We Once Were Welsh

We Once Were Welsh A story connecting branches of the Griffiths and Evans families from Wales and the immigration of one of the merged branches to Australia

Glendon O’Connor

We Once Were Welsh

First edition published in 2019

By Famocon Investments Pty Ltd ABN 28 088 209 787 Sydney Australia Copyright © Glendon O’Connor 2019 sixtybooks@gmail.com The right of Glendon O’Connor to be identified as the moral rights holder of this work has been asserted by him.

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Australia), no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.

ISBN 978-1-712-67505-2

Front Cover: Llangollen, Wales 2005 Back Cover: Sydney Harbour Bridge 1930

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Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................. 4 Dedication ............................................................................................................................. 5 The Griffiths Connection ........................................................................................................ 6 Origin of the Griffiths Family ........................................................................................... 6 David Griffiths................................................................................................................. 8 Evan Griffiths................................................................................................................ 25 Edward Griffiths ............................................................................................................ 26 Margaret Griffiths .......................................................................................................... 28 David James John ......................................................................................................... 31 Elizabeth Ellen John ...................................................................................................... 31 Arthur Henry John ........................................................................................................ 33 Stuart John ................................................................................................................... 33 Darwin Stanley John ..................................................................................................... 34 David John Griffiths ...................................................................................................... 35 The Evans Connection ......................................................................................................... 38 Origin of the Evans Family ............................................................................................ 38 Robert Evans ................................................................................................................ 39 John Evans ................................................................................................................... 44 Sarah Ann Evans .......................................................................................................... 51 Walter Owen Evans ....................................................................................................... 54 Harriet Evans ................................................................................................................ 56 Edwin Evans ................................................................................................................. 63 Elizabeth Evans ............................................................................................................ 67 George Edward Evans ................................................................................................... 74 Levi Evans .................................................................................................................... 78 Arthur Evans ................................................................................................................ 84 The Australian Connection ................................................................................................... 88 New South Wales .......................................................................................................... 88 First World War ............................................................................................................. 90 Edward Reginald Griffiths ............................................................................................ 116 Early Married Life ........................................................................................................ 116 The Depression Years .................................................................................................. 120 The Carlingford Homes ................................................................................................ 125 Second World War ....................................................................................................... 132 The Post War Years ...................................................................................................... 139 2

Dorothy May Griffiths .................................................................................................. 141 Marjorie Florence Griffiths ........................................................................................... 144 Arthur Charles Griffiths ............................................................................................... 150 Gwendoline Beatrice Griffiths ....................................................................................... 155 Arthur Gordon Griffiths ............................................................................................... 159 Denis Ernest Griffiths .................................................................................................. 165 Lorraine Griffiths ......................................................................................................... 167 Appreciation ...................................................................................................................... 170

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Preface This story begins by looking into the life and times of two families of Welsh origin, starting from the early 1800s. One of the families, carrying the surname of Griffiths, came from the old county of Cardiganshire on the west coast of Wales. The other family, with a surname of Evans, came from a rural town alongside the River Dee in the old county of Merionethshire. The families were united in 1892 in Oswestry in the English county of Shropshire, near the Welsh border, when Edward Griffiths married Elizabeth Evans. That family, at least those who were able to, would later seek a new life in Australia in the early 1900s.

A Modern Welsh Flag

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Dedication This story is dedicated to the memory of Arthur Charles Griffiths, an Australian born grandson of Edward Griffiths and Elizabeth Evans.

Arthur Charles Griffiths (1928 – 2012)

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The Griffiths Connection Origin of the Griffiths Family One of the first things you notice when researching Welsh family history is how there are relatively few Welsh surnames compared to the plethora of surnames found in England and across most of Europe. The most common surnames for Welsh people are Jones, Williams, Davies, Evans, Thomas, Roberts, Lewis, Hughes, Morgan, Griffiths and Edwards. The principal Welsh people in this story come from families with four of those surnames.

The Welsh make up for the lack of surname diversity by having an inordinately large number of spelling variations and a lot of those variations can be blamed on the English who struggled to comprehend the written and spoken Welsh language.

Surnames were not commonly used until the Middle Ages when the growth in population across Britain meant that being known as Simon of Colchester or Evan of Llandudno was no longer a guarantee of being easily identified among all of the other Simons and Evans now living in those towns.

Surnames came into use around the time that scribes and church officials started to officially record names. However, the names were recorded as they sounded to the ear of the recorder and inconsistencies started to develop. When these surnames were later recorded into English, it became clear that the spoken English language could not accurately reproduce many of the Welsh sounds. The surnames were then recorded with a bias to English pronunciation.

The Welsh themselves added to the variations by deliberately making minor alterations to their surnames to differentiate various branches or to follow political or religious affiliations. That is why today there are many variations of the earlier surname of Griffith, including Griffin, Gryffudd, Griffiths and Gryffuths.

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Griffith derives from the Old Welsh first name Grippiud which gradually developed into Griffudd or Gruffudd. The more modern phonetic surname of Griffith became Griffiths to indicate son of, much like the use of Mc or O’.

The Griffith name most likely started in the north of Wales and gradually worked its way south and east. Two of the more famous Griffiths in history were Griffith ap Conan and his son in law Griffith ap Rees (ap also meaning son of) who defeated the Normans in various battles in the late 1000s and early 1100s, allowing the Welsh to live in relative peace for the next 150 years.

The first recorded use of the name as a surname was David Gryttyth (yes with that spelling) in 1295 when he held the Lordship of Oswestry during the reign of the English King Edward 1. The town of Oswestry will figure prominently later in this story as the meeting place between the branches of the Griffiths and Evans families that lie at the heart of this story. Griffith or Griffiths as a surname became more common during the 1500s as family names adopted a more English spelling.

By 1891 most Griffiths in the United Kingdom were living in the southern Welsh county of Glamorganshire which includes the major cities of Cardiff and Swansea, as well as large areas of farmland and wooded valleys. Around that time, the most common occupations of Griffiths were farmers, coal miners and labourers.

Many members of the various Griffiths clans immigrated to the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the mass migrations of the 1800s. It is reported that 3,499 people with the surname Griffiths served in the First World War, giving you some idea of how many Griffiths there actually were in Britain at that time.

This story starts with the birth of David Griffiths in the Welsh seaside town of Aberystwyth in Cardiganshire in about 1831.

The Old Counties of Wales 7

David Griffiths David Griffiths married 1858 Eleanor Davies Children (known): Evan Griffiths

b 1858

d nk

nk

Edward Griffiths

b 1860

d 1904

44 years

Margaret Griffiths

b 1863

d 1941

77 years

David John Griffiths

b 1866

d nk

nk

By 1800, many families of Griffiths had joined the steady migration of settlers to the grasslands and mining villages of what was then known as Cardiganshire on the west coast of Wales. The county was previously, and is once again today, known as Ceredigion. The area was largely owned by large landholders but was ideally suited to small farmholds. Tenant farmers soon dotted the countryside. Many migrants were also drawn to the region to work in the silver, lead and copper mines that had been established over many centuries (some mines can be traced back to before Roman times). Farming was hard work but it was a lot better than working as a miner.

David Griffiths, according to the available Census records, was born in Aberystwyth between 1831 and 1833. This range of years is due to David’s lack of consistency when divulging his age to a succession of Census collectors between 1861 and 1901.

Aberystwyth in old Cardiganshire 8

Aberystwyth was a borough as well as a town so there is no guarantee David Griffiths was actually born inside the boundaries of the town. It is more likely he was born on the town’s outskirts.

Before taking a look at David’s life it is worthwhile delving briefly into the history of Aberystwyth and its surroundings to better understand the times in which his family lived.

Well before David was born, in fact more than 11,000 years before, the first humans arrived in this part of Wales, coming from the east following the retreating ice that had covered the land.

Eventually these hunter gatherers began to make small settlements in the area. As the ice melted the seas rose and the coast moved much further inland.

During that time, a number of significant rivers continued their runs from high in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales. Two of those rivers, both set on a western course to the sea, merged together to form a small estuary at the very point where the estuary meets the sea today. The northern river became known as the Rheidol and the southern river as the Ystwyth. The area surrounding this confluence eventually became the town of Aberystwyth (Aber = mouth, ystwyth = the river of that name).

Small settlements sporadically appeared on the lower banks of both rivers. In the early 500s the area was visited by one of the first Christian missionary bishops. He established a monastery along the River Rheidol, a short distance upstream from the river’s mouth. The bishop, who was later known as St Padarn, set about calming the local kings and warlords and converting the scattered population to Christianity.

In exchange for performing some purported miracles, Padarn was granted a large tract of land north of the River Rheidol and for some great distance inland. This major grant included most of the site of Aberystwyth. Padarn became the first of three bishops in Britain and was much revered by his many followers in this region and later in other parts of Europe.

The location of the monastery became known as Llanbadarn Fawr (Llan = religious settlement, badarn = Padarn and Fawr, pronounced Vawr, = great). The monastery became a well-visited centre of study and learning despite occasional conflict from local wars and foreign invaders bent on rape and pillage.

The monastery was largely destroyed by Vikings in the 900s but it was soon rebuilt. It became the heart of Welsh learning, teaching and writing. The church building that sits on the site today was originally built in the 1200s.

The Welsh warlord, Henry Tudor, and his small army would have passed through Llanbadarn Fawr in 1485 on their way to the Battle of Bosworth in England where his unlikely victory against all the odds saw him crowned as King Henry VII of England.

St Padarn

There had been a settlement on the site of Aberystwyth long before the arrival of Padarn. One of the earliest was a Celtic settlement on the top of a steep towering hill (now called Pen Dinas) that lies to the east of the River Ystwyth at the southern end of what would become the town. A circular stone fortified 9

settlement was eventually built on the hilltop. The fort was rebuilt a number of times over the centuries, including during Roman and Norman times. The Normans built a great castle on the site in the 1100s but this was later replaced, first by the English and then by the Welsh.

The fort and the later castle provided much needed protection for the local people against raiding parties, mostly from across the Irish Sea. In times of strife, the people would quit their homes and holdings on the coast and take refuge on the fortified hill until the trouble had passed.

Another castle was built on one of the other hills above the town in the late 1200s. The new castle became one of the greatest in Wales.

It was badly damaged (actually it was blown up) by Oliver Cromwell’s troops in the 1600s.

Most of the castle stone not reduced to rubble was taken by locals to build their homes and stone fences.

This was a common thing to do after abbeys, castles and forts were destroyed over the centuries for political and religious reasons (possibly one of the earliest methods of recycling in Britain).

Eventually the town, which had coalesced mostly around the mouth of the River Rheidol, was protected by an effective town wall (from this time Aberrheidol would have been a far more appropriate name for the town).

For many centuries the town supported a small market and a Aberystwyth and Llanbadarn Fawr fishing fleet. Commerce through the town increased after the harbour was given port status in the 1700s following the establishment of vast mine workings along the two river valleys. Mining had overtaken everything else as the chief occupation of the area.

By 1801 there were 350 houses within the town walls supporting a population of 1,758 but that population would double within 20 years forcing houses to be built outside of the wall.

Aberystwyth huddles between three towering hills and two long beaches and it was for many centuries largely isolated from the rest of Wales by its topography. However, the town’s character changed dramatically from the late 1700s when better transport routes became available.

