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

[Craven-Harrison]

Hi JDS1949,

1: Ok on The Norwich fellow and his divorce, I had discounted him based on dates, etc, but now I can definitely cross him off as a contender


2: Were any of the Officer graduates going by the name of A or Albert or Bert? I haven't stuck on the original rank, the letter to Nora describes that his rank was his joining rank and not his eventual rank. I therefore look at all Lt's and Capt'ns.

I wouldn't expect a connection to Australia if he was keeping that part secret. There is another thing that is possible here and your research today has made me think of another angle

He was a smarty and he could have just done a walk up start at the British Military and said let me sit the Officers Exam. I'm not sure if he would have needed to undertake training but it's possible and then he wouldn't have to use any of his history, he gets in at the lowest rank without any history.......!!! its just a thought...?

I must try and get hold of the Army lists, I understand that they exist on CD, is this correct???

Thanks Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

Hi JDS1949,

you said:

"assumed that as he was discharged from the AIF in the autumn of 1917"

Perhaps he started getting white feathers from old ladies and some conscience kicked in....?

For some reason its looking more likely that he joined later than sooner, but at this stage unknown, I've got a picture in my head that he would turn up at another AIF camp and just start fighting and joining in , at least they had food and toilets. Where do you go in a strange land when you've been thrown out of home.....?? Ok if you've got a girl friend then you might have a home...? but for how long without any money or job...?

Australian Officers had a pretty good existence in London, Albert used to stay at Worleys ? Hotel in Trafalgar Square London,  I'm guessing that he would want to continue the high life as man about town, Will-O'-the-Wisp. So, no job, no food, no hotel, no life........... get a job, what is offering? "Permanent Army"

You said: "Yes, he had an explanation, but not one that he would care to give."

and that is why he wasn't put on the stand at his GCM, whatever the explanation it wouldn't get him off the hook, only into more trouble, the excuse was either some mischief, another woman, gambling or other???

Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

G'day Colin,

Yes you were right about the doctors certificate, I'd never read it in any detail previously, my take on this is that if the court had sentenced him to jail and hard labour they would need to have a doctors certificate to carry out this sentance.

As we know this didn't happen, he was dismissed from the service, subsequently then didn't leave England by meeting his troop transport ship and didn't return home to Australia

You had me going for a moment.....LOL!!

Ian

[jds1949]

Dear Ian,

Some Army Lists are available on cd - here's the link to the one for August 1918[added benefit over the original - searchable!]:

http://www.armylists.org.uk/wherecanibuy.php?id=3880

None of the Harrisons had an initial letter A for their forenames - nor any possible variation for Albert or Edward. Seven of the eleven had service in the ranks, dating back several years - so clearly not possibles for your man. One had a commission dated in 1914, again impossible for your man, another dated from 1916 -  ditto - and the last two were born in 1899, so unless your man looked incredibly young - also impossible.

I'm not totally sure how one became an officer in 1917-18, but, as usual, the GWF has some basic info - see:

http://www.1914-1918.net/training_officers.htm

I don't think that he was sent to prison - there's no mention of it in his papers, as there surely would have been, and any prison sentence would, I strongly suspect, have made it impossible for him to gain a commission in the British Army.

Another possibility has just occurred to me - triggered by your idea of a "picture in my head that he would turn up at another AIF camp and just start fighting and joining in." - Perhaps he did just that. Enlisted in either a British or Australian unit as a private and, because of his knowledge and ability, got himself put forward for officer training? I reckon that would take him about a year, gets him from the Autumn of 1917 to the Autumn of 1918 - or am I just being too fanciful?

It would, perhaps, be useful to know what the AIF were actually doing about him from the court-martial onwards. Did they really just turn men loose? Was there a procedure? Do we know what happened in other cases of a similar type? - I doubt if your man was the only man dismissed the service by the AIF in Europe. Why was there a year's gap between the dismissal from the service and the official discharge? If a man had been dismissed the service, but not discharged, what was his status? As he had been dismissed, why then did he have to ask to be discharged? Armies tend to do things by the book - so what did the book say?

Given that there were two occasions after he was dismissed when the AIF had some form of official contact with your man - once when he applied to be discharged and again when somebody knew that he had entered the British Army, then presumably there was still some kind of official AIF process going on - they had not cut him loose completely. It also occurs to me that Harrison himself would have been unlikely to tell the AIF that he was now a commissioned officer in the British Army - so that information would have to had come from the British Army, which, if correct, means he was using his real name.

All that having been said, I'm not sure that it gets us very far. I shall be back at Kew at some point next week and I shall have another go at trying to find something. I'll start with the same list as last time - this time looking at the Lieutenants, and then see where we go from there.

jds1949   

[Colin Cruddace]

Hi Ian,

I am no specialist in Military affairs but think my suggestion could well be worth exploring further. It all fits together so neatly.

As I understand it, a Court Martial would only deal with serious offences and pass an appropriate sentence, but what if there were also less serious charges to be tried. Would they not be dealt with by the CO and possibly end up with a period in the Glass-House?

