Why I have two birth certificates

I have two birth certificates and as far as I know both are independently legal and valid proof of my birth. The earliest was issued by the British Consulate in Dusseldorf on 22nd November 1954.¹ The later one was issued by the Royal Air Force on 23rd November 1954.² As far as I know the two are independently produced but both from information provided by my father. They are also not included in the main GRO indexes. (If you’ve been having trouble locating me, that is why.) The consular certificate is listed in the “Births, Death and Marriages of British Subjects registered at British Consulates” birth index.³ The R.A.F. certificate is listed in the index to “Births, marriages and deaths of members of the British Army or their families, which took place abroad”.³ So why did it become necessary to set up a special registration system for the armed forces?

Figure 1: Consular Birth Certificate

 

Figure 2: R.A.F. Birth Certificate

There were two types of colonies in the British Empire: plantations and trading.^4,5 Plantation colonies were characterised by mass immigration of British people and culture (the American colonies, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa). Trading colonies were never major targets for migration and only ever had the small British populations needed to control trade (India, Africa, Middle East, S.E. Asia, Hong Kong). In some of these trading colonies internecine warfare and general lawlessness were the cause of major disruption to trade, so the British policed the colonies by setting up military garrisons.⁶ After bad experiences with dedicated garrison regiments (e.g. the Rum Corps in New South Wales) the garrisons were manned by regular units of the British Army who were rotated around the world.^6,7

Traditionally the British Army had allowed a small number of wives to accompany a battalion serving overseas. In return for rations they were expected to wash, sew and cook for the officers and soldiers and accompanied the battalion wherever it went, no matter how remote the location.⁶ For these families the only record of vital events like the birth of their children were the registers kept by the chaplains and the returns they sent in to the government.⁸

Figure 3: Baptismal record for Sarah Jane Rose, 1873⁸

The increasing number of families (particularly in India) led to increasing numbers of children born in remote locations. The decision was made to formalise the registration of children born to army personnel and in 1879 the “Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Army) Act” was passed.⁹ This required the armed forces to maintain official registers of births deaths and marriages for army personnel serving overseas, independent of any consular presence. It also recognised the preexisting chaplains’ registers as legal evidence equivalent to civil registration in the United Kingdom. In 1918 this act was officially extended to cover R.A.F. personnel and their families (“The Air Force (Application of Enactments) (No. 2) Order”).¹⁰ 

When I was born Dad was apparently advised to register my birth with the local consulate in Dusseldorf to ensure I was recognised as British by birth. I don’t know how much it cost in total, the stamp duty alone was 8 shillings, a decent amount of money then. The R.A.F. certificate was automatically generated (and free).

As a final note, when my daughter applied for a British passport on the basis of my British birth, these two certificates by themselves were not adequate (together with proof she was my daughter) for her to be issued with a British Passport. We had to send additional documentation proving that my father was a resident of the United Kingdom while serving in the R.A.F. 

Top Secret

I was born in the 1950s in a Royal Air Force Hospital in Cold War West Germany. I have two legitimate birth certificates, one from the RAF and one from the British Consulate in Dusseldorf. I was (according to my mother) baptised at St Hubertus, the CoE Chapel on the RAF base at which Dad was serving.

Fifty years later my mother started handing over bundles of documents and in 2006 I started sorting them out and extending the collection. Amongst the papers I eventually sorted was a certificate of baptism for my brother. There was no such certificate for me. However in the “Unser Kind” family photo album there were photos of me in the knitted christening gown my mother had made for my brother’s christening labelled to the effect “Susan February 1955".

Cute Sue, photographed February 1955 by the station photographer (who lived in the flat upstairs). Photograph in the possession of the author.

While researching various other aspects of my family I always kept an eye out for British Forces baptisms, after all the British Forces birth register indexes were publicly available. No luck. So in 2011 I started emailing every possible institution I could find on the web. Eventually the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre referred me to a lovely gentleman at “DBS-KI-RecordsReview 5", based at HM Naval Base Portsmouth. This lovely gentleman was assessing classified Cold War military-related documents for de-classification. The religious records for the British Armed Forces in Germany were being de-classified in preparation for handing over to the UK National Archives!
The lovely gentleman found my baptism and posted me a photocopy.¹

Baptism entry for Susan Hilary Commons.¹

As you can see, the entries are all military and contain the rank, unit and base of the father. This sort of information could have been used by a hostile intelligence service to build a fairly complete picture of the British Armed Forces deployment across Germany at that time.

Sources

1. Baptism of Susan Hilary Commons, 13 Feb 1954, Trinity House C of E Leadership Centre, “H.Q., 2.T.A.F. Command Register 1948-”, page 4

Why Chris Locke?

When my father was a teenager in Brighton (Sussex, England) people who found out who he was used to say "Oh! Chris Locke's son." Dad couldn't understand this because his father's name was Christopher Henry Common(s). The reason goes back to his grandfather's childhood.