In 1783, a wealthy landowner built a new mansion along the River Ystwyth and set about landscaping the surrounding countryside with three million trees, mostly larch and pine trees on the higher grounds and oak and beech trees on the more fertile lower grounds. The landscaped plantations, gardens and meadows attracted visitors from all over Europe eager to see the picturesque estate.

After rapid growth as a tourist attraction, Aberystwyth soon developed into a popular resort town with many fine hotels, townhouses, promenades and a pier. The Cambrian Railways completed

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a line to Aberystwyth in 1864 that greatly assisted the town’s development. The town’s university was founded in 1872, continuing the tradition of learning begun by St Padarn.

Aberystwyth about 1840 The population of the borough of Aberystwyth, about the time David Griffiths was born, was just under 5,000.

Unfortunately, David was born before civil registration of births was established in 1837 so the only official record of his birth needs to be found within the baptism records of the relevant church. So far, a confirmed record has remained elusive but not surprising since we do not know which of the many churches was used for the baptism and few of these baptism records have been made available for searching online at this time. In fact, baptism records for the whole of Cardiganshire are mostly missing from online sources except for some of the non-conformist or independent churches that existed at the time.

The good news is that much of the population by this time had left the established Anglican Church in favour of those non-conformist groups, mostly made up of Methodist Presbyterians (who followed Calvinist teachings), Baptists and Congregationalists.

These groups lacked the funds of the established church and set up rather plain chapels in homes or in modest buildings that were made available or built by some of the keener followers.

One of these non-conformist churches was the Sion (or Zion) Penmaes-glas Chapel which followed the Congregational faith. This fellowship was founded in 1810. Their new minister was Azariah Shadrach, which was a very biblical sounding name. He had previously led chapels at Llanbadarn Fawr and Talybont. He built an austere looking chapel in Vulcan Street, Aberystwyth which was opened in 1823. The chapel has a record of baptism of a David Griffiths who was born on 26 November 1833 and baptised on 18 December by Azariah Shadrach.

The baby’s parents were Evan Griffiths, a shoemaker, and his wife Jane (formerly Jane James), both of Aberystwyth. We know from later sources that the David Griffiths of this story was the son of an Evan Griffiths so there is a distinct possibility that the David of this story was the baby in the baptism record. The first confirmed record for our David Griffiths is his marriage 11

certificate.1 He married 26 year old Eleanor Davies (pronounced Davis) on 15 January 1858 when he was 24, which most likely gives him a year of birth as 1833.

Former Sion Congregational Church, Vulcan Street, Aberystwyth Eleanor was mostly known as Ellen and this was the name she later used on most official documents. Eleanor was living with her family in the small village next to St Padarn’s Church at Llanbadarn Fawr. She was about two years older than David and neither had been married before. The marriage certificate noted that their fathers, Evan Griffiths and John Davies, were both labourers, suggesting neither of them were miners (or even shoemakers) at the time. It may well be that the Griffiths family also came from Llanbadarn Fawr because both Griffiths and Davies names are shown as agricultural landholders on a village map drawn around 1800.

The marriage ceremony took place at St Padarn’s Church and was performed by the curate, John Hugh. David signed the register but Eleanor only managed to make her mark. The ceremony was officially witnessed by Edward Davies, no doubt a relative of Eleanor, and Evan Oliver.

The marriage certificate shows Eleanor was most likely born in 1831. As a 10 year old, she may show up in the 1841 Census. The only 10 year old born in Llanbadarn Fawr whose father is named John Davies (in fact, the only father named John) is Elinor Davies who was living at Llanbadarn-y-Croyddin Issa (Croyddin = fresh water, Issa = lower). With her in the household were father John (a shoemaker), mother Catherine and younger siblings Anne, David, Sophia and John.

The newly married couple’s two fathers, Evan and John, may both have started out as shoemakers but later became farm labourers either by procuring a farm tenancy or, more likely, by inheriting all or part of a family farm holding.

There were many families of Davies living in and around Llanbadarn Fawr and the name Elinor or Eleanor were commonly used across the families. Babies were also sometimes given the name

1

UK General Register Office BDM – Marriage Certificate 1858 11B 79

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of earlier siblings who had died in infancy so it is not uncommon to find two children with the same name and parentage. There are a few other Elinor Davies with fathers named John (and mothers named Catherine) who were born in the area earlier than 1831. To eliminate these other possibilities we have to rely on Elinor not having put her age down on the marriage certificate, a practice that was by no means rare.

David Griffith’s occupation was noted on the marriage certificate as a groom. Most people working with horses in the area did so as an ostler and the most common role of an ostler was to look after the pit ponies used to haul the ore carriages from the mine tunnels. The many duties of an ostler included grooming the ponies by washing them down at the end of each day and clipping their manes and nails. However, as David stated he was a groom rather than an ostler, he probably spent his time grooming and caring for a stable of carriage horses rather than looking after the welfare of pit ponies.

A map of Llanbadarn village showing the church and holdings of Davies and Griffiths After their marriage, David and Eleanor lived within the town of Aberystwyth but well outside the boundaries of the old wall. Their house was in Poplar Row, a short narrow residential street of stone and brick houses, east of the town centre (Poplar Row still exists in Aberystwyth today but most of the old buildings have long been replaced).

It was here that their first child was born on 24 August 1858, seven months after their marriage, which might indicate the marriage was arranged in haste.2 They named their son Evan after David’s father.

Normally the mother would be the person to sign the birth certificate but in this case it was left to David. Although David had earlier signed his marriage certificate, this time he was only able to make his mark, suggesting that his literacy was rather limited. Eleanor would make her mark on later birth certificates for her other children showing that she never managed to become literate or even learn how to make a signature. The literacy rate at the time was less than fifty percent of the Welsh population and the standard of those who were literate was not very high.

2

UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1858 11B 56

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Baby Evans’ birth certificate shows his father was now working as a post boy. Some post boys operated as postmen in the modern sense but most post boys either rode a post horse to deliver mail within the city or its near environs or they accompanied the driver of a post chaise which was a carriage drawn by a team of horses to carry mail, newspapers and passengers between towns and villages. Given that David had earlier in the year been a groom, I am inclined to think he looked after the horses on a post chaise rather than delivering the mail. This is supported by later Censuses.

Baby Evan was baptised on 31 October 1858 at St Padarn’s Church at Llanbadarn Fawr, probably because that was the village where most of their respective family members lived. By now Eleanor was officially using her shortened name of Ellen. We don’t know whether David was known by a shorter name or nickname (although Davey Boy was often used as a term of endearment for someone named David).

Poplar Row, Aberystwyth as it would have looked in the 1850s It is very likely that baby Evan received a smallpox inoculation soon after his birth. The Vaccination Act of 1853 made it mandatory for all healthy babies to be inoculated with the smallpox vaccine within three months of birth. Parents who failed to have their child vaccinated were fined £1.

Smallpox and other diseases including cholera, typhoid, typhus, measles and diphtheria, were among the major causes of premature death, particularly in the mid-1800s. Their prevalence was caused by poor working and living conditions that saw people crammed into overcrowded facilities where good hygiene was largely absent. The smallpox vaccine heralded a start to fighting back against the spread of this and other diseases. However, there was much opposition to mandatory vaccination due to a general distrust of doctors and the contents of the vaccine as well as religious objections and simple resistance to any form of government coercion.

Living in the town meant being able to enjoy the benefits that urban life could bring. Early evening walks along the curved promenade around the beachfront became hugely popular by the 14

end of the 1850s and David and Eleanor may well have taken their baby son for a perambulation or a casual stroll taking in the brisk sea air. But at times the wind may have been more than just brisk. It was reported in the then one year old newspaper, The Aberystwyth Observer, on 29 October 1859:

“… a well dressed lady, in coming round one of the corners, was lifted off her feet by the force of the wind acting on the wide expanse of surface which she presented to it. The wind, unfortunately, did not send her down in the position in which she was before being taken up, but turning her gently on one side, it laid her endwise on the sidewalk, where she commenced a series of astonishing gyrations rolling over and over on the hoops of the skirts, and exhibiting a species of locomotion which is not yet generally appreciated, and which may come into fashion, with high winds, and large circuits of light material. Fortunately for the lady, the darkness and astonishment of the people out of doors permitted but a few to witness this new method of getting along in a stiff breeze, and keeping of full sail at the same time.”

The following month, the coastal storms became so great that many lives were lost in shipwrecks, both at sea and at moorings within what were thought to be safe harbours, including Aberystwyth. Such destructive gales had not been seen in the memories of many of the old sailors.

The family had moved to Skinner Street, Aberystwyth when the next child, Edward Griffiths, was born at home on 1 June 1860.3 Skinner Street is a short street that runs off Poplar Row. David and Eleanor may have moved to a home previously occupied by relatives, as a large family of Griffiths, headed by a John Griffiths and his wife Margaret, had lived in Skinner Street for a number of years. David was now working as an ostler, more likely looking after horses at an inn or stable.

David’s work may not always have been in Aberystwyth. His employment may also have required him to travel away from home. He was not at home when the 1861 Census was carried out on the night of the 7th of April. The Census only shows Eleanor and the two boys at Skinner Street at the time.

The settled population of the borough of Aberystwyth in 1861 was now about 7,000 but visitors greatly added to this number during the tourist season.

Their next child, Margaret Griffiths, was born at home in Skinner Street on 4 May 1863. 4 David was again recorded as an ostler.

David and Eleanor would have seen much building work and civic improvement in and around the town as Aberystwyth continued to grow as a tourist resort. The railway arrived to much fanfare and excitement in 1864 when the first passengers from Shrewsbury in England stepped from the steam train at the town’s shiny new station. The number of tourists soon swelled causing further rapid growth in the hotel industry.

3 4

UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1860 11B 60 UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1863 11B 64

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Aberystwyth’s famous pier, costing a handsome £13,600 (£1.6 million today), was opened on Good Friday the following year. It was wrecked the year after by a severe storm coming off Cardigan Bay but it was soon fully restored to its original grandeur.

Looking out to the Pier at Aberystwyth By the end of 1865 the US Civil War had come to an end after five years of one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history to that time. Many Welsh families had a relative or two who had immigrated to the US over the previous decades and news of the war in the local and national newspapers would have been greatly followed by most Welsh people.

Aberystwyth Pier with the Pavilion built in the late 1800s Another son (and likely their last child), David John Griffiths, was born on 5 April 1866 when his father was 32 and his mother 34. 5 By now the family had returned to Poplar Row, perhaps 5

UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1866 11B 64

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to their earlier residence which may have been sublet during their time in Skinner Street. David’s occupation continued to be shown as an ostler. The baby was baptised on 15 November 1866.

The eighth month delay may indicate David and Eleanor were not regular churchgoers.

You may have noticed that the baby’s second name of John and his sister’s name of Margaret are the same as the other Griffiths parents who had lived in Skinner Street. This might only be coincidental as there were not that many common Welsh Christian names and they were frequently recycled. But I like to think there was a connection.

In the same year that the last baby was born, 1866, a major discovery was made that would have a huge impact on mining practices in Wales and around the world. A Swedish chemist named Alfred Nobel found that the powerful but highly unstable explosive known as nitroglycerin could be stabilised by carefully mixing it with a type of powdered chalk. The new product, which he called dynamite, could be safely handled and transported far better than other high explosives.

