Private Alfred John Aldred

by Lenore Frost

Alfred John Aldred was born in Bendigo around 1874.  In 1894, at the age of 20 he married Sophia Turner, and the couple had three children: Alfred John in Bendigo in 1895; Albert James born in Carlton 1899; and Nellie born in Fitzroy South in 1901.

Alfred John senior slipped the bonds of matrimony and fatherhood around the time of his daughter's birth. It was his mother who put out a warrant for him "deserting his child", which suggests that Alfred John junior was with his grandmother, and the younger two children elsewhere with their mother.

DESERTERS OF WIVES AND CHILDREN.
ALFRED JOHN ALFRED is charged, on warrant issued at the
instance of his mother, Mary Ann Aldred, Sheepwash-road,
Back Creek, Bendigo, with deserting his child, at Back Creek,
on the 3rd inst. Description :-Victorian, baker, 28 years of
age, 5 feet 6 inches high, stoutish build, dark complexion, dark
hair, small dark moustache only; generally wears a black serge
sac suit, lace -up boots, and a soft-felt hat.-0.8474. 5th Sept-

ember, 1901.  (Vic Police Gaz September 12, 1901, p. 341)

Leaving the state, Alfred John senior turned up in Western Australia in the 1903 Electoral Roll as John Alfred Aldred, baker, living at 387 King Street, Kalgoorlie.  John Aldred, baker, also appears in the Western Australia Directory at Boulder, WA in 1905, but his whereabouts between then and 1914 are not clear.

By 1907 Sophia Aldred had the grounds for a divorce for desertion for a period of seven years, and she duly applied to the Court in 1907 (No 60) to have her marriage dissolved.  An incentive existed in the form of a new male partner, and a small daughter named Elsie May Milne, born in Carlton North in 1906.  The father was John Alexander McGregor Milne, a plumber.

A report of the failure of her application appeared in The Argus of  20 July 1907:  

A POINT ON WHICH JUDGES DIFFER.

Judgment was given by Mr. Justice Hodges, in the Banco Court, Melbourne, on Tuesday, in the divorce case of Aldred versus Aldred. This was a suit by Sophia Aldred, 31, of Carlton, housekeeper, for a dissolution of her marriage with John Alfred Aldred, 33, baker, now of parts unknown, the grounds being desertion, habitual drunkenness, and cruelty. The circumstances were somewhat peculiar. The marriage took place at Bendigo in 1894, and there were three children, aged 11, 7, and 5 years respectively. Petitioner stated that a few weeks after her marriage she found that her husband was addicted to drink, and he treated her with cruelty. When she was living at Fitzroy, in 1901, the respondent left her. She endeavored to support herself, but owing to having the children she was unable to find employment. Some three months after respondent left her she made the acquaintance of a gentleman who assisted her, and she had since been living with him.

Mr. W. T. C. Kelly, who appeared for petitioner, said the man was quite prepared to marry the petitioner if - the decree were granted. It had been thought in the conduct of the case that it was best for petitioner to throw herself upon the mercy of the court. 

His Honor said Mr. Justice a'Beckett had granted a decree in somewhat similar circumstances. He was not sure, however,  that he ought to follow that decision. At the very time petitioner sought relief she was living in immorality, and was disregarding the fundamental obligations of the marriage the which she desired to have dissolved. His Honor quoted several English cases similar to the present one. In these Lord Penzance and Sir Francis Jeune had, he said, held that the court must have regard not only to the rights of the wrong-doers, but also to the interests of society, and to public morality and decency. It was not surprising that at one time all judges should not take the same view of the matter; but the opinions he had quoted were now generally accepted as correct, and could scarcely be better expressed. His Honor intimated that, whilst he felt some sympathy for petitioner, he was constrained to dismiss the petition. He recognised that this decision was somewhat in conflict with others which had been given, but it would give the parties an opportunity to obtain the opinion of the Full Court on  the matter.  

The Argus 20 July 1907  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5077843

Appealing  to the Full Court, Sophia was again denied the opportunity to regularise her relationship with John Milne.

DIVORCE DISALLOWED.  PETITIONER'S MISCONDUCT.    

MELBOURNE, November 6.

