Dear Jane, Patrick was quite possibly one of many soldiers in the British army who found their bride in Ireland. Apparently it was extremely common. Since you know his regiment you are half way there. Have you visited the PRO at KEW - you can look at their webpage, with many names now online from their military records. If you get the chance to go there you could most likely follow his career quite well, they have the paybooks there which specify where the regiment was at any one time. That helps you to know where to look for marriage and birth records, and death records too for that matter. Then if he is KIA, the widow will often apply for a pension. The application requires her to supply a marriage certificate and birth certificate for any minor children. These certificates are usually still on file at the PRO so can be very useful. Also goggle"first Royal Dragoons' as many of the regiments have webpages on which you may find a timetable for their movements through the years that you are researching. This also helps you to find certificates. Beware of periods when the regiment splits up and goes in two different directions as you cannot be sure which half your man was with. But the paybooks at Kew will fill in the details. Kae Lewis