BURNS, Stanley Henry

1697 Henry Malache (Denny) Carroll
2031A Stanley Henry Burns alias Henry Malache Carroll alias Dennis Martin Carroll
Henry Malache Carroll was born on 31 October 1889 in Waratah, Tasmania to Thomas and Charlotte Mary (Pullen) Carroll. He was the fifth child and second son, and was followed by another four children, making a family of nine in all, six girls and three boys. 
His occupation on his first Enlistment form was Farmer, on his second, blacksmith.
He enlisted in the 3rd Light Horse as 1697 Henry Malache Carroll on 4 August 1915, with his next-of-kin  his wife Mrs Maud Mary Carroll, Forest via Stanley, Tasmania. He was immediately placed in Claremont Camp, Tasmania, and attached to the 3rd Light Horse, where he underwent training from from 4 August to 16 October 1915. He then went on to Broadmeadows, Victoria, from 17 October 1915, but on completion of training, failed to embark on 23 November 1915 with the 3rd Light Horse contingent. He enlisted again at  Ballarat, Victoria in 39th Battalion as 2031A Stanley Henry Burns on 16 May 1916, noting his place of birth as Christchurch, New Zealand, with next-of-kin, 'friend' Miss Millie Carroll, Clarendon Street, East Melbourne. In fact, she was his older sister, Amelia, known as Nellie and he directed that 3/- of his pay be sent to her at the East Melbourne Post Office. This left his wife, Maud, unsupportedfinancially.

'Stanley Burns' embarked on 25 September 1916 aboard HMAT Shropshire A9, landing at Plymouth on 11 November, 1916. On 20 December, 1916, the 39th Battalion embarked from Folkestone on the Princess Victoria, for France, into the bitter winter of 1916-17. They fought their first battle at Messines, but on the way to the Front, suffered from a German gas bombardment on 6 June, so that less than one third of the men were able to man the front lines. Stanley Burns does not appear to have been affected by gas, though he had been ill earlier, probably due to the poor conditions of the trenches. On 7 June at Messines he suffered a gunshot owund to the left foot and was sent back across the Channel to Cardiff for hospital treatment. It must have been quite minor, becuse he rejoined the battalion on 14 June. By October, the 39th Battalion was fighting in Flanders, at Broodseinde (4/10/1917)  and Passchendael (12/10/1917). Here Stanley Burns suffered his second wounding, again a gun shot wound to the foot. He was sent to recuperate at Sutton Veny, where, in December 1918, he had a bit of bad luck.

He was seen by a family member, who subsequently wrote to the authorities, revealing his true identity. Privae James, 40th Battalion wrote on 18 May, 1918  'Last January, when I was in Sutton Veny, I saw Pte. H.M. Carroll, my sister-in-law's husband. he was then a member of the 39th Battalion and was under thre name of Stanley Burns. He is now with the 39th Battalion in France.' At the heart of the matter was that, once he assumed the name of Stanley Burns, Henry Carroll had directed that a portion of his pay go to his sister, Amelia, in East Melbourne. While she was boarding under the name Millie Carroll, as he nominated in his next of kin statement, she was collecting the money as Nellie Carroll. None was sent to his wife, who then petitioned for her rightful portion. 'Stanley Burns' then had to admit that hsi real name was Henry Carroll. He claimed that he was separated from his wife, had advertised in the Tasmanian newspapers, and not heard from her. The army authorities demanded that she prove her marital state by sending her wedding certificate, pluse a signed declaration of her status, which she did. Eventually, after much correspondence (contained in his Service Record), Maud Carroll was given the allowance.

'Stanley Burns' resumed his true identity on 12 August 1918 and became Lance Corporal Henry Malache Carroll, 2031a, 39th Battalion. He returned to Australia per HT Lancashire disembarking 31 March 1919 and was discharged from further service on 8 May 1919. He went on to work for the State Electricity Service in Victoria, under the name 'Denny' Carroll. Henry Malache Carroll died in Melbourne on 5 October 1967.