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Would it be any use forwarding the photo to the Australian War Memorial  Research Centre to see if they can identify who it might be?

I might try this if its possible.  I'll look into it to see if I can.

Would it be any use forwarding the photo to the Australian War Memorial  Research Centre to see if they can identify who it might be? Looking at a well sourced Ancestry tree it cannot be him in WW1.  He seems to be well accounted for here in Australia on electoral roll, newspaper and shipping records. All seems to point to him allegedly being from North Shields, Northumberland. He is an informant for the birth of his son and gives his own birthplace as North Shields (per certificate online). Except we cannot find him under either parent CARTER or SHERLOCK, or misspellings.

Sorry, some of this information straddles two threads on the subject.

It is most intriguing, but I can see why it is doing your head in Rahnee

Yes, its doing my head in.  I've been working on the family trees for about 25 years now.  So most of what I have now to research are either dead ends or things I cant research here.  I'm just wishing for a breakthrough somewhere.

My husband spoke to his mother last night and questioned where the photo came from.  It was given to her by her Aunt shortly before her death.  This Aunt would be the daughter of the man in question.  So I'm fairly confident that it is him.  That is about all she could tell him.  He did die sometime before my mother in law was born.    She is going to look on the back of the picture to see if there is anything written there.  Hopefully this may provide a clue.

Well, the person in Rahnee's photo appears to be a General Officer (Staff Tabs and General Staff hat badge) with Medals : 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal with MID Oak Leaf, Volunteer Decoration, and a slightly obscured medal that looks as if it could be the Croix de Guerre. Around his neck is the insignia of a KCB and centrally beside the row of medals is a seven pointed "star", the insignia of the KCMG.
All of this fits with it being Sir John Monash, unless there is another WWI General of similar appearance and awards.
Perhaps family memories were confused ??

Maec

Based on this information and that fact that his birth isn't checking out either, I'm really starting to doubt the information we have on him.  Several family members have this photo along with the photo of his wife, and all believe it to be him.  But in all honesty, if he was such a decorated General, there would be some record of him, and there is not. 

It is definitely not a picture of Sir John Monash.  I've also found images of four of those listed above, and can confirm that they are not the same as the photo we have.

Just throwing this out there...

If Charles Snr was a boilermaker then its possible he too was somehow connected with ships.   

There are records of a Charles Sherlock / Shurlock, mariner, b 1848 in either Hyth, Beds according to the 1871 census (RG10; Piece: 3777; Folio: 125; Page: 8;) or Heath Oxford according to the following TNA record:

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11738569

In 1871 there is also an unmarried Mary Carter aged 30 from Liverpool lodging at Percy St Tynemouth.  The family she is lodging with is also called Carter so may well have been family.   

Possibly entirely unconnected but the 1881 census has the following in the Tynemouth Union Workhouse, North Shields:

Catherine Sherlock, 22, b Blyth
Mary Ann Sherlock, 3, b Bedlington
Isabella Sherlock, 1, b Blyth

I cant find Catherine in 1871 so whilst its a long-shot it may be worth getting the birth certificate of one of the children to see who their father was and whether he too was a boilermaker.  If nothing else it MAY place Charles the mariner in North Shields at the right time 

I'm liking the look of this unmarried Mary Carter.  Also hopeful Catherine may be a sibling perhaps?