George MARSHE, d. 1917 WW1 (aka F G Myburgh) - passenger lists?

[lucymags]

Thanks, Jamjar. Yes, I have built his family tree and linked him in with the Myburgh family where he belongs. He gave his son his (real) second name and one of his daughters some of his mother's names.

Thanks again, Gerry. I had found records saying that he belonged to the 36th Battalion, but not the other details. I also have his WW1 enlistment record, which shows his Boer War service, but no link to his old name. I assume that the Australian Army didn't know that he'd served under another name in the Cape Garrison Artillery? They must not have tried to check (and in those days, paper records may have been unreliable). Also a little strange that he was an officer there, but enrolled as a Private for WW1 (perhaps because of his age?).

Well, at least we've narrowed down his move to Australia to sometime between January and September 1903. It would be nice to know exactly which ship he boarded and when he changed his name, but these facts may never come to light.

Thanks for all your help. 

Oh - I have just discovered that the entry which I previously took to be just one page, actually has another 60 pages behind it, all relating to his military service, his death, the pension paid to his widow afterwards, etc.! I don't know if this is a permanent link, but I can see it here: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8039216
or here: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=8039216&S=2&N=61&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=8039216&T=P&S=1
I will have to come back to this later and see if anything interesting is contained in those other pages! (Although still no clue to his former life, it seems.)

[Aussie1947]

Hi,

In 1914 the recruitment age restrictions for the 1st AIF was 19-38 and 5'6''.

The failure rate for recruitment for this period was very high.

June 1915 they age was lifted to 45 and the height reduced to 5'2".

April 1917 the height was reduced to 5'0", Railway and Mining Corps could take medically fit men as old as 50.

I read in one of the newspapers that he had tried to enlist a few times which wasn't unusual and he had to lower his age to meet the 45 year limit.  Not bad to be able to reduce ones age by 12 years and get away with it, his former commissioned rank of Major may have helped him although he enlisted as a private.

Gerry

[lucymags]

Hi,

In 1914 the recruitment age restrictions for the 1st AIF was 19-38 and 5'6''.

The failure rate for recruitment for this period was very high.

June 1915 they age was lifted to 45 and the height reduced to 5'2".

April 1917 the height was reduced to 5'0", Railway and Mining Corps could take medically fit men as old as 50.

I read in one of the newspapers that he had tried to enlist a few times which wasn't unusual and he had to lower his age to meet the 45 year limit.  Not bad to be able to reduce ones age by 12 years and get away with it, his former commissioned rank of Major may have helped him although he enlisted as a private.

Gerry

Thanks again, Gerry. That's interesting - having just ploughed through all of those records, I saw that he was only 5'5". Was it the obit. that said that (about him reapplying several times)? I will have another look at the Trove articles and incorporate them into my notes.

[Aussie1947]

In this notice, also his proper name "George Marshe Milburn"

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/136910911?searchTerm=

Gerry

[lucymags]

Ah yes, that was the first one I found (and edited) on Trove. But Milburn is not mentioned anywhere else at all. I'm actually now wondering if "George" told the author of the article of his real surname - perhaps over a few beers - and he misheard or mistranscribed it. Milburn is not a million miles away from "Myburgh" (which is pronounced my-burg).

[Aussie1947]

Hi,

If he stayed in the Cape Garrison Artillery until it was disbanded from regular service on 30th June 1902 as Major Francis Gerhard Myburgh and then he pops up playing billiards in September 1903 in Cobar as G Marshe it leaves only a 15 month unknown gap regarding his movements to Australia.

Why Cobar, maybe he had a contact from the Boer War!

Gerry
 

[lucymags]

Hi Gerry

Yes, I have now trawled through a lot of articles mentioning Marshe in Cobar, but that Sept 1903 appearance seems to be the first so far. Many are just mentions (to do with business, legal and the hospital board), but one gives quite a lot of info, including that he'd initially thought of going to Broken Hill, also liked the idea of opal mining... so who knows?

I have a letter from another source which puts  sighting of him in South Africa in October 1903, with the thought that he may have got on a boat to England. At this point, I'm just trying to summarise what I've gathered from the Aus. sources into my document, and over time will try to put together a chronological summary of what I've found so far.

I think that this is probably as far as I can go in Australian records at this point. I may post something in (or transfer this thread (? not sure how that works - will need a moderator)) to) a UK or South African forum, but I need some time to process what I've got first.

It's unfortunate that Trove doesn't seem to allow me to specify an exact match on "Marshe", and brings up thousands of unrelated material on "Marsh" - I sent them a query/suggestion about that one - and I'm not going to trawl through every last one...

Thanks again for your help and interest.
Mel

[Aussie1947]

Hi Mel,

Your gap between South Africa and Australia is almost complete and I hope you can find the voyage out, I have a 30 year gap with my GGF born in the Cape Province in 1861and getting married in Charters Towers Queensland in 1894.

Gerry

 

[lucymags]

Wow - good luck with that one, Gerry! You never know - new records are turning up all the time. 
Mel