Vernon Anwyl Hart

I cannot find a MIC entry

1884 Nov 2 Born Waterloo, Lancashire

1901 census at 23 Courtnry Rd, Waterloo, Manchester

1905 Apr 7 Arrives UK from Canada. He is a "clerk"

1906 May crosses from Canada to USA, "in transit" he is a "farmer"

1906 May 15. Arrives in UK from New York

1906 May 23. Married Bessie Veysey Briscoe

1906 Jun 16. Arrives in Canada with his wife Bessie.

1908 Jul 24. Vernon, Bessie and an infant arrive back in UK from Canada.

1909 Dec. Enters USA in transit for UK from Canada. He styles himself "farmer". He gives his mother Louisa's address in Liverpool as his UK relative

1910 Jan 4. Arrives UK from New York.

1911 census at Ingledene, Essa Rd, Saltash, Cornwall

1916 Jan 1. Arrives back in UK with his family from Tasmania

1917 Jan 25. Manch. R. The undermentioned cadets to be temp. 2nd Lts. (attd.):Vernon Anwyl Hart. His WO338 entry shows he was in Manchester Regt

1918 Jul 25 Promoted Lt.

1919 Aug 1. Labour Corps. The undermentioned temp. Lts. to be temp. Lts. for duty with Chinese Lab., 1 Aug. 1919, with seniority specified against their names: V. A. Hart, from Manch. R. (Serv. Bns.). 25 July 1918

1920 Nov 16. Labour Corps. The undermentioned temp. Lits. relinquish their commissions on completion of service, and retain the rank of Lt. : V. A. Hart.

1920 Sep 8. Joins ADRIC with service no 500. Posted to K Coy

1920 Nov 10. Promoted Section Leader

1920 Dec 11. He was caught in an IRA ambush at Dillons Cross in which a close friend T/Cadet Chapman was critically wounded. Hart stayed with his friend, who was in great pain, until he died a few days later.

1920 Dec 15. : At 11.30 a.m a group of about twenty Auxiliaries in two Crossley tenders passed Canon Thomas Magner, an elderly Catholic priest who was walking along the main road about a mile on the Cork side of the town. With him was one of his parishioners, twenty three years old Tadgh Crowley. Hart shot Canon Magner and Tadgh Cowley, in an apparently motiveless attack. A third civilian, a local magistrate, escaped by taking refuge with the other Auxiliaries.

Hart was arrested and court-martialled: at his trial, it was revealed that he had been a "particular friend" of TC Chapman, and had been drinking heavily since 11 December. T/Ct R Milward described Hart as "clean off his head" , "as mad as a hatter" and on the verge of dirlirium tremens". A number of expert medical witness testified that Hart was insane at the time of the murders and the Courtmartial concluded that he "was guilty of the offenses with which he was charged, but was insane at the time of their commission".

1921 Jan 5. He was discharged from the ADRIC.   He  was sentenced to be detained during his Majesty's pleasure and was committed to a criminal lunatic asylum.    I don't know how long he remained there, but it was not sine die.

1921 Feb 17. Questions asked in Parliament

• Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHY asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what action has been taken with regard to Cadet Hart, of the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who was tried by court-martial on 5th January last for the murder of Canon Magner and Mr. Timothy Crowley; where Cadet Hart now is; how is he employed; and whether any action has been taken with regard to the other police in the lorry with Cadet Hart, who are stated to have watched the beating of the Canon and the two murders without interfering?
• Sir H. GREENWOOD Cadet Hart has been tried by court-martial and convicted of murder, but was found to have been insane at the time of committing the crime. He was sentenced to be detained during His Majesty's pleasure and is at present under detention awaiting transfer to a criminal lunatic asylum. The conduct of the other cadets who were present on the occasion of the murders has been the subject of a careful and searching official investigation. The officer commanding the company of which these men were members has been suspended.The following were the medical experts who found that Cadet Hart was insane:
  • Colonel W. G. Beyts, C.B.E., A.M.S., A.D.M.S., Cork.
  • Lieut. - Colonel Nicholls, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer, Cork Detention Barracks.
  • Dr. William Dawson, M.O., His Majesty's Inspector of Asylums, Ireland.
  • Dr. M. Hamblin Smith, Medical Officer, His Majesty's Prison, Birmingham.
  • Dr. East, M.D., Medical Officer, Liverpool Prison.
  • Dr. Dyer, M.D., Medical Inspector of Prisons.
• Commander KENWORTHY Cannot these military officers examine more of the auxiliary cadets who have been committing these crimes? Is nothing more to be done in this matter of the 15 cadets who watched the beating of this old man of 70 for a quarter of an hour and then tried to secrete the body? If a resident magistrate had not been there, would this not have been another unknown murder?
• Sir H. GREENWOOD I cannot accept that statement of fact from the hon. Member.
• Mr. LAWSON Has it been decided by the medical authorities how long this cadet is going to remain insane?
• That is a most unfair imputation to make on these six medical officers drawn from different parts of the country who examined this murderer—so found—at different periods and came to the same conclusion. This murderer is detained at His Majesty's pleasure, which means as long as he remains insane?
• Mr. J. JONES Will Sinn Feiners have a similar opportunity of proving that they are insane?
• Mr. STANTON We know they are.
• Mr. NEWBOULD Is this the officer who we were told yesterday by the Prime Minister was suspended owing to the Strickland Report?
• Sir H. GREENWOOD Yes
• Lieut.-Colonel ARCHER-SHEE Has it not been reported that this cadet was made insane by the massacres which had taken place a few days before in Cork?
• Sir H. GREENWOOD. Yes, Cadet Hart was a chum and companion of Cadet Chapman, who was massacred in an ambush a few days before in Cork, and undoubtedly that had an effect on his mind.

1922. On p. 33 of his book The Trial of Civilians by Military Courts: Ireland 1921 (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2012), Sean Enright says that Cadet Hart was released "the following year" after his committal. See the legal notice below.

1931 Potgietersrus Voter's List. Now Mokopane, some 200 miles north of Pretoria. He is a gardener living at Zebediela Estates 1031, P.O. Zebediela. This is one of the largest citrus farms in the southern hemisphere. There is no wife living there with him

1937 Aug 22. Died in Golden Valley Hotel, Somerset East, Cape Provence. He was a Chief Horticulturist and married. He died of Oedema - Oedema is fluid retention. It used to be called dropsy. Oedema can be most easily seen round the ankles after you've been standing (peripheral oedema). After lying down for a while, your eyes may look puffy and swollen. In severe cases, oedema can also collect in your lungs and make you short of breath.

1965 Feb 2. Solicitors try to find him. This seems to have been prompted by his brother Roderick Anwly Hart's death. The brother left £3333. But they were too late

ADRIC

WO 339/69178