Military Chat

Im looking for information of Roberts service in the First world War. To date I have info that he served in the Machine Gun Corps. I believe he was an under age volunteer, he was born August 1900.

For our reference:

Robert Pretoria Gurney
in the London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932
Name: Robert Pretoria Gurney - Private, MGC
Gender: Male
Marriage Age: 21
Record Type: Marriage
Birth Date: abt 1897
Marriage Date: 13 May 1918
Marriage Place: St Mary, Lambeth, Lambeth, England
Father: Jone Gurney
Spouse: Alice Maud Gutheridge

Born in London, and died in London 1971.

Very many WW1 army records have not survived.

On the forceswarrecords website there's a record dated 1914 for a Robert Gurney, Private, Machine Gun Corps, service number 138566.

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/ww1-records

However, I don't have a sub to that site, so can't see the details, and have no idea if he's your Robert or not.

If that's him, he certainly must have lied about his age.


That person on Ancestry:

Robert Gurney
in the UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
Name: Robert Gurney
Military Year: 1914-1920
Rank: Private
Company: WO 329
Regiment or Corps: Machine Gun Corps
Regiment Number: 138566
Medal Awarded: British War Medal and Victory Medal


That Robert Gurney was declared a deserter on 24/10/1919, and his medals were not sent.

Nothing on FMP

But, as stated above, only a small percentage (abt 30) of WW1 records have survived.

Don't know what happened to his wife Alice Maud.

I expect you have all this, but in case not - - - - - -

Robert Pretoria Gurney
in the London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965
Name: Robert Pretoria Gurney
Electoral Date: 1925
Ward or Division/Constituency: Lambeth
County or Borough: Lambeth, England
Address: 3 Burnett Street

Same address in 1926.

No wife with him in either year.

Before 1939 he's with a new partner, Caroline, whom he didn't marry until 1941.
She had had two previous husbands:

Robert Gurney
in the 1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Robert Gurney
Gender: Male
Marital status: Married
Birth Date: 14 Aug 1900
Residence Year: 1939
Address: 1 Notley Street S E 5
Residence Place: Camberwell, London, England
Occupation: Gas Worker H W
Schedule Number: 44
Sub Schedule Number: 1
Enumeration District: AEHP
Registration district: 25-2
Inferred Spouse: Caroline Gurney
Inferred Children: Ronald Gurney
Household Members:
Name
Robert Gurney - gas worker (also Civil Defence GL )
Caroline Gurney
Charles R Chance
[ 2 closed records ]
Ronald Gurney - 17 Sept 1937 (mms Newman)
[ a third closed record ]


Caroline Chance
in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Caroline Chance
Registration Date: Jul 1941
[Aug 1941]
[Sep 1941]
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration district: Camberwell
Inferred County: London
Spouse: Robert P Gurney
Volume Number: 1d
Page Number: 1541


Caroline Sheppey
in the London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932
Name: Caroline Sheppey
[Caroline Newman]
Gender: Female
Marriage Age: 23
Record Type: Marriage
Birth Date: abt 1896
Marriage Date: 3 Aug 1919
Marriage Place: St Clement, Barnsbury, Islington, England
Father: John Newman
Spouse: Charles Richard Chance
Register Type: Parish Register


Caroline Newman
in the London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932
Name: Caroline Newman
Gender: Female
Marriage Age: 19
Record Type: Marriage
Birth Date: abt 1895
Marriage Date: 29 Apr 1914
Marriage Place: St James, St Pancras, Camden, England
Spouse: William Charles Shippey
Register Type: Parish Register

Deaths Jun 1969 (>99%)
GURNEY Alice Maud 2Oc1892 Hillingdon 5c 694

That woman was single and her birth is wrong

1939
21 Colham Avenue, Hillingdon, Yiewsley and West Drayton U.D., Middlesex, England
Amelia Gurney 24 Jun 1861 Female Unpaid Domestic Dutie Widowed 75 1
Alice M Gurney 02 Oct 1892 Female Cleaner Hillingdon Hosp Single 75 2

Gurney's wife

Name: Alice Maud Guttridge
Gender: Female
Record Type: Baptism
Baptism Date: 17 Mar 1897
Baptism Place: Lambeth St Mary the Less, Lambeth, England
Father: Charles Guttridge
Mother: Jane Guttridge
Register Type: Parish Registers

Not that James seems interested!