SETON, Miles Charles Cariston
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 December 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | Army Medical Corps (AIF) |
| Born: | Edinburgh, Scotland, 1874 |
| Home Town: | St Kilda, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Edinburgh University, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Medical practitioner |
| Died: | Murdered, Holland Park, London, England, 13 January 1919 |
| Cemetery: |
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey, England, United Kingdom Plot IV, Row H, Grave 7 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Captain, Officer | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1915: | Involvement Captain, Medical Officers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Kanowna embarkation_ship_number: A61 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1915: | Embarked Captain, Medical Officers, HMAT Kanowna, Sydney | |
| 13 Jan 1919: | Involvement Major, Army Medical Corps (AIF), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: Australian Army Medical Corps awm_rank: Major awm_died_date: 1919-01-13 |
Help us honour Miles Charles Cariston Seton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Miles Charles Cariston SETON was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1874
His parents were William Carden SETON & Amy Isabel FORSYTH
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 13th January…… Myles Charles Cariston Seton was born on 29th May, 1874 at Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
Miles Charles Carriston Seton was listed in the UK Medical and Dental Students Registers 1882 – 1937. His date of Registration was 22 October, 1891 & his place & date of Medical Study was listed as Edinburgh University 21st October, 1891.
The 1909 Victorian Police Gazette recorded Miles Charles Cariston Seton, as a legally qualified Medical Practitioner. His certificate Number was 2682 from 7th December, 1909 care of Dr. Hood, Sutherland Road, Armadale.
On 22nd November, 1915 Miles Charles Cariston Seton, of 132 Hotham Street, St. Kilda, Victoria, applied for a Commission in the Australian Imperial Force. He was an Outpatient Surgeon at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne at the time of applying & stated he had served in South African War for 2 years – Civil Surgeon with South African Field Force in 1900 & Captain with Cape Medical Staff Corps from 1901 – 2.
Miles Charles Cariston Seton was a 41 year old, single, Medical Practitioner from St. Kilda, Victoria when was appointed Captain with the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 1st December, 1915. His religion was Church of England & his next of kin was listed as his sister – Miss Seton, 26 Howard Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. Captain Seton was recommended for General Duty & Hospital Surgical (not for Field Ambulance or Transport Duty).
He embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on HMAT Kanowna (A61) on 22nd December, 1915 with the Medical Officers.
On 1st February, 1916 Captain Seton reported for duty at 1st Auxiliary Hospital, Heliopolis. He was posted as Embarkation Officer at Port Tufick on 1st June, 1916 then embarked from Alexandria on 1st August, 1916.
Captain Seton was marched in to Camp 2, Parkhouse, Wiltshire, England on 27th August, 1916 & reported to No. 1 Command Depot on 28th September, 1916.
He was transferred from No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs, Wiltshire to Wareham, Dorset on 30th October, 1916. He was sent sick to Wareham Military Hospital with Malaria (as listed on Casualty Form – Active Service) on 26th December, 1916 however a Medical Board assembled at Mount Dore Hospital, Bournemouth, England on 1st January, 1917 examined him & concluded he had Influenza.
Captain Seton returned to No.4 Command Depot at Wareham on 31st January, 1917.
Captain Miles Charles Cariston Seton was promoted to Major on 10th September, 1918. He was attached to 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, England for duty from 26th November, 1918.
Major Miles Charles Cariston Seton died on 13th January, 1919 at 13 Clarendon Road, Holland Park, London, England.
A Coroner’s Inquest (10 pages of Inquest can be found in research on website) was held & it was found that Major Seton had been murdered by Colonel Norman Cecil Rutherford DSO.
Major Miles Charles Cariston Seton was buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England where around 360 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located.
Inscription reads:
Ung Loy-Ung Foy-Ung Roy
(Translation: One Law-One Faith-One King)
Newspaper item from Western Mail, Perth, Western Australia – 8 February, 1919:
In the Rutherford case the maid servant of Mrs. Rutherford gave evidence to the effect that Lieut.-Colonel Rutherford refused to allow in the house any photographs of men, and that he was subject to outbreaks of unreasoning temper. A few days before Colonel Rutherford's return from France his wife gave to the witness Major Seton's photograph, which had been in Mrs Rutherford's dressing room, and told her to put it in her (the witness's) bedroom. The witness denied emphatically that she had seen any act of impropriety between Major Seton and Mrs Rutherford.
Outcome from Murder case:
Colonel Norman Cecil Rutherford DSO was found to be insane from shell-shock and committed to Broadmoor Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
Headstone photo courtesy of Ian Fletcher
Cemetery photo courtesy of Neil Bright
*Please note this story is too long to include all the details - there are several newspaper items in my research & a link to a full in-depth explanation of the whole story.
Click images to start slideshow.