The Full Court today delivered judgment in the appeal from the decision of Mr Justice Hodges in the divorce suit Aldred v. Aldred. Mr Justice Hodges refused to grant a decree for the dissolution of the marriage, on the petition of the wife, on the ground that her husband had deserted her. The petitioner, Sophia Aldred, was married to the respondent, John Alfred Aldred in 1894. The desertion took place in 1907. The husband left his wife penniless, and with two young children to support. She was in great poverty and distress, when she met a man who benevolently assisted her for six or eight months, but at the end of that time mis- conduct occurred between the petitioner and the man in question, and they had since lived together, and were still doing so when the suit was heard. Mr. Justice Hodges was satisfied that the proof against the respondent was such as would have entitled the petitioner to a decree on the grounds of desertion, but he considered that petitioner's own misconduct disentitled her to the relief. The Full, Court unanimously upheld Mr. Justice Hodge's decision, and dismissed the appeal.     
The Argus 7 November 1907 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56483000

The Full Court, like Mr Justice Hodges, had used its power to enforce a moral code. Her relationship with Milne was regarded as a worse offence than deserting a wife and three children, leaving them in poverty and distress to their own devices. The court typically denied a woman the protection of the Court of Law.

Sophia's relationship with Milne, however, withstood this test.  In the 1909 Electoral Roll they were living as man and wife at 450 Station Street, Carlton North. Sophia's second son, Albert James Aldred died in Carlton NOrth in 1908.  By 1912 Alfred Aldred had re-appeared in Victoria;  some contact at least inspired Sophia to file another application for a divorce (No 99 in 1912), and a short report in the Camperdown Chronicle indicates that she was able to include a new ground:

"Sophia Aldred (36), of North Carlton, boarding-house keeper, petitioned for a divorce from John Alfred Alfred (33), baker. She alleged that he was living with another woman. A decree nisi was granted".
Camperdown Chronicle  10 August 1912  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26122680

Before the end of the year Sophia and John Milne were married.  Two years later, Alfred John Aldred also remarried, taking May Cook as his wife.  They were listed in the 1914 Electoral Roll living at 37 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne (Alfred's occupation "traveller"), but when Alfred enlisted for the AIF the following year, they had moved to 17 Rankin Rd, Kensington.

Enlisting on 21 July 1915, Alfred's description showed that he was of short stature,  only 5 feet 4¼ inches tall, with the unusual grey eyes that his son inherited.

Embarking with Reinforcements of the 5th Infantry Battalion, he was taken on strength of the 5th Infantry Battalion on 22 February 1916 at Serapeum.  This was the day before his son John was arrested at an incident at the Serapeum punt.  Probably at this time each was unaware of the other's presence at Serapeum.  Gallipoli was relieved after Alfred embarked in October 1915.

While his son John was in prison awaiting repatriation to Australia, Alfred was transferred to the 46 Infantry Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.  He may have been able to visit him prior to John's departure for Melbourne in May 1916.  Alfred remained in Egypt training with his unit until boarding a ship at Alexandria on 2 June 1916 and departing for the port of Marseilles where they landed six days later. 

Within weeks of joining his unit in France, Alfred was admitted to hospital on 22 June 1916 suffering from asthma and bronchitis.  His age would have been a factor in this.  The health of older men often failed with exposure in the trenches.  Alfred's previous occupation as a baker may also have given him a predisposition to lung complaints.    He rejoined his unit from hospital, and on 1 September 1916 he was again admitted to hospital suffering from shell shock and exhaustion.    He rejoined his unit a few days later on 5 September.    A month later on 11 October 1916 he was again admitted to hospital with asthma and bronchitis, and this time was evacuated to England.

A medical board subsequently found:

"Has suffered from bronchitis and asthma for years (last fifteen) Three weeks in English Hospital with Bronchitis. Enlisted July 15th 1915 Been in France since May or June 1916. Went to Hospital same months, Remained there three weeks.

Medical History of Invalid, B2455, NAA.

Opinion of Medical Board: Finding - Permanently unfit for General service and temporarily unfit for Home service.  19.11.16

He was returned to Australia and was discharged on 25 May 1917 medically unfit.

Alfred John Aldred died on 14 July 1939 at Caulfield aged 65.  His wife May survived him for many years, dying on 16 July 1965 aged 70.  May was evidently the same age as his son John.

SOURCES

The Argus; Camperdown Chronicle @ Trove

Electoral Rolls: Western Australia, Victoria @ Ancestry.com

Western Australia Directory   State Library of Western Australia

Divorce index,VPRS  PROV

National Archives:  B2455 records

Victoria Police Gazettes, 1901-1922.