Moranthorse1 wrote: "His Attestation documents would no longer exist, as a deceased man, they would most likely have been destroyed."
Thanks for that, it explains why overall my Smethwickians seemed to have had a charmed life. I am hampered by Smethwick never creating a Boer War Memorial to the fallen - the only one there is commemorates 26 volunteers of whom 25 survived. Quite how I find the fallen, except those mentioned in the Smethwick Telephone, is a bit beyond me at the moment.
Moranthorse1 also wrote "There is also a J. Carrington commemorated on the Birmingham Boer War Memorial in Cannon Hill Park. This shows his connection to both towns."
I have now completed piecing together Private 4203 J Carrington's life story before his death in S Africa. It runs as follows:
John was born Q1 1873 in Dudley, his father was born in Wolverhampton & his mother in West Bromwich. At the time of the 1881 census the family lived in Dudley. John was the 7th of 9 children, the two eldest were born in Sedgley, all the rest in Dudley except for the 7th (Elizabeth) who was 4 years younger than John and was born in Smethwick. So, the family almost certainly lived for a time in Smethwick and possibly up to 5 years. John’s parents died before the 1891 census, when John was living with a married brother and his family in Dudley. In Q4 1899 John married Emily Attwell in Dudley. Emily was born in the Potteries but her two younger siblings were born in Dudley. In 1900 Emily lived in Union Passage, Smethwick and presumably that is where John enjoyed his very short married life before leaving for S Africa. By the time of the 1901 census she had moved back to Dudley and her two younger siblings were living with her. So, John does not appear to have any association with Birmingham but he does have a double association with Smethwick.
There is an interesting aftermath:
Emily had it doubly hard – firstly a widow after a few months of marriage of which she probably only enjoyed the company of her husband for a night or two. Secondly, she married again in Dudley in 1907 to Henry “Harry” Harrold. They had two children Emily & Frederick. Frederick served in the RAF in WW2 and was killed in a training crash in the UK on 11th May 1943, unmarried & aged 32.
From RAF Commands:
11 May 1943, 24 Operational Training Unit based at Long Marston Airfield, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Whitley V EB353 took off at 0055 hours for a night training exercise, when the starboard engine lost power and a forced-landing became necessary. While doing so, at approximately 0130 hours, the Whitley struck a tree and crashed at Ilmington, 3 miles NW of Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. Sgt Harrold was taken to Dudley (St. John) Churchyard, while Sgt Curry is buried at Chingford Mount Cemetery. Miraculously, Sgt Patterson was thrown clear and he was subsequently admitted to Stratford-upon-Avon Hospital.
Sgt (Pilot) L P PATTERSON - Injured
1199490 Sgt (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Frederick HARROLD RAFVR +
151411 P/O (Air Gnr.) Thomas Bertram CURRY RAFVR +
Incidentally, from the 1881 Dudley address John & his siblings were raised in a back to back.
