Edwin Alfred Paul MID (1903 - 1946)

Ancestors

Biography

Australian born.

Birth
Edwin Alfred Paul was born on the 12th October 1903, the second son of Ralph Herbert and Henrietta Matilda Paul née Roehricht.^[1]

Military Service
      • The Great War
Edwin signed up for service on the 1st January 1917. His rank is listed as "Cadet Midshipman". He listed his mother, Henrietta, as his Next of Kin. He does not appear to have seen service in any theatre of war (he was aged only 14 years), but have spent his time at the Officer Training Facility, Jervis Bay, New South Wales. His appointment was terminated on the 29th August 1920.^[2]

"Marriage"
Despite them sharing residence as husband and wife from at least 1936 (they appear on the electoral roll for Wentworth in 1937) and her using the last name "Paul" prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, Edwin was not legally married to Olive Bessie Lye née Piggott, as she was still legally tied to her first husband Harry Adolphus Lye.^[3] Edwin lists Olive as his wife and Next of Kin on his enlistment papers. His letters to Olive certainly show that he considered her as his (common-law) wife, as he repeatedly referred to her as his love and his dearest mate.^[4]
Olive brought her surviving child from her marriage to Harry Lye to the relationship with Edwin. It is not known if they also used Paul as a last name at this time, but her younger son regarded Ted as his father and did legally change his last name to Paul on the 26th October 1949.^[5] (Her eldest son, William, had died in Queensland, October 1935.)

Military Service
      • World War Two
Aged 36 years and 8 months, Edwin signed up for military service with the Australian Army, 2/1st Pioneer Battalion, army service number NX27654, on the 31st May 1940, at Randwick, New South Wales.^[6]

On his enlistment papers, Edwin writes that his pre-war trade/occupation was "Bridge Carpenter" and previous military service was "4 years Officer's Training College, Jervis Bay; rank Cadet Midshipman". He lists his Next of Kin as Olive Bessie Paul, wife; however, extensive research has determined that they were not, in fact, legally married, as for the time they were together, her using the last name "Paul", until he was actually a Prisoner of War (he corresponded with her from 1941 to 1945), she was still married to Harry Adolphus Lye. Her divorce was petitioned for and granted in 1942, becoming final in 1943, again while Edwin was still a POW.^[7][8]
Edwin was promoted to Corporal 24th June 1940 and to Lieutenant 17th December 1940.
In February and March of 1941 Edwin was first at "Q School" and then at "Map Reading School". He "entrained from 7 M.D. to 2 M.D."* in October, then on the 1st November he embarked to K.K. from Sydney. Edwin disembarked in M.E.* 22nd November 1941.
  * M.D. Military District; M.E. Middle East. For more military abbreviations and/or acronyms, see "extra notes".

• On the 9th November 1942 it was reported that Lieut. Edwin Paul was Missing In Action, NDG (no date given, later documented as 31st October).
• Edwin is next reported Missing believed POW on the 18th November; and confirmed as POW 2nd December 1942, reported 11th December 1942.

• Edwin escaped from the Prisoner of War camp and made his way to Switzerland, via Italy (reported 30th November 1943: entered Switzerland from Italy).
• Reported "released from Switzerland 11/10/44" on the 22nd November 1944.
• Reported Arrived Italy for "RTA (Return to Australia) NDG".
• Date embarked for RTA 3rd November 1944.

Edwin's "Statement by Repatriated Navy, Army, or Air Force Prisoners of War":
• Taken at El-Alamein on the 31st October 1942
• Name: NX27654; Rank or Rating: Lieut.; Unit (or ship): 2/3 Australian Pioneer Battalion
• 1 Circumstances of Capture: • (a) date 31/10/42   (b) Place: El-Alamein • (c) Events immediately prior to and leading up to capture: During night 30/31 October 1942; Advanced 1440 yards from start (not deciphered) into evening(?) positions. Expected support did not arrive, were isolated and bombarded for 5 or 6 hours, cut off by evening(?) (not deciphered), surrendered on responsibility of Company Cmdr.
• Others captured: (three names are given) • Killed: (one name is given), unknown if buried by enemy or own forces.

Edwin's report lists the Prisoner of War camps, dates held there and the conditions of them:
• Bari: 5th November 1942 to 19th February 1943 ― conditions poor, rations (quantity and quality) very bad. Behaviour of Camp Staffs: petty and bullying.
• Sulmona: 20th February 1943 to 21st July 1943 ― conditions fair, rations (quantity and quality) very bad. Behaviour of Camp Staffs: petty and bullying.
• Bologna: 22nd July 1943 to 12th September 1943 ― conditions fair, rations (quantity and quality) fair. Behaviour of Camp Staffs: good.
• Edwin's service appointment was terminated 16th June 1945; reason: placed on returned list.

