This week I was approached by a man who had been struggling for many years to find out information about his grandfather, James McLeod. This turned into the most extraordinary story of a man who had a spectacular military career, but at the same time was a fraudster and petty criminal and a deeply flawed character, which goes to show how contradictory people can be.
I was given James McLeod's marriage certificate, to the customer's grandmother, in Yorkshire in 1915. Ronald was described as being 33 (he wasn't, he was 39) and a masseur in an asylum, his wife was 22 and an asylum nurse. His father was described as being a Scottish Presbyterian Minister (he wasn't, he was an engine driver in Essex).
I was also given some documents the customer had found in The National Archives relating to Ronald's military career and his eventual fall from grace.
Malcolm Parker was born in Essex in 1875. On his later fraudulent military applications, he wrote that he had been educated at private schools in Aldeburgh and Framlingham in Suffolk. (We think he hadn't but not sure on that point yet).
In 1890, at the age of about 15 he did join up to the 42nd Black Watch 3rd Royal Garrison Regiment, under his real name, Malcolm Parker, he served 13 years including 3 years in South Africa, Boer Wars.
After his discharge, he started working at Brookwood County Asylum in Surrey. He may have met his first wife there, they married in Surrey in October 1908. He was still Malcolm Parker. The following year the couple had a daughter. In the 1911 census, Malcolm was living with his wife, and his wife's aunt and uncle in Worcestershire. It was written on the census that Malcolm was a "musical director" and born in Aberdeen. (He wasn't). Their daughter was living with his wife's parents. Malcolm was in actual fact working as a male nurse in an asylum.
In 1912, Malcolm, a male nurse was sentenced to 2 months hard labour for attempting to defraud someone by uttering a cheque.
In 1913 he was sentenced to 4 months hard labour at Guildford, Surrey, for falsifying an army discharge paper, he was in prison and wanted to apply for a job back at the asylum he had worked at before, but without admitting he was in prison.
His wife died the following year, he abandoned his daughter, who was adopted and moved to Huddersfield, and found work at an asylum there. This is where he married his second wife, an asylum nurse, under a false name of James McLeod, and I met him for the first time.
1915 was an eventful year, James (Malcolm) and his wife had a son, and James resigned from the asylum and started working as a chemical works operative. There was trouble at the chemical works in Huddersfield and in November 1916 Malcolm alias James McLeod brought a case against employer:
In 1917 Malcolm applied under his false identity to the 83rd Labour Corps for admission to the Officer Cadet Unit. On his application he stated that he was a foreman working with high explosives and a chemist (this may have been stretching the truth!), it was in this application that he wrote down the two private schools in Suffolk, and that his father was a Presbyterian Minister.
However, Malcolm's gamble with his fictitious application paid off and he was awarded a Military Medal in August 1917 which was announced in the London Gazette.
His career really took off, in 1918 he was appointed a temporary 2nd Lieutenant, Labour Corps, and in July 1918 he went from Band Sergeant to Company Sergeant Major. In October 1918 he became an Acting captain. On 1st September 1921 it was announced that McLeod was to relinquish his commission on completion of service and to be granted rank of Captain, Infantry Labour Corps, this was announced in the London Gazette. He left his military career in January 1922 on a high note.
However, things began to unravel for Malcolm Parker.
In April 1922 he was fined 10 shillings + costs at Strangeways Magistrates Court in Manchester. His alias was also uncovered.
Then in October 1923 came the big one:
An announcement appeared in the London Gazette on 14th December 1923 that Malcolm Parker alias James McLeod was to be deprived of the rank of Captain with which he had ended his military career.
Malcom disappeared from the records after this, there was a story in the family that he had gone to South Africa, he may have assumed another identity to disappear. His second wife married again, and his two children never knew him.
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