William Jackson Small Sharp
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Apr
26, 1886
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Born
at Dundee Scotland
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Nov
5, 1914
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Sworn
into the 21st Battalion at Kingston Ontario
Ø Given rank of Lieutenant
Ø Next of kin given as Mrs WJ (Jessie Kirk) Sharp (wife) of 274 Flora
Street Ottawa Ontario
o Later changed to 135 William Street, Kingston Ontario
Ø Previous occupation given as Civil Servant
Ø Previous military occupation given as 59th Stormont and
Glengarry Regiment
Ø Religion given as Presbyterian
Ø Assigned to “B” Company
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Feb
12, 1915
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Promoted
to rank of Captain
Granted
leave until February 16, 1915
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May
6, 1915
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Embarked
the RMS Metagama at Montreal Quebec
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May
15, 1915
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Disembarked
at Devonport England and proceeded to West Sandling Camp, near Hythe, Kent
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Sep
14, 1915
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Embarked
at Folkestone
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Sep
15, 1915
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Disembarked
at Boulogne France
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Nov
8, 1915
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Proceeded
on course at Bombing School
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Nov
14, 1915
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At
duty from course
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Nov
19, 1915
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Admitted
to No 5 CFA (Canadian Field Ambulance) then transferred to the Officer’s Rest Station
at Mt Noir, with an anal abscess
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Dec
2, 1915
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Discharged
to duty from Officer’s Rest Station, and sent to No 4 Stationary Hospital at Arques
for eye exam for Astigmatism. Returned to
duty.
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Jan
24, 1916
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Admitted
to No 8 CCS (Casualty Clearing Station) then transferred to No 1 British Red Cross
Hospital at Le Touquet with a gun shot wound to right hand
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Jan
25, 1916
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Transferred
to Duchess of Westminster Hospital
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Feb
5, 1916
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Invalided
aboard the Hospital Ship Brighton to England
Admitted
to Miss Pollocks Convalescent Hospital
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Feb
26, 1916
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Discharged
from hospital and granted leave to Canada at own expense until April 25, 1916
Embarked
the SS Sicilian
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Apr
26, 1916
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SOS
(Struck Off Strength) the OMFC (Overseas Military Force of Canada) on being retained in
Canada
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Jun
10, 1917
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To
be employed in the Instructional Cadre of MD 3 at Kingston Ontario
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Nov
4, 1917
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Appointed
as Casualty Officer for MD 3 at Kingston
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May
17, 1918
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Granted
rank of Major while employed as Casualty Officer
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Aug
4, 1918
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Reported
AWL (Absent Without Leave) from the Armouries at Kingston
Transcriber’s
Note: There is no mention of him being
arrested but newspaper accounts reveal that he was arrested in New York City and returned
to custody in Kingston to await Court Martial.
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Mar
15, 1919
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Letter
in file signed by Major Sharp requesting that further medical treatment be discontinued. He states that he is willing to continue any
treatment at home at his own expense and that he is fit to stand trial to face his charges
and punishment.
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Mar
18, 1919
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Letter
from the Medical Officer at Queen’s University Military Hospital states that Major
Sharp is suffering from Chronic Parenchymatous Nephritis (kidney infection) and from
Hepatic Cirrhosis (liver disease). He is also
anemic.
It
goes on to say that although he is presently in fair condition, he needs strict
supervision of diet and exposure, as the disease is progressive and “sooner or later
will lead to a fatal termination”.
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Mar
26, 1919
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Found
Guilty at Court Martial on charge of Desertion While on Active Service
Sentenced
to be cashiered (discharged from the military) and imprisonment for 1 year without hard
labour.
|
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Medals
Card in file indicates that the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal were
“Forfeited”.
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On the night of Aug 2, 1918, his story took a bizzare
turn. His uniform was found on the shore of Lake Ontario in downtown Kingston, near
the train station, and it first appeared that he was a drowning victim. The
newspaper clippings on the pages listed below pick up the story.
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Aug 8, 1918
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Aug 9, 1918
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Kingston Daily British Whig
August 10, 1918
In Effort to Locate Body
of Major W. J. S. Sharp
The
Authorities Trying to ‘ascertain if the Missing Casualties Officer has Really Been
Drowned.
Lieut. Askwith said “We are doing our best to ascertain
whether or not Major Sharp’s body is in the water an we have made a thorough search
in the water for a considerable distance around the spot where the clothing was
found.”
The military police
are rendering assistance in the solution of the mystery and a special agent is also
employed. The work will be carried on unremittingly and every clue will be traced in an
effort to account for Major Sharp’s disappearance.
Major W.J. S. Sharp
was a native of Dundee Scotland. For five years before he enlisted to go overseas with the
21st Battalion, he was employed in the Timber and Grazing Branch of the
Department of Interior, Ottawa. He was born April 26th 1886 and came to Canada
about 10 years ago.
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Kingston Daily British Whig
August 12, 1918
Has Identified Towel Found
Mrs. W. J. S. Sharp Says that it is Her Property
His Discharge Button Found at His Home
Dominion Police Detective Making Enquiries --- Military Enquiry Merely as to Major
Sharp’s Absence.
