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

[Siamese Girl]

The newspaper reports can be found here http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/search?adv=y - I did an exact phrase search for Sydney Blamey and also Sidney Blamey. The newspaper entry about probate simply came up on a Google search for Sydney Blamey hopefully it will still be here http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/1144589?zoomLevel=1, but  I don't know if the search will be timed out or not. If not Google should find it - EXCEPT that the notice isn't on page 2 of the Sydney Herald which was what appeared with the Google search but on the next page, page 3, column 4 about halfway down the page.

Carole

[jds1949]

I had some spare time at Kew today - so I did a little digging - not much found and all negative I'm afraid.

1. As suspected the divorce for Albert Edward Harrison previously mentioned had nothing to do with your man - this Albert Edward was an electrician living in Norwich who had married in 1903.

2. I found the Army List for April 1918 - this particular one was the "Gradation List of Officers in the British Army" - so it listed all officers by rank and not, as is usually the case, by Regiment. Eleven men named Harrison were serving as 2nd Lieutenants as of 31st March 1918; none of them had the forenames Albert Edward in any combination. From the other details in their listings it was also clear that none of them had any connection with Australia.

If he did enter the British Army as a 2nd Lieutenant under his own name in the autumn of 1917 he was no longer serving as that by April 1918.

I did not have time to go through the list of Lieutenants, he may have been promoted by April 1918, on my to do list for next time. 

jds1949

[Siamese Girl]

If Nora received a letter in October 1919 about Albert joining the British Regular Army, wouldn't that mean he joined up after the war ended?

Carole

[jds1949]

I assumed that as he was discharged from the AIF in the autumn of 1917 following his court martial that he went into the British Army sooner rather than later. If he didn't then there is the additional problem of what he was doing for over a year kicking his heels in the UK at the height of a war, not in uniform and of military age. Yes, he had an explanation, but not one that he would care to give.

jds1949

[Craven-Harrison]

Carole,

"The fighting ended with the signing of an armistice (cease fire) which went into effect at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918"

1:..... July 29th 1917 Court Martialled Tidworth
2:......August 28th 1917 Dismissed from the service
2:......March 22nd 1918 Base records requests information from London on Ex Capt Harrison's location etc
4:......May 1st 1918 Nora Harrison requesting help and information on her husband
5:......May 3rd 1918 Base records responds to Nora's request for information with no knowledge of AEH's fate or location
6:......June 13th 1917 AIF headquarters Westminister London reports to base records that EX Capt Harrison has applied for Discharge in England
7:......August 28th 1918 Ex Capt Harrison discharged in England
8:......November 11th 1918 War ends
9:......October 10th 1919 (almost a year after War end) Nora receives a message from base Records Australia (not AIF headquarters Westminister England) undercover of "form of Commission and receipt etc" that Ex Capt Harrison had joined the British Regular Forces as a T2Lt

Because we know nothing of the period between 2: and 7: and again 7: and 9: it's possible that he could have joined at any stage in these two periods. The fact that Nora was informed in Oct 1919 only tells us that the AIF had ascertained his fate and wherebouts on that date. Interestingly he wasn't discharged in England until August 28th 1918 and as I have said previously I don't believe he could rejoin a service until he was Discharged.....? But nothing confirmed here??

If he joined after August 28th he would be joining the service (the War) for a couple of months, but he joined the Regular Forces, I think he would have  to join for several years war or no war?

Whatever!!!  he joined the regular forces quite late in the War and quite possibly his records aren't with the rest in the normal manner particularly if he was in the service after 1920

Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

G'day JDS1949,


Thanks for the Kew work yesterday, (wish I could reciprocate somehow)

I will comment on your findings later on tonight, I'll have to get some sleep, it's 05:30 Am in Oz and I've shut down (brain dead up all night) .... LOL

 Ian 

[jds1949]

Dear Ian,

don't worry about reciprocating - this is a fascinating story and I'm enjoying helping to find anything more. Have a good night's kip,

jds1949

[Colin Cruddace]

I think I've spotted something, and I apologise if it has already been covered.

Ian's list of events (assume No 6 should be 1918)
1:..... July 29th 1917 Court Martialled Tidworth
2:......August 28th 1917 Dismissed from the service
2:......March 22nd 1918 Base records requests information from London on Ex Capt Harrison's location etc
4:......May 1st 1918 Nora Harrison requesting help and information on her husband
5:......May 3rd 1918 Base records responds to Nora's request for information with no knowledge of AEH's fate or location
6:......June 13th 1917 AIF headquarters Westminister London reports to base records that EX Capt Harrison has applied for Discharge in England
7:......August 28th 1918 Ex Capt Harrison discharged in England
8:......November 11th 1918 War ends

Items 2 and 7 are exactly 12 months apart, so could this mean he was Dismissed from service and then Discharged (from prison?), but remained in England at his own request, rather than being repatriated?

(Added - his records contained, I believe, a doctor's certificate confirming he was fit to serve a prison sentence, with hard labour)
Colin

[Craven-Harrison]

G'day Colin,

firstly you are absolutely right about item 6, it's a typo, herewith, the list again, corrected..

1:..... July 29th 1917 Court Martialled Tidworth
2:......August 28th 1917 Dismissed from the service
2:......March 22nd 1918 Base records requests information from London on Ex Capt Harrison's location etc
4:......May 1st 1918 Nora Harrison requesting help and information on her husband
5:......May 3rd 1918 Base records responds to Nora's request for information with no knowledge of AEH's fate or location
6:......June 13th 1918 AIF headquarters Westminister London reports to base records that EX Capt Harrison has applied for Discharge in England
7:......August 28th 1918 Ex Capt Harrison discharged in England
8:......November 11th 1918 War ends
9:......October 10th 1919 (almost a year after War end) Nora receives a message from base Records Australia (not AIF headquarters Westminister England) undercover of "form of Commission and receipt etc" that Ex Capt Harrison had joined the British Regular Forces as a T2Lt

Interesting comment, "exactly 12 months apart" had me scrambling back to the Service Records to confirm that this issue wasn't a mistake by the Military or one made by me, but it turned out to be correct, on NAA page 34/86 of his Service Record it says in two places 1918, ie, 13th June 1918 and 28th Aug 1918.  So, yes he was dismissed in 1917 and then subsequently discharged in England in 1918 on his birthday, he was also Married on the same day 

Col, where does it say on his records anything about Prison? I can't see anything like this??

Cheers

Ian