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I agree that he was not in SA. It was a suggestion I was given to explain his absence. I've seen the boarder entry before but , if that's him, who are Agnes and Fred? And where are his two children? I eventually decided that this was not him.

I have no idea where Agnes and Fred are but my submission is primarily based on the marriage dates etc you gave.

Perhaps more digging is required ??

He's a mystery! Thanks for all your help. I'll keep digging, as you say. He must have been somewhere.

Both Audley and Wolstanton were coal-mining villages, so if he was working at a pit in the Audley area, it would make sense for him to lodge there, rather than walk from Wolstanton every work morning, and then home again. Perhaps he'd been laid off from his job in Wolstanton?