Talk:Joseph Harcourt Tombs
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Nationaly of Joseph Harcourt Tombs
The story that Tombs was born in Melbourne first appeared in the 1981 edition of The Register of the Victoria Cross. The same information is repeated in the 1988 and 1997 editions. Monuments to Courage states he was born 23 March 1888 Melbourne Victoria Australia. The entry includes the comment that Tombs was reportedly born in England but this was unsubstantiated after registry checks 1881-1895. However Registry checks in Australia for the same period do not reveal that he was Australian born.
Tombs never publicly claimed Australian birth and no evidence has been found that he ever visited Australia. Furthermore Australia does not claim him as a VC recipient and he is not listed by the Australian War Memorial as having an association with Australia.
‘Valiant Men; Canada’s Victoria Cross and George Cross winners’ edited by John Swettenham and published in Toronto in 1973 states Tombs was born in Birmingham England on 23 March 1887. Since Tombs resided in Canada for 47 years until his death in 1966 and since there is no evidence of either his birth or presence in Australia I regard that Canadian claim as the best information that we have at present.
