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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: alan o on Saturday 29 March 25 15:26 GMT (UK)
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I am after Audrey Evelyn Wright b 1911 Exeter and d. 1991 Honiton.
She married Captain Adrian H Gardner in Beruit Syria (as it was then) on 14 Aug 1943. This is from a newspaper notice.
He disappeared and she never saw him after the war.
Any ideas on finding any more about him?
I am not sure what regiment he was in nor any dates.
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I am after Audrey Evelyn Wright b 1911 Exeter and d. 1991 Honiton.
So is it Audrey or Adrian you are looking at?
Did they have any children together?
Have you looked at overseas deaths for him
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Yes I am seeking out Adrian. One son born Chard 1945 Christopher.
Adrian is not on any casualty list for WW2. He did not meet his son and I can't find a UK death for him.
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I see so they came back to this country and then he disappeared at the end of the war do you think or during it :-\
Thinking the disappearance need not be war related.
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Yes you are right. She came back to the UK to have the baby. He did not come back with her nor joined her after the war.
if he was in Syria in 1943 then that sounds like a desk job as there was no fighting there. I am struggling to identify his regiment.
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I see so she came back by herself.
I wonder how they met and if there is evidence on passenger lists of either or both travelling out of the UK?
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They met in the Middle east during the war. We know he was a Captain in the Army from the newspaper. She working for the British Govt out there. The get married in 1943 and she is pregnant by mid 1944 and has the boy in UK in early 1945.
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There's an Adrian H born 1915, guess we don't know when or where your one was born, travelling to Liverpool in 1948 age 33 from Lagos but that one has a wife Ella M 30 and is a trader.
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There is a possibility that the reason he never saw his son was because he was already married and his 1943 marraige was bigamous.
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Does the newspaper notice state that Captain Adrian H Gardner was in the British Army?
Australian or another allied army is a possibility.
Tony
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Tony
A very good point. I have searched the Army List for 1944 and there is no AH Gardner there. Beruit was bit of a military backwater in 1943 so he could have been a colonial.
Alan
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No record of him in the Australian WW2 archives.
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Find my past have her marraige record showing as her as MELF and British Forces. If he was from the UK then I think the record would be for him as well.
It appears that she was British Military but perhaps he was not.
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There is the following possibility?
https://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/g/gardner_adrian.htm
Cathy
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Adrian is on the MELF marraige list so was a British Officer and not colonial.
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There is the following possibility?
https://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/g/gardner_adrian.htm
Cathy
Quite possible. Now I need to find out where he was in 1943.
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I have ruled him out as family believe his middle name was Harry not Hunter.
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What about buying the marriage certificate as it's on the GRO Marriage Index Army Marriages (1881 to 1955)Ref Arm 2, Page 432, Line 19, General Register Office. Record set British Armed Forces & Overseas Banns & marriages. It does say he is part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. As for Audrey Evelyn Wright she was a passenger on the Godfrey B Holt from Liverpool to Syria sailed 16th April 1942 Occupation Civil Servant, last address 28 Harcourt Terrace SW10. There was another Civil Servant called Maureen Olive Caulfield heading for Syria at the same time.
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There was an officer by the name of Adrian Harry Austin Gardner (130040) in the Cameronians. His substantive war rank was Lieutenant. Cashiered by sentence of court martial in February 1944.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36431/supplement/1316
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What about buying the marriage certificate as it's on the GRO Marriage Index Army Marriages (1881 to 1955)Ref Arm 2, Page 432, Line 19, General Register Office. Record set British Armed Forces & Overseas Banns & marriages. It does say he is part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. As for Audrey Evelyn Wright she was a passenger on the Godfrey B Holt from Liverpool to Syria sailed 16th April 1942 Occupation Civil Servant, last address 28 Harcourt Terrace SW10. There was another Civil Servant called Maureen Olive Caulfield heading for Syria at the same time.
Thank you that clarifies her work and ties in with what the family know.
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There was an officer by the name of Adrian Harry Austin Gardner (130040) in the Cameronians. His substantive war rank was Lieutenant. Cashiered by sentence of court martial in February 1944.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36431/supplement/1316
Shaun.
Thank you. I was struggling with the Gazette search engine so that's brilliant.
That explains why he is not in the July 1944 Army list.
Alan
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It appears that AHA Gardner was already married.
