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I just cannot let go of this thread. It gets more convoluted the more I dig. Certain things I have been able to establish.

When William's first wife Elizabeth married for a second time in 1918 and claimed to be a widow, she was not telling the truth. Even though it states in the 1911 census that Elizabeth was still married, was it the case that William had already flown the coop (to use a rather quaint expression) by then? If, on the other hand, Elizabeth and William were still actually married (and it was just a case of William being out of the house when the census was taken), why all this malarky with the surname Moore instead of Wilson?

In the 1939 Register William is living with Mary Sherratt (who was born on 1 September 1855) and whose personal occupation is described as 'Unpaid domestic duties' (a euphemistic phrase for 'wife' judging by the register). I have been unable to find a marriage that fits the bill. Perhaps William did not decide to actually get married but simply maintained the pretence that he and Mary were man and wife. Although the birth date for Mary is very handy, I realise that there is virtually no chance of finding Mary's maiden name simply by cross referencing her first name with the birth date - needle in a haystack time, methinks! If anyone has any ideas how to progress further with my attempt to fill in William's 'lost' years I am open to any suggestions.

It would also be interesting to discover when William changed occupations from working in the mines to becoming a locomotive driver. I have noticed that there is a railway connection with the occupations of William's nephew John Halsall and also his father Richard Halsall.

Regards

Doddie

In conjunction with my other thread - thank you heywood for posting the link, I utterly forgot to do that myself so engrossed was I in my searching! - I have  made progress. john Halsall was indeed William's nephew. He was the son of William's sister Anne/Ann (born in Ince in about 1851). Further details are of course contained in the link. I have also discovered some other information. 154 Upholland Road was the site of the old Billinge Hospital (now the site of a new housing estate, so I understand). Until 1930 it was called the Wigan Union Hospital.

Regards

Doddie

Hello, I am looking for help in finding out information about a gentleman called J. Halsall. Unfortunately I do not have a first name. In March of 1947 his name appears on a death certificate as the informant. His address is given as 49 Netherley Road, Wigan (the Coppull area, I think). His relationship to the deceased is given as nephew. The deceased is William Henry Sherratt. William is the subject of another long post of mine, I know. I apologise for starting another one but I do not wish to clutter up the previous post. I wish to focus attention on Mr Halsall in the hope that his name (along with the connection with the address) may catch somebody's eye.

Regards

Doddie

Good spot avm228, I will order a copy of the death certificate asap. Hope there is some helpful information. I just wish the BMD certificates in England were as detailed as the ones in Scotland. I have a strange feeling that the identity of the informant may be of little help. If William was a widower when he died and had no children after setting out on his  new life after his relationship with Elizabeth had foundered there may have been no family to act as informant on his death. I will have to rely on other information to corroborate whether the death certificate is that of 'my' William. On the 1939 Register William's occupation was 'Railway engine driver, retired'. Maybe I can try and follow a job timeline to find out more.

Regards

Doddie