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

[Craven-Harrison]

G'day Keith,

My father was in New Guinea in WW2 not part of the group you speak off though. He was 40 and said it was pretty hard for a bloke his age with the heat and humidity. Albert was 38 when he was in WW1 and an old bloke by general war standards then. I acknowledge that Officers were generally older.

One of problems here is that the name Albert Edward was very common for the period and so there are bloody hundreds of Albert Edward Harrison's around the place. I'm not sure what that says about the Harrison's who kept naming their sons Albert Edward. Good if you wanted to confuse the Tax office I guess!!

So, although this is tantalizing that he may have been in WW2 and in New Guinea, I'm thinking not possible at this stage, I'm nearly 60 and couldn't fight my way out of a wet paper bag, let alone a few hundred/thousand Japanese

The proposition that he may have returned to Australia has consumed me for years. There have been Albert Edward Harrison's who have traveled from the UK to Australia since 1917. I have searched all the BDM archives for Death/Age/Birthdates etc and come up with virtually nothing, so have to conclude that he didn't. Every Australian BDM angle has been researched, BUT he could have changed his name..........................................

Thanks for the alternate angle,

Regards

Ian in Oz

[Craven-Harrison]

Hi carole,


I forgot to address this question,

14/10/1917 Syd is awarded the Military Medal -

Q: "do you know what for as this is the next entry to his fine and he still appears to be at Perham Down? Was he at Perham Down since the June"?

I will investigate this and get back to you

Rgds, Ian

[Siamese Girl]

I'm sure if anyone would have known what happened to Albert it would have been Syd.

I assume you have read through Syd's brothers war records? William Blamey who was KIA 04/07/1918 and Norman Blamey KIA 30/04/1915. There are some interesting letters there especially in Norman's file (page 27) a letter from the eldest brother Richard Blamey explaining something about the family's situation. I noted that in 1920 Syd was living with his sister Nora Harrison.

The Australian newspaper site is down at the moment (typical!) but I remember reports on Syd going missing in 1931(?) and his family being worried about him and then him having a gold watch stolen. I didn't take much notice of this, but if he was in financial difficulties why did he have a gold watch? He shouldn't have been allowed to die as he did, so there must have been an inquest/inquiry. I'm also sure I remember reading a solicitors notice in the paper about Syd's estate - did he leave a will and were there any clues in that?

I really don't see any reason if Albert wanted to go missing why he would have kept his own name. There are other Albert Edward Harrisons but by keeping it it would have been possible for him to be traced after the war.

Carole

[Siamese Girl]

Newspapers back - the watch was new and apparently worth £50, a lot of money in 1933.

The legal notice was fromThe Sydney Morning Herald of 27 June 1934 asking anyone who had a claim on Sydney Blamey's estate to come forwards as probate was going to be granted to his executor David Popplewell of Ashley Court Doncaster Avenue, Kensington. Contractor.

Carole

[Redroger]

Regarding the empty files; from my knowledge of (British) railway personnel procedures which were quite obviously based on military procedures (I feel quite at home reading military files, it's like being back at work) I am as certain as I can be that the missing papers were not removed officially, if they had been then there would have been a receipt for them saying where they had been transferred to and on whose authority.

[Keitht]

Ian,

It is conceivable that you are not the only one looking for this man. A quick Google search revealed

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=141504

which refers to an Albert Edward Harrison in the British Army in the later stages of WW1. There have been no postings to this forum since February. The discussion was started by someone calling himself Black.

Good luck with the hunt.

Keith

[Craven-Harrison]

Hi Carole,

I have not seen Syd's brother's files and these certainly do sound interesting, I will get hold of these documents in the next couple of days and we can then discuss the contents.

I must admit that looking at sydney and his brother's files hadn't occured to me as a source of info regarding Albert and as usual I could be wrong.....!

I have placed the info you have found in the hands of Albert's family "grandchildren", some of them lived with Nora when she was an older woman and may hold some key knowledge without knowing , some of this info about Syd and his brothers could jog their memories.

Yes, you are right on the money regarding Syd's knowledge of Albert's circumstances, its quite possible that he kept them secret, naturally Nora could have known everything and not told the family, she obviously knew about the GCM and yet her grandchildren knew nothing of Albert's circumstances and you would think that their parents would have told them when they got to an age of understanding.....? "they knew he never returned home from WW1"

As for Albert keeping his name, or not, there are competing interests here.

I'm sure he would need his original Commission documents to get another Commission in the British Army. Perhaps someone could confirm this??

A lot of his official documents (AIF) are described as AE Harrison if this is consistant he could be anything that was starting with an "A" and an "E" or just an "A" or perhaps as simple as a Harrison with an extra S or a single R it certainly makes a difference looking on today's E-Resources, the incorrect spelling take you all over the place

BUT, 90 years ago I believe that you could retain your real name and still not be located, I imagine that the war would have put Europe and England into a spin and looking for a bloke with a name that was fairly common would be difficult, no computers, the odd telephone, Police who had really important things going on let alone identifying thousands of dead soldiers on all side of the fence.......?

The following is a great example of spelling Harrisson/Harrison and you never know it could be my man........?

THE LONDON GAZETTE, 20 JUNE, 1924. 4809
INFANTRY.
1th Bn. Midd'x. R.—The surname of 2nd Lt.
A. E. Harrisson is as now described and not
as in Gaz. dated 3rd June 1924.

THE LONDON GAZETTE, 3 JUNE, 1924. 4439
INFANTRY.
1th Bn. Midd'x R.—Alfred Ernest Harrison.
4th June 1924.

Ian

[Craven-Harrison]

Redroger,

You said:

Regarding the empty files; from my knowledge of (British) railway personnel procedures which were quite obviously based on military procedures (I feel quite at home reading military files, it's like being back at work) I am as certain as I can be that the missing papers were not removed officially, if they had been then there would have been a receipt for them saying where they had been transferred to and on whose authority

I read your text several times.....! maybe, I should check with the person who physically saw the empty file folder, he said there was a number inside the file folder, maybe this means something to somebody. It certainly meant nothing to the staff at the Archives. These people wern't Military people, maybe this should be taken up with the Military people in Melbourne amazingly my Auntie was in the records Dept at Victoria Barracks In Melbourne and I had never considered her help previously...??

More noise about this aspect, maybe it isn't a conspiricy after all...?

thanks

Ian

Ps: I think I have a photo of this number I will locate it and broadcast it here in two days, perhaps someone knows what it means..!!

[Craven-Harrison]

G'day keith,

you said: 

It is conceivable that you are not the only one looking for this man. A quick Google search revealed

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=141504

which refers to an Albert Edward Harrison in the British Army in the later stages of WW1. There have been no postings to this forum since February. The discussion was started by someone calling himself Black

I am aware of this thread, its origins are known to me, Black was doing some research for another project where  AE Harrison was a very small part of a bigger picture, there are numerous other threads elswhere on the NET, none of them have come to anything. Most, if not all were started several years ago, by me.

As the years have elapsed more on-line data has emerged and Military and general research knowledge has matured. This latest quest on RootsChat is showing the greatest promise.

Black, his researchers and historians are still searching for AE Harrison, the more the better. We ultimately have the same agenda, ascertain AEH's fate for the sake of closure, and hopefully to see a happy ending for anybody involved, perhaps his grandchildren...!

Cheers

Ian