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Another possible is Adrian H Gardner age 33 & Born 1915 departed from Lagos on the ship Empire Bure Shipping Line Lamport & Holt. Arrived in Liverpool 4th March 1948, Occupation Trader. Proposed Address in UK 49 South Drive Brentwood. There is a wife Ella M Gardner.
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I think he is too young as Audrey was b 1911. The Cameronian fits the bill rather well - existing wife and cashiered in 1944 unfortunately fits the profile of the man the family believe he was.
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12 January 1940: North Wilts Herald
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I have checked: Ruth Pothecary died in 1994
25 May 1940: Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette
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It seems that there was a Gardner-Pothecary daughter, born Q3 1942.
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It seems that there was a Gardner-Pothecary daughter, born Q3 1942.
Thanks.
Alan
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There is a marriage record for an Adrian H A Gardner in Q4 1978 in Canterbury.
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Hopefully he had divorced wife #1 before that....
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Fragment of a biography from the Register of Tonbridge School. Will try to find the rest of it:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Register_of_Tonbridge_School_from_18/kAAsJtC2_e0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=adrian+harry+austin+gardner&dq=adrian+harry+austin+gardner&printsec=frontcover
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Captain, 1943
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Register_Fo_Tonbridge_School_from_19/wAM2AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22T+wall+%26+son+the+friary%22&dq=%22T+wall+%26+son+the+friary%22&printsec=frontcover
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Many thanks. I do wonder what he was court martialed for. My assumption is he would have been shipped back to UK in early 1944 if not before.
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Following on from the item linked in reply #13, there is indeed a death registered in Castle Douglas in 2002 for Adrian Harry Au[truncated] Gardner (seen at Scotland's People). Age 87, matching his 1914 dob.
I don't see anything in newspapers for this.
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So he appears to have changed his name from Harry to Hunter and then become part of the Hunter clan. what a rogue!
Father South African, mother English and nothing Scottish about him except for a wartime commission in the Cameronians.
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I see that Scotland's People also have a note of the 1943 marriage to Audrey Wright, in a Catholic record at Aldershot, Saints Michael and Sebastian, 14 August 1943.
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And yet another marriage? Adrian Hunter Gardner to Margaret Barrow Hogg or Edgar, Kirkcudbright, 1990
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Oh dear it gets worse.
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This matches the 1978 marriage I mentioned in reply #28 which was to Marion Gardner (not a mistake, a Gardner-Gardner marriage).
31 July 1990: The Scotsman
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A bit more of that Tonbridge School bio ... places him in the Middle East 1941-43...
"Cameronians , 1940 ; Lieut . , 1942 ; Capt . , 1943. U.K. , 1939–41 ; M.E.F. , 1941-2 ; C.M.F. , 1942-3 ; L.F.G. ..."
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The 2nd Battalion Cameronians served in Syria, Persia and Iraq as part of 13th Infantry Brigade (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_Infantry_Brigade_(United_Kingdom)), part of 5th Infantry Division (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Infantry_Division_(United_Kingdom)#Second_World_War), during 1942 and remained there up to around May/June 1943 when the Brigade was pulled out in order to prepare for the landings in Sicily in July 1943. It is possible that he was on the staff of HQ Persia-Iraq Command and so remained there long enough to get married in August 1943.
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Just realised: his wife Marion died at the end of July 1990 and he remarried Margaret Barrow Hogg/Edgar that same year.
Added: a Margaret Barrow Gardner died 2001 aged 90. Registered in Nairn, which is quite a distance from Kirkcudbright or Castle Douglas.
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A bit more of that Tonbridge School bio ... places him in the Middle East 1941-43...
"Cameronians , 1940 ; Lieut . , 1942 ; Capt . , 1943. U.K. , 1939–41 ; M.E.F. , 1941-2 ; C.M.F. , 1942-3 ; L.F.G. ..."
Well that confirms it that he is the Capt in the 1943 marraige.
many thanks
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There was an officer by the name of Adrian Harry Austin Gardner (130040) in the Cameronians. His substantive war rank was Lieutenant. Cashiered by sentence of court martial in February 1944.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36431/supplement/1316
I had not realised that cashiered is more serious than straight dismissal so it would have been a more serious offence.
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A summary of his marriages (so far?)
Ruth Pothecary m 1940, died 1994
Audrey Wright m 1943, died 1991
Marion Gardner m 1978, died 1990
Margaret Barrow m 1990, died 2001
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Those are the ones I have found and no divorces. The first 2 had children by him and kept the Gardner name.
