Before Bernadette

Wednesday, 25 April 2018

Lest We Forget ... 'Diggers' in my family.

This post will be an on-going record, listing the family members in my family tree who served on the western front in World War 1. I will group them according to our common ancestors.

As my research uncovers more "diggers", the list will be updated.

(Number so far: 43)

Great grandsons of my paternal 3x great grandparents James Hickey and Margaret McNamara.

Patrick Francis Hickey (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Place of birth	East Maitland New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	School teacher
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	28
Next of kin	Father, Patrick Thomas Hickey, Largs, West Maitland, New South Wales
Enlistment date	27 July 1915
Rank on enlistment	2nd Lieutenant
Unit name	18th Battalion, 17th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/35/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 25 October 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	2nd Lieutenant
Unit from Nominal Roll	18th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 13 February 1918

Patrick was born in 1886. He was the only son of Patrick Thomas Hickey and Catherine Bowe.
Patrick, school teacher, was 28 years old when he enlisted in 1915.
He saw action in France and was severely wounded in February of 1917 with gunshot wounds to the back and both arms.
He was evacuated to the London General Hospital in March of 1917, then transferred to the 6th Auxiliary Hospital.
In March of 1917 Patrick was promoted to Lieutenant.
Patrick returned home to Australia in early 1918.
He married the following year but sadly, died just seven years later leaving a widow and two young children.

John Michael Hickey (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	10068
Place of birth	Maitland, New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Clerk
Address	Forest Hill, Queensland
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	19
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs Kathleen Hickey, Forest Hill, Queensland
Enlistment date	25 October 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	7th Field Ambulance, 11th Reinforcements
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A16 Star of Victoria on 31 March 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Driver
Unit from Nominal Roll	6th Field Ambulance
Fate	Returned to Australia 4 June 1919

John was born in 1898 at Morpeth in New South Wales, Australia.
He was the eldest son of James Michael Hickey and Catherine Frances Maher and one of six sons born to James and Catherine (also known as Kathleen or Katherine).
John was a clerk when he enlisted in 1915 at the age of 17.
His parents wrote a letter giving their permission for John to enlist.
On his attestation form John gave his age as 18.
He saw action in France.

Francis Steven Patrick Hickey (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	3550
Place of birth	Bolwarra, Maitland
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Assistant mechanic
Address	Nimmitabel, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	21
Next of kin	Father, D J Hickey c/o Government, Works Depot, Nimmitable, New South Wales
Enlistment date	30 September 1915
Rank on enlistment	Acting Sergeant
Unit name	20th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/37/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A60 Aeneas on 20 December 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	54th Battalion
Fate	Killed in Action 1 September 1918
Miscellaneous details (Nominal Roll)	*Given name Francis Stephen
Age at death from cemetery records	26
Place of burial	Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension (Plot V, Row G, Grave No. 16), France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	159
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: Denis and Ellen HICKEY, 4 Windsor Street, Paddington, New South Wales
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Francis was born in 1894 in Bolwarra, New South Wales.
He was the son of Dennis James Hickey and Ellen (known as Nellie) Hickey nee Bowe.
Francis (known as Frank) enlisted at the age of 21 in September of 1915 with the 8th Reinforcement of the 20th Battalion.
His unit embarked less than 3 months later on the 20th of December aboard the HMAT A60 Aeneas.
Francis was transferred to the 54th Infantry Battalion while at Tel-el-Kebir in February 1916.
He was promoted to Corporal in August of 1916.
He was promoted again to Sergeant in January of 1918 while in the field in France.
Francis was killed in action. According to an eye witness: "On the 1st of September about 7.30 in the morning during our attack at Peronne, was killed outright by shell."
He was firstly buried in the field at Sainte Radegronde at the right end of the town, about a 10 min walk from Peronne. His body was later exhumed and buried in the Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension, Plot V, Row G, Grave 16, at Peronne in Picardie, France.

Vincent Thomas Neylon (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	5847
Place of birth	East Maitland, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Jockey
Address	Newcastle Street, East Maitland, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	29
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs Margaret Neylon, Newcastle Street, East Maitland, New South Wales
Enlistment date	29 May 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	18th Battalion, 16th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/35/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A40 Ceramic on 7 October 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	18th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 9 August 1919
Family/military connections	Brother: 1286 Sergeant Michael NEYLON, 34th Bn, died of wounds, 1 September 1918.
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Vincent was born in East Maitland, New South Wales, in 1887. He was the son of Thomas Joseph Neylon and Margaret Magdalen Hickey.
Vincent was one of eleven children born to Thomas and Margaret.
He enlisted with the AIF in May of 1916.
Vincent embarked in late 1916 from Sydney on board HMAT A40 with the 18th Battalion, 16th Reinforcement. He was aged 29.
Vincent was wounded in action in May of 1917, receiving a gunshot wound to the left shoulder and evacuated to hospital in England.
Vincent returned to service in France but was hospitalised again in November of 1917 suffering "trench fever". He was evacuated to hospital in England once more in December of 1917.
Vincent married an Englishwoman in May of 1919 in Kent, England.
He returned home to Australia in 1919 with his English-born wife.

Michael Neylon (my 2nd cousins 2x removed).

Regimental number	1286
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Labourer
Address	East Maitland, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	22
Height	5' 6.5"
Weight	140 lbs
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs Margaret Neylon, Newcastle Street, East Maitland, New South Wales
Previous military service	Served for 3 years 4 months in 14th Infantry, Citizen Military Forces; still serving at time of AIF enlistment.
Enlistment date	23 February 1916
Place of enlistment	West Maitland, New South Wales
Rank on enlistment	Corporal
Unit name	34th Battalion, D Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/51/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A20 Hororata on 2 May 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Sergeant
Unit from Nominal Roll	34th Battalion
Fate	Died of wounds 1 September 1918
Place of burial	Daours Communal Cemetery Extension (Plot VIII, Row B, Grave No 58), France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	124
Family/military connections	Brother: 5847 Pte Vincent Thomas NEYLON, 18th Bn, returned to Australia, 9 August 1919.
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Michael was born in East Maitland, New South Wales, in 1894.
He was also a son of Thomas Joseph Neylon and Margaret Magdalen Hickey.
Michael was one of eleven children born to Thomas and Margaret, and a younger brother of Vincent Neylon (listed above).
Michael enlisted with the 34th Battalion when he was 21 years old.
He embarked for overseas service from Sydney on the 2nd of May 1916 on board HMAT A20 Honorata.
Michael was hospitalised with shell shock during his service and was wounded in action on two occasions with gunshot wounds.
When he was wounded in action in August of 1918, with a gunshot wound to the hip, he was moved to the 61st Casualty Clearance Station, where he died the following day at the age of 23.
Michael was buried at the nearby local military cemetery.

Great grandsons of my 3x great grandparents Michael Cusack and Mary Green.

Henry James Sutton-Cusack (my paternal 2nd cousins 2x removed)

Regimental number	3709
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Miner
Address	Cawongla View, Kyogle, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	19
Next of kin	Father, J Cusack, Cawongla View, Kyogle, New South Wales
Enlistment date	26 August 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	15th Battalion, 12th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/32/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A23 Suffolk on 30 November 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	4th Trench Mortar Battery
Fate	Returned to Australia 5 April 1918
Date of death	20 March 1940
Place of burial	Kyogle Cemetery

Henry was born in 1896. He was the first born child of James Cusack and Hannah Sutton.
Henry enlisted at the age of 19 with the 12th Reinforcement of the 15th Battalion.
He saw action in France and was wounded in action in late 1917, with gunshot wounds to his right hip, thigh and knee .
Henry returned to Australia in early 1918.

William Clive Cusack (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	6929
Place of birth	Lismore New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Farm hand
Address	Rock Valley, Queensland
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	21
Next of kin	Father, James Cusack, Rock Valley via Lismore, New South Wales
Enlistment date	21 May 1917
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	26th Battalion, 20th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/43/5
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A20 Hororata on 14 June 1917
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	26th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 1 February 1918

William was born in 1899. He was also a son of James Cusack and Hannah Sutton.
He was the younger brother of Henry (listed above).
William enlisted at the age of 17, but stated he was 21 on his attestation form.
He disembarked in Liverpool, England in August 1917 and was then admitted to the Fargo Military Hospital just a few days later diagnosed with influenza.
William returned to Australia in February 1918.
He was discharged in May of 1918 as medically unfit, diagnosed with bronchial asthma.

Edward Cusack (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	4257
Place of birth	Lismore New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Butcher
Address	Lismore, New South Wales
Marital status	Married
Age at embarkation	29
Next of kin	Wife, Mrs Ida May Cusack, South Kyogle PO, South Kyogle, Richmond River, New South Wales
Enlistment date	3 September 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll	16 February 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	26th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/43/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A73 Commonwealth on 28 March 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	26th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 4 May 1917

Edward was born in 1887. He was the son of Edwin Cusack and Jane Cochran.
Edward was a cousin of both Henry and William (listed above).
He enlisted at Enoggera in Queensland with the 26th Infantry Battalion in September of 1915, at the age of 28.
Edward's unit embarked from Brisbane in early 1916.
He served in France.
Edward was hospitalised a couple of times during the war suffering from influenza.
He was evacuated to England and sent to the General Hospital in Colchester in November of 1916.
Edward returned home in May of 1917 suffering "shell shock and cardiac insufficiency".
He was discharged in September of 1917.

A husband of one of the great granddaughters of Michael Cusack and Mary Green.

George Gerald Mildare (husband of my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed).

Regimental number	4832
Place of birth	Boston United States Of America
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Traveller
Address	Campbelltown, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	22
Next of kin	Father, Charles Mildare, Vaudeville Club, Charing Cross Road, London, England
Enlistment date	29 November 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	31st Battalion, 13th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/48/4
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A18 Wiltshire on 7 February 1917
Rank from Nominal Roll	Lance Corporal
Unit from Nominal Roll	31st Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 5 July 1919

George was born the U.S. in 1894. He was the son of Charles Mildare and Virginia Goulden.
George's father was an English-born vaudeville performer who travelled to various places with his act and whilst in the U.S., George was born. The family did return to England where George spent his teenage years. Around the age of 19, George emigrated to Australia.
George attempted to enlist with the AIF in August of 1916 but was refused because of "deficient eyesight".
He attempted enlisting again a few months later and this time the medical officer deemed him fit for service.
George enlisted at the age of 22 with the 13th Reinforcements of the 31st Battalion.
He served in France and returned home to Australia in mid 1919.
George married the following year and lived out the rest of his life in Australia.

