Hi, A relation William Reid Farquhar (b. 1885 in Torry Nigg )also known as William Reid. In the 1901 census he was with his adopted parents at Menzies St Torry and is down as William Farquhar apprentice moulder aged 16 yrs. When he enlisted in the WW1 in Australia in 1917, he said that he was previously a soldier 1900-1910 in Aberdeen ,various places around England and Abroard. He was supposedly in the Royal Engineers. So who do I go to to find out this information. If anyone is on line that can do it I certainly don't mind paying for the search. Many thanks for any help cheers Marilyn

Marilyn, I don't have a specific answer to your question, but I'm wondering about the timeline. When you sign up for an apprenticeship or a stint in the army, it's a commitment for "x" number of years. If he was in the middle of an apprenticeship in 1901 census, that may have taken another few years to complete. Then a term in the army might be three years or so. Do you know when he arrived in Australia and what he gave as his occupation? That may enable you to narrow down the available years for army service and establish the likelihood of him serving in numerous places. Peter in Sydney.