General Chat

A query;
just discovered that my ggrandfather A J Pigott, b (1879) and bred in Norfolk, served in WWI in the Australian army. He had a wife and family at home, who he returned to afterwards.
Wondering if anyone knew possible reasons he might have signed up so far from home. Were there incentives? Or did they accept people who couldn't sign up here in UK? From what I understood, pretty much everyone who wanted to could fight during WWI.
Any suggestions gratefully received.
Emma Auty

did he have a particular skill in the army I wonder and was he perhaps seconded to them.

I was going to say that he neednt have gone to Australia to sign up. Maybe their pay was better.

Hi Emma,

Is there a possibility that he was too old to sign up in England?

Not sure if you have seen his WW1 service record

www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch/index.aspx

Sign in as a guest
Click on Namesearch
Enter Surname
Catergory - WW1
Then search

It will show that 19 Pigott's signed up for service, click view
Arthur John is the 1st, Service No 7049

I noticed that he was discharged in England on March 18, 1919

You can download the individual pages to your computer

Hi Emma
my dad went to Australia as farmer age 18yrs old and then he join the Australian Imperial Force as the British army wouldnt take him as he had hammer toes,he was born in London and i downloaded all his army records from National Archives, he signed on 1916
Dutch

Thanks everyone, lots of possibliities.
I've been on the australian gov site, thanks, (lovely documents, got a mental picture of him from the description now!) and it looks to me like he signed on over there, ie into the Australian forces.
There have always been stories about this relative - that he disappeared one day and reappeared several years later, walking in as if nothing had happened. But from the records it certainly appears he had a few months leave in 1918 - would he have been able to get home for it do you think? It must have been a hell of a journey back then.
I think maybe he went for a different reason to Oz and signed on out there - was there conscription there?
But again as Rita said it would have cost him to get to Oz in the first place and they certainly weren't well off.

Unfortunately all his children have passed on now, so any ideas i get will be 3rd hand at least.
thanks again
Emma

ps he was a labourer on every census, so don't think he had any particular skill.

wow Barry, that's a lot of research for me - thanks for all that effort.

What makes you say he wouldn't have set foot on Australian soil? Why would he be registered in Kalgoorlie if not there in person?

My original contact, another Pigott - common gg grandfather - has found the battle record with him listed as injured at the end (3rd June 1918)
http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/war_diaries/first_world_war/subclass.asp?levelID=1785
I've had a quick scan through, places mentioned are Pradelles - SE France and Mont de Merris which is N France.

He tells me there was no conscription in Oz, and that the age limits changed from 18-35 in 1914 to 18-45 in 1915. He suggests that AJ lied about his age believing the lower age limit was still in place. Conscriptino ages in UK wouldn't have prevented him from signing on here though.

He also suggests that maybe he was in Kalgoorlie looking for Gold - they apparently had a small rush at the end of the 19C. Maybe he saw the army as a way to get home.

Thanks again all for help and suggestions.
Regards
Emma

Emma,

Arthur definitely was in Australia, when he enlisted and signed up at Kalgoorlie. If you read his Service Records, it states that he embarked at Fremantle, Western Australia on the 23 December, 1916 per HMAT BERRIMA.

On one of the pages, the question asked was 'Whereabouts of next of kin, Australia or Abroad' his answer was 'ABROAD'

When any of my ancestors were injured, they were all sent to England to recuperate, one even remained there after the end of the war, never returning to Australia.

Interesting stuff Mel - I'm pretty sure he was in Oz as that was part of the family legend - although have to say I didn't give it much credence before finding this out!

The Dorset connection, Rita, was his first marriage, as far as I know he didn't go back there after he came home to Norfolk and remarried. Although when I found out a few years back about that 1st marriage and the son, I did wonder if that's where he went. But the first wife died in 1905 (from memory) and I can find no trace of the son on 1911 census or BMDs.

But as to how he got to Australia, no idea in terms of cash - unless as mentioned above he worked his passage. Although Cromer is a big fishing area there are no seamen in my records though!

Emma, if you do follow Rita's tip about posting on the Trying to find board, please mention this thread, as otherwise people will look for the info already found and also GR ask that you do not duplicate posts.

If you copy and paste the link below into any new thread, helpers can come here and see what has already been found. Many helpers look at all the boards so may already have seen this thread/

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/general_topics/thread/1254445

Looking at this site:
http://www.archives.sa.gov.au/readingroom/advice/assistedpassage20.html

there were assisted passage schemes to Australia in the 1900s, so he may not have had to pay his fare.

Googled HMAT Berrima and this found the following on this site

http://www.northernbullants.com.au/media/Archives/OurTown/1914TheShipsNotes.html

Sister ship to HMAT Ballarat, HMAT Beltana and HMAT Borda. Llaunched 20 September 1913. The P&O Line offered a single third-class class service for emigrants rather than tourists, the Berrima's capacity described as 350 permanent and 750 temporary third class passengers. She was the fourth of the five pre-war ‘B’ class vessels ordered and cost £209,456.

Her maiden voyage encompassing London / Cape Town / Adelaide / Melbourne / Sydney was made in December 1913. After being requisitioned, she originally served in Australian waters armed merchant cruiser but by October 1914 became a troop transport.

On February 18, 1917, Berrima was struck by a torpedo or mine in the English Channel when 50 miles west of Portland Bill, with the loss of four lives. The majority of the crew were evacuated in the lifeboats and were picked up by the destroyer HMS Forester. A line was subsequently connected to Berrima and she was towed into Portland Harbour the next day. She was later requisitioned by the Shipping Controller for the Atlantic stores and munitions ferry.

Berrima returned to commercial service following the cessation of hostilities, last sailing to Australia in April 1929 before the Cape route was abandoned. She was sold the following year for £29,000 to Japanese interests for demolition at Osaka.


HMAT = His Majesty's Armed Troopship so was he already in the Army when he travelled to Australia.