Alfred Reginald Darby - 304096

[*Sandra*]

Commonwealth War Graves Commission are looking for relatives of Private Alfred Reginald Darby - 304096 Air Mechanic (2nd class) - died 12/7/1921 -
The Commission is in the process of producing a headstone for Pvt Alfred Reginald Darby.
Alfred aged 31
School of Technical Training (Halton) Royal Air Force
Husband of Florence Darby of Scarisbrick, Lancs.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/75463303/darby,-alfred-reginald/

Alfred Reginald Darby 19 February 1890 London New Brompton and aged 28 years
Service Date 4 Oct 1918 - Service Number 304096 - Spouse Florence Darby
Next of Kin Florence Darby -Relation to Airman Wife

Probably married first quarter 1918 - Oldham Lancashire to Florence Brierley.  8f 865 under Reginald A Darby - 

5 January 1918 - Reginald A Darby - East Crompton, St James, Lancashire. Aged 26 years - Bachelor - Father Alexander Darby.  Spouse Florence Brierley aged 24 years - spinster -- father John William Brierley.

If you can help, please contact https://www.cwgc.org/contact-us

Sandra

[*Sandra*]

Facebook entry with info..............

https://ms-my.facebook.com/scarisbrickrollofhonour/posts/alfred-reginald-darby-or-reginald-alfred-darby-records-are-inconsistant-air-mech/2297047650537984/

Alfred Reginald Darby (or Reginald Alfred Darby, records are inconsistant), Air Mechanic 2nd Class, Royal Air Force. Alfred's origins are unclear and I haven't been able to trace his birth or census records, but it appears he was born in London on 12 July in either 1890 or 1891 to Thomas (or Alexander) and Mary Darby.

In 1915, Alfred married Celia Elizabeth Frost at Hull. At the time he was a fisherman, and in May 1916 he was enrolled into the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve's Trawler Section. However, in October that year he was invalided with tuberculosis of the lungs. He applied for re-entry in 1917 but was again found to be medically unfit.

It's not clear what happened to his first wife, but in January 1918 he was married for a second time to Florence Brierley at Oldham. Though it appears that Alfred had no children of his own, he would have become step-father to Florence's daughter Ruby who was born in 1911.

Alfred did succeed in joining the Royal Air Force on 4 October 1918, but following the Armistice he was once again discharged from service with tuberculosis given as the cause. His address on discharge was at Romford in Essex, but towards the end of his life he had somehow found his way to Scarisbrick, living at Mill Brow and Blindman's Lane. He died at Ormskirk Union Workhouse on 12 July 1921, aged 31 years, having finally succumbed to his illness. He is buried at Crompton Cemetery near Oldham.

Sandra