MURLEY, Richard Frederick
| Other Name: | Richards, William Frederick Edmund |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 13161 |
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 4th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Kilkenny, South Australia, 1896 |
| Home Town: | Kilkenny, Charles Sturt, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Mar 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 13161, 4th Field Artillery Brigade, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Mar 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 13161, 4th Field Artillery Brigade, RMS Malwa, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Steve Larkins
William Frederick Edmund Richards (1896-)
alias Richard Frederick MURLEY
William Frederick Edmund Richards was born in Kilkenny and was a 19 year old Labourer when he enlisted in the 9th Light Horse in January 1915. He was discharged in May 1915 as he was found “unlikely to become an efficient soldier”.
Unperturbed he reenlisted later that month in the 4th Field Artillery as Richard Frederick Murley . He further enlisted in October of that year and embarked for Egypt. He spent late April 1916 in Egypt for embarking for France, where he arrived mid May. He was transferred to the UK with Lumbago and Myalgia and had an unremarkable war in and out of hospital , including with VD.
In mid 1917 he assumed his true name and was returned to Australia apparently with “traumatic epilepsy” , being discharged in February 1918.
In May 1922 he was found to have defrauded the Pension Board of 525 pounds. The Deputy Commissioner reported that in April 1922 he had received a call from a person stating that “Richards was a complete fraud”. He had claimed his fits were due to a gun shot wound to the head received in action in France.
It was found that his claims of fits due this alleged wound were never investigated and were assumed by the Board to have been truthful, despite later findings to the contrary. In fact he claimed to have been shot in the head at Armentieres on 30 August 1916, a time when he was known to have been in England. He apparently identified a scar on his right forehead as being proof of his wounding, although that was noted at the time of his enlistment.
His wife wrote to the Pensions Board questioning the loss of pension given they had two children, and seemingly had been under the impression he was wounded at the time – despite the fact he was in VD hospitals. The Australian Military refused to supply her with her husbands service file.
Somewhat remarkably Richards enlisted in the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve and was awarded their Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
Research by Aubrey BARSTOW
Click images to start slideshow.