Aberystwyth Castle and University 1866 was a year of political and economic upheaval in Britain and across much of the world.

Falling wages and rising unemployment threatened the welfare of the British working class.

Demonstrations and riots took place in the major cities. The insolvency of one of Britain’s major banking houses in May 1866, mainly due to a failure to recover debts from Welsh railways, sent the stock market crashing. Shipping, mining and industrial businesses struggled to survive the ensuing panic.

No doubt, the impact of this upheaval was as severe on businesses in Aberystwyth as it was for the rest of the nation.

It was soon after the birth of their last child that David and Eleanor made a momentous change to their lives. The change probably had nothing to do with the invention of dynamite but dynamite would play a role in David’s life over the next decade or so.

The economic troubles may have caused David Griffiths to be out of work and needing to find a more secure (and hopefully more profitable) form of employment to provide for his family.

David and Eleanor packed up all of their belongings and not only left their home in Poplar Row but also left Aberystwyth and the west coast of Wales. They followed the road east of Aberystwyth alongside the River Rheidol, past Llanbadarn Fawr. As they climbed the valley they would have passed an unusual milestone set beside the road. It became famous as the only official milestone where the letters had been painted on the surface rather than carved into the stone. It meant that the stone had to be constantly repainted over the decades. A drive today along the same 17

road will take you pass another stone, this time a natural boulder that has the word Elvis painted on it. I doubt the boulder was painted at the time the family passed by.

They continued following the River Rheidol until their transport started climbing into the Cambrian Mountains, the natural spine of Wales that needs to be crossed to get to the east of the country. The landscape up here is rather bleak and barren and only very hardy souls were able to live in this harsh environment.

Rheidol River Valley Fortunately, the family were headed down the other side and they kept going until they came to the town of Llanidloes in the old county of Montgomeryshire. It was here that David found employment as a lead miner. The role of an ostler or groom was usually more suited to a younger person or an older retired person, not least because the pay was not sufficient to raise a family.

Working in a lead mine was a common occupation for men in their middle age. It was dangerous and unhealthy work but the pay was much better.

The small town of Llanidloes lies along the banks of the River Severn, not far from its headwaters.

The town is close to being at the very centre of Wales. Llanidloes is the first town on the River Severn’s long run of 354 km. The river is the longest in Britain. It leaves Wales and meanders past the English cities of Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester on its way to the sea at the Bristol Channel.

The Severn and its sister river, the Wye, have their sources close together in the Cambrian Mountains. Although they run in very different directions, the Wye eventually shares its estuary with the Severn.

Llanidloes was named after a Celtic saint who was active in the 600s and who built a small church here (Llan = religious settlement, idloes = St Idloes). A settlement soon grew up around the church. It took another 600 years before it grew enough to be granted the status of a market town. The town later became a hotbed for embryonic unionists known as Chartists who demanded major social reforms. They had a large presence in Llanidloes during the late 1830s.

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Eventually, after much rioting, a group of Chartists took over Llanidloes until the military intervened. The ringleaders were somewhat unwillingly transported to Botany Bay. The town lies on the edge of some very high mountains but the scenery below takes in much gentler rounded hills and greener valleys. The town lies in a lush fertile vale with large pockets of native woodland among the surrounding farm holdings. One writer in 1835 said:

“The appearance of the vale with the Severn beautifully winding and the hills by which the prospect is boarded, are all in unison to render this spot highly interesting.�

I suppose the writer was impressed rather than merely interested by the scenery. The lack of any great enthusiasm in the reporting was probably more indicative of the emotional restraint applied to reporting of the time.

Weaving and flannel production thrived in Llanidloes for centuries but lead and silver mining took over as the dominant industry after rich deposits were discovered in the hills surrounding the town. Lead mining at Llanidloes dates back to Roman times and earlier. Sporadic mining over the centuries gave way in the 1800s to a rapid increase in lead production to meet the demand for piping, roofing and paint manufacturing.

Welsh Lead Miners The Van Lead Mines near Llanidloes had been worked for many years, often with poor results, but a new rich seam of lead was discovered in 1862. The Van Mines now consisted of at least 13 individual mines working the extensive lead laden seam known as the Van Load.

The mines were soon looking for workers willing to do hard work for good pay and it was not long before the family took up the offer. David joined the throng of workers converging on these mines to work in one of the most life threatening jobs of the time. He may as well have joined the army, except the pay was nowhere near as good. He may have used his experience to work with horses.

At its peak, the Van Mines employed over 700 men. The mines became the most productive lead mines in the world. They also produced significant amounts of silver and zinc.

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Rows of terrace houses were built in Llanidloes to accommodate the miners and their families.

These were often located close to the railway and other transport hubs. David and Eleanor were lucky enough to find accommodation in a row of terraces in Penygraig Street alongside the River Severn. The terrace was so close to the river, you could easily throw a fishing line from one of the upstairs windows.

The mine manager at the time was a deeply religious man who did not approve of drinking alcohol. The village that grew around the mines had two chapels but not a single public house (at least until 1877).

The Van mines were not the only lead mines near Llanidloes and it is possible that David may have worked at one of the other lesser mines.

A new railway station had been built at Llanidloes in 1864 by the Cambrian Railway Company.

The large two storey station building was also the new headquarters of the company. Further rail and transport improvements were made to the town to cope with the boom in mining activities.

Some of the workings of the Van Mines The Cambrian News reported on 12 September 1868 (page 4) that a tailor named John Jones had been charged with stealing a coat worth 2 shillings belonging to â€œâ€Ś David Griffiths, ostler at the Unicorn.â€? The Unicorn was a three storey brick hotel on Long Bridge Street, near the intersection with Great Oak Street, those being the two main streets of Llanidloes. The hotel was built in the early 1800s. Refurbished a number of times over the years, it is still going strong today. Although it is now surrounded by other buildings, it no doubt had a yard and stabling facilities for horses that gave the need for an ostler to run the stables. Having these facilities was usually a requirement of the hotel licence and licensing laws.

The presence of stabling facilities is confirmed by the evidence given by David Griffiths in the case against the tailor. He stated that he was up in the loft of the stable when he noticed the prisoner come in through the stable doors. When he climbed down from the loft he found his coat, which had been hung over one of the stalls, was missing. He informed the police who later 20

found the prisoner wearing the missing coat. The prisoner pleaded guilty and was given good character references by some highly respected citizens. He was sentenced to 14 days’ hard labour.

Although David was usually employed as a miner during these years, he may well have spent some time returning to his previous employment as an ostler, particularly if he was in between jobs or if had had been injured at work and could only perform lighter duties. He would take up as an ostler again in later years showing he had never really given the occupation away.

The 1871 Census, taken on the evening of 2 April 1871, shows the family still living in Penygraig Street. David was now 39 and Eleanor 41. Evan was 12 years old, Edward 10, Margaret 7 and David junior 5. Living with them as boarders were Thomas Davies, his wife Mary and their six month old daughter, also named Mary. Thomas Davies, whose surname is the same as Eleanor’s maiden name, is less likely to be a relative as he was born in Swansea but you never know.

By the late 1870s the once rich vein of lead at the Van mines had petered out and production had fallen off. Miners drifted south to the more rewarding coal mines of Glamorganshire. Miners who stayed in the hope of a revival were later put off to find other work in the area or leave for new endeavours.

The infant River Severn passing under The Long Bridge at Llanidloes In earlier days, Wales had very large deposits of both coal and iron ore. Small and large iron works sprang up all over the country, particularly where the coal and iron deposits were close together. The iron ore started to run out in the mid-1800s but the amount of coal seemed endless. Iron ore was then imported into the coastal towns between Cardiff and Swansea and sent inland as the focus of mining shifted to the coal mines in the valleys in the south of Wales which were closer to the iron works.

David Griffiths was one of the workers who initially stayed to find work in the Llanidloes area rather than join the early exodus of workers to the southern coal mines. He returned to his previous occupation as an ostler. This was made easier by his two older sons now being able to find their own employment to add to the family income or at least to fend for themselves.

21

In the 1881 Census we find that David and Eleanor were living in Great Oak Street, one of the two main streets in the town centre of Llanidloes. By now Evan and Edward have left home, leaving only 18 year old Margaret and 15 year old David junior with their parents. Both of the younger children were old enough to be earning some income. David junior is absent from the household for this particular Census because at the time he was working in another household as a servant.

David and Eleanor still managed to get extra income by having a lodger of their own. The only anomaly in the Census is that David is shown as having been born in Lampeter, Cardiganshire rather than Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire. Lampeter is in the south of the county and it is hard to imagine anyone being confused between the two places. It is very unlikely this is a different family because the other details are so exact. Perhaps David left Aberystwyth with debts or other problems and wished to avoid any reconnection.

A moment in Great Oak Street, Llanidloes captured for posterity Sometime during the next 10 years David and Eleanor made the move that many of the miners of Llanidloes had done before them. They relocated south to one of the coal mining districts of Glamorganshire. The 1891 Census shows David and Eleanor living on the then southern outskirts of the town of Aberdare.

Until the mid-1700s, Aberdare was much like the rest of rural Wales: a small town built around a centuries’ old church in a predominantly farming community. Aberdare (Aber = mouth, Dare = River Dare) is located where the river debouches into the River Cynon. Aberdare and Mountain Ash became the principal towns in the Cynon River Valley.

The quiet pursuit of agriculture in the valley was shattered when heavy industry arrived in the 1750s in the form of an iron works. Iron ore, coal, timber and limestone were in good supply 22

and the valley soon became a major iron producing area. Roads, rails and canals were built to transport all of the goods to and from the valley. More collieries, quarries and iron works were opened as the decades passed.

Workers poured into the valley attracted by full employment and higher wages. Most were housed in new rows of mine owned terrace houses built alongside the roads close to their places of work. The houses were built using the local stone taken from the many quarries in the valley.

Slate was brought in to top the houses. Demand for housing far outstripped construction and both families and single persons were often forced to share limited space in the stone houses.

These houses, although new, rarely provided running water or sanitation inside the house.

By the 1850s the iron ore reserves in the Cynon River Valley had largely been exhausted and iron production had fallen away. Coal, however, was still in abundance and the rate of mining of this much sought after mineral continued to increase.

By the time David and Eleanor arrived in Aberdare, considerable improvements had been made to the town. Accommodation had far improved and the town was a much more pleasant place to live and raise a family. The 1891 Census found them living at 387 Cardiff Road, Aberdare.

This residence was typical of the stone and slate terrace houses of the time. Assuming that house numbers have not changed since 1891, the house was at the southern end of the town on the main road to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, 32 km further to the south.

387 Cardiff Road, Aberdare shown x on the map 60 year old David had found employment as a quarryman. Quarries were broadly scattered over the district and provided the necessary hewn rock, stone and rubble to meet the heavy demand for the construction of buildings, walls and public works. David may have worked at any of the quarries in the district as transport by horse or cart to and from the mines and quarries was free and readily available.

The 1891 Census shows that 25 year old David junior continued to live with his parents while working in the area as a grocer’s assistant. His sister Margaret was also living with her parents but she was now joined by her newly acquired husband who worked as a coal miner. Seven year old Lizzie Griffiths, stated to be a granddaughter of David and Eleanor, was also staying over at the house at the time of the Census. Three lodgers helped to pay the rent.

