MURKING, Rowland Thomas 1892-1915 - WW1

[fullscott]

Mis-filed as MARKING (& mis-recorded as RONALD Thomas) in the WW1 Service Records (WO 363):

Rowland Thomas MURKING enlisted 7 January 1915 with the Royal West Kents (Pte 5354).
Missing presumed dead September 1915.

Declared age 22y 46d, born Gravesend;
Home address: Northfleet, Kent;
Brothers: William A (c1886) & Harold C (c1894);
Half-brother: Horace G (c1898);
Sister: Daisy H SADDINGTON (c1888) - home address Bromley;
Half-sister: Ivy F (c1904).

Anc****y, MAR, pages 39502-39523

[Lesley Robertson]

CWGC lists him as G/5354 Pte Ronald Thomas of the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Rgt) and gives his date of death as 26 Sept 1915. Since he's on the Loos Memorial, that's probably a guestimate.

Soldiers Who Died also gives him as Ronald and KIA. Also that he was in the 8th Btn, enlisted in Gravesend.

If I have the right family in the 1911 (stepmother Fanny, sibs at home Cyril, Harrold, Horace, Ivy; only Horace & Ivy young enough to be Fanny's as she says she's been married 13 years with 2 kids) for Gravesend, they list him as Roland.

Poor guy, nobody got either side of his name right OR his mother!

1901 gives Dad as John W, a baker. Rowland is actually spelled Rowland. Age is given as 8.
1891 gives the family name as Mashing - someone has corrected it AND the kids forenames are distinctive. The wife (and presumably mother of the kids older than Horace as Sarah A "Masching".

From FreeBMD, it looks as though she was Sarah Ann Friend, married 1883 N. Aylesford.