Help: Court Martialled & Missing in UK, Capt: Albert Edward Harrison AIF

[Siamese Girl]

I'm not a military historian, so I have to ask. As he had been court marshalled and dismissed by the AIF could he obtain a commision in the British Army under his real identity?

I still think Syd holds the key. I would definately want to read his will - sometimes people will confess things in their wills that they would otherwise not like to be made known. I'm sure he knew what happened to Alfred. I wonder if Alfred secretly contacted Syd after the war ? He may even have sent money him to give to Nora. Syd seems to have been a broken man after the war. I can't see that he married. After he died he was described as a shearer, something I don't suppose would fund a £50 watch (if it really was that valuable)


This is the letter Richard Blamey wrote to the army on 11 August 1920 which is in Norman's file:

I am the eldest of the family. Mother dead 30 years ago. Father, I believe alive but he left his family about 27 years ago and he was alive a month or so ago and I expect he will be applying for the gratuity grant. My brother unfortunately made no will as I would have liked my sister to have received this as she has lost her husband through the war but not killed. He went away in ‘15 an was discharged in England in ‘17 for some trouble and has not returned here. I reckon its up to the country to do something for her and her 4 children . Two other brothers wanted to return from France to look after her but the Dep. said no. One was killed July ‘18 and the other smashed and is living with her at Katoomba on 21/- a week pension. Fortunately Will made a will in her favour and my sister was able to get his back pay and I hope there will be no trouble about getting the gratuity.



Carole

[Craven-Harrison]

Carole,

your have stumbled onto some very interesting information hitherto unknown to me and I believe the family. I will forward it on for comment, I expect an answer within 2 days time

The ripple effect of Albert and the War really hit the Blamey family didn't it.....!

Your question regarding the GCM is a good one and quite valid but the note in his AIF file sais it all, he joined the British Permanent Army. I guess we have to see it the way it would be viewed in 1917-19 his crime was being caught and being an officer and he had to be made an example of, lesser ranks knew about this. Officers went away and made financial arrangements all the time the benefit of rank. It looks to me like he was stitched up, albeit he was guilty...!!!

Oh, and they needed Officers particulary experienced soldiers, so if I was a commanding officer I would definately put him on, just not let him near the cash and keep an eye on his movements for a while, I'm guessing that he wouldn't make the same mistake again....?

Maybe the British Army didn't have to know about the GCM, why tell them.... I'll ask the question elswhere, or would anybody watching care to give an opinion, would the British military care??, would they employ him if they knew???

Ian

[Daisy Loo]

Have been following this thread with great interest...but can offer no help, sorry... ::)does anyone know if Scrimnet is around?  He is brilliant at Army info...perhaps a post on the army board linking to this thread?  (Scrimnet is the Mod of the Armed Forces board)

[Redroger]

Ian, I think that number in the file might well be of some importance. Hopefully it will have more than just a number, like a number on an official receipt issued by whoever. Good luck. I still think the Masons come into this, and understand that there are older Masonic Records for the UK at any rate available, whether there are any Australian records I don't know, but it is worth a Googl;e I would think.

[Craven-Harrison]

Redroger and Trilliam62,

after some frantic searching back to 2003 I found the picture of the card that was left in the file folder I had thought that it was just a number) but I was wrong and you were right, there was a reference.......?.

I went over the correspondance from the Australian NAA and they had no idea what the card was for nor what the numbers represented

The records should have contained his pension details the department controllong this in Australia is the Department of Veteran Affairs these files had been transferred to the National Archives form that Department

The card reads:

Harrison AE
Captain 19th Batallion
EX AIF Soldier registered Sydney
R98673 and G2/20470
registered in Sydney Australia

Does anybody have a clue what this means? could it be a British Officer's Long Number or perhaps a number of a British DVA file



Regards

Ian

[Redroger]

I may be imagining things, but something about the way that the card has been written suggests to me that it was written in England and not Australia. I think your surmise may well be correct in that this is his service number as an officer in the British Army.

[jds1949]

You might find this information page from the National Archives of interest:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=6&j=1#2

I'm pretty sure that officers did not have regimental numbers, so whatever those numbers are I don't think either of them are that. I suspect that they are more likely to be file reference numbers - whether those files still exist is, of course, the $64,000 question.

jds1949

[Craven-Harrison]

I thought at this point that the inclusion of the now infamous GCM should be included for discussion, maybe there is something in here that suggests a clue to his future??

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=12017141&I=1&SE=0

Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

Hi Jds1949,

thanks for the comments regarding the file numbers or reference numbers, I'm still checking all the National Archives  references trying to se if any numbers appar to be a similar form, but not much luck at this stage

Ian