SHERLOCK, Harold Oscar

Harold Oscar Sherlock was 24 years old, married and living in Sydney when he enlisted in the AIF at the Showgrounds, Sydney. He had already tried to enlist once before, at Melbourne, but been rejected because of his weak heart. A note on his medical assessment says that 'his left lttle toe overlaps his fourth toe. Hs walked from Sydney to Melbourne - had no trouble'. It's possible that this walk was part of his early attempt to enlist.

Harry Sherlock was a mechanical engineer by profession, 5' 10" tall, with dark hair, blue eyes and a dark complexion. Perhaps it was because of his skills that he was placed in the 1st Pioneer Battalion; perhaps also because of his uncertain health.He was married to Edith, nee Lennett, both  living at 7 Scarlett St., Petersham, NSW and was Roman Catholic by faith. His embarkation roll entry is missing, and Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria would appear to have no entries for any of these categories. There is no record of his parents in the Electoral Rolls at the turn of the century or afterwards, so it is imposssible to find out where his East Melbourne address was at birth or whether this referred to a hospitla address.

He trained in Sydney and embarked on 24 January, 1917, on board HMAT 'Anchises' A68, disembarking at Devonport, England on 27 March, 1917. He had been ill on the way over, spending ten days in hospital on board ship, the marched in to the army camp at Fovant in Wiltshire. Here again, on 7 July, he was hospitalised, this time to the army hospital at Fovant and discharged on 14 July, 1917. He was then placed on duty at the camp and promoted on 28 July to Acting Lance Corporal, reverting to Private, when he left Fovant for Weymouth on 15 September. Here he was reunited with the Pioneer Training Battlion, but he didn't make it to the battlefront. Instead he was assigned to the No.2 Command Depot at Sutton Veny and from there, back to Fovant.

Things began to go wrong for him by September. Perhaps he was bored with training or simply saw a good opportunity to take a break. On 13 November, he was charged with improperly issuing two leave passes with a false signature and with leaving camp at Sutton Veny about 6.30 pm on 21 October. He was court-martialled at Sutton Veny on 13 November, pleading not guilty to the first charge but guilty to the second. He was found guilty and sentenced to 60 days detention. Brigadier General Foot signed off on the case, noting 'confirm the finding and sentence of the court, but remit 24 days detention. Period under charge 37 days. Total forfeiture 73 days'.

He served his detention in the AIF Detention Barracks at at Lewes, before being released with time off for good behaviour. On 29 March , 1918, he returned to the Pioneer Training Battalion at No.2 Command Depot at Sutton Veny, but his military life was almost over. On 16 May, he was returned to Australia, disembarking at Sydney and was discharged from further service by reason of being medically unfit on 7 August.

Little is known of his life after the war. In 1937, he was living at 24 Docker St. Richmond and writing to the army about replacing his Returned Service badge, which had been lost. Interestingly, he was living on two doors up from another Sherlock, Charles Leo, a mechanic, who in 1931, was living at 1151 Hoddle S., East Melbourne with his sisters, Dorothy, Adeline and Victoria, all telephonists. However, Charles Leo had not brother named Harold, though his father Charles, may have been Harold's brother. Harold's marriage to Edith Lennit came to an end, possibly with her death. He remarried Bridget Honoria at some stage - they were living at 10 Soudan St. St. Kilda in 1943. He died in 1951 at Campbellfield, Victoria.