A great-grandson of my paternal 3x Great Grandparents William Henry Browning and Ann Nancy Littlejohns.

Lewis / Luis Manning Kean (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

His name was recorded as "Luis" on his war service record and "Louis" on his war cemetery record.

Regimental number	3391
Place of birth	Manning River, New South Wales
School	State School, Tamworth, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Labourer
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	21
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs. W. Carter, Emmaville, via Deepwater, New South Wales
Enlistment date	10 February 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	31st Battalion, 7th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/48/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A49 Seang Choon on 4 May 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	31st Battalion
Fate	Killed in Action 15 April 1918
Place of death or wounding	France
Age at death	22
Age at death from cemetery records	22
Place of burial	Adelaide Cemetery (Plot III, Row H, Grave No. 18), Villers-Bretonneux, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	118
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: Thomas Matthew and Caroline Maria KEAN, One Mile Estate, West Ipswich, Queensland. Native of Manning River, New South Wales
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Luis was born in New South Wales in 1894. He was the son of Thomas Matthew Kean and Caroline Maria Browning.
His father had died by the time Luis enlisted and his mother had re-married with the new surname of Carter.
Luis enlisted at the age of 21.
His name is spelt in various ways on his war service records - Luis, Lewis - although his signature was always written as "Luis".
It's interesting to note however that his name was written as "Lewis" by his mother in a letter she sent to Base Records Office in 1919.
In September of 1917 Luis was hospitalised in England as a result of a severe gunshot wound to his left arm.
He was killed in action seven months later in 1918 and was buried at Villers-Brettoneux in France.

Grandsons of my paternal 2x Great Grandparents Patrick Cusack and Eliza Exton.

Ernest Thomas Stanley Cusack (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	508
Place of birth	Byron Bay, New South Wales
Religion	Presbyterian
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Byron Bay PO, Byron Bay, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	19
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs Mary Ann Cusack, Byron Bay PO, Byron Bay, New South Wales
Enlistment date	15 June 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	Machine Gun Company 15, Reinforcement 8
AWM Embarkation Roll number	24/20/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A34 Persic on 22 December 1916
Other details from Roll of Honour Circular	Died Military Hospital, London, England.
Fate	Died of disease (Influenza) 3 March 1919
Age at death	21.7
Age at death from cemetery records	21
Place of burial	Brookwood Military Cemetery (Plot IV, Row J, Grave No. 7), Surrey, England
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	176
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: James and Mary CUSACK, Byron Bay, New South Wales

Ernest was born in 1897. His father was James Cusack and his mother was Mary Ann Davies.
Ernest's unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on board HMAS A34 Persic on December 22nd, 1916.
He served in France.
Ernest was wounded in September of 1917 with a "shell wound to the chin".
He died in a military hospital in London, England. Ernest had been on leave and had contracted influenza.
His headstone reads: "Though lost to sight to memory ever dear"

Harold John Charles Cusack (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	3721
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Plumber
Address	Byron Bay, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	20
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs M A Cusack, Byron Bay, New South Wales
Enlistment date	10 August 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	15th Battalion, 12th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/32/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A23 Suffolk on 30 November 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	15th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 12 April 1916

Harold as born in 1895. His father was James Cusack and his mother was Mary Ann Davies.
Harold was an older brother of Ernest (listed above).
Harold embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on board HMAT A23 Suffolk on November the 30th 1915.
He made it to a training camp in Egypt but did not join in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force as he fell ill with acute appendicitis in March of 1916.
He was discharged as medically unfit and sent home to Australia the following month.

James Herbert Cusack (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number 6064
Place of birth	Blakebrook New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Byron Bay, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	27
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs Mary Ann Cusack, Byron Bay, New South Wales
Enlistment date	9 August 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	25th Battalion, 17th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/42/5
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A75 Marathon on 27 October 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	9th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 8 August 1919
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

James was born in 1889. His father was James Cusack and his mother was Mary Ann Davies.
James was a brother of both Ernest and Harold (listed above).
He embarked on board the HMAT A75 Marathon in October of 1916. James served in France. He was wounded in action in July of 1918.
The following year, James married Edith Grinstead in London in May 1919.
He returned home in August of 1919.

Alfred Adolphe Cook (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	2640
Place of birth	Broadwater New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Broadwater, Richmond River, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	33
Next of kin	Father, William James Cook, Broadwater, Richmond River, New South Wales
Enlistment date	6 December 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll	29 November 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	6th Light Horse Regiment, 18th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	10/11/4
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A20 Hororata on 2 May 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	6th Light Horse Regiment
Fate	Returned to Australia 18 February 1919

Alfred was born in New South Wales in 1881.
He was the eldest son of William James and Ann (Annie) Cusack.
Alfred was one of eleven children born to William and Ann.
He enlisted at the age of 33.
He embarked from Sydney in May of 1916 for overseas service and served with the 6th Light Horse Regiment 18th Reinforcement.
Alfred saw service in the Middle East. He was sent to the Palestine Front, where he crossed the River Jordan and passed Jacob's Well. He was with the troops at the capture of Jericho.
In February of 1919 Alfred was sent back to Australia suffering from malaria.

Percy Cook (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	2737
Place of birth	Broadwater, Richmond River, New South Wales
School	Riley's Hill Public School, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Fisherman
Address	Broadwater, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	18
Next of kin	Father, William James Cook, Broadwater, Richmond River, New South Wales
Previous military service	Nil
Enlistment date	12 August 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll	12 August 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	15th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/32/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A33 Ayrshire on 1 September 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	12th Machine Gun Company
Fate	Died of wounds 9 August 1916
Place of death or wounding	Pozieres, Somme Sector, France
Age at death	19.5
Age at death from cemetery records	19
Place of burial	No known grave
Commemoration details	Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	143
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: William and Annie COOK, Broadwater, New South Wales

Percy was born in New South Wales in 1897.
Percy was the youngest son of William James Cook and Ann (Annie) Cusack.
He was a younger brother of Alfred (listed above) and one of eleven children born to William and Ann.
Percy enlisted at the age of 18 with the 15th Infantry Battalion 9th Reinforcement.
He embarked with his unit from Sydney in September of 1915.
He saw service in both Turkey and France.
Percy was sent to the Dardanelles from Egypt and saw action not far from Anzac Cove. After the evacuation from Gallipoli, Percy was sent to France.
He was killed in action in France while serving with the 47th Infantry Battalion at the Battle for Pozieres.
Percy died of wounds received during that battle on the 9th of August 1916.
His name is inscribed on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France.

Grandsons of my paternal 2x Great Grandparents Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning.

Sydney Brown (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	1156
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales
Religion	Church of Christ
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Hunter Street, Lismore, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	24
Next of kin	Father, Alexander Johnston Brown, Hunter Street, Lismore, New South Wales
Enlistment date	9 April 1916April 9 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	2nd Light Horse Regiment, 8th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	10/7/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on 16 August 1915 August 16 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	25th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 16 December 1917
Date of death	3rd June 19563 June 1956
Place of burial	Ipswich Cemetery

Sydney was born in 1891. He was the son of Alexander Johnson Brown (known as Sandy) and Margaret Jane Bustard. He was the 10th of twelve children born to Alexander and Margaret. He worked as a horse breaker before enlistment.
Sydney enlisted in April of 1915 when he was aged 24. His unit, the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, 8th Reinforcement, embarked from Brisbane in August of 1915. He fought mostly in France.
Sadly, Sydney was transferred to Military Hospital in England in October of 1917 because of "shell shock and classified insanity". He was put on a ship in December of 1917 for return to Australia, identified with "confusional insanity - mental deficiency".
Sydney died in 1956 at the age of 65.

Curtis (Curtess) Brown (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	1816
Place of birth	Lismore New South Wales
Religion	Church of Christ
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Lismore, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	20
Next of kin	Father, A J Brown, Hunter Street, Lismore, New South Wales
Enlistment date	7 January 1916 January 7 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	4th Pioneer Battalion, Reinforcement 2
AWM Embarkation Roll number	14/16/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board RMS Mooltan April 12 1916on 12 April 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	4th Pioneer Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 12 May 1919

Curtis (Curtess) was born in 1895, the youngest of twelve children born to Alexander Brown and Margaret Bustard, brother to Sydney (listed above). On his birth record, his name was recorded as 'Curtess'.
He enlisted in January of 1916, aged 20, the year after his older brother Sydney had enlisted.
Curtis enlisted with the 4th Pioneer Battalion, Reinforcement 2, and served mostly in France.
Soldiers of the Pioneer Battalions were essentially infantry with light military combat and engineering skills, and were located at the forward edge of the battle area.
Curtis served until the 4th Pioneer Battalion was disbanded in early 1919.
He returned home to Australia in May of 1919.
Curtis re-enlisted for service in WW11.
He lived until the age of 74, passing in 1970.

Henry Herbert Brown (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	2021
Place of birth	Lismore New South Wales
Other Names	Henry Herbert
Religion	Presbyterian
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Lismore, New South Wales
Marital status	Married
Age at embarkation	31
Next of kin	Wife, Mrs L Brown, c/o Mrs Hislop, South Lismore, New South Wales
Enlistment date	25 November 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	49th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/66/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A46 Clan Macgillivray on 1 May 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	41st Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 10 September 1917
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Date of death	24 December 1949
Age at death	64
Place of burial	Warren Cemetery, New South Wales

Henry was born in 1883, the third-born of four children born to Henry Johnson Brown Jnr. and Hannah Towns.
He enlisted with the 9th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement when he was 31 years old.
His unit embarked from Brisbane on May 1st, 1916.
Henry served on the western front until he was wounded in battle in France in January of 1917.
He received a gunshot wound to the left shoulder and was invalided to England aboard the Princess Elizabeth.
Upon arrival in England he was admitted to hospital at Edmonton.
He was shipped home in September of 1917.

Leslie Brown (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	3014
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales
Religion	Presbyterian
Occupation	Blacksmith
Address	120 Moore Street, Rozelle, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	18
Next of kin	Father, F Brown, 106 Mansfield Street, Rozelle, New South Wales
Enlistment date	2 July 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	1st Battalion, 10th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/18/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A69 Warilda on 8 October 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	53rd Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 8 April 1917

Leslie was born in 1897. He was one of eleven children born to Francis Somers Brown and Selina Jane Cameroux.
Leslie enlisted at the age of 18.
He fought in France until he was wounded in action in August of 1916 with a gunshot wound to the right arm
He was discharged as medically unfit and returned home in 1917.

