Hello
I'm researching some soldiers who had an avenue of honour planted for them in a small street, in a small town in country Victoria, Australia.
One of 'my soldiers' Hugh Neil Boyd, joined up in April 1916 and sailed to England. In his own words what happened then was - "After being in England for some time & not being drafted to France on account of my eyesight & being informed that on account of this disability I could never get to France & being very young & foolish at the time...I deserted & joined the British Navy at Portsmouth & was drafted to HMAT Kursk..."
The AIF listed him as A.W.L. on 25th April 1917 from Codford Camp, Salisbury Plains. He was declared an illegal absentee at a Court of Inquiry at Codford on 29th May 1917.
Hugh left quite a paper trail in his AIF records and they can be found here;
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=3105369What I would like to know is whether it's possible to get any information about his British Navy service? (I'm pretty much limited to the internet too.) Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It appears Hugh acquired a wife in England too (he was single on his enlistment). In his AIF file there is a letter dated 14 Dec 1917 to Mrs M.A. Boyd, 22 Bellevue Crescent, Clifton, Bristol from AIF headquarters which basically says she won't get any allotment (pay) until he his apprehended. It would be great to find about this part of his story too.
Hugh came back to Australia but I don't know when... He doesn't show up in electoral rolls until 1931 (unless I've missed him!). He's with a Mary Ann Boyd too, maybe the wife mentioned above?
Thanks in advance for any help,
Mo