William Slade Vincent

15.1
Sentenced to Fremantle Prison February 1931

The original charge William was remanded on was vagrancy but while he was on remand the police charged him with two counts of false pretences. He was ordered to make restitution on these charges and could not, as his pension obviously had not arrived before the end of the month. William was sentenced to six months imprisonment on 27th Feb, with hard labour, on each of the two charges, to be served concurrently.

William sentenced to 6 months imprisonment.

William again wrote to the Repat. Dept. on 2nd March 1931, from his prison cell, before he was transferred to Fremantle prison and asked the Dept. to withhold payment of his pension until he notified them. The reason he gave was that he was leaving the district for an indefinite period.

Yet again William asked Repat. Dept. to hold his pension [122]

A note was written on this letter by someone in the Repat. Dept. suggesting that William may have been convicted of a crime in Kalgoorlie. However, the police Criminal Investigation Division (C.I.D), in Kalgoorlie, refused to give the Dept. information over the telephone. The Dept. sent a Mr. Perry (from the Repat. Dept.) to the C.I.D., for more information.

Mr. Perry came back with information on the man in custody, but the Dept. was still unsure, beyond doubt, if the convicted man was their man. C.I.D. had suggested to the Dept. that they should identify the man, before any further action was taken by the Dept., as it could be a coincidence that the man convicted had the same name but was not the Dept’s pensioner.

Comments by Mr. Perry on his visit to C.I.D. [123]

The Dept. then wrote to Fremantle Prison on 20th March 1931, using a form stating that the Australian Soldiers’ Repatriation Act 1920 – 1929 compels any person to release information to the Dept.

Form S Sent to Fremantle Prison by Repat. Dept. [124]

The form has its affect and the Prison released the information it had on William. By the prisons reply, the Repat. Dept. now knows it is William Slade Vincent, formerly of the K.O.R.L.R., that was incarcerated in Fremantle Prison and that he won’t be released until at least the 13th July 1931.

Fremantle Prison was built by convict labour around 1854 and as with most Victorian prisons, life in prison, particularly those sentenced to hard labour, was harsh.

Fremantle Prison c. 1935 [125]

While he was in prison, a further change in William’s pension rate takes place on 20th March 1931 and it is decreased to 7s 4d per day, and the sums paid at the end of each month in the quarter to £10, £10 and £13 9s 2d. William is sent a document from the Ministry of Pensions in London, that explains how cost of living is decided.

The Dept. did a review on William’s case on 24th March 1931, and it decided to withhold further payments of his pension whilst he is in prison. Pensioners, sentenced to prison, were not entitled to receive a pension by British law as it was assumed their welfare was being taken care of by the prison.

Payments are withheld while William is in prison [126]

William is unaware that whilst being in prison his retirement payments have ceased as he writes a letter, on 24th April 1931, from Fremantle Prison, asking that cheques be sent to the prison.

William asked for cheques to be sent to Fremantle Prison [127]

The Repat. Dept. wrote to William on 29th April 1931 and advised him that whilst he is in prison his pension will not be paid.

William advised no pension while he is in prison. [128]

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[122] - [124] Australian National Archives – British Pension Record BP4532 William Slade Vincent
[125] FremantlePrison.com.au
[126] - [128] Australian National Archives – British Pension Record BP4532 William Slade Vincent