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

[regross]

I have to agree, it is making me really curioud.

Of course the real difficulty  researching this  is that by now almost certainly anyone who may have known about the events is dead.

There is also the fact that had he become involved in covert operations  of any kind these would be under a 100 year closure and of course that time frame is yet to be met.

None of this speculation rules out the fact that he may have remained in England after the services and set up a second family.

I have an inherent mistrust of empty files in beaurocratic systems. The military are generally renowned for the meticulous nature of their record keeping. So empty folders are like a red flag , if the files were detroyed then  one would expect that there should be no folder left. Perhaps the fact that the folder remains indicates that there is/was material to be reurned to it at some later date.

Robyn

[Craven-Harrison]

Robyn,

Regarding mising files:

I have some ripper correspondence from the Australian Archives and the Australian War Museum, The Sydney NSW PROV and the Australian Archives regarding the empty files, the file covers are there and apparently nothing in them or the GOV not releasing the contents to us....?

When we started doing this in OZ we did think that something was quite wrong, but there has always been a sensible explanation in the end.

It could just be bad luck and nothing clandestine at all.

And lets not talk about the British Files...!

I'll try to locate my DVA files tonight and post a summery ASAP

Cheers

Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

G'day JDS,


firstly, thank you for slotting in some AEH related enquiries at the NA today.

Regarding the existence (or not) of the Suspense List.  It sounds like the NA Oracle has uttered the last word on this elusive document.  As Colin has identified it's more than likely that at one time there probably was a list, but apparently it doesn't exist today...! thanks for confirming this.

Regarding the Officers files, which were weeded for the following reasons:-
1: They were commissioned at the end of the war
2: Who probably did not serve for very long
3: Young men whose next of kin was their parents, and, again, did not have any great length of service.

It doesn’t look too good does it?  Based on your overview of the Oracle’s record weeding explanation, Its possible that we should drop any further research, it's apparently futile. Looking at things objectively I can see the logic in this perspective. Specifically all the researched AH's and AEH's have been rejected and we have recently deduced  that he was using his real name and we presume that he was using all his initials or at least one of them

I've held the view for a while that although it appears in many ways to be a dead end there will be some evidence buried somewhere and it's possible that I have already seen it or it's just around the corner. Although quite a few records have been seen, there are equally as many A Harrison's yet to be reviewed  for at least the aspect of rejection. It appears that In this case the normal order of research is not easily applied.

Regarding the WO338 AEH bloke, it does appear this fellow is a lost cause, particularly because his 1888 DOB is quite wrong. However, I will continue to look for the original Register and then seek to view the original page to perhaps interprate what is under the ink smudge.

The two ship travellers don't seem to fit the the known profile, both have significant age differences to AEH who was born in 1879 and their professions are quite different, AEH would normally put Traveller or Salesman in Civilian life. But I will add them to the list of possible returnees to Australia


Many thanks as usual for the time and trouble

Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

As promised I have reviewed the original research that I conducted in 2006 regarding records pertaining to pensions, Living Allowances, and have found some unresolved anomalies that I haven't addressed yet.

I am going over this info again, one of the serious issues that arose at the time was the Research Officer that was in charge of the investigation was mysteriously dismissed and another Officer was appointed

I'll have more info in the next few days

Ian

[Redroger]

Ian, Some years ago after my retirement I discovered that two of my last three jobs required a very high security clearance. I still wonder how I came to get them, specially the final job/

[Craven-Harrison]

Roger and All,

I understand your comments regarding the Security Clearance and Status bestowed upon you in your last job. It's a multi faceted issue and probably not for this thread, but certainly in a Civilian setting I often wonder about its efficacy and the true dynamics of the process. I note that the requirement for your's was unknown to you. Mine was very onerous, invasive and very, very, personal, It involved my entire family including the previous generation of mine my wife's and my previous wife's, including all our children and the lives of our entire extended families. My wife was born in Alexandria Egypt is part Italian and part French with grandparents from four different countries. I am a fifth generation Australian with English, Irish and Scottish heritage and this was researched with a fine toothed comb. My personal and family finances were investigated in detail.  The enquiries didn't stop there.........

They just loved unearthing the fact that I had been convicted of contraveining the "Australian Wireless Telegraphy Act, Para 2 Sect 12  of 1957"  in about 1971, I built a Radio Transmitter and it worked very well, but I was un-licensed, so considered a Pirate.  A Commonwealth offence, the max penalty was 5 years hard labour. I was let off, but interestingly the record stuck for 30 years even though the Gov now uses the knowledge that I learn't during that period.  I had better stop here.!...... Too Many Secrets....!


I've been building a list of Pension and DVA transmissions that has been really rewarding, it's old research now and yet in light of recent thoughts, born out of this thread, I have looked at it a bit differently than I had originally.

There is now, no doubt that Nora did receive a living allowance from the Australian Government. There had always been some doubt in my mind as AEH's pay cards contradicted some of the evidence and correspondence from the NAA, regarding the DVA's involvement.

I now believe that originally there was official resistance (in the normal Government way) to Nora receiving and War Gratuity or Living Allowance. But at some stage some very nice people at the DVA must have weakened and approved her request for help. Without the details (records) of her correspondence to the DVA, we might never know what was said or done

Conversely, I see no evidence that AEH ever made contact with the DVA regarding a pension for himself. (In Australia)

I do have a small index card that was found that definitely does say a "LA" Living Allowance for Nora Harrison, I will post this when I scan it

I will also post the list of correspondence when I scan it

Cheers

Ian

[regross]

So now another step forward,

It is  indeed interesting that Nora received this allowance and of course the tangled thread now has at leat one end to tug that may help in winding the mystery.
(soory ab out the mixed metaphor)

Robyn

[DeeBoneham]

I thought the Aussies love people who kick the trend... They probably loved bringing up your radio career because it amused them...
Keep going at teasing those loose ends.  Whatever you find it will be worth it and he may have been a naughty lad but so is AEH...

[Redroger]

Interesting Ian, Still up for the Baluchistan unit toward the end of the month. Look for a pm.
Roger