Ernest Brown (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	3256
Place of birth	Rozelle, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Slaughterman
Address	106 Mansfield Street, Rozelle, Sydney, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	21
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs. Brown, 106 Mansfield Street, Rozelle, Sydney, New South Wales
Enlistment date	14 July 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll	10 July 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	1st Battalion, 11th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/18/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A32 Themistocles on 5 October 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	45th Battalion
Fate	Killed in Action 11 April 1917
Age at death from cemetery records	24
Place of burial	Noreuil Australian Cemetery (Row H, Grave No. 19), France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	139
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: Francis and Selina BROWN, 6 Bruce Street, Rozelle, New South Wales

Ernest was born in 1893. He was also a son of Francis Somers Brown and Selina Jane Cameroux.
He was an older brother of Leslie (listed above).
Ernest enlisted just a few days after his younger brother in July of 1915, but embarked for overseas service three days earlier.
Ernest was killed in action in France in 1917 and was buried at the Noreuil Australian Cemetery.

Robert Henry Johnson Gall (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Robert was born in 1882. He was the first born son of Robert Gall and Eliza Duncan Brown.

He enlisted at the age of 33 with the 13th Reinforcement of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment.

While he was still in training camp, Robert was discharged in January 1916 because of chronic muscular rheumatism of the back muscles.

A son of my paternal 2x Great Grandparents Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning.

Robert Frederick Bayley Brown (my paternal great grand-uncle)

Regimental number	1465
Place of birth	Lismore New South Wales
Religion	Presbyterian
Occupation	Draper
Address	c/o Mrs Bottger, Pinkenba, Queensland
Marital status	Widower
Age at embarkation	44
Next of kin	Sister, Mrs Gall, Nimbin via Lismore, New South Wales
Enlistment date	29 December 1914
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	15th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/32/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A49 Seang Choon on 13 February 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	15th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 11 April 1916

Robert was born in 1867. He was the youngest son of Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning, one of their 12 children.
Robert enlisted at the age of 47 (not 44 as recorded on his attestation papers) at the end of 1914.
He disembarked in Egypt in early 1915, where he was put on light duties.
Robert returned home to Australia in April of 1916 suffering from rheumatism.

Nephews of my paternal 2x Great Grandparents Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning.

Jack Browning (my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed)

Regimental number	25
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Teamster
Address	Blakebrook, Lismore, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	26
Next of kin	Mother: Mrs Elizabeth Browning, Blakebrook, Lismore, New South Wales
Enlistment date	16th November, 191516 November 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	42nd Battalion, A Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/59/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A30 Borda, June 1916 5 June 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	42nd Battalion
Other details from Roll of Honour Circular	Enlisted 16 November 1915. Taken on strength, 42nd Bn, 15 April 1916. Wounded, but remained at duty in February 1917 - 5 February 1917 & 9 February 1917
Fate	Killed in Action 8 March 1917
Place of death or wounding	Armentieres, France
Age at death	27
Place of burial	Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery (Plot IV, Row F, Grave No. 7), Armentieres, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	135
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Jack was born in 1890. He was the son of Joseph Edward Browning and Elizabeth Wilson. He worked as a teamster before enlistment.
Jack embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT A30 Borda in June of 1916, when he was 26 years of age. He disembarked at Southampton, England in July and proceeded overseas to France in November of 1916.
Jack was wounded twice in the field in February of 1917, and then sadly he was killed in action on the 8th of March 1917. He had only been fighting in France for a little over 2 months!
Jack was buried in the military cemetery at Cite Bonjean in Armentieres, France.

Robert Albert Browning (my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed)

Regimental number	4039
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Carpenter
Address	Goolmangar, New South Wales
Marital status	Married
Age at embarkation	25
Next of kin	Wife, Mrs Pearlie Cornelia Browning, Blakebrook, Lismore, New South Wales
Enlistment date	17 April 191717 April 1917
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	4th Pioneer Battalion, Reinforcement 11
AWM Embarkation Roll number	14/16/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A7 Medic on 1 August 1917
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	4th Pioneer Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 31 January 1918

Robert was born in 1892. He was also the son of Joseph Edward Browning and Elizabeth Wilson.
Robert was a younger brother to Jack (listed above).
He was 25 when he enlisted in 1917.
Two months after disembarkation Robert was hospitalised with neurasthenia.
He was sent home to Australian in January of 1918 and then discharged in May of 1918.

The husband of a granddaughter of my paternal 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Alexander Reid (husband of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed)

Regimental number	154
Place of birth	New Zealand
Religion	Presbyterian
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Bellinudgee, Lismore Line, New South Wales
Marital status	Married
Age at embarkation	24
Next of kin	Wife, Mrs Dolly Jane Reid, Bellinudgee, Lismore Line, New South Wales
Enlistment date	Apr 24 191524 April 1915
Rank on enlistment	Sergeant
Unit name	26th Battalion, B Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/43/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 4th of September 191524 May 1915
Regimental number from Nominal Roll	Commissioned
Rank from Nominal Roll	2nd Lieutenant
Unit from Nominal Roll	26th Battalion
Recommendations (Medals and Awards)	Mention in Despatches 'For conspicuous gallantry in patrol work in the vicinity of Butte Warlencourt. On one occasion he climbed an embankment 50 feet high getting within 10 yards of an enemy position. On the second occasion he made a daylight recognizance at great personal risk bringing back most useful and reliable information (Later killed by shell just prior to attack on Malt Trench.)'
Fate	Killed in Action 28 February 1917
Age at death from cemetery records	27
Place of burial	No known grave
Commemoration details	Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	108
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: Alexander and Sarah REID; husband of M.J. REID, Church Street, Bellingen, New South Wales

Great grandsons of my paternal 3x Great Grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

Robert William Lawrence (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	2454
Place of birth	Condong, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Cattle drover
Address	Brisbane, Queensland
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	19
Next of kin	Mother: Mrs Mary Lawrence, East Murwillumbah, New South Wales
Enlistment date	Apr 19 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	49th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/66/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A49 Seang Choon on 19 September 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	Australian Corps Working Party
Fate Other Details	Returned to Australia 2 January 1919 Termination of period of enlistment War Service: Western Front, France Medals: 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Robert was born in 1898. He was the son of William Truckle Lawrence and Mary McDonough and had worked as a cattle drover before he enlisted.
Robert enlisted about six months after his older brother.
He embarked aboard HMAT A49 in September of 1916, aged 19. He served in France and returned to Australia aboard H.M.A.S. Berrima in January of 1919.
Whilst his period of enlistment had ended, he was listed as being an 'invalid', suffering from the effects of gas.
He never married.

William Charles Lawrence (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	3129
Place of birth	Condong, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Butcher
Address	Brisbane, Queensland
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	19
Next of kin	Mother: Mrs Mary Lawrence, Murwillumbah, New South Wales
Enlistment date	Oct 16 19155 October 1915
	6 October 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	25th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/42/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A50 Itonus on 30 December 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Corporal
Unit from Nominal Roll	25th Battalion
Fate	Killed in Action 16 January, 1917
Place of burial Commemoration Details Panel Number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial Other Details	No known grave Australian National Memorial, Villers-Brettoneux, France 105 War Service: Western Front, France Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

William was born in 1896, also a son of William Truckle Lawrence and Mary McDonough. He had worked as a butcher before he enlisted in 1915.
William was an older brother to Robert (listed above).
He embarked aboard HMAT A50 Itonus at the end of 1915 and served in France with the 25th Battalion.
In November of 1916 he was promoted to Temporary Corporal, but sadly, a mere two months later, William was reported as 'missing in action' in January of 1917. A court of inquiry listed him as 'killed in action' in July of the same year. There was no listed place of burial.
William's name is listed on the Villers-Brettoneux Memorial in France.

Robert James Dooley (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	5569
Place of birth	Bangalow, New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Buttermaker
Address	Lismore, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	19
Next of kin	Father, James Dooley, Carlyle Street, Byron Bay, New South Wales
Enlistment date	1 April 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	25th Battalion, 15th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/42/4
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A46 Clan Macgillivray on 7 September 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	25th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 15 February 1918
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Plaque in New South Wales Garden of Remembrance
Date of death	13 November 1974

Robert was born in 1896. He was the oldest son of James Dooley and Mary Ann Matilda King.
He enlisted at the age of 19 with the 25th Battalion and served in France.
In September of 1917 Robert was wounded in action receiving gun shot wounds to the right arm and right leg.
He was evacuated to the Graylingwell War Hospital at Chichester in England.
Robert returned home to Australia in February of 1918.
He was discharged as medically unfit in June of 1918.
Robert went on to re-enlist in WW11.

Charles William Scovell (Jnr.) (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	152
Place of birth	Richmond River, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Cook
Address	6 Kilby Terrace, South Melbourne, Victoria
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	30
Next of kin	Brother, Walter Scovell, 6 Kilby Terrace, South Melbourne, Victoria
Enlistment date	24 August 1914
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	5th Battalion, B Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/22/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board Transport A3 Orvieto on 21 October 1914
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	5th Battalion
Fate	Discharged 18 March 1916

Charles was born in 1884. He was the son of Charles William Scovell and Ellen Dooley.
He was a cousin of Robert James Dooley (listed above).
Charles enlisted at the age of 30 in August 1914.
He was living in Melbourne at the time, but was born in the Richmond River District in New South Wales.
He enlisted with the 5th Battalion, B Company and embarked from Melbourne in October of 1914, just 2 moths after enlistment.
Charles was discharged in March of 1916 as he was deemed "no longer physically fit for war service at home or abroad owing to gun shot wound to the right shoulder" (from Certificate of Discharge).