Despite styling himself of the Hunter clan, he had no connection and his death was registered as Harry not the self-styled Hunter.
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A summary of his marriages (so far?)
Ruth Pothecary m 1940, died 1994
Audrey Wright m 1943, died 1991
Marion Gardner m 1978, died 1990
Margaret Barrow m 1990, died 2001
And then there's Ella Marjorie Kibble for whom we haven't found a marriage yet. She is with him in 1948 when he arrives back in UK from Takoradi.
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/179796217/person/112352280510/facts
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Blimey Shaun I was not aware of her at all.....
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There is a death record for Ella M Gardner in Cam in 2012. Had this man no shame?
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He was a one wasn't he :-X
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Another possible is Adrian H Gardner age 33 & Born 1915 departed from Lagos on the ship Empire Bure Shipping Line Lamport & Holt. Arrived in Liverpool 4th March 1948, Occupation Trader. Proposed Address in UK 49 South Drive Brentwood. There is a wife Ella M Gardner.
So this was indeed him. After court martial he has clearly emigrated and returned to UK 4 years later. It would be interesting to see if I can find out when he left UK in 1944-5.
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Could this possibly be him?
https://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/g/gardner_adrian.htm
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It would be interesting to see if I can find out when he left UK in 1944-5.
Do we know that he came back to to the UK after Beirut? It's possible (probable?) that the court martial took place in the Middle East.
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The tail end of his Tonbridge School bio:
Not sure what L.F.G stands for
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Could this possibly be him?
https://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/g/gardner_adrian.htm
Yes - see post below he had a Hunter grandmother.
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It would be interesting to see if I can find out when he left UK in 1944-5.
Do we know that he came back to to the UK after Beirut? It's possible (probable?) that the court martial took place in the Middle East.
Not sure. I can't imagine it was normal not to discharge someone fro a UK depot but as an officer perhaps they let him?
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The tail end of his Tonbridge School bio:
Not sure what L.F.G stands for
me neither but I would take it with a pinch of salt as he probably provided the info because in reality he had been cashiered in Feb 1944.
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Don't know if you have any of this information:
Bath Weekly Chronicle Saturday May 25th 1940
Grandson of Mrs George Northey wed to Matron of Holy Innocent's Home Box
St Christophers Church Ditteridge was filled to capacity on Monday for the wedding of Second Lt. Adrian H A Gardener, Scottish Rifles(The Cameronians), elder son of Mrs Gardener, St Christophers Cottage, Ditteridge and Miss Ruth K Pothecary, eldest daughter of Major and Mrs Pothecary of Wallington, Surrey.
The bridegroom is the grandson of the late George Northey of Cheney Court, Ditteridge, Box, who at one time commanded the Cameronians, the bridegroom's regiment. Mrs Northey resides at Bath.The bride has been Matron at Holy Innocent's Home for the past four uears and will continue in post while the groom is in service.
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This death announcement may give a link to the Hunter name:
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette Saturday 24th May 1941
Death of Mrs George Wilbraham Northey, widow of Mr Wilbraham Northey of Box. Born in France, where she spent most of her life, she was the daughter of the late Captain Hunter of Dumfriesshire. She leaves one daughter, Mrs Gardner of St Christopher's, Box and one son Mr Armand Northey, J.P.
One of the mourners is 2nd Lt. Adrian Gardner and Mrs Adrian Gardner.
Floral Tribute: Grannie - in loving memory- Ruth and Adrian.
There is more to the newspaper report.
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There's this engagement:
Bristol Evening Post 16th August 1939
The engagement is announced between Mr Adrian Harry Austin Gardner, eldest son of Major Austin Gardner MC of Birch Green, Haywards Heath and Mrs Vere Gardner, Box, Wiltshire and Miss Joan(Jill) Dyer, elder daughter of Mr A R Dyer, late Chief Fire Officer of the London Fire Brigade and Mrs Dyer of St Leonards on Sea.
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His grandfather George Northey was also an Englishman and has his own Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Northey_(cricketer)
Despite coming from Wiltshire the Northeys had several members commissioned into the Cameronians with several generations serving in the military.
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There's this engagement:
Bristol Evening Post 16th August 1939
The engagement is announced between Mr Adrian Harry Austin Gardner, eldest son of Major Austin Gardner MC of Birch Green, Haywards Heath and Mrs Vere Gardner, Box, Wiltshire and Miss Joan(Jill) Dyer, elder daughter of Mr A R Dyer, late Chief Fire Officer of the London Fire Brigade and Mrs Dyer of St Leonards on Sea.
