Hedley Malloch Posted 5 December , 2002 Share Posted 5 December , 2002 One often comes across the term 'served as ...' on headstones and registers indicating that the name used by the soldier on enlistment was not his real one. These intrigue me. What were the reasons why soldiers changed their names?. Anyone done any research on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 5 December , 2002 Share Posted 5 December , 2002 Hi Hedley One of the reasons I have come across, for changing names, was to do with the family name being German / Austrian. There is one case among many, of a soldier from Scotland being known as Greenwood while his family name was Grenvuld. Myrtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 5 December , 2002 Share Posted 5 December , 2002 Hi Hedley There was a study done on this in the AIF by Lt-Col Neil Smith in which he has found 3000 aliases were used in the Australian forces. As he says "It is fair to say that a soldier who enlisted under another name had something to hide from someone. There may not have been anything unlawful the soldier felt he needed to conceal, but the reason really boils down to one of two motivating needs. Firstly the perceived requirements to avoid revealing his true identity from the authorities because of some militarily unacceptable reason or secondly, to conceal his military service for a domestic or social reason" Such reasons are then given for using an alias such as deserting ship while in the Royal Navy, to cover up being to young or old, to conceal enlistment from a spouse etc. 'What's in a Name - Aliases of the Australian Military Forces 1914-1919' by Lt-Col Neil Smith AM - Mostly Unsung Military Research ISBN 0 646 25124 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 5 December , 2002 Share Posted 5 December , 2002 A relative of mine changed his name from an Irish one to an English one. No doubt some of the prejudices that still linger today were around in 1914-15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoeG Posted 5 December , 2002 Share Posted 5 December , 2002 My uncle served under an assumed name and led me quite a dance trying to track him down. He was discharged from the Army in 1912 on medical grounds, having served five years in the 2nd Battalion Ox. and Bucks. Determined both to fight in WW1 and not to lose his pension he chose another name, and another regiment in 1915. The pension continued for a long time, unfortunately he paid the ultimate price in 1916. Cheers Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 5 December , 2002 Share Posted 5 December , 2002 As has already been said, the reasons for assumed names were many and various. I have found examples of men who changed their name both because it was foreign or because it was open to having fun poked at it by felow tommies (ie BUMSTEAD - sorry to any Bumsteads reading this). There are also examples of people who assumed their brother's or uncle's name to appear older etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 5 December , 2002 Share Posted 5 December , 2002 My favourite (and I wish I had known him, for he surely had a well-developed sense of humour) is on the Menin Gate: Atkinson - served as A Duty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raster Scanning Posted 6 December , 2002 Share Posted 6 December , 2002 I researched a man from my village war memorial who I thought probably had a false name, only to find it was real. The name? Norman Conquest. What were his parents thinking of? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Grundy Posted 6 December , 2002 Share Posted 6 December , 2002 I know of one man who had deserted from the pre-war regular army and re-enlisted on the outbreak of the Great War. He was not punished when this was discovered for his honourable conduct in re-enlisting. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 6 December , 2002 Share Posted 6 December , 2002 I make a guess having just visited Gallipoli that this was more common in Australian forces, the amount of these men at Lone Pine alone is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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