Walter Henry Scovell (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	3469
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales
Other Names	Scovell, Walter H
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Cook
Address	Nil
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	32
Height	5' 5"
Weight	117 lbs
Next of kin	Brother, Bert Scovell, Grant Street, Ballina, New South Wales
Previous military service	Nil
Enlistment date	5 March 1917
Place of enlistment	Melbourne, Victoria
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	57th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/74/4
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A29 Suevic on 21 June 1917
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	57th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 10 January 1918
Date of death	28 February 1921
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Plaque in Garden of Remembrance, Victoria.
Discharge date	9 April 1918
Other details	Commenced return to Australia on board HT 'Corinthic', 10 January 1918; disembarked Melbourne, 3 March 1918; discharged (medically unfit), Sydney, 9 April 1918. Medal: British War Medal

Walter was born in 1885. He was the son of Charles William Scovell and Ellen Dooley.
Walter was a younger brother of Charles William Scovell Jnr. (listed above)
Walter enlisted with the 57th Infantry Battalion in March of 1917 when he was 32 years old.
His unit embarked from Melbourne in June of 1917.
They disembarked at Liverpool in August of 1917.
Walter returned home to Australia in January 1918 as a result of a diagnosed debility - angina pectoris.
He did not see action. He served as a cook whilst in England and participated in some training.
He was discharged as medically unfit in April of 1918.

Lawrence James Scovell (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	4217
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Showman
Address	87 Cecil Street, South Melbourne, Victoria
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	28
Next of kin	Brother, Walter Scovell, 87 Cecil Street, South Melbourne, Victoria
Enlistment date	13 July 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	22nd Battalion, 10th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/39/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A18 Wiltshire on 7 March 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	60th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 27 August 1917
Date of death	8 February 1939
Place of burial	Coburg Cemetery

Lawrence was born in 1887. He was also a son of Charles William Scovell and Ellen Dooley.
He was a younger brother of Charles William Scovell Jnr. and Walter Henry Scovell (listed above).
Lawrence enlisted with the 22nd Battalion, 10th Reinforcement in July of 1915 at the age of 28.
His unit embarked from Melbourne in March of 1916.
In June of 1917, while serving in France, he received a gun shot wound to the shoulder and was suffering from pneumonia.
Lawrence returned to Australia just a year and a half later in August of 1917.

Charles Barrow (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	578
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Dairy farmer
Address	Horseshoe Creek, Kyogle, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	28
Next of kin	Mother, H Barrow, Horseshoe Creek, Kyogle, New South Wales
Enlistment date	Nov 14 19144 November 1914
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll	4 November 1914
Rank on enlistment	Driver
Unit name	5th Light Horse Regiment, Headquarters
AWM Embarkation Roll number	10/10/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board TRANSPORT A34 Persic on 21 December 1914
Fate	Returned to Australia 15 November 1918

Charles was born in 1886. He was the son of Alfred Barrow and Harriet Clarke.
He enlisted at the age of 28 as a driver with the 5th Light Horse Regiment.
Charles saw active service in Egypt and Palestine.
He returned to Australia four years after he had enlisted.
Charles went on to serve in WW2 as well. He served with a Garrison Unit.

Joseph John Gray (my 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	1051
Place of birth	Lismore, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Dairy farmer
Address	Kyogle, Richmond River, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	19
Next of kin	Father, R.I. Gray, Kyogle, Richmond River, New South Wales
Enlistment date	5 October 1914
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	2nd Battalion, A Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/19/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A23 Suffolk on 18 October 1914
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	2nd Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 9 May 1917
Date of death	4 December 1967
Place of burial	Lismore Crematorium / Goonellabah Lawn

Joseph was born in New South Wales in 1895.
He was the son of Robert Isaac Gray and Mary Jane Jones.
Joseph was one of six children born to Robert and Mary Jane and was their eldest son.
He enlisted at the age of 19 and served with the 2nd Infantry Battalion.
His unit embarked for overseas service from Sydney in October of 1914.
Joseph served in France.
He returned home to Australia in July of 1917.

Great grandsons of my paternal 3x Great Grandparents James Hukins and Susannah Fullagar.

Hollis Roy Dawes (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	4499
Place of birth	Albion Park, New South Wales
School	Avondale Public School, New South Wales
Religion	Presbyterian
Occupation	Carpenter
Address	Avondale, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	23
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs M Dawes, Post Office, Dapto, New South Wales
Enlistment date	Aug 16 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll	Aug 31 191531 August 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	1st Battalion, 14th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/18/4
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board RMS Osterley on 15 Jan 191615 January 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Corporal
Unit from Nominal Roll	45th Battalion
Fate	Killed in Action 11 April 1917
Place of death or wounding	Bullecourt, France
Age at death	25
Age at death from cemetery records	25
Place of burial	Vraucourt Copse Cemetery (Plot III, Row B, Grave No. 4), France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	139
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: Caleb and Mary Ann DAWES, Dapto, New South Wales
Family/military connections	Brother: 2167 Pte Walter Leslie DAWES, 11th Bn, returned to Australia, 4 January 1919.
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Hollis was born in 1892. He was the son of Caleb Dawes and Mary Anne Prior.
He enlisted in August of 1915 when he was 22 years old.
Hollis enlisted with the 1st Battalion 14th Reinforcement.
His unit embarked from Sydney in January 1916.
Hollis served in Egypt and France.
He was killed in action in April of 1917. According to eye witnesses "he was killed by a shell instantly at the sunken road between Vaulx and Nereuil .... coming up to the front line at Bullecourt".

Walter Leslie Dawes (my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	2167
Place of birth	Dapto, New South Wales
Religion	Presbyterian
Occupation	Farmer
Address	Dapto, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	21
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs Mary Ann Dawes, Dapto, New South Wales
Previous military service	37th Infantry
Enlistment date	28 February 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	45th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/62/3
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A18 Wiltshire on 22 August 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	11th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 4 January 1919
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Walter was born in 1895. He was the son of Caleb Dawes and Mary Ann Prior.
He was a younger brother of Hollis Roy Dawes (listed above).
Walter enlisted initially with the CMF in January of 1916.
He then enlisted with the AIF in February of 1916.
Walter served in France.
He was wounded three times whilst serving, once in 1917 and twice in 1918, and was evacuated to a hospital in London after he had fallen dangerously ill with pneumonia in late 1917.
After recovering from gunshot wounds to his right arm and chest received in August of 1918, Walter returned home to Australia in January of 1919.

The husband of a granddaughter of my 2x great grandparents William Connor and Eleanor Hickey.

Ernest Johnson

Regimental number	266
Place of birth	Tumut, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Labourer
Address	Riverdale, Tumut, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	25
Next of kin	Mrs E A Johnson, Riverdale, Tumut, New South Wales
Enlistment date	19 August 1914
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	1st Light Horse Regiment, B Squadron
AWM Embarkation Roll number	10/6/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A16 Star Of Victoria on 20 October 1914
Rank from Nominal Roll	Warrant Officer (Class II)
Unit from Nominal Roll	1st Light Horse Regiment
Fate	Returned to Australia 13 October 1918
Other details	Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Date of death	23 July 1941
Age at death	51
Place of burial	Tumut Cemetery, New South Wales

Ernest was born in New South Wales in 1889. He was the son of Napoleon Bonaparte Johnson and Elizabeth Ann Quarmby.
Ernest married my 1st cousin 2x removed Ruby Maud Connors in 1924 when he was 35 years old and Ruby was 33.
Ernest enlisted with the 1st Light Horse Regiment B Squadron in August of 1914.
He served at Gallipoli and in the Middle East.
Whilst in the Middle East, in May of 1915, Ernest was seriously wounded with a gun shot to the eye.
Sadly he lost his eye and returned home in October of 1918.

A nephew of my paternal 2x Great Grandparents Thomas Connors and Susannah Hukins.

Frederick George Coombes (my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	2578
Place of birth	Camperdown, New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Carter
Address	Oakura Street, Rockdale, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	22
Next of kin	Father: F J Coombes, Oakura Street, Rockdale, New South Wales
Enlistment date	Jun 13 191513 June 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	4th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/21/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A54 Runic on 9 August 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Gunner
Unit from Nominal Roll	13th Field Artillery Brigade
Fate Other Details	Returned to Australia 31 October 1917 Discharged because of deficient hearing War Service: Western Front, France Medals: 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Frederick was born in 1893. He was the son of Francis Coombes and Bridget Ellen Connors.
He embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT A54 Runic on the 9th of August 1915 when Frederick was aged 22. He was transferred to the 56th Battalion in February 1916 based at Tel-el-Kabir, then the 13th F.A. Brigade in March 1916 in France, then the 5th D.A.C. two months later as a 'mustered gunner', and finally to the 13th F.A.B. in April of 1917.
He served in France. He returned to Australia aboard H.M.A.S. Berrima, discharged in October of 1917 with 'deficient hearing'.
Frederick died in 1950 at the age of 56. His occupation at the time was 'glass worker'.

Grandsons of my paternal 2x great grandparents Adolphus Hukins and Mary Ann Farley.

George Charles Hokin (Jnr). (my 1st cousin 2x removed).

Regimental number	1133
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Horse driver
Address	204 Australia Street, Camperdown, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	25.3
Height	5' 6.5"
Weight	149 lbs
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs A Hokin, 201 Australia Street, Camperdown, New South Wales
Previous military service	Served in St George's Rifles, Citizen Military Forces.
Enlistment date	24 October 1914
Place of enlistment	Sydney, New South Wales
Rank on enlistment	Corporal
Unit name	4th Battalion, 1st Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/21/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A32 Themistocles on 22 December 1914
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	4th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 15 August 1915

Discharge date	27 December 1915
Other details	War service: Egypt, Gallipoli Commenced return to Australia on board HT 'Themistocles', 15 August 1915; discharged (medically unfit: loss of left arm), Sydney, 27 December 1915. Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Date of death	12 August 1955
Age at death	65
Place of burial	Rookwood Necropolis, Sydney, New South Wales

George Charles Jnr. was born in New South Wales in 1889.
He was the eldest son of George Charles Hokin and Amy Jane Hukins.
George was one of six children born to George and Amy.
He enlisted at the age of 25 with the 4th Battalion 1st Reinforcement.
His unit embarked from Sydney in December of 1914.
George was amongst the Australian & New Zealand Corps who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 25th & 26th of April in 1915.
George was wounded within 2 months of landing with a gunshot wound to the left arm.
He fell dangerously ill as a result of this wound and was evacuated to the Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis in Egypt.
George's left arm was amputated whilst in hospital at Heliopolis in June of 1915.
He returned to Australia in August of 1915.