23

The presence of a seven year old granddaughter with a surname of Griffiths is touched on later in this story.

The 1891 Census records (probably incorrectly) that David Griffiths was 58 and Eleanor 60.

Neither of them would be alive to take part in the next Census. David died two years later on 29 April 1893 at home at 387 Cardiff Road, Aberdare. However, his death certificate records his age as still being 58 at the time of death. Apparently he did not age over the previous two years (perhaps he was in a coma).

At the time of his death David was working as a general labourer and died from pneumonia, one of the common causes of early death among coal miners, along with bronchitis and other lung diseases. His son David junior, who was still living at home, was the informant for registering the death. Intriguingly, the registrar who recorded the death was named D Griffiths.6 Some family historians have speculated when Eleanor passed away. The two most likely candidates among the available records for the area are the one who died in 1891 at the age of 66 but this puts her year of birth as about 1825 which makes her about six years older than our Eleanor. The other died in 1894 at the age of 58 putting her birth year at about 1835, making her five years younger than our Eleanor. I suspect our Eleanor moved away from Aberdare to live with a family member, possibly in another county, but I have not found any conclusive record from the many options available.

387 Cardiff Road, Aberdare shown X on a modern satellite image

6

UK General Register Office BDM – Death Certificate 1893 11A 400

24

Evan Griffiths David Griffiths married 1858 Eleanor Davies Children (known): Evan Griffiths

b 1858

d nk

nk

Edward Griffiths

b 1860

d 1904

44 years

Margaret Griffiths

b 1863

d 1941

77 years

David John Griffiths

b 1866

d nk

nk

Evan Griffiths had left home before the 1881 Census. He does not show up in that Census for Llanidloes. I have not been able to isolate him from the many other Evan Griffiths who lived in Wales and England at that time. I have not found any Evan Griffiths who was of the same or similar age and born in Aberystwyth. Perhaps he emigrated as part of the mass migration that continued during the late 1800s.

Annual Fair in Llanidloes 1881

25

Edward Griffiths David Griffiths married 1858 Eleanor Davies Children (known): Evan Griffiths

b 1858

d nk

nk

Edward Griffiths

b 1860

d 1904

44 years

b 1863

d 1941

77 years

b 1866

d nk

nk

Margaret Griffiths David John Griffiths

The second oldest of the children of David and Eleanor Griffiths was Edward and he plays a prominent part later in this story.

He was born on 1 June 1860 in Aberystwyth. By 1881, when Edward was 20, he had left home in Llanidloes and was living as a boarder at Hodley Hall, Cloddiau near the town of Kerry, about 17km from Llanidloes. Hodley Hall was a two acre farm run by Walter Jones and his wife Mary.

Edward had started working as a locomotive engine stoker for the Cambrian Railways Company (CRC) which by 1864 had taken over many of the Welsh railways including the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway and the Oswestry and Newtown Railway.

Part of the Cambrian Railways Company Network 26

A branch line on the latter railway was built between Abermule and Kerry. Kerry station, at the end of the branch line, was only a short distance from where Edward was living at Hodley Hall.

Kerry station had its own engine shed and it was probably here where Edward was based.

By 1891 Edward had moved to Oswestry, a town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and about 67 km north of Llanidloes. The main competitor to the CRC, the Great Western Railway Company, had built a branch line to Oswestry in 1848, running from Gobowen on the Shrewsbury to Chester line. Oswestry was later chosen by the CRC as their new headquarters at a second and much larger station built in Oswestry to accommodate the main and branch lines of the CRC that now came into Oswestry. The main lines reached Wrexham in the north, Brecon in the south and Aberystwyth on the west coast.

On the other side of the tracks from the station the CRC built large workshops where engines, wagons and other rolling stock were built as part of a vast expansion. Oswestry was now a major railway centre, thanks to the competing railway companies. The population almost doubled between 1860 and 1900, mostly thanks to the railways.

In 1891 Edward was still working on locomotive engines, shovelling coal into the firebox, but he had risen to the rank of fireman which was a more senior position than stoker. He was now on his way to becoming an engine driver. In fact, he was appointed a driver within a year of the 1891 Census. Locomotive engine drivers were respected citizens earning a reasonable income.

Edward had found lodgings in Gittin Street, Oswestry with a family named Bowyer. Gittin Street connected to Beatrice Street, one of the principal streets of the town.

Around this time he met a girl, Elizabeth Evans, who was also of Welsh stock but was now living with her family in Beatrice Street, Oswestry. Their story continues later in this book.

CRC Station at Oswestry

27

Margaret Griffiths David Griffiths married 1858 Eleanor Davies Children (known): Evan Griffiths

Edward Griffiths

Margaret Griffiths David John Griffiths

b 1858

d nk

nk

b 1860

d 1904

44 years

b 1863

d 1941

77 years

b 1866

d nk

nk

The 1891 Census showed that Margaret Griffiths had married a coal miner named Thomas John who, according to the Census, was born at St David’s in Pembrokeshire on the far south coast of Wales (and from where the state of New South Wales in Australia takes its name).

The marriage of Margaret (under the name of Maggie) and Thomas was registered in Cardiff at the end of 1893.7 Margaret was 30 and Thomas was much the same age (various Censuses have him as the same age or a year older or younger than Margaret). Although the 1891 Census says they were married, it is clear that at the time they were not but saying so would have avoided any unnecessary embarrassment or shame as they were certainly living as man and wife. They did not get married until after the birth of their first child, David James John, in 1892. 8 By the time baby David was born, Thomas was working as a mine banksman. The bank was a mining term for the surface. The banksman was primarily responsible for the safe operation of the cages that took the miners below ground. He controlled the numbers going into each cage for the descent of the shaft. He signalled to the winding house to start the descent and signalled to the bottom of the shaft that the cage was on its way down. Signalling down the shaft was usually done by a button and bell system.

Every miner carried with them a brass tally or identity token which had been stamped with the name of the mine and the individual number of the miner. The miners handed their tallies to the banksman so that a record could be kept of who was underground on every shift.

It says a lot about occupational health and safety of the day when the banksman was seen as an inferior worker to the underground miner, much like a road flagman in later days.

The next Census in 1901 showed Margaret and Thomas had moved out of the Cardiff Road house at Aberdare and were now living with three children in their own house at 1 Tudor Place, Aberaman, not far down the road from Aberdare.

7 8

UK General Register Office BDM – Marriage Certificate 1893 11A 526 UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1892 11A 666

28

The oldest child David was now eight years old. A four year old daughter, Elizabeth Ellen John, was born on 7 September 1896 but her birth was registered under the name of Elizabeth Eleanor John.9 The third child was one year old Arthur Henry John who was born in late 1899. 10 Thomas was by now working underground in the coal mines as a hewer which meant he worked at the coal face cutting out the coal. These men worked in either the morning or afternoon shift but the shifts were alternated each week.

Hewers lived in small company provided cottages, with family if they had them.

Men working the morning shift would mark a 3 on their door as the early morning time the watch would wake them so they would be ready to start their shift at 4 am. At 10 am the afternoon shift would take over and work the mine until 4 pm.

The hewer would take his lamp, picks, hammers and wedges into the tunnels, get fully undressed just before the coal face, except for his boots, and then start working on the coal seam. Sometimes he would stand tall to work but at other times he would be crouching in a confined space.

Other miners worked to widen the tunnels and expose the seams but the hewer was the one with the expertise to extract the coal and, accordingly, received better pay and conditions.

A banksman in operation ringing the bell

The family was still living at 1 Tudor Place when the 1911 Census was carried out but two extra children had been added to the household. Seven year old Stuart John was born in 1903 and two year old Darwin Stanley John in 1909. 11 Thomas still worked at the coal mines but was now engaged full time on the surface rather than working deep in the mine shafts.

The 1911 Census revealed that by then Margaret and Thomas had produced a total of nine children. Three had died, apparently in early infancy. There is still one living child unaccounted for as the 1901 and 1911 Censuses have only identified five of the six children supposedly alive in 1911.

As the 1921 Census will not be released before 2022, we need to look at the publicly available 1939 Register to find out details of the family’s later whereabouts.

The 1939 Register was compiled soon after the start of the Second World War. It provided a snapshot of the 40 million people living in England and Wales who were not already serving in the forces. The Register allowed the Government to issue identity cards and ration books, administer conscription and control evacuations and other movements. The Register was taken on 29 September 1939. It was based on the 1931 Census but had less information recorded. It did, however, record a person’s actual date of birth (as provided by the person). Details from the UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1896 11A 757 UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1900 11A 768 11 UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificates 1903 11A 853 and 1909 11A 938 9

10

29

1939 Register are not currently available for public viewing unless the date of birth is at least 100 years earlier than the time of viewing.

As the 1931 Census for England and Wales was destroyed by fire in a storage facility during the war and no Census was taken in 1941 because of the war, the Register is the most complete survey of the population between 1921 and 1951. The fire, by the way, was not caused by enemy action. It was thought to have been caused by a cigarette dropped by a fire warden.

The 1939 Register records 76 year old Margaret as living with her son, Arthur Henry John, and his family at a house in Commerce Place in Aberaman. Margaret is recorded as a widow. The surname of John was very common in Glamorganshire and there were a considerable number of men named Thomas John who died in that county between 1911 and 1939. The most likely contender, based on age and other evidence, died in 1924.12 We will have to wait until the release of the 1921 Census to rule out other contenders.

Margaret most likely passed away in early 1941 at the age of 77. 13

A collection of Miners’ Tokens

12 13

UK General Register Office BDM – Death Index 1924 11A 943 UK General Register Office BDM – Death Index 1941 11A 1269

30

Margaret Griffiths married 1893 Thomas John Children: David James John

b 1891

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Ellen John

b 1896

d 1959

62 years

Arthur Henry John

b 1899

d 1960

60 years

Stuart John

b 1903

d nk

nk

Darwin Stanley John

b 1909

d 1991

82 years

David James John The eldest child of Margaret and Thomas John, David James John, was born on 15 January 1891 and baptised on 28 July 1892 when his parents were living at 382a Cardiff Road, Aberdare not far from his grandparents’ house at 387 Cardiff Road (although it may have been the same house following a street renumbering). After attending Park School for Boys in Aberdare he went to work in the coal mines. Like his father he soon became a coal hewer.

He is likely to be the David J John who shows up in the 1939 Register living at 69 Trefelin, a street in the northern suburbs of Aberdare. The other members of his household are his wife and daughter, both named Margaret.

Elizabeth Ellen John The next child of Margaret and Thomas, Elizabeth, was baptised on 8 November 1896 at Aberdare with the family still at 382a Cardiff Road.

Elizabeth was 20 when she married Bertie Maund at the Libanus (Calvinistic Methodist) Chapel in Lewis Street, Aberaman on 5 August 1916 in a quiet wedding service conducted by the Rev E W Llewelyn.14 Elizabeth wore a white embroidered dress and a white hat. She was given away by her older brother David James John. Bertie’s younger brother Harry Maund was the best man.

The newspaper report of the marriage states that Elizabeth’s sister, Lizzie Jones, was also present.15 It must have been unusual to have two sisters named Elizabeth but perhaps Lizzie was a second name by which she was known or Elizabeth was known as Ellen. Lizzie’s three children, Gwilym, Maggie and Sarah were also at the wedding, the two girls as bridesmaids.

