Reducing your age!

[iwccc]

I have a birth certificate which has been altered to read 1919 instead of 1914.  Can anyone suggest a reason why my male relative would have put his age back by 5 years.  It could be an illegitimate  birth - but why put it back 5 years and not just one or two years.
Would it be to avoid the military?  what age did you need to be to serve?
Was there other work situations that required you to be younger e.g. apprenticeships, work placements etc.
Any light on this would be most helpful.  thank you

[wivenhoe]

How have you identified your male relative to be the person who altered the birth date?

What is the date of issue of the document you are seeing....image of original, and issued.........1914?........or acquired at a later date?

[isobelw]

I know from your other thread that a 1914 birth would mean the child was conceived out of wedlock and the certificate may have been altered to cover this up. Is it possible that the father was away serving in the military until 1919 and a birth recorded for any of the intervening years would have raised further questions.