Stanley Clyde Hokin (my 1st cousin 2x removed)

Regimental number	10165
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales
Religion	Church of England
Occupation	Labourer
Address	168 Norton Street, Leichhardt, New South Wales
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	18
Next of kin	Father, G C Hokin, 221 Johnston Street, Annandale, New South Wales
Enlistment date	13 September 1915
Rank on enlistment	Gunner
Unit name	Reinforcement 2
AWM Embarkation Roll number	13/33/2
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A35 Berrima on 17 December 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll	Gunner
Unit from Nominal Roll	13th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 10 April 1919

Stanley was born in New South Wales in 1898.
He was the son of George Charles Hokin and Amy Jane Hukins.
Stanley was one of six children born to Charles and Amy and was a younger brother of George Charles Jnr. (listed above).
Stanley enlisted at the age of 17

Sons of my maternal Great Great Grandparents, Michael Farrell and Susan Downey/Muldowney.

Patrick Joseph Farrell (my maternal 2nd great uncle)

Regimental number	6550
Place of birth	Durham, England
School	St Joseph's, West Stanley, County Durham, England
Age on arrival in Australia	12
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Ironmoulder
Address	Bundaberg, Queensland
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	39
Next of kin	Mother, Mrs S Farrell, Bridge Street, Charters Towers, Queensland
Enlistment date	17 November 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	25th Battalion, 19th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/42/6
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A18 Wiltshire on 7 February 1917
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	25th Battalion
Fate	Killed in Action 20 September 1917
Place of death or wounding	Polygon Wood, Belgium
Age at death	39
Age at death from cemetery records	39
Place of burial	No known grave
Commemoration details	The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 23), Belgium
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	104
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records	Parents: Michael and Susan FARRELL. Native of Co. Durham, England
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Patrick was born in 1877 in England. He was the son of Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney. The family emigrated from England to Australia when Patrick was 10 years old.
Patrick embarked from Sydney in February of 1917. He served in France and Belgium.
Patrick was killed in action in late 1917 in the area of the Polygon Wood in Belgium.
His name is inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres in Belgium.

Matthew Felix Farrell (my maternal 2nd great uncle)

Regimental number	6486
Place of birth	West Stanley, England
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Hairdresser
Address	Bridge Street, Charters Towers, Queensland
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	29
Next of kin	Father, Mr M Farrell, Bridge Street, Charter's Towers, Queensland
Enlistment date	10 July 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	9th Battalion, 21st Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/26/4
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A36 Boonah on 21 October 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	9th Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 5 April 1918

Matthew was born in 1887, in England. He was the son of Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney, and brother to Patrick (listed above). The family emigrated from England to Australia when Michael was just a few months old.
Matthew was working on a station named Bluff Downs, near Charters Towers, when he enlisted. He embarked from Brisbane in 1916.
Matthew served in France and Belgium.
He somehow fractured both bones in his right leg in October 1917, and was sent home in early 1918.

James Farrell (my maternal 2nd great uncle)

Regimental number	22
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Hairdresser
Address	Brisbane, Queensland
Marital status	Married
Age at embarkation	34
Next of kin	Wife, Mrs Minnie Farrell, Camden Street, Albion, Brisbane, Queensland
Enlistment date	4 January 1916
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	Brigade 11, Headquarters
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/11/1
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A64 Demosthenes on 18 May 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Private
Unit from Nominal Roll	42nd Battalion
Fate	Returned to Australia 15 April 1918

James was born in 1880, in England. He was the son of Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney and brother to both Patrick and Matthew (listed above). The family emigrated from England to Australia when James was 7 years old.
He embarked from Sydney in 1916 and fought in France.
In November of 1917 he was sent to a hospital in England suffering from Nephritis, which is apparently an inflammation of the kidneys which causes impaired kidney function.
He was returned home to Australia in early 1918.

Sons of my paternal 2x Great Grandparents Thomas Connors and Susannah Hukins.

Erice Sylvester Connors (my paternal great uncle)

Regimental number	4474
Place of birth	Berry, New South Wales
Religion	Roman Catholic
Occupation	Carter
Address	Gotha Street, Valley, Brisbane, Queensland
Marital status	Single
Age at embarkation	23
Next of kin	Sister, Mrs E Bates, 76 Gotha Street, Valley, Brisbane, Queensland
Enlistment date	28 September 1915
Rank on enlistment	Private
Unit name	9th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number	23/26/4
Embarkation details	Unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A62 Wandilla on 31 January 1916
Rank from Nominal Roll	Gunner
Unit from Nominal Roll	11th Field Artillery Brigade
Other details from Roll of Honour	Enlisted 28 September 1915 - 14th Rfcts. 9 Bn. TOS 11 FAS 17 June 1916
Fate	Killed in Action 30 December 1916
Place of death or wounding	Somme, France
Age at death	24
Place of burial	No known grave
Commemoration details	Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial	16
Family/military connections	Brother: 639 WO II Cyril Ernest CONNORS, 6th Light Horse Regiment, returned to Australia, 15 November 1918.
Other details	War service: Western Front Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Erice was born in 1892 in New South Wales. He was the son of Thomas Connors and Susannah Hukins.
Erice embarked from Brisbane in early 1916. He served in France, initially as a gunner with the 43rd Battery of 11th FAB. Then in mid 1916 he was transferred to 11th FAB HQ as a signaller, responsible for communications with the Brigade.
By December of 1916, Erice was in the area of Flers in The Somme. On the 30th of December, at 4.00 pm a shell hit one of the HQ dugouts. Erice was killed instantaneously.
His place of burial is unknown.
Erice's name is listed on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France.

Cyril Ernest Connors (my paternal great uncle)

Regimental number	639
Date of birth	23 April 1890
Place of birth	Berry, New South Wales
Enlistment date	1 October 1914
Rank from Nominal Roll	Warrant Officer II
Unit from Nominal Roll	6th Light Horse Regiment
Fate	Returned to Australia 15 November 1918
Family/military connections	Brother: 4474 Gunner Erice Sylvester CONNORS, 11th Field Artillery Brigade, killed in action, 30 December 1916.
Other details	Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal Also served in World War II: enlisted Adamstown, New South Wales, 19 January 1942; died, N393474 Pte HQ, Volunteer Defence Corps, New South Wales, 18 June 1942.
Date of death	18 June 1942
Age at death	52
Embarkation Details	Eventually his name was found on the embarkation roll for December 1914. Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on board HMAT A29 Suevic 21

Cyril was born in 1888 in New South Wales. His father was Thomas Connors and his mother was Susannah Hukins.
Cyril was an older brother to Erice (listed above).
Cyril embarked in late 1914 with the 6th Australian Light Horse Regiment.
He spent time in Egypt before arriving at Gallipoli on the 20th of May 1915. He became ill with influenza in in October 1915 and was evacuated to Malta.
He spent six months there and then returned to Egypt where he joined the Imperial Camel Corps and rose to the rank of Company Quarter Master Sergeant. This unit saw some heavy fighting. He was wounded several times.
In 1918 the Camel Corps was disbanded and he transferred back to the Light Horse.
He returned to Australia on leave in November 1918 just as the war was ending.

(Cyril also enlisted in the Second World War in January 1942 and was attached to the Camp Staff at Raymond Terrace.)

Wednesday, 18 April 2018

The Story of Ellen Hickey

This is the story of my paternal Great Great Grandmother, Ellen Hickey (1832-1912).

Ellen Hickey
date of photo unknown

The year of Ellen's birth, 1832, was also the birth year of authors Louisa May Alcott and Lewis Carroll, and the engineer Gustave Eiffel. The place of Ellen's birth is still open to conjecture, although I will make an educated guess based on the records and information I've been able to collate.

Quite a lengthy period of time passed before my research finally led me to the baptism register for the Parish of Parteen and Meelick.

Reading the baptism register for the Parish in 1832 was very, very difficult, as you can tell from the record shown here; but I persisted and after many, many attempts, I finally found the entry on the first page next to the number 11 under the February section.

If you look very carefully, you can see 'Ellen Hickey', along with the names of her parents. Her father was James Hickey, aged 34 at the time, and her mother was Margaret McNamara, aged 30. So I finally had confirmation of a year of birth and a baptism date.

Ellen was baptised on the 11th of February in 1832, in the townland of Parteen, County Clare.

Now, Parteen was (still is) in the Catholic Parish of 'Parteen-Meelick' in the Diocese of Limerick, but the Diocese of Limerick covered parts of both County Limerick and County Clare back then.

If the family actually lived on that side of the River Shannon, then they were natives of County Clare.

That information however didn't marry up with the place the family had recorded as their 'native place' on their immigration record a few years later. That was listed as Limerick, so I got a little confused. Did that mean the family identified themselves as being from Limerick city, the County of Limerick or the Diocese of Limerick?

At that time most of the Parish of Parteen/Meelick was indeed situated in County Clare, but ... the Coonagh part of the Parish was in the County of Limerick. Did that mean the Hickey family were actually living in Coonagh and that's where Ellen was born? Was the church in Parteen just the closest church? I will need to look into this further.

At the time of her birth, it appears that there were already four children in the family.

Patrick had been born in 1824.
Twins, Thomas and John, came along in 1827.
Bridget was born in 1830.
The year after Ellen was born, James came along in 1833.

A mere six years later it appears that Ellen's mother and father decided to leave Ireland and emigrate, as many Irish did in the 19th century.

Assisted Immigrant Record - 'Adam Lodge' - 1840

The record above shows that in late 1839 Ellen's parents decided to move to Australia. It's not an easy record to read, but the details indicate that Ellen's father James, mother Margaret, and siblings boarded the ship 'Adam Lodge' in Cork; along with her uncle Denis, aunt Winifred, and cousins Denis, Matthew and Michael.

The extended family was taking advantage of the 'bounty' immigration scheme that operated between 1834-1841. 'Bounties' were paid to individuals or companies who recruited immigrants with particular skills and bought them to the colonies for employers. There were a couple of other Hickey families aboard the ship, but I'm unsure about their relationship to Ellen's family. One of those families is recorded directly above the entry for Ellen's family.

The other form of the immigrant record shows that Ellen's father James was aged 41, her mother was 38, her brother Patrick was 16, the twins Thomas and John were aged 13, Bridget was 10, James was 7 and Ellen herself was aged 8 (despite being listed as 9 years of age).

Trying to comprehend exactly what Ellen's experience would have been during this trip at such a young age is difficult.

I imagine it could have been scary ordeal and a thrilling adventure all in one!

The family left from Cork on October 9th 1839 on the 'Adam Lodge' on a course to the Cape of Good Hope, then across the Southern Ocean, along the southern coast of Australia, through Bass Strait and up the eastern seaboard of Australia to Sydney.

The voyage took four months, arriving in Sydney on February 10th, 1840.