14 15

UK General Register Office BDM – Marriage Certificate 1916 11A 1266 The Aberdare Leader 12 August 1916, page 3

31

Lizzie may well be the missing child of Margaret and Thomas John and was likely to have been the eldest child born around 1890 and well before her parents married in 1893. She is almost certainly the Lizzie Griffiths recorded in the 1891 Census as a seven year old granddaughter of David and Eleanor Griffiths. I have not been able to isolate her marriage to a Mr Jones from the many possible contenders.

Elizabeth’s parents, Margaret and Thomas, were also at the wedding as well as her youngest brother, seven year Darwin Stanley John, who for some reason was known only as Stanley. After the wedding, the few guests made their way to Margaret and Thomas’ cottage in Tudor Place where they all enjoyed a “sumptuous repast.”

Bertie, who was born in the late 1890s, was probably named after Queen Victoria’s deceased husband Albert who was known to his family as Bertie. At the start of the First World War in 1914, Bertie Maund was living at the quaintly named locality of Gooseberry Hill (now Godreaman). He was a member of the Aberdare Ambulance Brigade and had offered himself for ambulance service in the war. It is unlikely he served overseas.

Street Scene in Aberdare Elizabeth and Bertie had two sons and four daughters between 1917 and 1929.

The 1939 Register shows Elizabeth and Bertie were living at 47 Cwmaman Road, Aberdare with their sons Thomas and William, twin daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and daughter Glenys.

Another daughter, Margaret, had died in infancy.

Elizabeth was still living at 47 Cwmaman Road when Bertie died on 19 August 1955 at the age of about 61. He left an estate officially valued at £642 (official values were often largely understated to avoid taxes and duties). Elizabeth was 62 when she passed away four years later on 22 August 1959 leaving an estate valued at £623. Her daughter Elizabeth was appointed as executrix to administer the estate.

32

The nearby town of Cwmaman

Arthur Henry John Arthur was born on 10 December 1899 and baptised at Aberdare on 4 March 1900. His parents had by now moved to 1 Tudor Place at Aberdare.

He was 35 when he married 30 year old Ellen Ann Bowen in 1935 with the marriage registered in Pontypridd.16 By 1939 Arthur was working as a driver for a confectionary business but he was currently unemployed at the time the 1939 Register was compiled. He and Ellen were living at 39 Commerce Place, Aberaman (now a suburb of Aberdare). Their daughter, Barbara Ann John was born the year before.

As mentioned earlier, Arthur’s 76 year old widowed mother Margaret John, daughter of David and Eleanor Griffiths, was also living with them.

Arthur is thought to have died in 1960 at the age of 60 but this has not been confirmed. Ellen is thought to have passed on earlier in 1951 at the age of 45.

Stuart John Stuart was baptised on 16 April 1903 and appears as a seven year old in the 1911 Census. No other information has so far been found about him. He does not show up in the official index of deaths or in the 1939 Register. He may have migrated to a new life elsewhere.

16

UK General Register Office BDM – Marriage Certificate 1935 11A 705

33

Darwin Stanley John I thought it unlikely Stan John, as he was known, was named after the famous biologist Charles Darwin, author of the breakthrough work on evolution known by the short title of On The Origin of Species. The work had been published in 1859 and Darwin had died in 1882. It would be surprising for Margaret and Thomas to commemorate Darwin 50 years after his book was published. More likely, he was named after a close friend or near relative who shared that name.

Stan, who was born on 12 February 1909, was baptised on 19 April 1909 with the full name of Darwin Stanley Beaconsfield John and that extra name of Beaconsfield led me to believe he was named after Charles Darwin after all and two other prominent Victorian era figures of fame. Sir Henry Stanley was the explorer who went to Central Africa to find a lost British explorer and missionary. Stanley reportedly said on finding the explorer in 1871, “Dr Livingstone, I presume?”

Stanley went on to more fame and died in London in 1904. Benjamin Disraeli, a British Prime Minister much admired by Queen Victoria, was made the first Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876. He is credited with saying “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” Having given older brother Stuart only one Christian name, it seems that Margaret and Thomas overcompensated by giving Stan three.

Stan also became a coal miner. When he was 22 he married 23 year old Olwen Leach in 1931. 17 When the Second World War broke out in 1939 they were living at 4 Pleasant View, Aberdare and Stan was working as a coal hewer. He enlisted in the 63rd Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Regiment on 20 October 1941 when he was 32. His brigade’s role was to protect Britain’s major industrial centres from night bombing by German aircraft during The Blitz. With The Blitz finally stopping after the destruction of much of the German air force, Stan’s brigade relocated to North Africa in 1942 to help with the defeat of the German General Rommel.

Stan was eventually discharged after transferring to the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1951, long after the war finished in 1945. He was still living at 4 Pleasant View, Aberdare when he died on 12 February 1991 leaving an estate valued at £115,000. He was exactly 82 years old, having died on his birthday.

Charles Darwin

17

Henry Stanley

Benjamin Disraeli

UK General Register Office BDM – Marriage Certificate 1931 11A 629

34

David John Griffiths David Griffiths married 1858 Eleanor Davies Children (known): Evan Griffiths

b 1858

d nk

nk

Edward Griffiths

b 1860

d 1904

44 years

Margaret Griffiths

b 1863

d 1941

77 years

David John Griffiths

b 1866

d nk

nk

Margaret Griffith’s younger brother was the last of the children of David and Eleanor Griffiths.

He was born on 5 April 1866 while the Griffiths family lived at Poplar Row in Aberystwyth for the second time.

As a five year old, David made the move with his family to the lead mining town of Llanidloes. At the age of 14 he was living at a large house in Long Bridge Street, Llanidloes where he worked as one of four servants to a family headed by an Irish doctor named William Donaldson.

Long Bridge Street, Llanidloes He was back with his parents after they had moved to Cardiff Road, Aberdare in time for the 1891 Census. David was now working as a grocer’s assistant.

It is difficult to pinpoint David’s later life as there are a small number of people named David John Griffiths who could match this David on age, location or other criteria. None of them, however, give a match on all criteria. The closest is the David John Griffiths who, according to the 1911 Census, was living at 14 Glannant Street, Aberdare. His age is a match but his place 35

of birth is not Aberystwyth. However, his place of birth is shown to be Llanidloes which just happens to be where he grew up from the age of five. Perhaps he thought he was born in Llanidloes. Or perhaps he could not spell Aberystwyth.

This David was 39 when he married 45 year old Sarah Wilkerson in 1905. As Sarah Austin, she had previously married Elijah Wilkerson in 1887 in Wolverhampton in England. They had a son who they named Gilbert Austin Wilkerson. He appears to be the only child. Sarah and Elijah moved to 14 Glannant Street, Aberdare by 1896.

The Wilkersons regularly took in lodgers to help pay the rent and supplement their income. In July 1896 Sarah advertised in the local paper for gentlemen or ladies looking to rent two bedrooms and a sitting room, both furnished. 18 After Elijah’s untimely death in 1903, Sarah continued to take in boarders. One such boarder was William Bridle who moved in with his pregnant wife in 1904. This arrangement did not work, either because the rent was not paid or the parties failed to get on. Whatever the cause, Sarah gave Bridle a notice to quit which he ignored. He also ignored a second notice and told Sarah she could serve him with as many notices as she liked but he would not go. Sarah then engaged a lawyer and took Bridle to court to have him evicted. Bridle argued he had not received any notices and he could not leave now as his wife was close to her confinement. The bench replied “Unfortunately for you, we don’t believe you. You must clear out.”19

Aberdare The house in Glannant Street became the family home after David and Sarah’s marriage.

David may also have been married before. A David John Griffiths was married in the same district in 1902 to an Eleanor Davies which, eerily, was the same name as his mother.20 This

18 19 20

The Aberdare Leader 30 July 1896, page 1 The Aberdare Leader 31 December 1904, page 7 UK General Register Office BDM – Marriage Index 1902 11A 1125

36

Eleanor died soon after their marriage, probably in childbirth and the timing is right for two widowed persons to find each other.

The 1911 Census shows this David and Sarah living in Aberdare with Sarah’s now 14 year old son Gilbert and an elderly lodger who used to be a publican. David was working as a colliery weigher. Is this a connection to his earlier days as a grocer’s assistant where weighing produce would have been a common part of his job? Gilbert was an apprentice hairdresser.

Some of the Griffiths family story continues in later chapters when we pick up the life of Edward Griffiths, the second child of David and Eleanor Griffiths.

37

The Evans Connection Origin of the Evans Family Until the 1950s, John was the most common first name in Europe. Its origin is the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning Graced by God. After the Greeks and then the Romans played around with the name it ended up in English simply as John. In other European languages it became Jean, Johan, Johannes, Juan, Jens, Ivan, Sean, Giovanni, Hans, Ian, Eoin and a host of others.

The name was adopted in Wales as Lefan which doesn’t sound much like John at all. However, the Welsh pronunciations of f sounded more like the English pronunciation of v. Lefan then became Ifan until its current form of Evan. A son of Evan was known as ap (or ab) Evan, the pronunciation of which led to the surname Bevan. A son of Evan further evolved into the surname of Evans.

Families of Evans scattered over most of Wales and into the nearby counties of England. The name is the fifth most common surname in Wales today indicating that people of that name were adept at both surviving and procreating.

38

Robert Evans Robert Evans married 1838 Blaence Jones Children (known): John Evans

b 1827

d 1883

56 years

Giles Evans

b 1839

d nk

nk

Richard Evans

b 1841

d nk

nk

Margaret Evans

b 1846

d nk

nk

Robert Evans and his wife Blaence were very coy about how old they were. For over 40 years they provided the authorities with many conflicting dates and ages, making it almost impossible to pin down when they were born.

There was, however, a very good reason why they did this. They were both extremely young when they had their first child and they did not get married for another 10 years, possibly after having more children.

Robert’s year of birth could be anywhere between 1813 (according to the 1871 Census) and 1821 (according to the 1841 Census). Blaence’s year of birth was likely to have been between 1812 (according to her death certificate) and 1816 (according to the 1841 Census).

We know they had a son, John Evans, who was born in 1827-1828 which meant that Blaence could have been as young as 11 or as old as 15. Robert was somewhere between six and 14.

The latter ages are more likely to be anatomically correct.

The chance of there being a crossover between different people with the same names is minimal as the name Blaence (and its derivatives) as well as specific occupations and locations add a lot of certainty that only one couple is involved.

The name Blaence is an obscure and probable misspelling of the name Blance which was a Christian name in common use in Wales in the 1700s and 1800s. Blance was the Welsh equivalent of the French and English name Blanche. For the purposes of this story I have continued, at least for a time, with the name Blance rather than Blaence.

We may not know exactly when they were born but we know where they were born as each Census reveals Robert was born in Llandrillo and Blance in Gwyddelwern.

The small village of Llandrillo (named after the medieval church of St Trillo which was established in the 1200s) sits on either side of the River Ceidiog on the eastern side of the Dee Valley about 8 km south west of Corwen. The town of Corwen lies along the banks of the River Dee and by the 1500s had become an important centre for cattle drives.

