Australian Intelligence Corps Officer at Tsingtau - Who was he?

[alf mcm]

The Official History of the Great War, Medical Services has a chapter in volume 1 regarding the siege of Tsingtau. It mentions an officer of the Australian Intelligence Corps being wounded. Does anyone know who he was, and why he was there?

Regards,

Alf McM

[frev]

 

Alf - the man you're looking for is Moreton John Godden COLYER.  He sounds like an interesting man - so I've started building a file on him...

 

COLYER, Moreton John Godden (1971 – 1947)

Born 22/10/1871 Sydney, NSW – the son of Henry Cox COLYER and Sarah Annie EVANS, who married in NSW 26/7/1866

Married Aimie Helen GORDON on the 22/10/1912 in Tumut, NSW

Civil & Mechanical Engineer

Professor of Engineering at the Changaha University

Joined the British Garrison under Brigadier-General Barnadiston at Tientsin

Captain, Australian Intelligence Corps, attached to British Tsing-Tao Expeditionary Force 1914

 

Return to Aus 1915: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/208658624

His story: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/124914946

WW1 Service Record: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3274322

Death 1947: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/265099957

 

Thanks for bringing him to my attention 

Cheers, Frev

[alf mcm]

Frev,

Many thanks. He certainly is an interesting character. He states he produced all the maps used by the British. I wonder if he ever received the Japanese decoration he requested? I think he probably didn't.

Regards,

Alf McM

[frev]

I'd say you're probably right about the Japanese decoration Alf - haven't been able to find anything so far...

Cheers, Frev

[ZeZe]

Hi Alf,

I expect you have found this eyewitness account already. The politics of the fall of Tsingtau also had implications leading to WW2 in the East.

https://archive.org/details/falloftsingtauwi00jonerich/mode/2up

Regards ZeZe