WARD changed name to FINCH - why?

[Bemidee]

Our grandfather William James WARD born circa 1867 married Annie Eliza Granger in 1893 when he was a Corporal in the 2nd Dragoon Guards stationed at Canterbury,
By 1894 he was a Sergeant stationed at Rawal Pindi, India and his son was born and baptised there.
These are the only positive records I can find for him, both supplied by the curator of the regiments museum at Cardiff. They hold no further records for him. A professional researcher has checked the National Archives and can find no trace of him.
By 1896 the family is in London using the name FINCH and he appears to have left the army. In 1900 he is back in the 2nd Dragoon Guards as a Sergeant Major ruling out our first theory that he had gone AWOL in India or been court-martialled.
Both names were searched for at Cardiff and The National Archives.

Has anyone out there got any ideas? We are desperate to find out what happened in those two years but have no idea what to do next!
From Bemidee.

[AdeleE]

How did you "connect the dots" between William James Ward & William James Finch?
Can you give us census references for 1891 and 1901 please?

Adele

[Raffaele]

In 1900 he is back in the 2nd Dragoon Guards as a Sergeant Major

By which name is he back in the army ?

[Bemidee]

We have copy of marriage certificate of Corporal William James Ward to Annie Eliza Granger whom we KNOW is our maternal grandmother.
She already had an illigitimate son who is shown on the 1901 and 1911 census along with all the other children for whom we hold birth certificates.
Addresses, other names, witnesses etc are all correct.

The 1901 census reference is RG 13/792
The 1911 census reference is RG14PN2256 RG78PN77 RD26 SD4 ED6 SN426

William James FINCH died in July 1911 soon after the census was taken. My mother-in-law was May Beatrice and only 5years old when her father died. She was told that her father was a soldier but other than that she would never talk about him!

[Bemidee]

Sorry! He is back in the 2nd Dragoon Guards in 1900 as FINCH.

[AdeleE]

I see Annie on the 1901 census:

Annie E Finch, head, mar, 30, living on husband's means, b Canterbury, Kent
Arthur Finch, son, 11, b. ditto
William J Finch, son, 6, b. India
Lily Finch, daur, 4, b. Hoxton, London
Frank Finch, son, 3, b. Wandsworth, London
Harry J Finch, son, 5 months, b. Canterbury, Kent
Nellie Stringer, boarder, single, 21, laundress, b. Bridge, Kent

10 Claremont Place, Canterbury, Kent, England
Class: RG13; Piece: 792; Folio: 152; Page: 11

As William does not appear with the household, do you have a census reference (including folio & page)for William James Finch on the 1901 census?

Do you have a census reference for William James Ward/Finch on the 1891 census?

Do you have a place of birth for William James Ward?

Adele

[Raffaele]

I would suggest the following two alternates:-

William James Ward and William James Finch are two different individuals.
Could William Finch be the father of the illegitimate son. The marriage could have been in tatters in India an on their return and his discharge from the Army she took off with her first partner who is also in the Army. Most families from that time would never own up to it.

Is their a Finch in William Ward ancestry and he adopted it. The only problem is how did he go back into the Army as a Sergeant Major if he did not use his own name and previous service record. Surely he would have to be a private.

There are about 130 William Ward's who died in the London area between 1896 and 1901 but there is no Finch/Ward or Finch/Granger marriage.

My opinion would be option 1. Just pretend the marriage.

[AdeleE]

William James Ward and William James Finch are two different individuals.

That's what I've been thinking too.

Hopefully Bemidee can answer my three questions:

As William does not appear with the household, do you have a census reference (including folio & page)for William James Finch on the 1901 census?

Do you have a census reference for William James Ward/Finch on the 1891 census?

Do you have a place of birth for William James Ward?

I'd like to "see" him on these 2 census records, to put some meat on the bones.

Adele

[Procat]

Please note that there is also information on the Military forum on this thread (now locked)

[Karen Newman]

Hi Bemidee

How many of the birth certs for the children do you have?

Are they all FINCH? Do they show the parent's full names? Father's name WILLIAM JAMES FINCH/WARD? Mother ANNIE ELIZA GRANGER?

What is the father's occupation when he is not in the army?