Was he really dead or legally on that date?

[McGroger]

My dad’s uncle, Donald M[a]cGregor (1894 Sydney) had a rough life. The youngest of the family, his mother died when he was 6. His father remarried 2 years later to a much younger woman. He was put into reform school just before his 15th birthday for being “uncontrollable”. He went to war overseas and returned in bad health, physically and mentally. He married in Scotland in 1918 while on leave. He was discharged medically unfit in early 1919 but not returned to Australia til 1920.

He appears in the NSW Police Gazette for 16 July 1930, with a warrant being issued for his arrest for Wife Desertion. A follow up note in the Police Gazette for 31 Dec 1930 says that he had been arrested and charged by Wauchope police. (He was a builder in Sydney.)

I can find no record of his death other than this handwritten note on his Service record:

“Died 18th April 1937. Historian 4/5/38”

One story handed down was:

“Aunty Nell [his sister] said he died by suicide in the early 1930s at somewhere in the Riverina; she was notified, as the only identity he had was his army pay book, in which she had been entered as his next of kin. ‘It was during the depression and he had separated from his wife, I think she may have gone back to Scotland.’”

I think the story may be typical verbal history - a mixture of fact and supposition, a bit misunderstood or lost here, a bit added there. (Would he still be carrying his army pay book around 17 years after being discharged? And it was not the early 1930s - although that was when he first deserted his wife.)

Do you think it possible that, after being charged, he immediately disappeared again, remained missing and (on application from his wife) was eventually declared legally dead (the 7 year term possibly backdated to when he first shot through, or granted in anticipation of 7 years elapsing shortly thereafter?  Would they use the wording they did in the army record if that was the case? (Possible, if the historian simply worked from a list of deceased ex-servicemen?) Or would it mean that he really died on that day?

Would love to here from people with any experience in such things.

Thanks.
 Peter

[Jamjar]

Peter, what is his service number, please?

[rosball]

Is this his divorce ? https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/item/divorce-papers-effie-scott-macgregor-donald-macgregor

I could photograph this for you next time I am at state records if you wish.  It should have some clues if the right one.

Ros

[majm]

I think Ros has found the likely divorce.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17092414 31 July 1934 SMH
the cutting has their marriage as Glasgow, August 1917. 

Decree Absolute  http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17143346

JM

[McGroger]

You people are amazing!

Jamjar, the service number is 2065; he joined the 5th Reinforcements 3rd Battalion on 4 March 1915.

Ros, yes, it’s definitely the right people. Please don’t go out of your way for me, but if you do get a photo, that would be great. Thank you.

JM, your 1917 date for the marriage is “correcter” than mine. The 1918 date I quoted was the date of an extract of the marriage certificate made for the army. And thank you for those Trove articles.

Thank you again, you wonderful people.

Now, I’m off to bed.

Cheers, Peter

[Jamjar]

I know it's a possibly not, but here is death in 1931.

It has correct father's name, as per war record and Tumut is in the Riverina.

7800/1931  Donald MacGregor  parents John and Christina TUMUT

Jamjar

[majm]

page 41 of 41,  snip attached.

In my view, someone has notified the AIF in 1938 that the chap died on that April 1937 date.  The record shows the initials of someone (in the records department section of the AIF) entering the information on that page, on that 1938 date.  (Initials of  that person likely to include B in the surname.... as it is likely to be the last of the initials )

Sadly, I do not know of the 'Historian' but I think, from the wording that it is likely to have been a publication circulated within the AIF perhaps, and I don't think it is referring to a person.   
Snip Attached.

Perhaps there's others who may know of the "Historian".   Perhaps an email enquiry to the Australian War Museum may bring light to the enquiry. 

JM

[McGroger]

Thanks Jamjar, but no, his mother’s name was Mary Bruce (ms), sorry I didn’t give you that info before.

Thanks JM. I had been working on the assumption that the person who wrote the note was some sort of historian working in the department, updating the records. Never thought of a publication. I’ll try to follow up on your idea.

Thanks again very much for your help, folks.

Cheers, Peter

[rosball]

Here is an obit for the Donald Macgregor who died in Tumut in 1931 and he is 88 years of age.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article123453804

So we can rule him out.

No problem to take a few photos Peter

Ros