Seeking information on my Great Grandfather

[Post-it]

Hi

I'm trying to track down information about my Great Grandfather who was in the Boar War.

His name was Francis Little Fee. He was born on 28 10 1867 at Ballylesson in County Down.

According to the 1901 Irish census the family were living at 71 Canmore Street in Belfast and he is listed as a Private in the East Lancashire Regiment on furlough.
https://www.census.nationalarchives.i...Street/986146/
https://www.census.nationalarchives.i.../nai000354397/

The 1911 census shows him as working as a driller in the shipyard, so presumably he left the Service in the intervening years.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Robert

[gortonboy]

THE 1901 CENSUS SHOWS HIM AGE 28 ?? So born c 1873 ??

[gortonboy]

how do you know he was in the BOER war? what is your source?

[Post-it]

My Grandfather had told us that his father was in the Boar war, but he knew no other details.

[gortonboy]

just for timeline,,,,he married May McKeown in 1896,,and was a soldier. Is that correct?

he is shown as age 25,,,so his birth would now be c 1871 ?

[Post-it]

In the 1911 census he appears to be 40, so I guess he can't count! :-) I have a copy of his birth entry in the birth register and it is 28 October 1867. However, what he told the army could be different.

[gortonboy]

i have searched without giving an age,,and can find no military records at all for him?

[Post-it]

Yes he married Margaret Mary Agnes McKeown on 24 Feb 1896. My Grandfather was born on 23 Jun 1898. I don't know how long he was in the army. According to my Grandfather he fought in the Boer war and the 1901 Census is the only information I have iro his service record.

[christanel]

I have searched for a Francis Fee, just a Francis, just a Fee, variations on Fee such as See, variations on Francis. Also searched just using East Lancashire regiment. I even used the surname Little with variants of first name. None produced any result worth considering. All of these searches without using the regiment. When the regiment was entered with any variation of name there were no results. I also searched the Boer war period using just the East Lancashire Regiment without a result. I used Forces War Records, Findmypast and ancestry.

You can read about the east Lancashire regiments involvement in the Boer War here

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Christina

[Post-it]

Christina

Thanks for your help. It is a bit of a mystery. His father was also called Francis Little Fee and was a school teacher, but died in the Belfast Workhouse in 1873 when my Great Grandfather would have been 6 or 7. I suspect, like a lot of others he may have lied about his age to join the army to escape poverty, which would explain the the age discrepancies.

Robert