It seemed to me a very harsh sentence for twice overdrawing his pay-book and being AWOL for less than 2 weeks, especially for an Officer during Wartime.

What if there was much more going on and most had been dealt with by the CO resulting in a 12 month sentence, but he had also submitted these 3 offences for a CM judgement. We know he was dismissed but what would happen about the 12 months sentence? Surely he would still be required to serve it. Can anyone clarify this please?

The Doctor's Certificate of fitness is page 52 of 68 of the GCM file that Ian provided a link for in Reply #43.

This certificate is dated 26.7.17, just 3 days before the CM hearing!!

Colin

[jds1949]

Dear Colin,

Just to explain a little more fully why I wrote that I didn't think that Captain Harrison had been sent to prison. If he had been sentenced to prison it would surely have been recorded on his service papers and it isn't. Indeed there is a letter from his wife dated 28th April 1918 [page 25 of the service record] asking for news of her husband; if the AIF had had him locked up at that time then then I think they would have told her so. It also states that in dismissing him the court also exercised clemency - which I take to mean that that was all they did - they did not lock him up as well.

Clearly there is something unusual going on here, that's why this is such a fascinating story. I doubt if Captain Harrison was the first officer to overdraw his pay - or to overstay his leave and had he chosen to explain then, I suspect, matters might have turned out differently. But for an army, any army, an officer who breaks the rules and refuses to explain is asking for trouble.

jds1949

[Colin Cruddace]

Thanks jds1949,

I haven't got round to checking his service records yet, but I agree that any jail or similar would be noted somewhere. What is nagging away is why AEH requested discharge in England on June 13, but it wasn't granted until Aug 28, which happens to be the 1st anniversary of his dismissal. It seems too much of a coincidence to me, so now I'm off to browse his service records

As you say, it is indeed a fascinating story.

Colin

[Siamese Girl]

I still think Sydney Blamey's will would be worth hunting down http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/1144589?zoomLevel=1 I have no experience of the NSW probate system  - the online indexes seen to be for 1928-1932 and 1941-1942 so they miss Sydney's death, but I assume there must be a way of getting a copy.

Carole

[Craven-Harrison]

JDS1949

Thanks for all your ideas and comments and the Army list CD info

You asked:

1: “What the AIF were actually doing about him from the court-martial?”
He was transported from Perham Down to London AIF headquarters  three days after the CM, where he was to be billeted until his transport ship arrived from Australia to then transport him home, he must of just walked away. I’m guessing that he wasn’t under guard

2: “Did they really just turn men loose?
No I don’t believe that they did but there is nothing to suggest that these men were in custodial circumstances during the time between the CM and return home

3:  “Was there a procedure?
I’m betting there should have been. There is correspondence that I will mount that will explain the circumstances of both AE Harrison and TM Robson, soldiers that both remained in England after a CM and had families in Australia that became dependant on the State. I don’t believe that the Military cared what happened after the CM but back in Australia a storm was brewing in high places. Robson got back into Australia a few months later and was taken into custody but escaped and is still at large in Australia

4:  Do we know what happened in other cases of a similar type?
The info about Harrison and Robson is all that is known by me

5: Why was there a year's gap between the dismissal from the service and the official discharge?

There would have been a period of waiting for the troop ship, the voyage back to Australia and the walk from the warf to the NSW Military headquarters to sign the discharge papers, all up a couple of months. Notwithstanding we don’t know what exactly he was up to, It took 12 months because he obviously decided he was going to stay, needed the formal discharge so he could initiate some other formality, (ie) proof of service document (maybe used for his next commission)

6:  If a man had been dismissed the service, but not discharged, what was his status?
Dismissed!!!! And not discharged, no more job no more connection if he had returned to Australia. It is a cockup because he didn’t do the expected thing and return like he was supposed to to be properly discharged so they could close his file. His file remained open because Nora was making people keep it open and the Australian Government were being pressed for his back pay and a war gratuity by Nora, her family and the RSL. Until he came home he was in limbo, while not at home Nora would have a genuine claim on the Australian Government

7: As he had been dismissed, why then did he have to ask to be discharged?

I believe that this would send a message to Nora, the Military and the Government that he wasn’t coming home. This act was important for him as he needed the discharge document and its probable that Nora needed the same final conclusion, the line in the sand

8: Armies tend to do things by the book - so what did the book say?

I don’t think there was ruling on this and the documents that I will mount will probably reinforce this, they were caught off guard by the two we know about and what Australia and the DVA didn’t want was families of disgraced soldiers being dependant on the State after their husbands had been dismissed or no longer required in the service under dishonorable circumstances. The public would not be happy…..!!!


You Said:  

Given that there were two occasions after he was dismissed when the AIF had some form of official contact with your man - once when he applied to be discharged and again when somebody knew that he had entered the British Army, then presumably there was still some kind of official AIF process going on - they had not cut him loose completely. It also occurs to me that Harrison himself would have been unlikely to tell the AIF that he was now a commissioned officer in the British Army - so that information would have to had come from the British Army, which, if correct, means he was using his real name.

Note: End part 1:    my response was greater than 5500 charactors,