James MURPHY c1874/1884-1922, Batley, - WW1

[fullscott]

This man served as James CLARKE, and so is "mis-filed" in the WW1 Service Records (WO 363):

James MURPHY, of BATLEY, Yorkshire, joined the KOYLI on 29 September 1893 (as CLARKE), declaring age 18y 1m. He served as Pte 4372 until 1909.
On the outbreak of war he enlisted (as CLARKE) with the KOYLI (Regt No 2662) on 1 September 1914, declaring age 41y 19d. Transferred to the W Yorks Regiment (Regt No 26651). Discharged April 1918 (illness).

Married to ANNIE, he died of Pneumonia in November 1922.

Both his enlistment ages imply that he was born c1874, but GRO shows age at death to be 38y - which implies he was born c1884. Perhaps a GRO clerical error?

Anc****y, CLA, pages 143909 to 143933

[Lesley Robertson]

There is a James Murphy aged 7 in the 1881 for Batley, but he's not there in the '91. Son of Thomas, widowed Irish mason's labourer. 4 brothers plus 2 neighbouring houses with coal mining Murphys...

On the '81, it's stated that the boys were all born in Birstall, but in the '71, it's the wrong Murphys listed as born there... And I can't find the family in earlier census desite a claim that they were all, from John b. 1854, born in the same place...