Albert Edward Common was born on the 11th August 1877 at 76 Cornwall Street, St George in the East, London. He was the fourth son and sixth (and last) child of Henry John Common & Jemima Hummerston. Part of Cornwall Street still exists, but the area was a slum and when it was badly damaged during WWII it gave the local councils an excuse to clear it. Henry John had various occupations during his life, but at the time of Albert's birth he declared that he was a "general dealer". From what I have read this is a rag-and-bone man (think "Steptoe and Son").¹

Albert was baptised on 2nd September 1877 in St George in the East Parish Church.²

St George in the East Parish Church

By 6th April 1881 the family had moved to an even poorer location - Albert Street, Shadwell - and their second daughter (Jane Elizabeth) had died.³ In 1887, when Albert turned 10, his mother died.⁴ Albert was the only child too young to be thrown on his own resources. (His next eldest sibling, James, was 17.) The next census (5th April 1891) shows the family had split up. Henry John was living on his own at 83 Cornwall Street.⁵ Albert was living with his sister Fanny or Frances (born 25th February 1865).⁶

On 2nd August 1891 Frances married Christopher William Locke in St George in the East Parish Church.⁷ Aha!! The couple's child, Frances Sophia, was born on 19 May 1892 in St George in the East.⁸ By 1901 the family had moved to Worthing, Sussex and Christopher was a fish dealer.⁹

On 3 Dec 1900 Albert married Elizabeth Jane Shadbolt in Christchurch, Spitalfields.¹⁰ This was six months after the birth of their first child (Albert James George) but, hey, even a bride-groom-two-witnesses marriage cost money.¹¹ On 31st March 1901 they are living at 7 Mary Street, the same address as Elizabeth's parents (James & Elizabeth Shadbolt).¹² Their next two children were also born at this address (Christopher Henry, 25th July 1902, Charles James, 18th July 1904).¹³

Elizabeth's father, James Shadbolt, died on 27th June 1904 and the couple's next child (Leonard Arthur, 11th November 1906) was born back in the old Common stomping ground, Cornwall Street.¹⁴ Further tragedy struck - Leonard Arthur died on 28th April 1908 and it was probably around this time that Elizabeth's mother was committed to the "Metropolitan Asylum for Pauper Imbeciles" at Leavesden, Hertfordshire.¹⁵

The couple fled London, and Henry Edward was born at 97 Church Street, Brighton on 10th March 1909 with Albert listed as a "Fishmonger's Assistant".¹⁶ Who was he assistant to? Well by 1911 Christopher Locke is a fish dealer in Brighton.¹⁷ Church Street is a street full of shops and it is possible that Albert and Elizabeth were living above Christopher's shop. The next three children are all born at 97 Church Street.¹⁸

World War I started in 1914 and in 1916 Albert was conscripted.¹⁹ After various transfers he ended up in a battalion of the Cheshire Regiment stationed in Salonika.²⁰ Like so many servicemen in that region he contracted malaria, was transferred to a service battalion and probably spent the rest of the war oscillating between field hospital and road building.²¹ He survived the war, but died on 21st August 1920, probably due to recurrent malaria.²² He is buried in a Commonwealth War Grave in Brighton General Cemetery and his name appears on the Brighton Cenotaph (see photograph).²³

The Brighton Cenotaph, photographed by suelaw1954, 11th July 2016

Dad's father worked in the fish business on and off and owned his own fish and chip shops at times.²⁴ It is probable that when young he worked for his uncle, Chris Locke. Having the same given name, he could have been referred to by his uncle's surname. One family story proved possible.