Once the family had disembarked in Sydney, they would have moved into the government barracks on Bent Street, along with all of the other immigrants.

This list of immigrants shown here, was published on the day of their arrival so that prospective employers were notified of the various skilled workers that were available for hire.

Ellen's father James and uncle Denis would have been included in the number of married farmers on board the ship.

I haven't yet found evidence of exactly whom might have employed Ellen's father, James Hickey.

I do know however (from research done by Mark Connors, another descendant of James Hickey and Margaret McNamara) that the family moved north to the Hunter River district, not long after their arrival in Australia, where James tenanted a farm at Wallalong, outside Maitland.

The obituary for Ellen's father published many years later, mentioned that he had spent 39 years in the colony "always being located in the Hunter River district".

Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW), 18 February 1840, p.3

I have been unable to find any evidence of what occurred in Ellen's life during her teenage years, between the age of 10 and 16, but I suppose she would have worked alongside her father and mother on whatever farm or farms her father had been employed at in the Hunter River district. No doubt she would have acquired many skills either as a farm servant or a house servant perhaps.

Then in 1849, at the age of just 17, Ellen married William Connor (whose name was often recorded as Connors later on, and that became the surname of the family). He was aged 29 and had been in the colony for eight years.

It's a bit of a mystery as to why her Christian name was recorded as 'Eleanor'. Her baptism record shows her name as simply 'Ellen', but as the name 'Eleanor' pops up in various grandchildren names later on, perhaps her actual name was exactly that.

It's also interesting to note that there were no Hickey family members as witnesses to the marriage. Given that Ellen had many close family members living nearby, and her husband had only one, a sister who had emigrated with him, it seems odd that a Hickey did not act as a witness.

Ellen's family had settled in the East Maitland Parish, not West Maitland where Ellen and William were married. This suggests there may have been some discord, as the marriage did not take place in the bride's family's parish. Was her choice of husband not agreeable to her parents?

At the time of their marriage, William was living in an area known at the time as 'Cooley Camp' (later known as Bolwarra Flat) where there were many small farms. It was reputedly a very productive area, but as the whole area was no more than five square miles in size, there was not much chance for expansion for any farmer who had a small landholding in the area.

Ellen and William had their first child, my Great Grandfather Thomas, in 1850, when Ellen was 18 years of age. He was born at Butterwick, which was within the Cooley Camp area, but the new family did not stay long in the area after that.

They moved south to the Kiama and Gerringong region on the New South Wales south coast, quite a distance away from the rest of the Hickey family. It seems they travelled with a number of other Irish families, including the Mary McIntyre who had been one of the witnesses at their wedding. The Gerringong region was opening up at the time for farmers, after the cedar cutting industry had come to a halt.

Ellen and William appear to have begun working their own dairy farm, and went on to have 12 more children over the next 25 years. Their growing family included:

Margaret born in 1852.
Patrick came along the following year, 1853.
Mary Ann was born in 1855, and Ellen was now aged 23.
Bridget Ellen was born in 1857.
James in 1859.
Ellen Sabina was born in 1861. Ellen was now 29 years old.
William was born in 1864.
Benjamin came along in 1866.
In 1868 son John was born.
Elizabeth (known as Lizzie) was born in 1870.
Michael John was born in 1873.

It was not long after the birth of Michael, that William and Ellen packed up their belongings, left the dairy farm and the Kiama district. It appeared that William was not happy with his lot, and had decided to relocate to Wagga Wagga in the west, in the hope that he would be able to acquire a larger plot of land.

At the time Ellen would have been 41 years old. The eldest son, my Great Grandfather Thomas, would have been 23, had a wife and a small baby; daughter Margaret was 21; son Patrick was almost 20; Mary Ann was 18; Bridget was 16; James was 14; Ellen Sabina was 12; William was 9; Benjamin was 7; John was 5; Elizabeth was 3; and Michael was just a new born baby.

The entire family all headed off to the west by ox and dray on a trip of around 300 miles.

I imagine it would have been a slow, arduous trip!

Wagga Wagga, late 1870s

The family had definitely arrived by 1876 because sadly, that year Ellen lost three of her children in Wagga Wagga.

Typhoid, known then as 'colonial fever', had broken out in several places in both New South Wales and Victoria in 1875 / 1876.

Unfortunately it was rampant in Wagga Wagga in 1876 and Patrick (aged 23), Ellen Sabina (aged 15) and John (aged 8), all died as a result of contracting that disease.

No doubt others in the family would have fallen ill as well, but no other family members were lost.

Ellen herself might have succumbed and the family would have been very concerned as she was quite heavily pregnant at the time.

Thankfully she went on to give birth to her last son, Edward George, in August of 1876 when she was aged 44.

I can not imagine the grief that she would have felt at the loss of three of her children in such a short period of time. I doubt that she was able to recover from that very quickly (if indeed she ever did!), despite the joy that a tiny new baby would bring.

Not long after this heart-breaking period of time, William and Ellen moved once more. This time, their eldest son Thomas (my great grandfather) did not join them, but headed back to Kiama with his own family. Their eldest daughter Margaret remained in Wagga and married, and it seems that their third eldest daughter, Bridget, also remained in Wagga.

So it was that Ellen and her husband moved to the Snowy Mountains district sometime towards the end of 1879, and eventually settled in the town of Gilmore, just outside Tumut, with six out of nine of their surviving children.

1879 was also the year that Ellen's father, James Hickey passed away. Ellen's parents had stayed in the Hunter District, and James died near Morpeth.

Ellen was to experience more grief just a couple of years later. In 1882, her husband William died, when Ellen was 50 years old. He passed away at Gilmore rather unexpectedly it seems, after suffering from inflammation of the lungs for two weeks prior to his death. Given that the wheat crop grown the previous year at their farm had failed, times would have been quite hard for Ellen at that time.

Ellen would have taken over the farm, and indeed her death record lists her occupation at the time of her death (some 30 years later) as 'farmer'. There is no doubt in my mind that Ellen had worked alongside her husband since the beginning of her marriage, and had played just as an essential role in the day-to-day workings of the farm as her husband.

It seems that Ellen's mother Margaret moved to Gilmore after the death of Ellen's husband William. She was likely living with Ellen at the farm, but given she was now in her mid-80s she may not have been able to help out all that much. Ellen's mother died in 1890 and is buried at the Tumut cemetary, and not beside her husband's plot in Morpeth.

In 1893 son James married and moved off the farm into Tumut.
In 1896 Ellen's brother Patrick died.
Then in 1898, Ellen lost another of her children, her youngest son Edward George.

At this point in Ellen's story, I'm going to mention the prompt for this week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge: 'Storms'. Whilst others may think immediately of thunderstorms, I'm going to diverge a little and mention 'firestorm'.

In many parts of Australia, people are very familiar with firestorms. Bushfires are one of our most frequent natural hazards, and there have been some extreme bushfires throughout our history. When a bushfire starts exhibiting deep, widespread flaming with a smoke plume that can extend up to 10-15 kilometres into the atmosphere, sometimes these plumes actually develop into thunderstorms. That's when the bushfire becomes known as a 'firestorm'.

In the last days of 1904 and first days of 1905, several massive bushfires covered a vast section of New South Wales, from Wagga Wagga in the west, to Yass in the East and down to Tumut in the south. Despite there being several fires to begin with, after the traumatic event was over, it was spoken about as if there had been just one massive force of destruction that left a huge area of the state in ruins. Though 'firestorm' would not have been a familiar term at the time, that was indeed what had occurred.

Ellen and her family were caught up in this tragedy, although thankfully none of the family lost their lives.

Newspaper reports at the time tell the story far better than I ever could.

" THE BUSH FIRES.

(Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal (NSW), Saturday 7 January 1905, page 2)

So melancholy a catastrophe as the great fires which have swept over the State is, in many respects, unparalleled in the records of the country.

The concise telegrams coming from eye-witnesses in the various districts but briefly recount the fearful havoc, and cannot convey an adequate idea of the utter and complete devastation of the country as it now appears.

The picture is a grim one, with stumps still burning and blackened trunks alone standing where a little while since there was green grass and verdant bush growth. Charred trees and bare ground now plainly indicate the course of the fires as they sped their way relentlessly forward, increasing in fury as homesteads and station buildings were engulfed and reduced to ashes.

The amount of damage wrought is assuming immense proportions. Thousands of acres in different parts of the State have been devastated, homesteads, farms, and everything about them have been destroyed, and even larger holdings and stations have not escaped, hundreds of sheep and cattle having been roasted alive. There appears to have been no lack of assistance to try to save stock, which is at all times valuable, but no human effort could apparently rescue the doomed animals, which, in mortal panic, rushing from the great glare, were entirely unmanageable and soon overcome.………….(the report continued for a page)."

From the Tenterfield Intercolonial Courier and Fairfield and Wallangarra Advocate (NSW), Tuesday 10 January 1905, page 4

The headline: 'FEARFUL BUSH FIRES.'

Part of the beginning paragraph states:
"The details given in the Sydney Press, however, show that the fires, which were directly or indirectly caused by the heat wave, were appalling in their extent and fierceness, and the damage to property was exceedingly serious."

The lengthy article goes on to give particulars of the damage and loss in areas including - Moss Vale, Mittagong, Maitland, Gundagai, Candelo, Yass, Wagga, the Riverina and quite a few other districts.

There is mention of Tumut and the area around it, where Ellen and her family lived.

"DEVASTATION AT TUMUT
The bush fires in the Tumut district were unprecedented. Homesteads were burned, the occupants being compelled to leave with only the clothes in which they stood. Haystacks and sheds were levelled to the ground, and thousands of bushels of corn, wool-packed bales, fields of wheat crops, and hundreds of crops ready for the harvest, to say nothing of the tracts of grass were destroyed. Thousands of sheep, horses, cattle and poultry were roasted alive. After fighting the flames for two days and nights, men were lying around exhausted."

Tenterfield Intercolonial Courier and Fairfield and Wallangarra Advocate (NSW), Tuesday 10 January 1905, p.4

Escaping the Tumut fire in 1905

The photo above shows Ellen and her family (son William, his wife Elizabeth and children; as well as daughter Elizabeth and her two children) after they had evacuated the farm at Gilmore in an effort to escape the fire. They had made it to the river near Blowering. The whole thing must have been quite a harrowing experience.

Photo taken 1905, Ellen was aged 73.

Ellen is standing third from the right in front of the wagon. She would have been 73 years old. I think she can be forgiven for that lack of a smile and the rather sombre look on her face!

