Last one out: who turned off the AIF light?

[MKC]

I've been wondering if the last people of the 1st AIF who returned to Australia have ever been identified. The war was 1914-1918, then the main repatriation period in 1919-1920 from Egypt and from Europe, the latter mostly returning to Australia via the UK. 

 

The latest date I've been able to identify was a chap who left the UK in late May 1922, after serving with the Aust Graves Unit. That's about 3 1/2 years after the shooting ended - nearly as long as the war itself.

 

Does anyone know of a later return date than that?

 

Mike

 

 

 

  

[Moonraker]

Interesting question, Mike, especially for me, as the majority of Australian soldiers were concentrated in South Wiltshire, notably, Salisbury Plain, during 1919. I think that most had been repatriated by late autumn. Doubtless a few remained (and let us hope they were happy to do so) to tidy up loose ends. I have a vague recollection of an Australian in a Wiltshire military hospital being noted in early 1920. (Some one with more experience than I of searching the CWGC website may locate the last Australian to be buried in the UK.)

 

Quite a few Australian soldiers went AWOL in Britain during 1919, partly due to being fed up with the delays in getting home, and halfway through the year the Australian authorities placed announcements in the press warning that anyone who had not reported back by a certain date would be left to find their own way home (should, of course, they wish to do so). It may be that a few did so in the 1920s.

 

Moonraker

[spof]

1 hour ago, Moonraker said:

Quite a few Australian soldiers went AWOL in Britain during 1919, partly due to being fed up with the delays in getting home, and halfway through the year the Australian authorities placed announcements in the press warning that anyone who had not reported back by a certain date would be left to find their own way home (should, of course, they wish to do so). It may be that a few did so in the 1920s.

 

Also, more than a few married in the UK and passed up the free return transport offered by the Aus government but I have seen some of them mentioned in Aus papers later so they must have made their way back at their own expense. I don't know if that covers "repatriation" though.

 

It might be worth a look in Trove for variations of "returning soldier" in the 1920s.

[Guest]

Mates,

 

Its a hard one

 

In Egypt we sent what we call UK leave for a percentage of soldiers in the Regts during 1919. some returned home from there, or others stayed to do what was called Non Military Employment in the UK.

 

These with admin staff, and as stated the graves units, stayed for some time in France and the UK.

 

Like

 

Many returned in 1921

 

some like

 

WILLIAMS    Norman Rees     46    Sgt    APayC    2R tos AIF HQ Egypt 5-15 to Wo1 1-16 to APayC London UK 5-16 to AIF deports London UK 6-17 MID - reason not stated prom 2/Lt 8-16 prom Maj 8-18 prom T/LtCol auditor Audit Sect 6-19 Brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for war for Valuable Services & recom MID awarded OBE - for valuble home services in UK prom Hon LtCol 2-21 married Francis Morgan at Cardigan Wales 19-8-18    N/R    Clerk    23    Canterbury Vic    16-3-15    RTA 26-2-21    Canterbury Vic
NEAL    George    102    Dvr    1 LH Bde Trn    5Co AASC (G) to 27Co 4-16 to AIF depots UK 5-16 to 3 DASC 6-18 to (867Co) 22Co 3 Div Trn 6-18 F&B married in UK relist AN&MEF (1959) to Rabaul (British London Regt)    British TF    Carter    23    Strathpine Qld / Sydney NSW    20-8-14 5-12-19    RTA 8-10-18 RTA 14-5-21    Victoria Park London UK
THOMPSON    William    346    Pte    10 LHR    B Sqn D Troop shown L/Cpl 7-15 evac to St Patricks hosp Malta (dysentry) 7-15 to hosp UK 9-15 (G) to Cpl APayC admin AIF HQ London UK 3-16 to ER Sgt 3-18 to ER S/Sgt 11-18 prom 2/Lt APayC 1-19 prom T/Capt 12-19     N/R    Bank officer    29    Perth WA    27-10-14    RTA 19-2-21    Ballarat Vic
 

or these who in 1922

 

MAY.    William    1887    Pte    2 Remts    7 Sqn to Gnr 44Bty/11 FAB 4-16 F&B to AATD UK 9-16 disch UK MU amputated fingers reason not stated possibly accident    N/R    Coachdriver    30    Brisbane Qld    8-10-15    disch in UK 4-1-17 RTA 23-6-22    London UK
 

