E is for . . .

E is for Edmund. Edmund Albert Hartley was my 2nd great uncle, the younger brother of my great grandmother. And his story his interesting to me because if it hadn’t been for world events at the time, his story could have ended so differently.

Edmund was born 28 October 1900 in Penrith, New South Wales. He spent his growing up years on the family property at Jamisontown near Penrith, which in those days was still ‘in the bush’. Presumably, he had a childhood similar to that of other children his age but the year he turned fourteen his relatively quiet life was to be shaken up with the start of World War I.

Having heard many stories about boys aged fourteen or even younger being caught up with the fever of ‘defending the empire’ and changing their ages so they were old enough to go away to war I can imagine that Edmund would have ben infected with the same fervour. Perhaps he nagged and nagged his parents to be allowed to go to war or perhaps he even tried to lie about his age. Whether he did either of these things or not, he didn’t succeed in enlisting until he reached the age of 18.

At 18, he was still under age as the age of majority was 21 in those days so he would have needed permission from a parent and his father’s permission is recorded on his enlistment form. How he must have been excited to finally have his chance to go and ‘fight the Hun’ but before being deployed he had to undergo basic training in Australia. I can imagine that Edmund chafed at not being deployed overseas immediately now that he had finally been able to enlist.

However, before he could complete his training and be deployed overseas World War I ended. This resulted in Edmund being discharged from the army without making it overseas let alone seeing any action. Whilst I can imagine that as a young man, he would have been frustrated that it was all over before he could be involved. On the other side of the coin, I can imagine that his mother must have felt enormous relief that her son would be safe.

Edmund was fortunate in that he never made it overseas to fight, as he avoided suffering the physical and mental scarring that so many young men suffered during World War I. Interestingly, he never enlisted for World War II even though he would have still been young enough. Whether he realised what he had been cared by not being deployed overseas or he didn’t enlist for other reasons, I don’t know. But what I do know is that his life would have turned out so differently if he had enlisted earlier in the war instead of right before it ended.

     Edmund Hartley with his daughter Lorna.

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