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

[Craven-Harrison]

Roger and JDS,

I might be missing something here?

the index that we are referring to here is WO338 and this is the official long number reference originally a book digitised and for free download at your NA, I have previously attached an extract of this book in the form of a page of Harrison's specifically, the Albert Edward Harrison with the smudge over the Unit cell

The WO338 index describes official Officer Long Numbers and these are converted directly to NA files in the WO339 series

I can understand that the odd file was culled under some administrative weeding criteria. However in this case, there appears to be a group of files missing without reason. These files are sequential suggesting either some sort of intentional pattern or accidental error

Are we talking about the same issue here? I guess what I am talking about is that the long numbers survive and there was a corresponding WO339 number reference created, why bother creating this link reference and why are there several in this WO339 group just not there as a group.

The way I understand it is,  the WO339 long number file isn't created in the first place if the administrative criteria isn't met

I think I have the list of missing sequential files somewhere, would this help??

I haven't spoken to the experts at the NA so I am probably wrong I guess???

Ian

[jds1949]

Ian,

As I understand it a number of files were weeded in the 1930s as they no longer contained any material that was of use to the authorities. I don't know [which is why I will check when I'm next at Kew] but I strongly suspect that these were files of men who had been commissioned for only a short period at or after the end of the war. These men would have left the army between 1918 and 1920 and have no pension entitlement or call on the authorities - which is why the files were weeded [as having no "administrative value"]. As numbers in the Army tended to get issued in batches I have little doubt that the run of numbers you refer to were numbers issued to men who all fell into this category.

I also suspect that the long numbers were generated when there were files - i.e. prior to the weeding exercise, which is why they survived although the files didn't.

I shall however try to confirm this next week.

jds1949

[Craven-Harrison]

Thanks JDS,

I'll try and establish how I know there is a seqential group together that are missing


It's AEH's birthday today, another year passed.!!

Ian

[Redroger]

Ian, There is every chance I shall be in London towards next weekend. Can you please pm me the details that you want me to look for at the British Library?
Roger

[jds1949]

Ian,

as I recall it was I who told you that it was one of a sequence - see post 174

jds1949

[DeeBoneham]

I watched an adaption of Somerset Maughnans Sword of Honor last night.  In it one of the characters who gets chucked out of the Halberdiers then turns up as a Scottish Anti Aircraft Captain!  When tasked about it Crouchback the main character he says "The Army is a big place".  He had changed his name to his mothers maiden name!  Nothing to do with AEH but fascinating that it was obviously still going on in WW2 for it to be used in a book!
Dee

[Craven-Harrison]

Dear Roger, Dee and JDS,

Roger, what resources are actually at the British Library? or is this just another way of saying the National Archives?

Dee, I'll have to get that movie, its interesting that so many men seem to choose their mother's maiden name as their alias name, I guess they want to still have some sort of family identity or association?

I always link AEH with the movie "Hanover St", I was interested in the story-line well before the emergence of AEH, I'm not sure what that can mean, maybe I liked Leslie-Anne Down...! or maybe it was Harrison Ford, perhaps the Harrison part got me going.....LOL.

Needless to say, there are some who think that if there was another woman, it was quite possible that it was a nurse, given the amount of time he spent in hospital and sick in London, Leslie-Anne Down played the part of a Nurse and Harrison Ford the part of an American Pilot in London WW2.   

JDS,  yes, you are quite right you did tell me off the sequential file group that was missing and that AEH's file was part of this group, I had previously looked at the missing WO338/WO339 long number service record connection and you confirmed this

Thanks for all the info

Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

Hi all,

looks like we've been sent off to the front for some Military specific manoeuvres.

At this point I should say thankyou to all those that have helped in this quest to date. 

It was a good decision to begin this thread in the "common Room" it's quite possible that the major part of this story was carried out in the Civilian world but as we've found it was born in the Military world and this is where we have been spending our time, trying to unravel the Genesis of this story.

I've had lots of PM's regarding civilian based research and this material will I'm sure have its time in the near future after we have established what happened to AEH between 1917 to 1919 and thereafter, to all those lovely folk, thankyou for your unseen help

Off we go again, the day after his Birthday, his Wedding day, his Court Martial and his Discharge from the AIF

Thanks

Ian

[Redroger]

Ian, No, the Brritish Library is separate from the National Archive. I believe that what you needed to be investigated was an officer in the Indian Army, but can't remember exactly what it was that was needed.