgowLass Report 2 Nov 2015 11:43

Argyllgran,
The newspaper articles are dated 1937
A "divorce file" for Hugo and Alice is held in Christchurch Archives dated 1939

There was definitely divorce proceedings but the details/outcome are not available.

ArgyllGran

ArgyllGran Report 2 Nov 2015 11:46

Thanks, GL - I'd already noticed my mistake with the dates, and amended my earlier post.

GlasgowLass

GlasgowLass Report 2 Nov 2015 12:03

Another thing....
Hugo was a Leut during WW2.

He was injured in 1941 and his next of kin is given as:
Mrs F.G Davies c/o The Auckland Hotel.

Was this a known relative or was he married and widowed , sometime between the divorce from Alice in 1939 and remarriage to Hilda in 1945??

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19411208.2.17.3&srpos=21&e=--1935---1945--10--21----0hugo+davies--

GlasgowLass

GlasgowLass Report 2 Nov 2015 12:10

Forget my last post......Mrs FG Davies was his mother.

Name: Hugo Harold Davies
Embarkation: 1940-1941
Army Number: 11019
Last Residence: Christchurch, New Zealand
Relative Name: Mrs F G Davies
Relationship: Mother
Nominal Roll: 1 Jul 1940 - 31 Mar 1941

ian

ian Report 3 Nov 2015 09:54

thanks GlasgowLass for the info