Front row L-R: daughter-in-law Elizabeth (nee Duffy), granddaughter Ruby holding another of Ellen's grandchildren, Frederick, daughter Mary Anne, Ellen (the mother/mother-in-law/grandmother) granddaughter Phyllis, daughter Elizabeth (known as Lizzie).

In the buggy: grandchildren Ivy Eleanor, Cecil, Frank and Harry.
Ellen's son William is driving the buggy. Ellen's son-in-law Fred (Lizzie's husband) took the photo.

It does look as though they all escaped the fire relatively unscathed, but I don't know about the family property. I have yet to discover what the family found when they returned to the farm; but return they did. I have little detail to share about the years that followed.

In 1910 Ellen's eldest son Thomas Edgar, my great grandfather, passed away at his dairy farm 'Far Meadow' near Berry. Ellen was 78 years old by then.

This photo was actually taken around the same time ... 1910 ... when Ellen was aged 78. She is sitting with her grandchildren Harry and Frank, children of her son William Connor. The two boys in this photo are the same boys who were standing in the buggy being driven asway from the 1905 bushfires by their father.

The thing that grabs my attention and pulls at my heartstrings are Ellen's hands. It looks like she suffered from quite sever arthritis of the hands, which must have been very painful!

Just two years after the photo was taken, a little over a month after her 80th birthday, Ellen died in 1912.

From her obituary you get a sense of the person she was, obviously a kind self-sacrificing person whose priority in life was her family. The writer had most definitely made an error giving her age as "three score and ten"!

Some of the details on her death record are also a little out ... she definitely spent longer than 60 years of her life in New South Wales, given that she arrived when she had only just turned 8; and she had married before she turned 18.

Ellen was survived by her sons William, Benjamin, Michael and James; as well as her daughters Margaret, Mary Ann, Bridget and Elizabeth (known as Lizzie).

Special Note to any family members: If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so. Please use the comments box below or email me. It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.

Wednesday, 11 April 2018

The Story of Patrick O'Donnell (Daniel)

This week I'm attempting to tell the story of my maternal Great Great Great Grandfather, Patrick O'Donnell (1770/80-?), but there will be a lot of holes and uncertainties in the telling.

Even the beginning of his story is scant on details ... Patrick O'Donnell, or Patrick Daniel as he would have been called in the early 19th century Ireland because of the anglicization of the family surname; was born sometime in the late 1700s. I know nothing at all about his place of birth or where he grew up; or indeed who his parents were.

As anyone who attempts researching Irish ancestors living in the pre-Famine/Great Hunger period knows, finding records and solid facts before 1845-1852 is very difficult, unless you're lucky enough to have an oral family history passed on by your ancestors' families, or indeed precious written records kept by family members.

The census records of 1821/1831/1841/1851 were all destroyed back in 1922, when fire broke out during the Civil War in the Four Courts building in Dublin where they were all stored. Wills dating back to the 16th century, along with more than 1000 parish registers were also destroyed in the same fire. The Census Records for 1861/1871/1881/1891 were actually turned into pulp by the Government in support of the war effort for the 1914-1918 war. Beggars belief really, doesn't it!!!

Civil registrations of births, deaths and marriages in Ireland didn't begin until around 1864.

There is a lot of information that can be found in the surviving Catholic Parish registers from 1800 onwards though, easily accessible through the National Library of Ireland.

However, there are many years of missing records and it appears that the Priests added information about baptisms and marriages routinely, and rarely kept death registers.

I am lucky enough to have family who have passed on information about my O'Donnell ancestors dating back to my Great Great Grandfather, John, born in Ireland in 1813. Before John however, the information gets a little sketchy. There was also some confusion amongst family members about just who were the parents of our Great Great Grandfather John.

Variations in names can also provide challenges when researching Irish ancestors. The family name 'O'Donnell' was anglicised back in the early 19th century, and thankfully my relatives made me aware of this fact and knew that the ancestors would have been recorded as 'Daniel'. I could have spent years of my life on research that led nowhere without this valuable information.

Family knowledge provided me with a place of birth for my Great Great Grandfather John, and possible names of his parents, so I began a search of Catholic Parish registers to track down actual records.

Eventually I came across a baptism entry that matched the details given to me orally about my 2x Great Grandfather - place of birth, and the names of my Great Great Great Grandparents - Patrick Daniel (O'Donnell) and Margaret Rafter.

So finally there was evidence that my Great Great Great Grandfather was indeed Patrick Daniel (O'Donnell). His wife (my Great Great Great Grandmother) was Margaret Rafter, and they were living in the townland of Ballyhenebry in County Kilkenny.

At this point I will mention this week's prompt for the '52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge' - Taxes. This prompt reminded me that for those of us researching Irish ancestors, the records known as 'Tithe Applotment Books' provide another valuable source of information from the pre-Famine/Great Hunger period. Now technically tithes and taxes are not the same, but both certainly seem to become the burden of the less fortunate, and the tithe really did seem to be a form of religious tax!

The Tithe Applotment Book records were compiled between 1823 and 1838, and were essentially land surveys designed to determine the amount of tithe that was payable by landholders, who had agricultural holdings larger than one acre. These tithes were enforced on the Roman Catholic majority in order to provide for the upkeep of the established state church, the Church of Ireland, and its clergy. So, unlike the taxes we are familiar with now, the payments went to the Church, not the Government.

Whilst Title Applotment Book records are not particularly comprehensive, (they only provide the name of the occupier of the land, but not the names of the family members living in the home), they do at least provide confirmation of the names of landholders for most of Ireland during this period. So ... would I be able to find evidence that would confirm a Patrick Daniel was indeed working a landholding in Ballyhenebry after the birth of my great great grandfather?

Yes, the 1828 record shows that there was indeed a Patrick Daniel renting land in Ballyhenebry, in the civil parish of Ooning (Owning). So, 15 years after the birth of my great great grandfather, there was one lonesome Patrick Daniel in the same townland. Hoping my 3x great grandfather had a holding larger than 1 acre, I made the assumption that this was my ancestor.

Baptism records for Patrick and Margaret's children born after my great great grandfather, all showed 'Ballyhenebry' as the address for their parents, and oral family history placed them all in that particular townland.

It appears from the 1828 Tithe Applotment Book record that Patrick had a holding of 18 acres, which was certainly not the largest in the townland (that was 76 acres), but neither was it the smallest (which was just over 1 acre). I wonder if Patrick's farm was providing a comfortable enough living for the family?

Other Tithe Applotment Book records from 1828 indicate that there were more Daniels living and renting farmholdings in the neighbouring civil parish of Fiddown. There was a John Daniel in the townland of Sandpits; a Patrick and James Daniel in Templeorum; and another Patrick Daniel in Ashtowne. Were they possible relatives ... father, uncles, brothers?

Had my great great great grandfather originally lived in the parish of Fiddown and then moved when he married Margaret? The 1828 Tithe Applotment Book Record shown above indicates that there was a John and Richard Rafter also living in Ballyhenebry at that time, and it's highly likely they were relatives of my great great great grandmother.

It seems at this point in time, I have exhausted the avenues of research, so I am only able to put together a bare-bones story for my Great Great Great Grandfather. Here goes ...

Patrick O'Donnell was probably born between 1770-1780, possibly in the civil parish of Fiddown, County Kilkenny. During this period, Captain Cook was busy claiming Australia for Britain (1770); the War of Indepenedence raged in America (1775-1783); and Watts built his steam engine (1776).

Patrick married Margaret Rafter in the early 1800s, judging by the birth years of the children I've been able to find records for. I haven't as yet found a record for my great great great grandparents' marriage though.

Whilst searching for baptism records for children born to a Patrick Daniel and Margaret Rafter, I've come across a possible seven children born over fourteen years. That spread indicates to me that there's every likelihood there were other children born, but whether or not they survived infancy is all conjecture at this point.

It appears that a daughter Margaret was born in 1805.

Twins, John and Mary were born the following year in 1806.

A son Michael was possibly born around 1810. According to oral family history, he was the family member that stayed on the farm at Ballyhenebry.

It seems that at least one of the twins died, because in 1813 my Great Great Grandfather was born, and he was also named John.

Brigid was apparently born in 1815, according to oral family history. I have not yet been able to find a record of her birth or baptism.

Then a son William was born in 1820.

All of Patrick's and Margaret's children appear to have been born in Ballyhenebry, so it's likely that's where Patrick and his wife remained for the rest of their lives.

I did not find any record of a Patrick Daniel on the Tithe Applotment Book records after 1828 in the County of Kilkenny, so perhaps that means my great great great grandfather had died sometime in the 1830s. If that were so, then he would have passed away around the age of 50.

Special Note to any family members: If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so. Please use the comments box below or email me. It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.

Thursday, 5 April 2018

The Story of Mary Margaret O'Donnell

This week's post tells the story of my maternal Grand Aunt Mary Margaret O'Donnell (1890-1971).

Our Common Ancestors are: Edmond O'Donnell and Bridget Burke.

Mary Margaret O'Donnell
(photo shared by my maternal 3rd cousin Stephenie Maree Buchester nee Moloney)

To clear up any confusion about the term 'Grand Aunt'. A 'Grand' Aunt is a sister of one of your grandparents. 'Great' should only be added to the generations that come after 'Grand', but sadly the term 'Great' has now become the commonly used term for our grandparents' siblings. I shall however continue referring to my grandfather James's sister as Grand Aunt Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret was born 79 years before me, on exactly the same date and month as myself, so I feel a strange connection with this woman whom I have never met.

Born in 1890 to my Great Grandfather Edmond O'Donnell and my Great Grandmother Bridget Burke, Mary Margaret was the fourth of their five children. At the time, her father Edmond was aged 28 and her mother Bridget was 39 (although the birth record states Bridget was 34!)

Mary Margaret's place of birth was recorded by her mother as the 'Show Grounds' in Toowoomba. I've written about the circumstance of the family at this time in a few other posts now, so I won't go into a lot of detail again; but I can say that the family was living 'hand to mouth' at this time and obviously not doing all that well, given that they were likely living in temporary housing/shelter at the show grounds.

When Mary Margaret was born, she already had a sister Catherine aged 6 and a brother named James (my Grandfather) who would have been 3. Another brother had died at the age of 2, just two years before. Mary Margaret's father was working as a carrier / carter for a local brewing business and the family of five were living in what was possibly very bleak, drab conditions at the time.