Thomas Telford built a new road from Holyhead on the north-west coast of Wales to London. The road found its way along the Dee Valley and passed through Corwen. The new route streamlined 39

coach travel. The arrival in 1864 of the Great Western Railway, with a station at Corwen, also helped put the town on most maps.

We first come across Robert and Blance when they are married at St Trillo’s Church in Llandrillo on 12 May 1838 in a ceremony conducted in Welsh by the vicar, John Wynn. The vicar failed to state the ages of Robert and Blance on the marriage certificate.21 This is unfortunate as they were likely to have given their correct ages when confronted with God. Instead, the vicar noted they were over 21 by stating they were “of age.” In any event, it is doubtful that Robert was more than 18 at the time.

Corwen in the 1800s Blance was only able to make her mark with an X but Robert managed to pen a respectable signature. Both claimed not to have been married before. They were both living in a hamlet called Llan within the confines of the village of Llandrillo suggesting they were both near neighbours living close to the church. Robert was working as a shoemaker and Blance was working for her father, Richard Jones, who was a local farmer. Robert’s father was David Evans who worked as a labourer.

21

UK General Register Office BDM – Marriage Certificate 1838 Corwen Volume 27 Page 615

40

Robert probably did his shoemaking apprenticeship with the elderly John Davis who was a master shoemaker in nearby Corwen. Robert may have continued working for him for some time after his apprenticeship.

By 1841, three years after they were married, Robert and Blance were living just south of Llandrillo in the hamlet of Garthiaen with their two year old son, Giles Evans. They do not appear to have registered the baby’s birth in 1839 (civil registration was still new and enforcement was only gradual).

Ten years later when the 1851 Census was taken, Blance (incorrectly spelt in the Census as Blaince) was living in a cottage at Wern, a farming area alongside the marshes near Garthiaen on the River Ceidiog. Giles was now 12 and he had been joined by a brother, Richard Evans, who was 10 and a sister, Margaret Evans, who was five. Their father Robert, however, was not at home on the night the Census was taken.

Corwen today Instead, we find him staying in Corwen at the home of the shoemaker, John Davis. John was now 90 years old (an ancient age for that time). Living with John were two of his daughters and one of their husbands, Richard Davis, who was also a shoemaker. Robert was working as an employee and had stayed, probably overnight, due to work orders, inclement weather or some other event that delayed him returning home.

The next Census in 1861 has many pages missing from the local Shire records, including records relating to Corwen and Llandrillo. We do not pick up Robert and Blance again until the 1871 Census. Robert is recorded as 58 and Blance as 57 which were much closer to what I suspect were their real ages. They had been living at Wern for at least 20 years but by now all of the children had left home.

At some time during those 20 years Blance became known as Blanche (although Blance may always have been pronounced as Blanche). The new spelling is officially adopted in the 1871 Census. I have used the name Blanche from here on.

41

Blanche died on 20 September 1876 at the age of 64, according to her death certificate.22 She was still living at Wern. Unfortunately, her passing was not by natural causes. The death certificate notes she was insane at the time she cut her own throat with a knife. An inquest was held by the Merionethshire Coroner three days after her death.

Blanche was the first of two suicides within days of each other that shocked the local community.

The district paper, The Cambrian and Merionethshire Standard reported:23

“TWO SUICIDES AT LLANDRILLO The inhabitants of Llandrillo have been much excited and distressed by two events that have recently happened in the village; two of the most distressing events, we may say, that have occurred within the memory of the oldest inhabitants. The first was that of Mrs Evans, aged 66 years, the wife of Robert Evans, shoemaker, residing at the Wern. Early on Wednesday morning, September 13th, the deceased got up first, leaving her husband in bed. A few minutes after she had gone down stairs, he heard a groaning noise. He immediately went down and found her with a knife in her hand in the very act of cutting her throat.

The knife was taken from her and medical aid was promptly secured, Dr Walker being sent for. He dressed the wound, and did all he possibly could for her, but owing to a loss of blood and debility death terminated her sufferings on the 20th of September. A coroner's inquest was held before Mr Williams, the county coroner, and a respectable jury, when a verdict was returned of temporary insanity."

Blanche’s death was followed four days later by the suicide of a 70 year old retired shoemaker, Samuel Hughes, who had also cut his throat while at home with his wife in Llandrillo. He died within a few hours. An inquest found the cause of death to be unsound mind.

The Coroner, Griffith Williams, called on the police to keep a look out for people found wandering the parish in future so that assistance could be given at an earlier time. He remarked … “he had never attended in his life any place where two such distressing cases had happened in such a short period.” He made no connection between mental illness and shoemaking.

Sometime after Blanche’s death, the widowed Robert moved to a town further upstream on the River Ceiriog named Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog (which means church of St Ffraid in the Ceiriog Valley). The 1881 Census has him living in Pen y Bont Cottage which was the home of a lady named Anne Evans. She was likely to be a sister in law rather than a sister (or no relative at all). Robert was still working as a shoemaker.

A date of death for Robert has not been isolated from the hundred or so possibilities.

22 23

UK General Register Office BDM – Death Certificate 1876 11B 252 The Cambrian and Merionethshire Standard 29 September 1876, page 2

42

Glyn Ceiriog

Pen y Bont Cottage today

43

John Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

Harriet Evans

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

Edwin Evans

b 1866

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Evans

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

George Edward Evans

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

Levi Evans

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

Arthur Evans

b 1873

d nk

nk

The first known child of Robert and Blanche Evans was John Evans. He was born in or near the small picturesque Welsh town of Corwen (possibly in Llandrillo) in Denbighshire (but at the time it was part of Merionethshire). According to each relevant Census, he was born in either 1827 or 1828.

Unlike his father, John did not take up shoemaking as a profession. Instead like David Griffiths, he grew up with a strong connection to horses. Again like David, he took up service as a post boy. In 1851 when he was about 23 he was living as a lodger in a cottage in Corwen near the Alms House. The cottage was occupied by an agricultural labourer, Robert Rowland, and his wife Elizabeth. Perhaps John had outgrown the Evans family cottage and had gone to Corwen to find more work. At the time, his father was working as a shoemaker for John Davis in Corwen while his mother and younger siblings stayed at Llandrillo.

John was soon promoted to the role of post chaise driver and relocated to the larger town of Llangollen (actually Llangollen Fawr), 16 km east of Corwen and downstream on the River Dee. Llangollen (meaning church of St Collen, a monk who founded a 6 th Century church beside a ford of the river) was a centre for the local wool industry.

It was in Llangollen that John Evans met Elizabeth Edwards whose father Thomas worked as a boatman on the river. John was 25 and Elizabeth 20 when they were married on 28 May 1853 at St Collen’s parish church by the vicar, William Edwards. Although the vicar shared the same surname as Elizabeth, they were probably not close relatives (if at all) as the Edwards name was one of the most common in the town.

44

Their first known child was a daughter, Sarah Ann Evans (also known as Sarah Anne Evans), who was born on 16 November 1856 while John and Elizabeth were still living at Llangollen.24 John was shown on the birth certificate as a coach driver.

The township of Llangollen-Fawr It was probably unusual at that time for a first child to be born more than three years after the marriage of the parents. Difficulty in conceiving was not evidently a problem as Elizabeth had at least eight children between 1856 and 1873. There is a good chance that at least one earlier child was born to them before Sarah Anne but the child died sometime before the 1861 Census when only the living children were formally identified. This is a problem with relying on each Census as a child may have been born and died before the next Census is taken.

Over a dozen children were born in Corwen, the district that includes Llangollen, between 1853 and 1856 that had a father named Evans and a mother previously named Edwards. Dozens of infants and young children born in that district with a surname of Evans died between 1853 and the 1861 Census.

This might also explain the gap of five years between Sarah Anne and her next recorded sibling.

Walter Evans (also known as Walter Owen Evans) was born at the family home on 2 November 1861.25 The family was living at the Oak Yard in Chapel Street, Llangollen. John was working as a post boy, either as a driver on smaller runs or as an assistant on a coach plying the larger runs between major towns.

I have not been able to find any reference to John, Elizabeth and Sarah Ann in the 1861 Census for either England or Wales. I suspect that their details are included in the missing records for the Denbighshire County. This absence of key information limits the ability to identify any other children born before the next Census taken in 1871.

Just over a month after Walter’s birth, the whole of Britain went into shock with the news that Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, had died at Windsor Castle at the age of 42. The cause 24 25

UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1856 11B 372 UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1861 11B 359

45

of death was diagnosed as typhoid fever from a salmonella bacteria, probably from eating contaminated food.

Another daughter, Harriet, was born on 27 January 1864, also at the Oak Yard in Chapel Street.26 The family were still living at the Oak Yard when a son, Edwin, was born on 13 January 1866.27 John’s time as a coach driver in Llangollen came to an end soon after, possibly because of a sharp economic downturn at that time. He relocated his family to find work and what better place than Llandrillo where he already had family. In fact, his parents, Robert and Blanche Evans, had their small land holding above the marshy area known as Wern at the settlement named Garthiaen close to Llandrillo. No doubt, John and Elizabeth and the children either moved in with John’s parents or stayed in one of the adjoining cottages.

Their next child, Elizabeth Evans, was born in Wern on 29 November 1867. 28 At the time of Elizabeth’s birth her father was working as an agricultural labourer, not surprising really as the area comprised mostly small farm holdings and there was little opportunity for John to find employment as a groom or coach driver.

Another son, George Edward Evans, was born in Wern on 4 February 1869. John was noted on the register as a farm labourer.

Llangollen After the birth of George, it was not long before John was on the move again, looking to reconnect with his previous employment. He found work in the large town of Oswestry across the border in the English county of Shropshire. As Oswestry was a major crossroads for the region, it was not long before John was again working as a coach driver.

26 27 28

UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1864 11B 420 UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1866 11B 424 UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1867 11B 375

46

The 1871 Census locates the family at No 7 Vine Cottages, Albert Road, Oswestry. The cottage was one of 13 two storied terrace dwellings built alongside the old Rope Walk at the Castle Fields.

These dwellings were built only a few years earlier as part of the housing boom following the arrival of the first railway in Oswestry and the establishment of the town as the headquarters of the Cambrian Railways.

The road known as The Rope Walk started life in Oswestry probably some hundreds of years earlier when rope makers needed a long space to lay out strands of hemp and other fibres. The walk was as long as the length of rope needed to be made. The strands would be knotted at one end and then laid out together for the whole length, often along timber cross posts planted along the way to keep the strands off the ground.

Using special equipment, a worker would start at the knot by twisting the strands tightly while walking backwards until reaching the other end of the rope. The job required great strength as the rope became harder to twist with distance.

A worker would walk many miles a day laying out the strands and twisting the rope.

Vine Cottages shown by yellow colour

The Castle Fields once belonged to a Norman castle built between 1066 and 1086.

The town of Oswestry grew up around the castle over the following centuries. The castle was in decline by the mid1600s and was eventually destroyed by Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers at the end of the Civil War with King Charles I.

John and Elizabeth’s family was boosted by the birth of another son earlier in 1871, three months before the Census was taken. The baby was born on 9 January at No 7 Vine Cottages. 29 The baby’s name was registered as Levi Evans. John’s occupation on the register was shown as chaise driver and Elizabeth again signed the register by marking a cross.

