1/4th Norfolks - unpublished history

[rob carman]

Good morning,

Does anybody have any knowledge of either Lt Col JR Harvey or his unpublished "Manuscript History of the 4th Battalion (Territorials)"?

F. Lorraine Petre in his "History of the Norfolk Regiment Volume One" (covering the period up to July 1914) mentions Harvey's manuscript in the bibliography and implies the text covered at least some part of ther Great War.

I cannot find the Manuscript on WorldCat, at the IWM or in the regimental museum in Norwich. It is not listed in the online catalog of the county's archives (NOAH).

Harvey was mayor of Norwich in 1902. He was colonel of the 1/4th by 1914 but did not arrive in Suvla until well after the landings. Petre blames Harvey's absence on ill health. The PRO on the othjer hand has a file that documents discontent with Harvey among the junior officres of the battalion leading to Harvey's temporary replacement by Capt Montgomerie (thanks to Jock Bruce for the info). Whether related to this or not, the 1/4th's roster of officers present at Suvla is much shorter than that of the 1/5th Norfolks. Once at Suvla, Harevy almost immediately came down with dysentery and returned to England before the evacuation. I cannot find out if Harvey ever returned to active duty. He died in the mid-1920s.

Harvey may be related to Charles Harvey (possibly of Rainthorpe Hall, Norfolk), who wrote an earlier account of the Norfolk militia. I have written to Rainthorpe Hall asking the whereabouts of any Harvey family papers. I have had no reply yet.

Can anybody help me please? I'd even settle for suggestions on where to find Petre's papers.

Rob Carman.