Army service in 1880s/1890s

[mijath]

I have some general questions about the army service of an ancestor that I'm struggling to find conclusive answers to.

He enlisted in 1885 and was in the South Lancashire Regiment until 1893, at which point he was in the reserve until 1897. He was a private.

From 1887 to 1893 his record appears to show is was continually abroad. My first question is could he have fathered a child at home in 1892 if his service record states he was in Gibraltar? Did leave exist for soldiers like him?

Secondly, when he was in Britain in the army reserve from 1893 to 1897, were there restrictions on him marrying? He fathered a child in 1896 but did not marry the mother until 1899.


Thanks for any help!

[jim1]

As a Reservist he would have been a civilian but liable to be recalled so he could marry if he wished.
Leave wasn't usual except in exceptional circumstances.