9th Lancers

[Mark Lemon]

Thanks Craig.

 

Mark.

[Mark Lemon]

Hi everyone, I know Andy asked earlier if the eighty eight days awarded to my Grandfather following the Court Martial at Longford would have been served at Winchester Prison?  Is there any way of finding out if the 88 days served was at the prison or a Military Barracks? 

 

The record held by FMP had no particular date but I know his Court Martial at Lonford was 10th January 1921.

I note that following being found guilty of desertion it appears his discharge from the Army was dated 4th August 1921 Canterbury.  Would that have been where his regiment was?

Also, under the column "Rank & Character on Discharge" it states  "PTE" & "BAD". Was 'BAD' the word to describe his character or is that an abbreviated acronym for another word?

 

 

I know it was stated earlier that Desertion would have carried a tariff of 3 years but in my Grandfathers case this could not have been as his daughter was born on 27th December 1922 so conception would have been around March / April 1921.

 

If I get enough evidence I intend to challenge the forefit of my Grandfathers medals. I realise there are people who say "this cannot be done now" or "they do not do that now" but further up this blog Angela Tarnowski of the 9th & 12th Lancers Museum does not rule it out and I am starting to find good evidence that my Grandfathers state of mind could well have contributed to his Court Martial. The next bit is somewhat related to this:

 

My Grandfather was posted to an Experimental Battery Royal Artillery Winterbourne Gunners on 2 March 1920 and was 'struck off as an absentee' on 30 May 1920 barely 2 months later.  I cannot see that this was the reason for his Court Martial (I accept I could be wrong) as the second nominal roll states he rejoined his regiment at an unknown later date (as per Angela Tarnowski) and this was seven months before the Court Martial. I'd like to get your thoughts on this.

 

Does anyone have any info on this Experimental Battery at Winterbourne? As I found this that would have put my Grandfather bang in the middle of when this happened.

https://www.wiltshire-opc.org.uk/Items/Winterbourne Gunner/Winterbourne Gunner - Inquest on William Williams 1920.pdf

 

Lastly (but it may not be the last though)

Apart from sending a request to Glasgow MOD for any service records they may have for him do any of you know if Winchester Prison might have an archive section? As Iv'e not been able to find any other prison records on FMP or Ancestry

 

Thanks everyone as always

 

Mark.

[Mark Lemon]

Hello all again,

 

I have discovered more information regarding my Grandfather Private John Ambrose Lemon L/5084 and 315396 of the 9th Lancers.

 

Just to re cap he was court martialed on 10th July 1921 at Longford, Ireland and found guilty of desertion as discovered by 'Perth Digger'.  I found out that he was "struck off as an absentee" going AWOL from a experimental battery he was posted to at Winterbourne Gunners.  What Mike (Perth Digger) also noted was there was no mention of Penal Servitude (as was the reason given for the forfeiture of his war medals) and so I wrote off to Winchester Prison Archives.

 

I discovered from their records That he had another Court Martial (FGCM) this time at Boyle, Ireland on 28 June 1921 and sentenced to 10 years for "Offence against an Inhabitant".  On 14 July 1921 he was sent to Winchester Prison.  One month later he was transferred to Maidstone Prison, Kent.  I wrote to them and they had the charge as "Committing an offence against the person of an inhabitant of the country (2 charges) Sentenced to 10 years PS to 12 mos HL.  He was given remission and was released on 29 April 1922.

 

1. I do not fully understand the terminology of the charge and wondered if anyone could clarify what it meant?
2. I have tried searching and cannot find any record relating to the C/M at Boyle, unlike the one at Longford. Why is that?

 

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Mark.