A typical Rope Walk 29

There was something unusual about Levi from the start. When the Census was taken only three months after his birth, he was identified not as Levi Evans but as David P Evans. At first I thought the boys may have been twins (twins do appear in later generations). However, there is no record on the register for a David Evans born in Oswestry in early 1871, except for a David Charles Evans who had a different mother.

UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1871 06A 758

47

Whatever the issue was with Levi’s name, he is again identified as David Evans in the 1881 Census as a 10 year old before he is finally recognised by his registered name of Levi in the 1891 Census as a 20 year old still living at home with the family.

Perhaps he was named Levi but then his parents had a change of heart. It does happen and many children grew up with a different name to their registered or baptismal name. Perhaps they had no appreciation of the particularly Jewish origin of the name until it was pointed out to them. Or they may have had good reason to name him Levi after an ancestor or an admired friend. By the time he was 20, Levi would keep that name for the rest of his life.

One final child would complete the family when Arthur Evans was born at 7 Vine Cottages on 15 September 1873.30

Oswestry today John and Elizabeth and six of their children from 19 year old Walter to eight year old Arthur were still living at 7 Vine Cottages when the 1881 Census was taken. 24 year old Sarah Ann and 18 year old Harriet had left to find employment elsewhere. John, now in his early fifties, still worked as a coach driver but the Census noted he also worked as a domestic servant without identifying whether as a groom or other service related to his experience.

The 13 dwellings making up the Vine Cottages off Albert Road were home to a large and diverse number of families who, by their close proximity, shared much of their daily lives and the happy and sad times that came along. For instance, during the First World War at least 28 soldiers and two seamen who were residents of the dwellings along Albert Road or in the courts off that road were killed or drowned. Five of them came from the Vine Cottages. 31

30 31

UK General Register Office BDM – Birth Certificate 1873 06A 692 menonthegates.org.uk

48

Any thought John Evans had of easing into a deserved retirement over the next decade was dashed when he died suddenly in 1883. John’s body was found on 8 August 1883 floating in the Union Canal near the moors north of Whittington, about 5 km north east of Oswestry. 32 An inquest was held by the district’s deputy coroner before a coroner’s jury at the home of Miss Martha Jones, a grocer of nearby St Martins Moors. John was described as the late post boy of the Queen’s Hotel in Oswestry. The jury found that death was by drowning but returned an open verdict as to how the death occurred. This suggests that the jury was not prepared to say that John was drunk at the time which would have been the usual cause in the many cases of people

Outside the Queen’s Hotel in Oswestry falling into canals across Britain. The jury left open the possibility of an accident or foul play. 33 He was 57 according to his death certificate.

The Queen’s Hotel was a substantial building in Leg Street (a continuation of Beatrice Street) and within easy walking distance from Vine Cottages. The hotel was a local postal collection point and John’s role would have been to deliver the collected post within the town and nearby villages and take the remainder to the post office for delivery elsewhere.

55 year old Elizabeth Evans was noted as a widow in the 1891 Census but she had now moved to 59 Beatrice Street, Oswestry, just around the corner from Vine Cottages. Here she did her best to make ends meet with the help of her daughter Elizabeth and son Levi who lived with her and were both gainfully employed. Extra income came from a having a lodger who happened to work as an ostler.

32 33

UK General Register Office BDM – Death Certificate 1883 06A 397 Wellington Journal 18 August 1883, pages 5 and 8

49

59 Beatrice Street had previously been occupied by Richard Evans, a retired publican, and his wife. After his wife’s death, Richard boarded with Thomas Evans and his family at 55 Beatrice Street. Quite likely they were all from the same family. Elizabeth had moved into 59 Beatrice Street not long after Richard had moved out.

The 1901 Census found Elizabeth had moved across the road to 56 Beatrice Street (or perhaps the authorities had changed the street numbers, which was not uncommon, and she had not moved at all). Levi had by now married and moved further up the street but his older brother George had moved back in with his mother. On Census night they were looking after Sarah Ann’s daughter, Margaret.

By the time of the 1901 Census, Elizabeth’s health was failing. She passed away not long after on 23 May 1901 at home. Her cause of death was noted as heart disease. George provided the official information to the registrar. She was 67 according to her death certificate.34

Beatrice Street, Oswestry

34

UK General Register Office BDM – Death Certificate 1901 06A 454

50

Sarah Ann Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans Walter Owen Evans Harriet Evans Edwin Evans Elizabeth Evans George Edward Evans Levi Evans Arthur Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

b 1866

d nk

nk

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

b 1873

d nk

nk

Sarah was living with her family at 7 Vine Cottages, Oswestry in 1871 when she was 15. She moved out of home not long after turning 18. She was soon residing at a house in Beatrice Street where she may have worked as a live in servant. Sarah did not need to look far from home for a husband. She found a suitable man who was also living in Beatrice Street. His name was George Wharton and he was the son of a tailor, John Wharton and his wife Frances, who had moved to Oswestry from Cheshire. George had tried his hand at following his father in the tailoring business but he did not take up that livelihood for long.

Sarah was 20 when she married 24 year old George on 16 October 1876 in a ceremony at the Holy Trinity Church in Oswestry performed by the Irish born vicar, The Rev Frederick Cashel.

One of the official witnesses to the marriage was Margaret Ellen Evans who may have been a 21 year old cousin from Llandrillo.

George was described on the marriage certificate as an engine driver. This may have been an overstatement as he would spend most of his working life as a labourer.

Their first recorded child, Mabel Louise Wharton, was born three years later in 1879.

Not long after, George realised his future lay not in Oswestry but back in Cheshire, not far from where he was born in Davenham. The 1881 Census finds George and Sarah living at 119 Penny’s Lane at the quaintly sounding town of Witton cum Twambrooks, located on the opposite side of the Weaver River from the larger town of Northwich. George was working as a fitter’s labourer.

Two more children were born while the family were living in the Northwich area, possibly still at Witton, Frances Elizabeth Wharton in 1880 and Florence Wharton in 1883. The family then 51

moved to Warrington, a larger industrial town about 21 km to the northwest on the River Mersey upstream from Liverpool.

George Albert Wharton was born in 1885 and he was followed by Margaret Wharton in 1886.

The family was soon on the move again, this time leaving the congestion of a busy town for a quieter life in the countryside. They arrived at High Offley, a small village in Staffordshire close to the Birmingham and Liverpool Canal. The village was about 50 km due east of Oswestry which brought the family much closer to their Evans relations.

Two more children were born during the family’s time at High Offley, Eliza Ann Wharton in 1889 and Thomas Henry Wharton in 1890. However, the family was then on the move again and this time they returned to the north to a town called Middlewich, about 8 km to the southeast of Northwich. Middlewich was a busy town located on the confluence of three rivers and crossed by three canals and three major roads. George would not have much trouble finding work here.

The 1891 Census locates the family in Pepper Street, Middlewich where they occupied a four room house. George was working as a general labourer. He was now 39 and Sarah 35. They now had seven children between the ages of 11 and seven months. The eldest child Mabel is not recorded in the Census with the rest of the family. I thought at first she may have died but I could find no relevant death registration.

I did eventually track down Mabel. She was visiting her mother Sarah’s younger sister, Harriet who, now married, was living with her husband and five children at a house in Wrexham to the north of Oswestry. Another two children born at Middlewich completed the family for George and Sarah. Joseph Wharton was born in 1893 and Walter Wharton in 1894.

High Town Middlewich Tragedy hit the family with the untimely death of Sarah in 1896 at the age of 40, possibly in connection with another pregnancy or birth. The family’s grief was made worse when six year old Thomas Henry Wharton died the following year.

By 1901 George was working as a labourer in a milk factory at Middlewich. 18 year old Florence was still at home at 15 Pepper Street with the younger children Eliza, Joseph and Walter but 52

Mabel, Frances and George junior have all left home. The largest milk factory in the town was established in 1872 and produced milk, condensed milk and cocoa. However, George most likely worked in the dairy and salt works operated by the Seddon family in Pepper Street where George lived.

The 1911 Census shows 59 year old George and his two sons Joseph and Walter living as boarders of a newly married young couple named Hopkins at 26 Seddon Street, Middlewich.

George and Joseph both worked at the milk factory.

George Wharton passed away at the age of 82 in 1934.

Cottages in Pepper Street Middlewich

53

Walter Owen Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

b 1866

d nk

nk

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

b 1873

d nk

nk

Harriet Evans Edwin Evans Elizabeth Evans George Edward Evans Levi Evans Arthur Evans

Walter spent most of his childhood growing up in Oswestry while the family were living at 7 Vine Cottages. By the age of 17 he had been apprenticed as a cabinet maker and was working in that occupation as a 19 year old at the time of the 1881 Census.

There were a number of cabinet making establishments in Beatrice Street, Oswestry not far from the Vine Cottages. One of the nearest establishments was the business run by James Vaughan.

Having regard to later connections with the Vaughan family, I would not be surprised if Walter was apprenticed to James Vaughan.

Once he became qualified and started learning the rudiments of running a business, it was not long before Walter looked to better employment in a larger town or city. The 1891 Census finds him working as a cabinet maker in the Lancashire town of Wigan, now part of Greater Manchester. By 1891 the town was a thriving industrial centre dominated by

Newspaper Advertisement for James Vaughan 54

coal mines, cotton mills and engineering works. Walter would have found a strong demand for his skills.

29 year old Walter was living as one of four lodgers with a lady named Ellen Harrison at 30 Vaughan Street, Wigan (the street was named after a family called Vaughan who still had property there).

Walter was 34 when he married 19 year old Mary Ellen Goodwin on 5 September 1896 at St George’s Church in Wigan. Mary had been born and raised in the town of Newton-le-Willows, a few miles to the south of Wigan. The wedding took place at St Georges Church and the ceremony was performed by the assistant curate, the Rev Thomas Gleave. At the time of the marriage Walter was living at 33 Turner Street, Wigan.

Although Walter married when he was older than most men of the day, he made up for it by having at least nine children, giving his older sister Sarah some competition. The first child, also named Walter Evans, was born in 1898. The next two children were also born in Wigan, Laura Evans in 1899 and William Henry Evans in 1900.

By 1901 the young family was living at 5 River Street, Wigan.

The next child, Alice Evans, was born in Oswestry in 1902, perhaps during a visit to his parents, John and Elizabeth Evans. George Evans arrived on the scene back in Wigan in 1904. His brother Arthur Evans was born in 1906 (but registered under the name of James Arthur Evans).

Herbert Evans and Rose Evans were born in 1907 and 1910.

The last child was Frederick Evans and he was born in Wigan in 1913.

Walter was living at 8 Vaughan Street, Wigan when he died on 15 May 1937 at the age of 75.

His eldest child, Walter junior, was given probate of his estate valued at ÂŁ120/11/11.

Wigan

55

Harriet Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

Harriet Evans

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

Edwin Evans

b 1866

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Evans

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

George Edward Evans

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

Levi Evans

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

Arthur Evans

b 1873

d nk

nk

Harriet was about 15 when she left the family home in the Vine Cottages in Oswestry to work as a live-in domestic servant. However, she didn’t stay in Oswestry for long before finding a better position about 25 km to the north in Wrexham, the largest town in the north of Wales.

