"Found" in the WW1 Service Records (WO 363) - a very confusing Record for RALPH CLARKE, which looks as though he left his wife (maiden name ANWELL) & had children with another who he may or may not have married (She calls herself Mrs Clarke, the children are all Clarke, and she appears to have used references to the Anwell Marriage Certificate as her proof for Separation Allowance).
Fact: Ralph CLARKE married Olive Gertrude ANWELL by Special Licence at Brixton Registry Office in Jan 1907.
In November 1914 the army received a letter from Olive's brother (E L ANWELL of Clapham) enquiring about Clarke's whereabouts - last heard from in 1906, last heard of in 1910 at Southend. (Using his details from his 12-yr service (to 1906) with the RGA.)
Fact: Ralph CLARKE joined the RFA in September 1914 (he became the BQMS at Woolwich), stating wife as above & 3 children (all born ROCHFORD): ALFRED RALPH 1911, WILLIAM THOMAS 1912, STANLEY LESLIE 1914. (All of whom are registered as mother's maiden name BRISTOW.)
Fact: There was a 4th child - LESLIE MAURICE - who died in Southend aged 4m in April 1917. His father is stated as ALFRED (correct RFA no 15038), mother H E. His birth is registered as Q1 1917 - mmn ANWELL.
Letters from "Mrs CLARKE" are mostly from LEIGH ON SEA, Essex; She is called HILDA (which Clarke explains - when queried - as being a name that she uses).
CLARKE himself claims to be born 1880, Kensington - no Ralph's found, several Alfred's. Hilda Clarke refers to him once as Ralph Alfred, born Fulham.
If anyone can shed any light on this, I'd be grateful! CLARKE survived the war, so hopefully he sorted it out! (My theory is that he was born ALFRED, called himself RALPH, married ANWELL, left her & set up with HILDA who knew the background & called herself CLARKE. Perhaps no bigamist marriage after all! But why use the ANWELL name on the 1917 birth?)
Anc****y, CLA, pages 162744-162781
Results 1 to 7 of 7
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09-09-2017, 9:22 AM #1
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- Nov 2012
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Ralph/Alfred CLARKE b1880 - Bigamist?
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09-09-2017, 3:51 PM #2
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- Feb 2006
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- 438
Hi
I cant find a marriage for a Olive Gertrude Anwell to a Clarke anywhere . In 1907 Olive Gertrude Anwell married Frederick Arthur Hayward in Lamberth i think even by Special license it would still be recorded in the GRO register
Its odd in 1939 there is an Olive G Clarke born 1886 with a husband Alfred R Clarke born 1880 living in Bexley there is an Edith O Clarke with them born 1907 she is Edith Olive
Peanut
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09-09-2017, 4:01 PM #3
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- Feb 2006
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Hi
In 1911 Olive Gertrude Clarke and her daughter Edith Olive Clarke are living with Olives parents John Alfred and Edith Jane Anwell
Peanut
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09-09-2017, 4:57 PM #4
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- Nov 2012
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- St Austell, Cornwall
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Thanks for looking, Peanut.
The marriage is recorded (Q1 1907 Lambeth), but Ralph's page number is difficult to read, so the names need entering separately. HAYWARD's spouse probably has the same "problem". (I have informed GRO of the CLARKE page number - don't know how long before they check it out).
So ... he had a daughter with Olive G, went to Hilda & fathered 4 more children ... but did he go back to Olive by 1939?
The plot thickens!!
Jane
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09-09-2017, 5:42 PM #5
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- Feb 2006
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Hi
It looks like he did they are living at 13 Eaton Road Bexley Kent
Alfred R Clarke his date of birth is 31/8/1880
Olive G Clarke 5/12/1886
Edith O Clarke 22/8/1907
Alfred is a Pointsman Lptb not sure what that is
could be a place to look for a burial
Peanut
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09-09-2017, 6:04 PM #6
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Posts
- 438
Hi
Do you know what happened to Hilda date of birth mayb, its just i found a Hilda Clarke in Sussex
born 1886 she states she is a divorced woman living on her own means, i could he have married this Hilda
Peanut
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10-09-2017, 1:01 AM #7
- Join Date
- Jun 2013
- Location
- Parbold, Lancashire
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- 822
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