Harry (aka Henry) Drew (Part 1 of story)
| First name | Harry (aka Henry) |
|---|---|
| Last name | Drew (Part 1 of story) |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 15th March 1863 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1884 |
| Submitted by | Valerie Wotton (nee Drew) |
Story
Harry was born in 1863 Charfield, District of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. He was registered as Harry which he used throughout his life but some of his documents show Henry. He was the son of James Drew (born Horsley), a railway porter at Charfield, and Hannah Smith (born Stonehouse) who married on 12th April 1862 at the Baptist Chapel in Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire. By 1867 the family was living in Wickwar where James had become Railway Station Master. The 1901 UK census reveals that Harry’s parents had moved to Southampton where some of their then adult daughters lived. James died on 25th August 1908 and Hannah on 20th September 1922.
On 2nd December 1880 Harry (as Henry) joined the City of London Police. He resigned on 29th September 1883 holding the rank of 2nd class constable and records described him as being 6 ft. 1/2 ins. tall with brown eyes and hair and a fair complexion. The April 1881 UK census reveals that Harry was a police constable living at Bridwell Place Police Station in London.
Harry (as Henry) had signed an agreement for five years on 20th September 1883 to join the Shanghai Municipal Council as part of the Shanghai Municipal Police in the British part of the International Settlement in Shanghai China. Shanghai was then the world’s third largest port and was known as “Sin City”. Opium used to be exported from China to Britain. It must have been an amazing contrast with Harry’s previous life in England. He left after about eight months and arrived in New South Wales about mid-1884.
On 17th July 1884 Harry (as Harry) joined the NSW Police Force. He was immediately attached to the Sydney Metropolitan District as a foot constable serving his probationary period at No.4 Sub-District in George Street North. In November 1885 he was transferred to Tamworth where he attained the rank of Constable 1st class on 1st October 1887. From there he transferred to Bingara in May 1890 and in August 1896 returned to the Sydney Metropolitan District and was attached to No.5 sub-district of Newtown where he was promoted to the ranks of senior constable and sergeant 2nd class. In Feb. 1908 he was transferred to No.4 sub-district again where he became sergeant 1st class on 1st Aug. 1912. A month later he took up duties at Regent Street Police Station and underwent three more transfers from 1915 to 1921 to Newtown, Central and George Street North police stations. He was also promoted on five more occasions culminating in the position of Superintendent 3rd class on 1st July 1920.
(See rest of story in Part 2)