Name: James Alfred Darney
Birth Place: Sunbury, Middx.
Residence: Birmingham
Death Date: 19 Jul 1916
Rank: Private
Regiment: Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Battalion: 2/6th Battalion.
Number: 3222
Type of Casualty: Killed in action

This one has me completely stumped. There is no additional information on the CWGC and I cannot even find a possible birth in the 1880-1900 range.

Over to the detectives.

Mel

There are three James Darney listed on the census 1901, 1881 and 1871.

The most likeliest is the 1901 as follows:

Name: James Darney
Age: 26
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1875
Relation: Lodger
Gender: Male
Where born: Ireland

Civil Parish: Poplar
Ecclesiastical parish: St Matthias
County/Island: London
Country: England

Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View Image

Registration district: Poplar
Sub-registration district: Poplar

This James Darnley could be a contender though - he was one month old in 1881:

Name: James Darney
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Michael
Mother's Name: Mary
Gender: Male
Where born: Littleborough, Lancashire, England

Civil Parish: Blatchinworth and Calderbrook
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England

Street address: Sun St
Education:

Employment status: View Image

Registration district: Rochdale
Sub-registration district: Blatchinworth
ED, institution, or vessel: 2
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Michael Darney 28
Mary Darney 28
James Darney
Michael Devine 24
Mary Jane Devine 22




......... and the final one from 1871:


Name: James Darney
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Micheal
Mother's Name: Ann
Gender: Male
Where born: Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Liverpool
Ecclesiastical parish: St Martin
Town: Liverpool
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View Image
Registration district: Liverpool
Sub-registration district: St Martin
ED, institution, or vessel: 33
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 389
Household Members: Name Age
Micheal Darney 35
Ann Darney 38
John Darney 8
Johanna Darney 6
James Darney 1
Johanna Burns 64


View
Original
Record

View original image

Kim

Thanks for the input but none of those candidates fit the SDGW information.

I know that the SDGW is not infallible but it is the best source that we have in the circumstances.

Mel

Sorry Mel, didn't see the place of birth!!

Now I know this can't be your man as he would be far too old, however, he might be a pointer/connection to the man you're after? It's too much of a co-incidence I think:



Name: James Darney
Age: 23
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1848
Relation: Relative (Other Relative)
Gender: Male
Where born: Ireland
Civil Parish: Sunbury
Town: Sunbury
County/Island: Middlesex
Country: England
Street address:

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Disability: View Image
Registration district: Staines
Sub-registration district: Sunbury


This was from the 1871 census

Kim

A good spot! He could be the grandfather.

There is a James Andrew Darney born in 1901 registerd in the Staines District (Sunbury) - so we could be dealing with an underage enlistment.

Mel

Here's a birth date possibility and he lied about his age

Births Jun 1901
Darney James Andrew Staines 3a 12

Mel

Mel (I love talking to myself )

Can we square the middle names of Alfred and Andrew?

Mel

1911 possibles

INSTITUTION DARNEY JAMES M 1902 9 Brentford Middlesex

HOUSEHOLD DARNEY JAMES M 1872 39 West Ham Essex

HOUSEHOLD DARNEY JAMES M 1908 3 Bristol Gloucestershire

Mel

(I know I have to twice lol )

I wonder (as this seems to be the only Darney family in sunbury) if the young man aged 8 in 1901 and called Jeremiah on the census was known as James? A possibility maybe?

This one is still rolling.

There is a well established Darney family in Sunbury that run through the consecutive censuses 0f 1871 -1901 (for 1881 the family is mistranscribed as Doherney).

The founders of the dynasty are Patrick b. 1837 Ireland and Margaret b. 1836 Ireland. One of their sons, Jeremiah b. 1861 Wales married to Catherine spawned a large family.

James fits in as the son or grandson of Patrick and Margaret but where? Is it Kim's suggestion that James was an adopted name for Jeremiah or is it an underage enlistment for James Andrew?

Mel

ps Strangely, another Darney from Sunbury (Thomas) pops up in the Wales 1901 census as an adopted son.