Divorce

[avotier]

If someone marries 3 times but doesn't divorce wife number one are the other 2  marriages illegal.

[iluleah]

Yes

[avotier]

So what would that make any children  from the following 2 marriages.

Also am I   pushing my luck here is there anyway I can find the army number and regiment of Bernard Joseph Murphy WW2.

[iluleah]

So what would that make any children  from the following 2 marriages.

Born outside of marriage/illegitimate. Although there must have been many children in the past who think their parents were married and it is only later on when people research and find out they weren't.

[avotier]

Does that affect the children when it comes to legal matters such as wills etc when there are children from different wives/partners in this case.

[iluleah]

Now......... If he recognised the children, so his name was on their birth cert no, if he didn't then any illegitimate children couldn't prove he was their father. In the past illegitimate children were not recognised in law. ( I think the law changed in 1926)

Wills are a strange one, as a person can write a Will giving everything to the local cats home and exclude all and any children, of course Wills can be challenged although that is an expensive legal game.

[avotier]

Thank you for all this info all new to me but not very nice for the children to find out things like this.

Its an uncle of mine dead now  as are all his 3 wives as you say I was doing the family tree when I found this all out.

[iluleah]

oowww... so a shock!
Are you sure it is the same man and not just a man with the same name, living in the same area?

[rosie99]

Do his later marriages state he is a bachelor