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Ok, I have been digging some more and found out who I think is Joseph Briggs.  His name is Joseph Clarke Briggs born in Ulverston, Lancashire, England in 1868.  His niece Florence Briggs married Maria's son Charles Henry McLean (although I don't have a marriage date or record but it must have been in South Africa or maybe they never actually married).  I know that Joseph Clarke Briggs was living at 31b Bezuidenhout Street, Troyeville, Johannesburg in 1918/19.  I got this information from Florence Briggs military documents in the British National Archives.  She was in the Women's Auxiliary and she asked to be released on compassionate grounds to go and live with her uncle in South Africa after her father died in early 1918 and she had no other support.  Unfortunately I still can't find out any more information about Joseph Clarke Briggs within South Africa so I am still at a bit of a dead end.  I searched in Zimbabwe to but no luck.

It is possible that she moved to another country like Rhodesia or England but I don't really have any information on that.  If she left Alexander in about 1906 then she must have taken all of the children with her.  The only child that I am sure about is Charles Henry McLean born in 1901.  The other children that I suspect are theirs but not too sure about are Victor Bingle Briggs born about 1996, Alexander McLean born about 1898, Mary McLean born about 1899, Verna McLean born about 1901, William McLean born about 1902 and Harriet Elizabeth Mary McLean born about 1904.  I have very little information on these other children so maybe there are some clues there too.  The fact that Charles married Florence Briggs might also be throwing me off because I don't know if Florence's surname is just a coincidence or not or is directly related to others that were obviously close to the family at the time.

I believe it is probably Johannesburg.  I now know (thanks to the kind members of this forum) that Alexander Bingle McLean died in Turffontein, Johannesburg on 13 October 1918 and I know that Alexander and Maria's son Charles Henry McLean was born at Elandsfontein, Johannesburg on 8 September 1901.  I see on Alexander's Death Notice that his wife (presumably Maria) had deserted him 12 years before his death which would make her leaving about 1906.

Thankyou so much, yes that is him.    I do have their marriage certificate which I have attached.  I tried to find this information at familysearch too but I must be such an amateur at it.