WW1 Look up request!

[Terri231186]

Hi Everyone,

Got a bit of a family mystery to solve and was wondering if anyone can shed any light.

A family member's father confessed on his deathbed that he had lived his whole life using a stolen identity.  And gave his children copies of his real birth and baptism certificates and said they could change their names to their real name if they want to.

We are now trying to find out more information on his family as he was actually adopted.

The information on the birth certificate is:
Born 1915 14th December at 108 My Lady's Road Belfast.
Name: Joseph Vincent O'reilly
Father: Joseph O'reilly of 108 My Lady's Road
Mother: Mary O'reilly Formally Ayrs
Fathers Occupation: Army Volunteer
Present at birth Mary McCaffrey 19 Ballarat St.
Birth Registered: 29th December 1915

If anyone could shed any light on this gentleman's military career it would be very much appreciated:

Father: Joseph O'reilly of 108 My Lady's Road
Fathers Occupation: Army Volunteer

Many thanks

Terri
x x x x

[MargP]

Hi

I have looked at the WW1 records but with no luck, have you found the marriage record for Joseph and Mary  to see who there parents were, have you got any of census for them.

Margp

[Terri231186]

The nearest marriage I can find is:

Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958 for Joseph Reilly

name:   Joseph Reilly
registration district:   Dublin North
event type:   MARRIAGES
registration quarter and year:   Jan - Mar 1915
volume number:   2
page number:   557

Corresponding with:
Mary Ellen Ayres same vol and page.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/MFLD-934/p1

But need to order the certificate to see if it is them.

Terri
x x x x

[MargP]

Hi Terri

The marriage is possibility, I think that if you send for this and it is not them, you will know that you need to look else where, Looking at Joseph's occupation Army volunteer, this sound's like he was not in a regiment, I am wondering if he was in some sort of Home Guard?

Marg

[MargP]

Hi Terri

Another thought why was Joseph Vincent adopted, did Joseph die and Mary could not cope with a child on her own?

Marg

[Terri231186]

This what I thought that he may have died in the war and she was left alone.

Also I thought army volunteer meant he wasn't conscripted and that he joined of his own free will.

Terri
X x x

[MargP]

I am not sure about the Army Volunteer, I have 3 birth certificate's for my dads children with his first wife, all born during WW1, they have his regiment  on them, unless he had only just joined and had not been assigned a regiment, perhaps someone will come along and clarify this for us.

I have had another look at the Army Records with various spelling's of the name, but no luck only 30% of them survived.

I think that the only lead you have got at the moment, is the marriage for Joseph and Mary, do you know at what age Joseph Vincent was when he was adopted, and was it done by the courts or just a private agreement, I don't think it became legal in England until the late 1920's but I am not sure about Ireland

Marg