On the 29th April 1946, Edwin signed for "Emblems for Mention in Despatches": 1 Brooch Emblem (Single Oak Leaf) and 2 "Sew On" Emblem(s) (Single Oak Leaf); received from NSW Echelon and Records.

Remarriage
Edwin's relationship with Olive was ended when she remarried in 1945, a couple of years after her divorce from Harry Lye was final (Ted wrote to her from 1941 to 1945, even from the POW camps); and he subsequently married Ruth Mary Buckley in North Sydney in February of 1946, several months after his return from the war.^[9]

1939-1945 Star

Africa Star

Death and Burial
Lieut. Edwin Alfred Paul passed away on the 22nd October 1946, in the Concord (New South Wales) Military Hospital; the cause due to War Service (as noted on his military records).^[10]
Edwin was cremated and a plaque can be found at Rookwood Memorial Garden and Crematorium, Rookwood, Cumberland Council, New South Wales, Australia, panel 2.^[11]

Defence Medal

War Medal 1939-1945

Child/ren
Edwin's posthumous daughter, Vicki, was born on the 14th November 1946.^[12]
Ted's military records hold letters from his widow, Ruth Mary Paul, written after his death requesting Ted's war medals for their child.

Extra Notes
In a letter to his widow, Ruth, on the 27th March 1950 (she had written asking about his Campaign Stars and War Medals "to hand on to his child"), she was given a list:
• 1939-1945 Star
• Africa Star and 8th Army Clasp
• Defence Medal
• War Medal
• Australia Service Medal
• Also listed is that he was "Mentioned in Despatches on one occasion".^[13]

Australia Service Medal

Mentioned in Despatches Oak Leaf

• Publication of the names of those shown as having been Mentioned-in-Despatches in recognition of distinguished service whilst prisoners of war in Europe from 1941 to 1943 — Commonwealth of Australia Gazette Thu 28 Nov 1946 [Issue No.225] / Page 3339 / Government Gazette Notices^[14]

• Military abbreviations and acronyms

Sources

1. ↑ QLD BDM Birth Registration details: 1903/C/8583
2. ↑ discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au Edwin Alfred Paul
3. ↑ trove.nla.gov.au The Courier Mail, Brisbane, Queensland / Sat 18 July 1942
4. ↑ Letters in the possession of Olive's grandson and shared with Melanie Paul, December 2018. Paul-5413 21:11, 24 December 2018 (UTC)
5. ↑ New South Wales Government Department of Justice Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages (as this is not "historic" it cannot be searched for online and you need Ken (LNAB Lye) Paul's permission to access it)
6. ↑ recordsearch.naa.gov.au National Archives of Australia input Paul, Edwin Alfred, choose World War II, input Service number: NX27654
7. ↑ trove.nla.gov.au / The Evening Advocate (Innisfail, Qld) Mon 23 Nov 1942
8. ↑ trove.nla.gov.au / The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) / Sun 1 Nov 1942
9. ↑ NSW BDM Marriages Registration Number: 5687/1946
10. ↑ NSW BDM Deaths Registration Number: 25447/1946
11. ↑ Rookwood Crematorium, Rookwood, New South Wales
12. ↑ Information as given by Ted Paul's stepson Ken to his son Tony Paul and from Tony to Melanie Paul, December 2018. Paul-5413 12:45, 8 December 2018 (UTC)
13. ↑ recordsearch.naa.gov.au Series number: B883 Control Symbol NX27654
14. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette

• Queensland BDM Birth 1903 C8583 Edwin Alfred Paul F: Ralph Herbert M: Henrietta Matilda Roehricht
• New South Wales BDM Death CONCORD 25447/1946 PAUL EDWIN ALFRED F: RALPH HERBERT M: HENRIETTA MATILDA
• Series Number: A6769; Control Symbol: PAUL E A; Item title:PAUL EDWIN ALFRED : Date of birth - 12 Oct 1903 : Place of birth - BRISBANE QLD : Place of enlistment - Unknown : Next of Kin - HENRIETTA National Archives of Australia
• National Archives Australia: 4231063 (dental expenses whilst escaped POW in Switzerland)

Acknowledgements

Tony Paul; for all the work he has done in helping to run down sources, as well as giving "inside" family information that led to the hunting for those sources. A true collaborative endeavour.