1st attempt to trace GGFather - Malta / London - WW2 connection?

[54isanopendoor]

I'm trying to research a relative (great great grandfather).

1st attempt at this sort of thing.

I have his name & address in London @1929 from one of his Dd's birth certs shown to me by my aunt but she knows no more. she thinks he died aged 39?
I think it was WW2 related as he married a Maltese woman & (I was told years ago by aunt since died) that she travelled to Glasgow on a ship as a war bride / widow with their 2 Dd's later in the war time.

Anyone know
how I could search for more info for Free?

Do you have either of his parents names? If so I would jump on something like Ancestry and do a search using the details you have. You may find that brings up birth and death certificates.

If he married a Maltese woman then he may have been involved in Op Pedestal so it may be worth googling Op Pedestal + his name as that can sometimes bring up other mentions of him

No parents names no. Just name & address of him & his wife & Dd in 1929.

Passenger lists? Have you looked for the wife and children on the UK and Ireland incoming passenger lists?
www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1518/

Or if they were here 10 years later, are they on the 1939 register for England/Wales?

If he died in WW2 or even during that period you should be able to find a death foe him on Free BMD.

So, you have his name and those of his wife and daughter?

Sorry, posted too soon.

Your local library should have Ancestry and it sounds as if you have enough information to get you started,

Come back and ask more questions if you need to.

@DeedIDo
yes I have a birth cert for his Dd from 1929,
giving his name address occupation & that of his wife

I was told by a cousin that he 'died early maybe aged 39?' & I also think there is a military connection. His wife was Maltese, yet they were here in 1929 so well before WW2. Their address is Kensington, a wealthy area (they were not afaik) so I wondered if they were in married military quarters. It would make sense if he died in WW2 then she was given passage with the 2 Dds on a troop ship to Glasgow which is the other story I heard. All the story tellers are dead now tho

My local library is not open (still, after covid...) but I can keep trying. thank you.

You need to take the family stories with a pinch of salt. Take a note of what people tell you but only take documentary evidence as "fact". It is so easy to dismiss records or evidence because it doesn't tally with what you've been told, when in fact it's a family member who has got their records crossed or misremembered.

If you have his name and the name of his wife, Ancestry should be able to give you a marriage certificate. That will detail the name of his father which may be enough to get you a birth certificate
It will also document his wife's fathers details which will then give you her nationality.
If you want to DM me the details, I can see what I can find. I'm away with work this week so it would give me something to fill my evenings 😆

@ThreeB

Oh, I just saw very kind offer - thank you!
I will PM you

I can have a search too if you dm me the names/dates you do know

Happy to do a search as well if you want. I love a good mystery.

@LittleMissLaundry
@Scarftown
That's very kind thank you.

@LittleMissLaundry
@Scarftown
@ThreeB

I've got a 2nd request (don't want much, do I? sorry...)

My Dad is trying to find my deceased Mum's Birth Cert but she was born in IRELAND in 1940

(possibly county Neath? that is where her parents married 9m before...)

Can anyone advise please ?
as above I'm not easily able to get to a Library / on Ancestry from home & this has the complication of IRELAND rather than MALTA as above ...

PS thanks to a very kind poster above I now have a little more info re the husband of my Maltese great grandma. I now need to look into his army records & also her Maltese heritage. It's addictive, this...

I don’t think I replied to your last email. Sorry Life got in the way. But I can take a look if you send me the details. 😊

I have pm'd you @Scarftown
(thank you xx)