ROBERT BRADLEY Pte, King's Own Scottish Borderers

[kenmorrison]

Help with  a pension records please.

There seems to be a record for a Robert Bradley, Pte. 10242 of the King's Own Scottish Borderers - discharged in 1913.

If it's "my man" he was serving with the 1st KOSB in India in 1911 - aged 20 and born in Galashiels, Selkirkshire.

He was born there in 1891 to Peter and Janet (Brunton) Bradley and a man with the same family details died in Edinburgh in 1916 (of TB) and was working as a lamplighter.

The "odd" thing is that he has made it on to the Galashiels War Memorial and a local church memorial.

So have I got the correct man?

 

Thanks

Ken 

[Coldstreamer]

its quite common to be on unexpected memorials - Ive seen it where the memorial used is where the widow moved to 

[kenmorrison]

It's the fact that he is on any memorial that puzzles me.

If it is the same man, then he did not appear to have served in the war.

I was hoping that the pension record would identify him as the man I think he is.

Ken

[charlie962]

Robert Bradley 10242 of the KOSB,  born in Galashiels and enlisted aged 18y 2m in Aug 1908 in the KOSB on a 5/12 basis. He was posted to 1st Bn on 18/1/11  and served East Indies 8/1/1911-3/4/1913 at which point he was invalided home and discharged unfit on 23/5/13, giving intended place of residence 121 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh.

His next of kin was his sister Mrs Nellie Ainsley of 44 Croft St, Galashiels. He was a Roman Catholic.

 

Clearly this is the same man on the 1st KOSB Census return 1911, aged 20, born Galashiels

 

There is a Galashiels Roman Catholic Baptism of Robertus  Bradley born 3/6/1891 bapt 21/6/1891 son of Peter and Janet Bradley (nee Brunston).

 

My reading of these two records is that they are probably the same man, with Robert fibbing and adding a year to his age to be able to enlist. It would be useful to verify a 1901 census to see if his sister Nellie (Helen?) is there but I could not find one.

 

There is a 1901 Census for Monklands for a Robert Bradley aged 10, born Galashiels but with parents Peter and Elizabeth and no sister Nellie ? There is a tree on Ancestry that links this to 1911 census with Robert in the KOSB but there are some inconsistancies in that tree so I would not rely on it.

 

 

 

Does this help ?

 

charlie

 

 

[kenmorrison]

Charlie - thank you so much! That helps a lot.

To deal with his mother's name - Janet Brunton died in 1895 and his father Peter re-married to Elizabeth Nixon in 1896 in Galashiels.

 

Robert is also named on the Our Lady and St Andrew Roman Catholic Church memorial in Galashiels - so that also fits with your findings. I'm glad you found his birth and baptism details from the church record as the civil record at that time was "messy".

Part of Galashiels fell under Ladhope Parish, Melrose, Selkirkshire at that time - but the civil records are kept as Ladhope, Roxburghshire.

 

Nellie remains a bit of a mystery (for now!)

 

Robert did live in Edinburgh after he left the army but with a sister Mrs. Jessie (Bradley) Mooney and it was she who registered his death.

 

Thanks to your research my notes now read:

PTE. ROBERT BRADLEY. King's Own Scottish Borderers

Not listed by CWGC. 

Robert Bradley – age 24 – Private (10242) 1^st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers.

Robert enlisted in August 1908 and in 1911 he was serving with the 1^st KOSB in India. He was discharged from the army as unfit in May 1913.

He was working as a lamp lighter in Edinburgh and living with his sister Mrs. Jessie (Bradley) Mooney at 4 Dundee Place when he died of tuberculosis in the City Hospital, Morningside.

Born 1891 in Galashiels [Ladhope, Roxburghshire] 

Son of the late Janet (Brunton) Bradley (died 1895) and of the late Peter Bradley (died 1908) and step-son of Elizabeth Mary (Nixon) Bradley. 

Died – 15 May 1916.

Burial place not known.

 

Ken