Part of his service record is on Find My Past
Go to Military and look under William Dickens born Kensington age 19
It gives a service number of 402573.
Then I think two files have been mixed up during filming or by human error.
The service number 402573 is crossed through and 127683 stamped on the record.
The second number belongs to another William Dickens age 45 when he signed up WWI, who was a groom. Is it perhaps his father who was 40 in 1911 and I know on one census his occupation was a Groom.
So you will find DECEASED stamped on some records anyway one of them was discharged 29 March 1919 transferred to the reserves given a 20% disability due to lung problems from bronchitis, pleurisy and exposure and was in the General Hospital in Calais. Address 549 Kings Road.
His father was not listed on the 1921 census.
It is a very confusing file.
Thanks for that. As you say, I think nearly all the records pertain to William Dickens Snr. He is listed as a bugler in the 1891 census. I don't know his death date. In the 1921 census he isn't listed with his wife at 549 Kings Road but she calls herself 'Wife' rather than widow.
The lung problems are interesting too as my Mum says William Dickens Jr wasn't a well man when she knew him and said that his lungs had been damaged by gas during WWI. However, I'm a little dubious of this seeing as we now have him serving in India in 1921. That said, he was dead by the age of 56 and one of the causes listed was bronchitis.
R.
Edit: I've just found William Snr's death date listed in the military records on FindMyPast, 14 Jul 1920.
