Fred Gates, Raunds

[Rataouille]

My grandfather Fred Lawson started life as Fred Gates in Raunds in Northamptonshire, son of Mr and Mrs Thomas Gates. For some reason he changed his name to Herbert Frederick (Fred) Lawson during the first World War, apparently choosing the name Lawson from a street name in Raunds just yards from the Gates family home. In October 1915 he was awarded the military medal for action on the Somme but there is no longer any record of why the medal was given. Four months later he married my grandmother in Cheltenham as Fred Lawson but was back in France again and injured in August 1916.  There is an article from the Peterborough Advertiser in 1916 about three Gates brothers all injured in France around the same time, Fred, Walter and Earnest. (See attachment)
According to my mother (Fred’s daughter) Fred lived out the rest of his life as Fred Lawson, living and working as a cobbler in Cheltenham, occasionally disappearing for a few months at a time, with letters addressed to Gates in Raunds and occasional visits from ‘uncle’ Walter Gates.
Can anyone help with information about the medal or the change of name? Are there any living descendants of the Gates family who could shed some light on this puzzle?

[Victor Harvey]

Hi Rataouille,
Welcome to RootsChat.
Herbert Frederick LAWSON married Florence Elizabeth Rachel BREWSTER at the Register Office, 1916 Cheltenham 6a 656 Mar Qtr.
Victor

[Victor Harvey]

Hi,
Me again. I thought I'd see if there were any children and found the following:-
Kenneth LAWSON b.1919 Cheltenham 6a 582 Mar Qtr
Mary B. LAWSON b.1922 Cheltenham 6a 710 Sep Qtr
Victor

[Rataouille]

Thanks Victor,

Kenneth and Mary are my uncle and mother

[larkspur]

Class: RG13; Piece: 612; Folio: 90; Page: 28
Fred Gates aged 19 is in Aldershot on the 1901, in the Army service corps cleaning area?
Class: RG12; Piece: 1221; Folio: 89; Page: 8; GSU roll: 6096331
1891 Fred Gates aged 7, with parents Thomas and Susan

Baptism 15 July 1883 Raunds
Fred Gates
Parents Thomas and Susan

[seahall]

Welcome to Rootschat Rataouille.

There is an article about him here Rataouille http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=181675

He has a medal card on Anc*** under Sgt Fred Gates No. 16972

I have the war diary and like Steve says I can not see him mentioned by name.

Sandy

[seahall]

There is a service record for Ernest of Burton Latimer.

Also a Medal Roll award for Fred and Walter.

Sandy

[whiteout7]

Due to the fact I have a suspicious mind I would immediately think that he was married to another woman before 1915. He couldn't use the name he married the first wife with (his birth name)  to marry Florence BREWSTER or he would get charged with bigamy and so had to keep living out the lie (his new name).

Keeping his name in the Army wasn't a problem because if wife number one didn't know he was married to someone else as well she could cause any trouble - practical?

Although how you would prove this even with a list of possible marriages, dna tests on living decendants from his secret family, if there were any?

[Rataouille]

Thanks seahall, larkspur and whiteout7,

We've thought of bigamy but I can find no record of other marriages. The military medal has his name as Sgt Fred Gates No. 16972. Wasn't aware of the medal card or medal roll for Fred and Walter. How do I check these out?