Hi Norma,

There are a number of gaps which you need to fill before telling other researchers that Walter Keig b.1887 of Rushen was definitely the Walter Gale who arrived in Sydney in 1912.

How do you know that the Walter Gale who joined the Queensland Manx Society in 1915 before going overseas in the army was the same person who reappeared years later as Walter Keig, and became President of the society 1936-37?

Do you have Walter Keig's death cert which should give his parents' names? They may indeed be Thomas Keig and Emily Clark m. 9th Feb 1882 Kirk Rushen, but that doesn't mean that the two Walters were the same person.

The medical cert on Walter Gale's army record gave his age as 25 years & 4 months, on 14 Sept 1915, which makes his date of birth May 1890. The army records said he was born IOM and that his next of kin was his widowed mother Margaret Gale, Bootle, Liverpool.
Not mother Emily.

As the next of kin recorded in army records could claim compensation in some circumstances Walter would be most unlikely to give an incorrect name and address for his mother.

What details of his residence and port of departure were given in the 1912 passenger list for Walter Gale?

On 6th April I wrote on one of your threads:
Here is the Rushen one in 1901:
Name Relation Condition Se x Age Birth Year Occupation Disability Where Born Original
census image
GALE, Thomas Head Married M 41 1860 Fireman On Steamship Rushen Isle of Man VIEW
GALE, Margaret Wife Married F 40 1861 Andreas Isle of Man VIEW
GALE, Walter Son Single M 14 1887 Butchers Apprentice Rushen Isle of Man VIEW
GALE, William Son Single M 12 1889 Rushen Isle of Man VIEW
GALE, James H Son Single M 11 1890 Rushen Isle of Man VIEW
GALE, John R Son Single M 2 1899 Douglas Isle of Man VIEW
PIERCY, Amelia Step Daughter Single F 12
1, King Street, Onchan, Douglas County:
Isle of Man
[Refs previous message.]

You replied [11 April] that you think this is the right family.

The children of Thomas Keig and Emily Clark on IGI extracted records are given as:
Thomas Richard Keig Birth: 23 JUN 1883 Fistard, Kirk Rushen
Emily Margaret Keig Birth: 29 NOV 1885 Fistard, Kirk Rushen
Walter Keig Birth: 04 APR 1887 Fistard, Kirk Rushen
Willie Keig Birth: 11 NOV 1888 Fistard, Kirk Rushen

These look like some of the same children on the 1891 census given you by Jean:
1891
Rushden 4+6/21
Fistard
Eleanor Gale wife mar 39 fisherman's wife
Annie dau 10
Thomas son 7
Eleanor dau 7
Emily dau 5
Walter son 4
James son 7 months
all b Rushen

James son 7 months 1891?
[IGI] James Herbert Keig
Birth: 04 SEP 1890 Fistard, Kirk Rushen
Father: Thomas Keig
Mother: Eleanor Gale

Lawson births have:
KEIG, Frank, 14 Aug 1897, Dou, 1314, [father] KEIG, Thomas, [mother] GALE, Eleanor (decd).

Eleanor or Emily? But either way, not Margaret Gale mother and next of kin to Walter during the war?

Sue