Another brother, Maurice, was born in September 1892, just a couple of months before Mary Margaret's second birthday. By this time it appears the family were living in a residence in James Street, so that's likely to mean they were living in an actual house.

Just a couple of months later, in January of 1893, Mary Margaret's father Edmond died in rather tragic circumstances (which I've also written about a couple of times before, so won't go into again). Mary Margaret was only 2 years old, so perhaps she wouldn't have had many memories of her father. The event of course had an effect on Mary Margaret's life as it set her mother off on a particular path for the rest of her life, and Mary Margaret ended up following in her footsteps.

As a means of providing support for herself and her children once she was widowed, Mary Margaret's mother Bridget applied to become the licensed victualler of a hotel. She was successful and in 1894 began a career as a hotel keeper & licensed victualler, which was to be her profession pretty much for the remainder of her life. Her children, including Mary Margaret of course, lived with their mother at her hotel.

Free Selectors' Hotel 1894.
(photo shared by my uncle Terry O'Donnell)

Mary Margaret's childhood years would not have been all that magical, living at the Free Selectors Hotel in Toowoomba. It was an establishment that offered accommodation and meals and served alcohol at the bar. The photo above shows Mary Margaret's mother, Bridget (my Great Grandmother) standing in front of the newly erected sign on B. O'Donnell's Free Selectors Hotel. I think it's likely that the two children standing on either side of Bridget would be her son James (my Grandfather) and her eldest daughter Catherine.

It would have been a hard life for her mother, and Mary Margaret probably didn't receive a lot of her mother's time and attention. Even when her mother re-married in 1895, when Mary Margaret was aged 4, it didn't lead to Bridget taking much of a break from running a hotel. Mary Margaret's stepfather seems to have been a bit of a no-hoper and he ended up transferring the licence for the hotel back to Bridget after only a year.

A step-brother, Morgan Joseph, was born early that same year, in 1896, but it seems that Mary Margaret's stepfather didn't play much of a role in her life, or indeed his own son's life, at all. He doesn't appear in any of the electoral roll records for many, many years which seems to indicate he wasn't living in the area. Perhaps he had moved away in search of work elsewhere!

Tragedy was to strike the family once more just two years later. Mary Margaret's older sister Catherine (known as Kate) died in 1898, at the age of 13. She had apparently been sick for at least six months, suffering from Bright's Disease. Mary Margaret was 7 at the time, and no doubt the tragedy would have left an indelible mark on the young girl.

I guess that it had been Catherine who had acted as 'mother' to all the young children whilst their mother, Bridget, worked in the hotel. With the loss of Catherine, it's likely the remaining children would have had to grow up very quickly and look after themselves to a degree, and Mary Margaret probably took on the nurturing role for the youngest child, Morgan Joseph.

What would the years after the death of her only sister have been like? I have a vision of Mary Margaret as a rather earnest, caring, endlessly patient and subdued young lady spending her time on domestic duties and childcare!

Mary Margaret would have, from possibly the age of 10, have also started working alongside her mother, assisting with the many duties associated with running a busy hotel.

When Mary Margaret was 18 years old, in 1909, her mother Bridget (now Bridget O'Brien) built her own hotel on the outskirts of Toowoomba and then become the licensed victualler of the Southern Hotel. Mary Margaret remained living and working alongside her mother at this new hotel. Mary Margaret's brothers James, aged 21, and Maurice, aged 17, as well as her half-brother Morgan Joseph, aged 13, also moved into the Southern Hotel in 1909.

In 1912, at the age of 22, Mary Margaret was the bridesmaid at her cousin's wedding.

Wedding Party of Bridget Mary Burke & James Bernard Dever - Mary Margaret (on the right) is the bridesmaid.

(Photo shared by my maternal 3rd cousin Stephenie Maree Buchester nee Moloney)

Her older cousin, Bridget Mary Burke, had come out from Ireland back in 1900. She had gone straight to work at her aunt's hotel (the Free Selector's Hotel) as a housemaid. That of course was the hotel of Mary Margaret's mother.

Mary Margaret was around 10 years of age at the time and I imagine she and her cousin Bridget Mary grew close, almost as if they were sisters, even though there was a twelve year difference in age. It's likely that Mary Margaret's cousin filled the void left after the death of Mary Margaret's older sister Kate. I also imagine that after her cousin's marriage, Mary Margaret would have been there at the birth of Bridget Mary's children over the following years.

Toowoomba was to be Mary Margaret's home for her entire lifetime. This was not to be the case for two of her brothers however. Around 1915, these brothers, James (my grandfather) and Maurice, left Toowoomba and moved a long way north to establish and work their own farmland. Mary Margaret's half brother Morgan Joseph, who was aged 19, did stay in Toowoomba and continued living at the Southern Hotel. Mary Margaret and Morgan Joseph (known as Joe) were very close, and remained so throughout their lives.

Mary Margaret spent the next eleven years helping her mother run the Southern Hotel, until 1924 when her mother, then aged 73, retired from working in her hotel.

Not long after this Mary Margaret, her mother Bridget and her half-brother Morgan Joseph (Joe) all moved into a house on Hume Street. It seems that they then established a boarding house business at this residence.

The electoral roll record of 1928 shows that Mary Margaret, aged 38, was running a place named 'O'Brien's' on Hume Street in Toowoomba. Of course 'O'Brien' was her mother's surname after she had re-married back in 1895. No doubt Mary Margaret was not only running the boarding house, with the support of Morgan Joseph, but also caring for her elderly mother by this stage.

Then, in 1936, it seems Mary Margaret chose to return to a working life as a hotel keeper herself.

Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.),
Wednesday 18 March 1936, page 6.

This notice appeared in the Telegraph newspaper in Brisbane in March of 1936.

Mary Margaret, now aged 46, was applying to become the licensed victualler for the Southern Hotel!!

She was now the hotel keeper in the family.

Electoral records between 1936 and 1968 show that Mary Margaret continued running the Southern Hotel as the 'hotelkeeper' for around 32 years.

Both her mother Bridget and her step brother Morgan Joseph moved into the hotel once more with her in 1936. In January of 1937 though, Bridget passed away. Mary Margaret was aged 46. She continued running the hotel, with the support of her stepbrother Morgan at first; and then by 1943 her brother Maurice was back in Toowoomba and living at the Southern Hotel.

Mary Margaret's stepbrother Morgan appears to have remained unmarried through all those years. Her brother Maurice however did marry in 1946. It appears that Maurice still recorded the Southern Hotel as his place of residence for many years, even though he and his wife Catherine had a house of their own.

This photo, taken sometime around 1960, shows the original Southern Hotel, built by Mary Margaret's mother, run by Mary Margaret's mother for 12 years, and later run by Mary Margaret for 32 years. The yellow shape shows the spot where the young lady is standing in the photo below.

(Photo shared by my maternal 3rd cousin Stephenie Maree Buchester nee Moloney)

This fabulous photo was taken sometime in the 1950s and clearly shows Mary Margaret's name displayed as the licensed victualler of the establishment.

The young lady standing in front of the hotel is the daughter of Mary Margaret's cousin Bridget Mary Dever nee Burke. Remember the wedding back in 1912 when Mary Margaret was the bridesmaid for her cousin Bridget! Well the young lady is the only daughter of that cousin.

When these photos were taken - 1950 to 1960 - Mary Margaret was in her 60s and was still running the hotel. She was assisted by her sister-in-law, Catherine, who was in her 50s. Catherine had married Mary Margaret's brother Maurice Patrick O'Donnell, and the two ladies were known affectionately as the "O'Donnell sisters".

Around 1965 it appears that the Southern Hotel caught the eye of a businessman named Tom Foxlee. As reported in an article printed after his death, the story goes:

"Tom was driving past a run-down, old hotel on the outskirts of Toowoomba with a friend who just happened to be a real estate agent. The hotel was owned by the O'Donnell sisters who ran the hotel as they liked, only serving people they trusted. The hotel was so old and run-down, it even had the horse rail still in position out the front. 'The person who buys that hotel will make a fortune,' Tom suggested. 'How much money do you have?' the agent replied."

Apparently Tom put down a 10 pence piece for an option to purchase over a one-month period, then went on to form a syndicate of business friends who purchased the hotel in 1966. The old hotel was demolished and a new one built on the same spot. I haven't been able to find out just exactly what they paid for the hotel, but I have a feeling it wasn't all that much!!!

The 'O'Donnell sisters' mentioned in the article above would have been Mary Margaret and her sister-in-law Catherine.

By the time the Southern Hotel was purchased, Mary Margaret's stepbrother Morgan Joseph had passed away. He had died the year before, in 1965, when Mary Margaret was 75. Morgan Joseph had been the brother who had worked alongside both Mary Margaret and their mother all his life, and Mary Margaret would mourned his loss quite intensely.

After the sale of the Southern Hotel, Mary Margaret had moved into a house in the middle of the city of Toowoomba.

The Australian Electoral Roll for 1968 shows Mary Margaret living on Ruthven Street, not too far away from her brother Maurice. It's interesting though to note that at this point, Maurice was a widower, living on his own. His wife Catherine, who had also worked for many years alongside Mary Margaret, had passed away, and yet Mary Margaret did not move in with her brother.

She lived in a Ruthven Street home with a couple, a man named Francis Baggett and his wife Honorah, known as Norah. I have absolutely no idea who these people might have been, but obviously they must have been good friends as they had taken in Mary Margaret aged in her late 70s.

Mary Margaret's brother Maurice died just a couple of years later, in 1970, and sadly, Mary Margaret passed away in 1971, aged 80. She was survived by her one remaining brother, James (my grandfather).

Mary Margaret was buried at the Toowoomba Cemetery, alongside her half-brother Morgan Joseph (Joe).

Update:

I've just recently received two books in which my maternal great grandmother - Bridget O'Donnell / O'Brien nee Burke - and my grand aunt - Mary Margaret O'Donnell - are mentioned.

6 years ago, after finding my post about Bridget, the President of the Toowoomba Historical Society contacted me via email to let me know he was including both Bridget and Mary Margaret in two of the historical society's publications about Toowoomba publicans and pubs.

It's such a pleasure to see both these strong, resilient, hard-working, independent women acknowledged in this way.

The paragraph above should read: "From 1936 the hotel was run by Bridget O'Brien's daughter Mary Margaret O'Donnell and her sister-in-law ...."

Special Note to any family members: If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so. Please use the comments box below or email me. It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.

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