1. England and Wales, birth certificate for Albert Edward Common, born 11 Aug 1877; citing 1c/386/470, Sep quarter 1877, St George in the East registration district, Saint Paul sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
2. St George (St George in the East, Middlesex, England), Parish Registers, "London Metropolitan Archives P93/GEO/027 Register of baptisms,"  page 43, baptism of Albert Edward Commons, 2 Sep 1877; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Unlimited Company, Ancestry Australia (https://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 21 Sep 2009)
3.  1881 census of England, London, Shadwell, folio 128, page 28, Henry Commons; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 10 Jan 2006); citing PRO RG 11/460; England and Wales, death certificate for Jane Elizabeth Common, died 7 Mar 1877; citing 1c/292/332, Mar quarter 1877, Saint George in the East registration district, Saint Paul sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
4. England and Wales, death certificate for Jemima Commons, died 17 Jan 1887; citing 1c/230/493, Mar quarter 1887, Whitechapel registration district, Whitechapel Church sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
5. 1891 census of England, London, St George in the East, folio 109, page 30, Henry Common; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 28 Apr 2006); citing PRO RG 12/287
6. 1891 census of England, London, St George in the East, folio 100, page 12, Frances Common; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 10 Jan 2006); citing PRO RG 12/287
7. St George (St George in the East, Middlesex, England), Parish Registers, "London Metropolitan Archives P93/GEO/065 Register of marriages,"  page 151, marriage of Christopher William Locke & Frances Common, 2 Aug 1891; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Unlimited Company, Ancestry Australia (https://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 22 Sep 2009)
8. St George (St George in the East, Middlesex, England), Parish Registers, "London Metropolitan Archives P93/GEO/030, Register of baptisms,"  page 271, baptism of Frances Sophia Locke, 12 Jun 1892; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Unlimited Company, Ancestry Australia (https://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 12 Jul 2010)
9. 1901 census of England, Sussex, Worthing, folio 20, page 32, Christopher Locke; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 2 Jul 2006); citing PRO RG 13/959
10. England and Wales, marriage certificate for Albert Edward Commons and Elizabeth Jane Shadbolt, married 3 Dec 1900; citing 1c/460/436, Dec quarter 1900, Whitechapel registration district; General Register Office, Southport
11. England and Wales, birth certificate for Albert James George Commons, born 11 Jun 1900; citing 1c/319/87 (?), Sep quarter 1900, St George-in-the-East registration district, Saint Georges North sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
12. 1901 census of England, London, St George in the East, folio 166, page 50, Albert E. Commons; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 10 Jan 2006); citing PRO RG 13/309; 1901 census of England, London, St George in the East, folio 166, page 49, James Shadbolt; digital images, Ancestry Information Operations Company, Ancestry Australia (http://www.ancestry.com.au/ : accessed 20 Jan 2006); citing PRO RG 13/309
13. England and Wales, birth certificate for Christopher Henry Commons, born 25 Jul 1902; citing 1c/844/20, Sep quarter 1902, St George in the East registration district, St George & St John sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for Charles James Commons, born 18 Jul 1904; citing 1c/327/431, Sep quarter 1904, St George-in-the-East registration district, St George and St John sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
14. England and Wales, death certificate for James Shadbolt, died 27 Jun 1904; citing 1c/214/66, Jun quarter 1904, St George in the East registration district, St George and St John sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for Leonard Arthur Commons, born 11 Nov 1906; citing 1c/292/311, Mar quarter 1907, St. George-in-the-East registration district, St George and St John sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
15. England and Wales, death certificate for Leonard Arthur Commons, died 28 Apr 1908; citing 1c/180/428, Jun quarter 1908, ST. GEORGE-IN-THE-EAST registration district, St George & St John sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; 1911 census of England, Hertfordshire, Kings Langley, Elizabeth Shadbolt; digital images, Brightsolid Online Publishing Ltd, Find My Past (http://www.findmypast.co.uk/ : accessed 28 Jan 2009); citing  RG 78, RG 14 PN 7739, registration district (RD) 140, sub district (SD) 4, enumeration district (ED) 7, schedule number (SN) 9999
16. England and Wales, birth certificate for Henry Edward Commons, born 3 May 1909; citing 2b/210/312, Jun quarter 1909, Brighton registration district, West Brighton sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
17. 1911 census of England, Sussex, 7 Cheltenham Place Brighton, C. W. Locke; digital images, Brightsolid Online Publishing Ltd, Find My Past (http://www.findmypast.com.au/ : accessed 27 Jan 2009); citing  RG 78 PN 227, RG 14 PN 5137, registration district (RD) 79, sub district (SD) 2, enumeration district (ED) 17, schedule number (SN) 369
18. England and Wales, birth certificate for Leslie Common, born 2 Jul 1910; citing 2b/205/214, Sep quarter 1910, Brighton registration district, West Brighton sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for Frances Elizabeth Commons, born 21 Apr 1912; citing 2b/409/69, Jun quarter 1912, Brighton registration district, West Brighton sub-district; General Register Office, Southport; England and Wales, birth certificate for Mabel Isabel Commons, born 17 Aug 1914; citing 2b/397/162, Sep quarter 1914, Brighton registration district, West Brighton sub-district; General Register Office, Southport
19. After Albert's call up, Elizabeth wrote to the army to get her under-age son (Albert James George) discharged. This happened in July 1916. Albert James George Commons Service Record, Soldiers’ Documents from Pension Claims, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, England, WO364, 'British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920', Ancestry, Accessed 1st December 2008
20. suelaw1954 to Various, forum thread on Albert Edward Commons, Great War Forum, 'Soldiers and their Units', https://www.greatwarforum.org/, Accessed 3rd December 2008
21. Martin Marix Evans, Forgotten Battlefronts of the First World War, The History Press, Stroud, 2003
22. England and Wales, death certificate for Albert Edward Commons, died 21 Aug 1920; citing 2b/219/408, Sep quarter 1920, Brighton registration district, East Brighton sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.
23. Commonwealth War Graves Commission database, Commonwealth War Graves Commission (http://www.cwgc.org/ : accessed 2 Sep 2006), A. E. Commons
24. Patricia Commons, numerous conversations over many years to author