Pearce’s family placed Notices suggesting he was killed in France on 19 July, 1916 – the Army disagreed, however, posting Pearce as a Deserter after he failed to embark in October, 1915.
One of the more bizarre “deaths” in our archives. His family claimed he was killed on 19 July, 1916 – the Army, however, declared him a Deserter when he absconded from camp just prior to enlisting.
His family placed an In Memoriam notice in the Leader on July 20, 1918, suggesting Pearce “our darling youngest son” was one of those missing from 19 July, 1917 after the attack at Fromelles on 19 July, 1916 and that he was a Gunner with the 59th Battalion.
But was Pearce killed, and in fact, did he ever actually leave Australia?
National Archive records show his Attestation Paper marked as “Deserter” with papers issued at the Seymour camp on November 15, 1915, listing his name along with ten or so others as having deserted and with Warrants Issued For Arrest.
There is no record of him embarking, and his National Archives file ends abruptly with the desertion notice.
What is even stranger about the case is that another son, Roy Victor Pearce WAS posted as Missing and later as Killed In Action on 19 July, 1916 – but who was never mentioned in any family notice.
Was the family in fact aware of Pearce’s desertion and hence trying to cover up the fact by deliberately confusing him with Roy???
Link to history for Norman Brassey Pearce
Link to ozsportshistory.com downloads for WW1