FLOYD    Vincent    12    Pte    4 LH Bde     Ammo Res T/Dvr 7-15 relist 20Co AASC 2 Div Trn (8859) 9-15  att T/Dvr RHQ?/Comp LHR 12-15 to 5 Div Sig Co 3-16 to 14Co 4 Div Trn 3-16 to MG Dtls F&B relist Pte Special Transport Service (86179) to L/Cpl 9-19 tos AIF HQ London UK 10-19 to Aust War Graves (AGS) 5-20 F&B     N/R    Stockman    23    Redfern NSW    9-3-15 8-8-19    RTA 5-4-19 RTA 27-5-22    Redfern NSW
 

ETHERINGTON    George Lord    859    Pte    05 LHR    4R tos C Sqn 5-15 (G) to AProvC Anzac Police Cairo 4-16 to MMP Ramlah 3-18 to DMC HQ 10-18 to ER 2/Cpl 5 LH Bde HQ 2-19 disch to Cairo Police     N/R    Bridge Carpenter    21    Brisbane Qld    12-12-14    disch in Egypt 29-7-19 RTA 26-9-22    The grove Sunderland Durham UK
 

Clearly ships were still moving in 1922 back to Australia, but how many were on these ships needs more research.

 

Australia still had troops in PNG in Rabaul and would remain for some years.

 

one of the last I have is this bloke who was an Ammo worker in the UK

 

LEMON    Geoffrey Dillon    51    Pte    04 LHR    MG Sect (G) prom 2/Lt 3Bn 1-16 T/att 1 LTMB 4-16 rtn 5-16 F&B cashiered drunkness SNLR lost all medals disch to Ministry of Munitions patented Improvements in hydraulic conversion gears (British Natal LH 1 year) later WWII Civil Constructional Corps     N/R    Civil engineer    27    Brighton Beach Vic    20-8-14    disch UK 27-12-16    RTA 28-3-23    Brighton Beach Vic
 

Cheers

S.B

Edited 19 January , 2019 by stevebecker

[frev]

 

 

The latest I have in my soldiers that married overseas database is:

 

Vero ASTON (Pte 2571, AAMC) – he married on the 7/6/1919, and was originally discharged in England 16/3/1920 due to his wife’s poor health – he was then offered 2 years work on alterations to Harefield Park, and eventually embarked on the Benalla for return to Australia on the 3/8/1922

 

 

[jamtin]

I guess there's a few ways to decide what is meant by 'last'.

another angle is that the AIF was officially disbanded April 1921... so the last AIF soldier would have returned just prior to that date... 

:-)

cheers

mark

[MKC]

Thank you, all, some very interesting replies.

 

Mark's reply raises some interesting points: the official disbandment of the 1st AIF was 1 April 1921, yet we see what appears to be Australian government support for passage to Australia long after that date. But the point to note about the examples provided by Steve and Frev are that these men had already been discharged prior to 1 April 1921 (in the case of Lemon, GD, in 1916 due to misconduct - 'services no longer required' - and signed a form stating he would not be requiring or would receive further financial assistance from the Aust Government) yet are still provided with passage long after the 1 April 1921 date. 

 

732 Alfred Smith had gone AWL and discharged 21 July 1920 'in absentia', then shows up in late 1921 with a wife & 3 children wanting RTA - and was given it. He and the family embarked on Ormonde in December 1921 headed for Australia. 

 

Any other examples of 1921 + RTA dates,please?

 

Mike

 

[frev]

 

Mike - I have quite a few that returned in 1921, but mostly ex AIF (originally discharged in UK).

 

However, the following 3 weren't discharged until after their return home - the first before the cut-off date of 1/4/1921 - the other 2 after....

 

Narkunda:

Embarked 7/1/1921 (Vanselow 7093 – training at St Dunstan’s – discharged 18/2/1921 3^rd MD)

https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/368201

 

Themistocles:

Embarked England 2/7/1921 – 12/8/1921 Melb (Capt AR Blainey – appointment terminated 27/8/1921 3^rd MD)

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3089037

 

Orvieto:

Embarked 17/9/1921 (Jaggar 1955 – discharged 9/1/1922 3^rd MD)

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=7361261

 

Cheers, Frev