Please help me find John Henry Harpham

[sheryl]

John Henry Harpham was my paternal Great Grandfather. He lived from 1866-1940. He lived in Lincolnshire all his life. All we know is that he was in the army at some point. Unable to find out much at all.

[timbo58]

Hello, just as a quick look I did check for a medal card for WWI but there's nothing there. Unsurprising as he would have been 48 at the outbreak but worth a look just to rule that out anyway.

[Lesley Robertson]

Where have you looked?
If he's the John Henry Harpham married to Emily Tattershall, the 1911 census says that he was a general carrier and railway agent. Born Upton, Lincs. In 1901, he was selling iron and hardware in Lincoln. In 1891 he was a general labourer in Lincoln.
Obviously he wasn't a career soldier.

He would have been 48 in 1914. When conscription started in 1916, it was for men 18-41. It wasn't until 1918 that the age limit was raised to 51.
It looks pretty unlikely that he was conscripted.

[sheryl]

Hi thanks. Yes that is him. He married Emily in 1891 and we have photos of him in uniform with and without her. I thought that he was maybe too old old for WW 1. Is there any more I can find out about him, or is that all? I have found his grandson John Franklin Harpham who was in the Navy who died in 1942. Not looked for others yet.

[Lesley Robertson]

Interesting.... Have you identified the uniform?
It's possible that at the time of the 1891 census, he'd just come out of the army which would explain his being a general labourer in Lincoln... What did he say about his occupation on his marriage registration?
Thanks to the Empire, Britain had troops all over the place!

[sheryl]

Not able to identify the uniform, just that it is army. He has three v 's on his left upper arm. There is a badge on his left shoulder which I can not read, but appears to look the shape of an anchor, although he was not in the Navy that we know of. Not got a copy of his marriage certificate yet. These things get expensive. My subscription has run out and I can not see the census for 1891 for his occupation and my record does not say.

[sheryl]

Just been looking at The Royal Artillery website. Linkhttps://www.photodetective.co.uk/RArtillery.html His uniform is like the one on the left but the shoulder badge looks different and does not have anything above the v stripes.

[Pam Downes]

When my grandfather was born in 1900 on his birth certificate his father was described as 'General labourer and Reservist 4th Battalion Norfolk Regiment', so it's possible that although John had a uniform he was just a reservist.

In the 1891 census he and Emily are living in Spencer Street, in the civil parish of St Botolph, Lincoln. RG12/2590 folio 17 page 28
John's 24, a general labourer, born Upton
Emily is 23, born Louth

Pam

[Lesley Robertson]

Unfortunately I can't get the photodetective site to load. Do the Vs have the arrow pointed towards his hands or his shoulder? Could be a rank if they're pointing down. It would have to be between 1881 and 1891.
In 1881 he was living in Upton with his grandparents, George (74) and Abigail (68) Franklin, aged 14,an ag lab. George is also an ag lab. However, he wasn't an orphan, his parents and 7 other kids are in the 1891, still in Upton.
Pity they didn't do the census more often!

On second thoughts, do you think that the photos were taken in 1891, for the wedding, or could they be later? A spell in the army might explain the jump from gen lab to seller of hardware, and they were recruiting in the 1890s for India and then Africa. My GGparents got the whole family photographed just before GUncle George left for the Anglo Boer War.

[Lesley Robertson]

Have a look at the badges just above the admission prices on the left HERE. Could that be your anchor?

There is an entry for 3323 Private J Harpham of the Duke of Cornwall's for the South African Medal, having been at Paardeberg, Dreifontein,Jo'berg and Cape Colony. This medal was issued in 1901, and John is in the 1901 census for Upton, so he should have been there on census night. Ancestry shows him as 8823, but it's clearly 33 on the original page. He also got the South Africa 1902 and has the note "discharged" beside his name.
There's also 3323 Private J Harpham on a list for the India Medal 1895 with clasps for Punjab & Tirah, issued in 1898. He's in the 1st Bn DCLI (Duke of Cornwall's).