Once again I am amazed at this man, Engaged in 1939 and then marrys another woman a year later, and another 3 years later and another 3 years after that....Miss Dyer had a lucky escape!
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This death announcement may give a link to the Hunter name:
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette Saturday 24th May 1941
Death of Mrs George Wilbraham Northey, widow of Mr Wilbraham Northey of Box. Born in France, where she spent most of her life, she was the daughter of the late Captain Hunter of Dumfriesshire. She leaves one daughter, Mrs Gardner of St Christopher's, Box and one son Mr Armand Northey, J.P.
One of the mourners is 2nd Lt. Adrian Gardner and Mrs Adrian Gardner.
Floral Tribute: Grannie - in loving memory- Ruth and Adrian.
There is more to the newspaper report.
So this is where the Hunter connection comes from:
Adrian Harry Austin Gardner's parents were Austin Gardner and Vere Wilbraham Northey.
His mother's parents were George Edward (Wilbraham) Northey and Mabel Beatrice H Hunter
Thus his maternal grandmother was a Hunter. She was baptised in 1860 in Boulogne, the daughter of Frederick Ernest Hunter and Eleanor Hunter,
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Yes undoubtably true. If his father was a former officer in the Cameronians that would explain how he managed to get a commission in the Regiment in 1940.
What is really odd is the birth of a child in 1942 and the marraige in 1943. It is not easy to geta divorce in 1942 in such circumstances and the presence of a child would suggest it would not have been annulled?
With a Battalion of the Cameronians in the Middle east in 1943 I would have thought many of the officers in the battalion would have been at the 1940 wedding so how would he get away with the 1943 marraige?
Perhaps this is the cause of the cashiering in Feb 44 if another officer brought bigamy to the chain of command's attention?
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Frederick Hunter was not Scottish either as on the 1881 census he was born in Essex (Hardlesford), Yorkshire, England and was an Officer in the Indian Army.
So he served as a Captain in the Indian Army having come from Yorkshire (as did his wife) and leaves after a few years to live in France where he has 3 daughters from 1857-60 but returns to UK by 1881.
The 1941 obit for his daughter seems to be wrong as he nor she was Scottish or in the Cameronians.
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Adrian H A Gardner’s parents divorced in 1931:
7 February 1931: Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser
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Alan
Thank you for that. Austin remarried a Gwendaline Laura Ruthven-Smith in 1946.
Alan
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Oh! Interesting, because I have just found him (Austin Gardner) marrying Lesley Mildred Stuart {maiden name) or Taylor in Q2 1938. She was previously married to Basil Ashby Taylor RN, I have not found a divorce although I am pretty sure that he was still alive.
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Lesley Mildred Gardner died Q2 1978 Lewes.
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probate of Adrian H A Gardner’s mother Vere Wilbraham Gardner, 1960, to Adrian Harry Austin Gardner technical representative and Gerald Anson Austin Gardner company director
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It seems unlikely that there are any further marriages for Austin Gardner since Austin Garder d 1971 and Gwendaline Laura Gardner d 1990 both have the same address in probate:
Tideway, 50 Newtown Road, Warsash, Hants.
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Thanks that is useful. So Austin was married and divorced to Vere, marries a widow/divorcee Lesley, divorces her (hopefully) and marries another widow Gwendaline Laura.
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Frederick Hunter was not Scottish either as on the 1881 census he was born in Essex (Hardlesford), Yorkshire, England and was an Officer in the Indian Army.
So he served as a Captain in the Indian Army having come from Yorkshire (as did his wife) and leaves after a few years to live in France where he has 3 daughters from 1857-60 but returns to UK by 1881.
The 1941 obit for his daughter seems to be wrong as he nor she was Scottish or in the Cameronians.
The 1881 census has been transcribed wrongly as the wife was Yorkshire but he was from Chelmsford and was baptised in St Mary the Virgin, Essex.
So the claimed Hunter-clam lineage is in fact English as early as 1820's.
It appears that Adrian HA Gardner created a clan lineage based on his 3 years of service in the Cameronians and a great grandfather called Hunter who was from Essex but had purchased a commission in the Cameronians.
Ironically his grandfather's family the Northey's also had a lot of Cameronian officers in it in Victorian times and WW1 but they were from Box Wiltshire.