Where is Arthur BROOKS hiding in 1901?

[Darnity]

1911 11 Mill Street Newport Pagnell:

Arthur Brooks 40 born Newport Pagnell (NP)
wife Emma 44 born Olney
son John 15 born NP
dau Elsie 5 born NP

married 20 years 4 children 3 living (I haven't yet worked out who the 4th child was)

1901 20A Mill Street NP

Emma 35 is head of household
son John 4
dau Alice E 8 born NP

But where is Arthur in 1901 - I haven't spotted him yet?

Arthur BROOKS and Emma JOHNSON marry NP reg dist Sep Q 1891

1891 27 Mill Street NP

Arthur Brooks with parents William 50 and Eliza 51 (she is from nearby Sherington). William is a carpenter.
Arthur 20 (probably Dec Q 1870 NP RD) has a brother Thomas (probably Thomas Charles Brooks Sept Q 1868 NP RD) and sisters Margaret (probably Margaret Ellen Brooks Sept Q 1875 NP RD) and Florence (? June Q 1878 NP RD)

1881 22 Mill Street NP

William Brooks (1841) and Eliza (1840) with daughter Alice 1867 born Northampton (possibly the Alice Mary Sep Q 1867 Northampton RD), Thomas 1869, Arthur 1871, Margaret 1876 and Florence 1879 – last four children all born NP as is William and Eliza is born Sherington.

1871 Cemetery Road, NP

William Brooks 1841, Eliza 1840, dau Lizzie 1862 (probably Mar Q 1862 NP RD)  son Andrew 1864 (probably Mar Q 1864 NP RD) plus Alice, Thomas and Arthur from 1881

A William Brooks marries Eliza ROSE June Q 1859 NP RD

1861 probably this William and Eliza at North End, NP – no children

Can anyone spot him for me please? He may well be working away from home as he's a carpenter.

Thanks

[DavidJP]

Hi Darnity,

I suspect that he was fighting in the Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902). There is on FindMyPast a British Army Service Record for an Arthur Brooks born 1869 in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. The record is dated 1903, which I suspect is the year that he possiblly came out of the army.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards

David

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I've done a quick check via the GRO records of Brooks children born NP with mmn Johnson. All named children can be traced - but there is an unnamed Brooks/Johnson baby girl's birth registered Q2 1894 and also a death of a Female Brooks aged 0 Q2  1894. Could be your missing child?

Elsie appears to have been a bit of a late surprise - following Daddy's return from S Africa??

[keyboard86]

Hi the Service Record is him, as the next of kin is his wife Emma Brooks of 20A Mill Road and they had two children, he at attestation 16th May 1903 was signed up for 4 years with The Oxfordshire Light Infantry 43rd & 52nd, and was discharged 15th May 1907, his occupation was that of a Labourer on the L.& N W. Railway Company, Wolverton

He looks possibly to be the Arthur Brooks Service number 28831 Trooper in the 58 ( Buckinghamshire) Company) 15 Battalion Imperial Yeomary in the Boer War.
Keyboard86

[Darnity]

Thanks so very much to DavidJP, Keyboard and Mabel.

I hadn't thought about him going into the services - especially a he seems to have a trade - and that probably explains Elsie.

I had thought about the gap between John and Elsie but hadn't followed up some ideas on locations other than him working elsewhere in England yet.

Thanks also for the possible fourth child - I was going to look in the new GRO index for possibles so you've saved me a job.

The reason behind the query is that Arthur and Emma's son John Richard Brooks is a WWI casualty remembered on the war memorial in NP and we are following his ancestry.

Thanks again

[Ian allen]

Hi
Not sure where jrb senior was, but this link will take you to his son, john richard brooks, who died in 1916

http://www.doverwarmemorialproject.org.uk/NewportPagnell/Great%20War%20Fallen/1SurnamesAandB.htm