John Thomas Leighton (1870-1901) of Walker
My great-great grandfather, John Thomas Leighton, is something of an enigma. He was born at Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in December 1870, married Mary Burns at St Anthony of Padua Church, Walker in 1889, and died (I believe) on 17 January 1901 at South Africa.
He apparently enlisted after February 1900, following the birth of his youngest child, Elizabeth, but I am not fully certain of the regiment that he joined. I believe it was the Durham Light Infantry, although someone has suggested the Northumberland Fusiliers.
It appears also that he did not enlist under his own name, but used the surname of a brother-in-law, Bradley. To add to the confusion, I think that he may have dropped his first initial and used his second name on enlisting.
If anyone has any other, more precise details, especially about JTL's service during the Boer War, I would be most grateful. Also, if anyone has JTL in their tree, I would like to hear from you.
Thanks,
Paul