What Mrs. Sharp Says
Mrs. Sharpe
states that the towel found near the spot with the clothing is her property. When asked
her views respecting the disappearance, she stated that she believed her husband was
drowned while bathing, but she is unable to account for him going to bathe at the point
indicated. When he left home on Friday evening he said he was going to the office to work
and did not take a towel with him from the house. Yet this towel is her own and is quite
different from the towels used in the offices at the armouries. She is positive on this
pint because she hemmed it herself. She had heard him say that he missed the opportunities
for bathing he enjoyed when on duty at the camp.
Regarding
the possibility of foul play, she had heard his orderly hint at it. He thought some
discharged soldier might have harbored resentment over his discharge and brooded over it
till he found an opportunity to take revenge. The idea of desertion is repugnant to her
and is not at all acceptable. To her knowledge he had formed no intimacies. She is
strongly of the opinion that he is dead and had considered communicating with the family
lawyer about a settlement of the estate, but had been to upset to do so. She was the
beneficiary in two life insurance policies. Sharp’s civilian clothing is all at home.
There is a
growing opinion that there was a row, that Major Sharp received fatal injury, that his
body was disposed, of and that a plan was conceived of.
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Kingston Daily British Whig
August 14, 1918
The Sharp Case.
Detective Carroll, of the Dominion
Police, has left the city again and his subordinates are still working on the Major Sharp
case. A search has been made of some buildings in the vicinity where the clothes were
left, but nothing was found beyond a couple of bottles of whiskey which some bootlegger
had apparently left there. These were promptly broken on the rocks nearby by the police.
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Aug 14, 1918
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Aug 31, 1918
Dec 19, 1918
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Apr 17, 1919
Apr 30, 1919
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Apr 18, 1919
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The following information is reproduced with the permission of Victor Streckfuss who lives
in Australia and related to William Sharp's new family
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Dec 3, 1921
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Following his sentence, his wife, Jessie Kirk
Smart, filed for divorce and it became finalized on this date per the Quebec Gazette
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May 24, 1923
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Embarked in London, England with a proposed
destination of Freemantle, Western Australia. His
previous address was given as Westview Handlegh, United Kingdom.
Sometime after his arrival in Australia, he
married Zellah Kathleen McPherson
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Jun 4, 1940
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Attested into the Australian Military Forces
Headquarters S.C. Signals, in South Melbourne, Australia
Ø Number V84522 with the rank of Private
Ø Next of kin given as Catherine (Kathleen) Sharp, wife, 9 Charlotte
Pl., St. Kilda, Australia
Ø Previous occupation given as Salesman
Ø Previous military service given as 4 years with the 21st
Battalion CEF
o His actual service with the 21st Battalion was only 1 year,
3 months. However he did go on to serve in
Canada as shown above for another 2 ½ years with Military District #3 before deserting
Ø Religion given as Presbyterian
His medical category was recorded as Class II because of his age and slight vision defect.
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Jun 5, 1940
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TOS (Taken On Strength) 8th
Communication Signals, Melbourne, and appointed as Operator Signals Specialist, Group II
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Jun 9, 1940
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Detached to Balcombe for duty
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Jul 5, 1940
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Promoted to rank of Lance Corporal
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Jul 19, 1940
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Promoted to the rank of Corporal
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Aug 10, 1940
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Transferred to the Area Signals detachment at
Melbourne and detached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, Balcombe and
promoted to the rank of Sergeant
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Aug 13, 1940
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Returned to Area Signals and then detached to
Signals S/Com (SC Sigs)
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Aug 30, 1940
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To draw subsistence allowance
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Sep 2, 1940
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Rejoined Area Signals from Signals S/Com
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Sep 7, 1940
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Detached to SC Sigs for duty
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Sep 14, 1940
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Rejoined Area Signals from Signals S/Com
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Dec 6, 1940
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Promoted to rank of Staff Sergeant
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Mar 24, 1941
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Granted 6 days leave
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May 22, 1941
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Ceased drawing
subsistence allowance
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Jun 2, 1941
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To draw subsistence allowance
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Jun 9, 1941
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Granted 12 days leave
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Jul 11, 1941
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Appointed to the temporary rank of Warrant
Officer Class II
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Aug 29, 1941
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Ceased drawing
subsistence allowance
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Apr 13, 1942
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Reverted to the rank of Sergeant at his own
request
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Apr 20, 1942
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Detached for duty
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Apr 25, 1942
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Rejoined Area Signals from being detached
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Apr 28, 1942
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Address for his wife was changed to read 11
Ocean St., Hampton
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May 4, 1942
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Detached for duty
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May 7, 1942
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Rejoined Area Signals from being detached
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1942
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The Electoral Roll shows his address as
Sandringham, Victoria, Australia
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Feb 3, 1943
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Medical Classification changed to “D”
with a diagnosis of Chronic Nephritis (kidney disease) and Hyperpiesis (high blood
pressure)
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Feb 12, 1943
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Transferred to the GDD (General Details Depot)
pending discharge
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Mar 8, 1943
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Discharged from the Australian Forces as
Medically Unfit
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1949
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The Electoral Roll shows his address as
Richmond, Victoria, Australia
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Aug 13, 1950 |
The Truth newspaper from
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia dated August 13, 1950 indicates that he was in court
for tax evation
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1954
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The Electoral Roll shows his address as Prahran,
Victoria, Australia
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Apr 11, 1955
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William Jackson Small Sharp died just short of
his 69th birthday
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Apr 14, 1955
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A burial service was held in the Springvale
Cemetery, Victoria, Australia and his cremated ashes were scattered there.
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