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Please can anyone with any details of these surnames in Australia help as I am trying to research my husbands family.
My late father-in-law was Harry Alfred Dunsford also known as Harry Dawson, born August 1906 Farnham Surrey UK.
He was possibly in Australia late 1920's - early 1930's. We are unsure whether there is any family living there now but would like to hear from them if there are.

Thank you for any help

Australian Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980

Name: Harry & Annie Dunsford
Gender: Male
Electoral Year: 1924
State: Victoria
District: Indi
Subdistrict: Lilydale

Occ: Gardner



UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
about Harry A Dunsford <<<Seaman R.A.N
Name: Harry A Dunsford
Birth Date: abt 1906
Age: 22
Port of Departure: Australia
Arrival Date: 21 Apr 1928
Port of Arrival: Hull, England
Ports of Voyage: Brisbane
[Melbourne]
[Sydney]
[Adelaide]
[Hobart]
[Colombo]
[Southampton]
Ship Name: Largs Bay
Search Ship Database: View the 'Largs Bay' in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping Line: Australian Commonwealth Line
Official Number: 137225

Harry Alfred Dunsford
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
christening: 09 Sep 1906 Frimley,? Surrey,? England
residence: Frimley,? Surrey,? England
parents: Alfred Dunsford,? Priscilla Dunsford


name: Harry Alfred Dunsford
gender: Male
baptism/christening date: 09 Sep 1906
baptism/christening place: Frimley, Surrey, England
father's name: Alfred Dunsford
mother's name: Priscilla Dunsford
indexing project (batch) number: I04421-7
system origin: England-EASy
source film number: 2232875

He served in the Australian Navy cWWII

DUNSFORD HARRY ALFRED : Service Number - 17673 : Date of birth - 06 Aug 1906 : Place of birth - FARNHAM : Place of enlistment - MELBOURNE : Next of Kin - Unknown

See NAA Recordsearch for his service record

Many thanks for help given, I am very interested in now following this information but I am unsure how I do this so any further help would be very much appreciated.

What is NAA & where do I find this?
Where did the baptism records come from for my husbands father, please can you give me site/record office?

Best wishes,
Barbara

http://www.naa.gov.au/

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/


Im not familier with NAA, you'll need to have a browse using the link above

Ancestry is a subscription site, where you can view records, including baptisms

1911 census transcription details for: 16 London Place Bath
Print Close

National Archive Reference:

RG14PN14708 RG78PN893 RD316 SD4 ED6 SN263
Reg. District: Bath
Sub District: Walcot
Parish: Bath
Enum. District: 6
Address: 16 London Place Bath
??
County: Somersetshire
Name Relation Condition/
Yrs married Sex Age Birth Year Occupation Where Born
DUNSFORD, Harry Head Married
14 years M 54 1857 Upholster Trowbridge Wilts
DUNSFORD, Emily Wife Married F 52 1859 Laundress Freshford Somerset
DUNSFORD, Jack Son Single M 19 1892 Grocers Porter Southampton Hants
>>DUNSFORD, Harry Nephew Single M 4 1907 Aldershot
SHEWRING, James Boarder Widower M 59 1852 Labourer General Walcot Bath Som

Ive just been looking at Harry' birth certificate on someones tree. It gives the mothers name as Priscilla Dunsford, late 'Marks' formally 'Smith'

So it looks like she was married before. I cant find a marriage for her and Harry' father, either using Smith or Marks

Father is listed as Harry Dunsford, occupation, driver V Battery RA

I also cant find the parents on the 1911 census

This is the 1901 for the Priscilla in the tree.

1901 census transcription details for: Hale Converlescent Home, Hale Farnham
Print Close

National Archive Reference:
RG number: RG13
Piece: 615
Folio: 115
Page: 1
Reg. District: Farnham
Sub District: Farnham
Parish: Farnham Rural
Enum. District:
Ecclesiastical District: St Johns Hale
City/Municipal Borough:
Address: Farnham Rural, Hale
County: Surrey
Name Relation Condition Sex Age Birth Year Occupation , Disability Where Born
SMITH, Priscilla Servant Single F 21 1880 Housemaid Domestic
Stretton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire

Medal card states also known as G Dunsford:

British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
Name: Alfred Dunsford [G Dunsford]
Regiment or Corps: Royal Horse Artillery
Regimental Number: 2543

There is also a separate medal card for G Dunsford but doesn't give full first name.

The address given on that 1906 birth certificate is 5 Rorkes Drift, Mytchett. I've checked and it is a valid address but I can't get it to come up in an address search for 1901 or 1911 census on FMP.

MC

Heres the ref for 1911



Francis Ivor Miller

Source Citation: Class: RG14; Piece: 3108; Schedule Number: 211; .


Not our family though :-(

Did Harry's parents go to Australia?

I'm not sure what family would be there? Harry came back to England in 1928 as we see above and then married in 1935:

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page
Marriages Sep 1935
Berridge Emily E Dawson Bromley 2a 2356
Dawson Harry A Berridge Bromley 2a 2356

The tree on Ancestry has him dying 1986 in Orpington Kent but this is the only death record I can find and the middle name is wrong.

EDIT: Oops, forgot to post it but Gins has put it below.

How do we know that Dawson/Dunsford is the same chap (am I missing something?)

I dont know MC, the trees that I looked at, also dont know why he changed his name in the 30s, but there seems to be some 'funny' business going on here!

Name: Harry Arthur Dawson
Birth: 6 Aug 1906
Death: Jun 1986 - Bromley, Kent, England


There is no image to check the middle name, is as it says...drat

From memory....it was much earlier today!

There is a Pri* Smith, born in Whitchurch, she married a George W Morgan, late 1890s....she dies in about 1910

I wonder??????


:-S

http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/using/search/index.aspx

Click on 'begin your search' (no need to register)

Thank you everyone for your help.

I think you may be looking at my tree on as the information (from tree's) is already known but thanks anyway as I may be missing something!

Yes Father-in-law changed his name from Dunsford to Dawson but we do not know why, it wasn't discovered until the morning after he had died (big shock to all)!

We knew he had been in Australia for a while he had told us that much but we wondered if there were any links there for us to follow that may help with the change of name etc.

We knew he had been brought up by his paternal grandmother & lived in Bath, he also mentioned once that he remembered being taken to a large house on his birthday & a maid had come out & given him a shilling.
He never spoke of his parents but we do have a photo of his father with a young lady & also a medal with 'A. Dunsford' inscribed around the edge.

I welcome any help anyone can give me as this is indeed a complicated tree!

Thanks again,
Barbara