war marriages

[bustergutt]

I believe my late father got married at an early age during World War 2 whilst serving in the Royal Engineers. He then got divorced before the end of the War to marry my mother. His first wife`s name and his divorce is mentioned on their current wedding certificate but we don`t know who she is, where she`s from or where they married. Is there a website to check War marriages? We have spent years searching the archives and can`t find anything.
Many thanks in advance.

[noxlumos]

If they took place in England they should be in the normal BMD ergisters. If not then maybe Dot might be along to help you later. however assuming they are ,you can search the marriages on any good genealogical or archive site and since you can cross check the two names it should be reasonably easy.
Try ancestry.com as it's free ( you have to join though) search Birth's, marriages and deaths, specifying marriage put the approx year of marriage in and your father's name and it should come up with links. Look at the page number and I think if you pay something trivial you can see who else appears on that page. If not, repeat the proceedure using her name instead and when you get two corresponding numbers you can order the certificate an then get more info about her.
I'm not a huge fan of ancestry .com but it does have a very simple search facility , and although by no means 100% accurate all the time, it's succesful a fair amount of the time. Good luck.

[dot.hawkes]

Mariiages of British citizens serving abroard are registered at the General Register Office rather than a district register office. If you say he was married at an early age, i.e. under 21, he would have to be married by license to obain parental consent. What was were the two sunames involved? I don't need a first name as the way the index is I use the reference number to match couples.

[bustergutt]

Hi Dot.
Thanks, their surnames were Bennett and Lewis.

[dot.hawkes]

Ok for early 1940s marriages bennett Lewis;
1940
2nd quarter;
Albert R Bennett m Evelyn G Lewis Bristol 6a225
4th quarter:
Kenneth A Bennett m Ivy L Lewis Brghton 2b 693
1941:
3rd quarter:
Enid M Bennett m Joseph J Lewis Swansea 11a 2686
Ethel B Bennett m Herbert E Lewis Manchester 8d 388
Gordon Bennett m Sarah G Lewis Southwark 1d 141
Vera M Bennett m Owen T Lewis Knaresboroughy 9a 317
1941
4th quarter
William G Lewis M Nancy Bennett Llanelly 11a 3031
Lilian Bennett M Sidney J Lewis Birmingham 6d 723
1942
1st quarter
Ivy Bennett m Frederick Lewis Mansfield 7b 308
Thomas G Bennett m Olive Lewis Nuneaton 6a 1643
Charles E Bennett m Rose Lewis Tavistock 5b 843
1942
3rd quarter
Sylvia Bennett m William Lewis W.Hartlepool 10a 385.

If the marriage took place abroard the Chaplains registers are indexed at the GRO as I said. If none of these are right I will look at 1943 and 44. Not checked 39 but can if not here.

Dotty

[bustergutt]

Hi Dot,
Many thanks for the research, it`s much appreciated, sadly no matches. If you can check the other dates it would be great but please don`t go to any trouble on my behalf,
Once again thanks.

[medievalman]

This is almost exactly the same question I want to ask. Unfortunately I do not know when or where my father married bit it was after he enlisted in 1942 and he married another servicewoman, perhaps in Egypt.
He was then divorced.
How did Dot search the General Register Office records?
The name I am seeking is Eric Ford.

[bustergutt]

Hi Medievalman. If I were you I would start a new link, then dot would more than probably follow it up for you!
Best of luck.