Wrexham was geographically positioned to take advantage of both busy trade routes and an abundance of natural resources. It became a highly successful market town and industrial centre. Large scale coal mining in the surrounding area, employing thousands of workers, took over from the many smaller mines that had operated since at least the Middle Ages. The quality of the local water was so good that by the mid-1800s there were 19 breweries in the town. One brewery famously became the first in the United Kingdom to produce lager beer.

By the time Harriet arrived in Wrexham, the town was a bustling and thriving community, much more exciting and promising than steady as you go Oswestry.

The 1881 Census finds 17 year old Harriet living at a house run by Charles Murless and his wife Susannah who were both 27 and doing quite well for themselves. Although Charles was born in Canterbury in England, Susannah was born in Oswestry and she may have known Harriet from earlier days. It is interesting that Susannah’s second name happened to be Harriet.

Charles Murless was a successful wine merchant operating out of Wrexham and the son of well known publicans. Wine and spirit merchants usually had a wealth of knowledge of all of the hotels and other drinking establishments in the area and acted as the distributor and supplier for a huge range of products. Charles could afford to employ Harriet as a full time live-in servant to help the 56 year old nanny who was employed to look after the Murless’ one year old son.

56

Not many years earlier, Charles Murless had played football as a fullback. He captained the Wrexham team in the mid-1870s and was frequently mentioned in the local newspaper.

Wrexham won the coveted Welsh Cup in 1878. This footballing profile no doubt helped him to develop his business interests in the liquor industry. In later years, Charles took over the large three story Wynnstay Arms Hotel in the centre of Wrexham which had previously been run by his parents. He employed up to 20 people to help run the fashionable hotel. It was from the balcony of that hotel that the Welsh born British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, announced the end of the First World War. Charles’ increasing popularity saw him appointed as a magistrate. He was elected Mayor of Wrexham in 1894.

The hotel was named after Wynnstay which was the large country estate of the Wynn family who were major landowners in the Wrexham area. The estate had been landscaped in the late 1700s by the famous English architect, Lancelot Brown (better known to history as Capability Brown).

It was the largest commission Brown had in Wales and was also the last commission before he died. European royalty and nobility were frequent guests at Wynnstay, including Princess Victoria and her mother. The Princess, later Queen Victoria, in fact became ill during her stay and the local doctor who treated her, was successful in agitating for a hospital facility to be built at Wrexham to avoid future embarrassment.

Living next door to the Murless family in 1881 were two spinster sisters, Mary and Jane Vaughan. They operated a garden seed business and seemed to make a reasonable living out of it. The sisters may have been connected to the Vaughan family in Oswestry. No doubt Harriet Evans made the acquaintance of the Vaughan sisters and quickly made a favourable impression.

Harriet was 18 when she married a man named Edward Vaughan in 1882. He was seven years older than Harriet and was working as a servant at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel then run Capability Brown by the parents of Charles Murless. Edward seems to have been an easy going sort of person – the marriage certificate records his Christian name as Ed. It is hard to imagine that working as a boot cleaner at the hotel would have provided much in the way of income to support a wife, let alone a family. Perhaps after the marriage they moved in with the Vaughan sisters or relied on them or other family members for some assistance.

There have been many stories of a family connection between the Wynns and the Vaughans.

There was one well to do branch of the Vaughan family who would be the main contenders for that connection but there were other less well-off branches.

This connection may have

57

Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Wrexham

been of some assistance to Harriet and Edward.

Unfortunately life was not going to be easy for Harriet. She gave birth to at least nine children over the next 18 years (was there a child producing competition with her older siblings that ended in a nine all draw?). John Edward Vaughan was the first, born in Wrexham in early 1884.

However, the next child, Harriet Ann Vaughan, was born in Oswestry in 1885. Perhaps the family were on a visit to the Evans family at the time or Harriet needed extra looking after.

These children were soon joined by Henry Vaughan in 1887, Jessie Vaughan in 1889 and Walter Vaughan in 1890. The 1891 Census shows the family living at 1 Willow Road, Wrexham, just a short walk from the Wynnstay Arms Hotel where Edward was now working as a hotel porter. A porter was more likely to be the person put in charge of the baggage arrangements rather than a servant whose job was to carry the baggage. This position (more like today’s concierge) would have been a rewarding step up for Edward, again suggesting he had good connections.

Willow Road, Wrexham The Vaughan household further expanded with the birth of George Vaughan in 1892. The family of six children soon needed larger lodgings. By 1893 they were living at 3 Mostyn Terrace, off the High Town Road not far from the Wynnstay Arms Hotel.

Soon after Christmas in 1893, eight year old Harriet Ann developed a chest infection that was diagnosed as bronchitis. As her temperature rose she began to experience the occasional fit (today known as a febrile seizure or convulsion). Typically the fit would cause the body to go stiff and the arms and legs to twitch uncontrollably. Often it led to unconsciousness. The fits were not particularly serious and would soon disappear when the temperature stabilised.

Unfortunately for young Harriet, during a particular fit on 28 December 1893, she lost consciousness and fell off a chair. The injuries from the fall were severe and she likely went into a coma.

Around 4 January in the New Year, while his sister was still in a coma from her injuries, three year old Walter started complaining of a sore throat. His neck had started to swell and he developed a felt like coating over his tongue and around the lining of his throat. He was soon 58

diagnosed with diphtheria, a disease which had broken out in Wrexham earlier in 1893.

Although the disease was known as far back as the 5th Century BC, the bacterium causing the disease was only identified in 1882. Normally associated with poor hygiene and living conditions, diphtheria is easily spread. Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Alice and one of her daughters died from the disease in 1878 after it had infected most of Alice’s family.

On 5 January, only a day or two after Walter came down with diphtheria, Harriet passed away from her injuries from the fall. She was buried three days later at the Wrexham Cemetery in Ruabon Road. Walter continued to deteriorate as the doctors could not prevent the disease from closing off his airways. He died on 11 January, three days after his sister’s burial. Walter was buried two days later at the same cemetery.

The loss of two children in such a short time did not deter Edward and Harriet from having more children. Edith May Vaughan arrived in 1895. She was followed by Lily Victoria Vaughan in 1897. The family were on the move again but this time they did not have far to go. They moved from 3 Mostyn Terrace to 4 Mostyn Terrace (or again perhaps the street numbers were changed).

Princess Alice

Lily was only six months old when she contracted scarlet fever (or scarlatina as it was then called). The red cheeks and bright red coating on the tongue would have been obvious symptoms of the highly contagious disease. She was quickly packed off to the Fever Hospital in Wrexham, set up only a few years earlier to deal mostly with cases of scarlet fever and smallpox.

Lily’s condition worsened and the disease likely caused damage to her kidneys. Twelve days after contracting the disease, Lily died in the hospital on 11 October 1897. Her father and probably her mother were with her when she died. She was buried with her siblings at Wrexham Cemetery three days later.

Her mother Harriet may have been pregnant again when Lily died because Beatrice Vaughan was born early the following year. Another daughter, Amelia Sophia Vaughan, arrived in June 1900.

By 1901 the family had moved to a more modern suburban area of terrace houses built for workers mostly in the cotton milling business. Their residence at 5 Trevor Street, Wrexham may have given them a more comfortable existence.

Edward was still employed as a hotel porter although he was by now likely working at Feathers Hotel (originally the Plume of Feathers Inn), in Charles Street

59

Inside a Fever Hospital

directly opposite the Wynnstay Arms Hotel. He would soon take over the licence of the Feathers Hotel and live there with his family.

Their eldest son John was now 17 and working as a printer, probably in a newspaper office. His 13 year old brother Henry worked as an office clerk. The extra income brought in by the two brothers would certainly have come in handy. A final child, Amy Vaughan, was born on 18 April 1902.

Further tragedy hit the family in 1903. Although Harriet was now only 39, she had not been well for some time. She had a history of heart disease including a leaking heart valve. She also suffered from liver disease in the form of cirrhosis, suggesting she had a well satisfied fondness for the products of the hotel. On 30 April 1903 she collapsed at the hotel and passed away from a heart attack. She was buried two days later with the three children who had preceded her. Harriet was a year younger than her sister Sarah when Sarah passed away in 1896.

Advertisement Harriet was fortunate not to be around later in the year when eight year old Edith May was admitted to the Wrexham Infirmary (next door to the Fever Hospital) suffering from abdominal pain and fever. Edith had been progressively losing weight over a period of months (probably put down to the loss of her mother). She was eventually diagnosed with peritonitis, a dangerous inflammation of the inner lining of the abdomen. In Edith’s case the peritonitis was linked to tuberculosis, a rare form of the disease, especially for children.

Edith did not respond to treatment and died at the infirmary on 7 October 1896. She was buried five days later.

Edward continued as the publican (formally as a licensed victualler) of the Feathers Hotel while the older children grew up. He was 49 when on 5 June 1906 he married 37 year old Mary Gertrude Gorse.

The service at St Giles Parish Church was performed by the curate, the Rev W S Probert. Mary was a single lady working as a housekeeper at the Feathers Hotel. The witnesses to the marriage were Edward’s 17 year old daughter Jessie and, surprisingly, Harriet’s 37 year old brother, George Edward Evans, who had come up from Oswestry for the occasion. Clearly, there was a strong continuing relationship between the Vaughan and Evans families.

Feathers Hotel Wrexham 60

No further tragedy struck the Vaughan household for another three years, which is not a very long time. In 1909, 11 year old Beatrice came down with a fever and severe headaches. No doubt all of the horrors of the past would have come roaring back to Edward. Like her sister Edith May, Beatrice had contracted tuberculosis probably by breathing in someone’s cough. She may have had it for years and it may have come from Edith.

After lying dormant for some time, the bacteria became active and managed to penetrate the lining of the brain causing the inflammation known as meningitis. This was yet another rare form of the disease. Beatrice’s headaches would only have gotten worse as the inflammation increased. It may have taken weeks but eventually she would have fallen into a coma. She died on 27 December 1909 at home in the hotel. She was buried four days later.

It is likely Beatrice’s condition was not diagnosed fully until after her death as the disease was notoriously difficult to identify and treat.

At some time after their marriage (and likely after the death of Beatrice), Edward and Mary left Wrexham to find a new life for themselves. This was surprising considering Edward still had two children of school age who were left behind to be looked after by their older siblings. The 1911 Census finds Edward and Mary living at Tregonwell near Llandrindod Wells, an old spa town towards the centre of Wales and far to the south of Wrexham. Edward was working as a licensed victualler but I have not been able to identify the relevant hotel.

The 1911 Census also shows all of the remaining Vaughan children still living at the Feathers Hotel. The oldest son John was now 27 and working as a licensed victualler’s assistant, probably for whoever had taken over from his father. Henry was 24 and worked for a newspaper as a linotype operator. George was 18 and also worked as a licensed victualler’s assistant like his brother.

Jessie Vaughan was 22 and probably filled in her time with work at the hotel while her younger sisters, 10 year old Amelia and eight year old Amy were at school. None of the older children had married.

Later in life Edward and Mary moved to the Welsh seaside town of Rhyl to the northwest of Wrexham. Edward was living at 9 West Parade, Rhyl when he passed away in July 1919 at the age of 64. He was buried back at Wrexham Cemetery in the same grave as his first wife Harriet and five of his children (Grave No 2844).

Amy Vaughan later moved to Oswestry to be with her Evans relatives. She was living at 56 Beatrice Street in 1927 where she worked as a housekeeper.

Her uncle George and his wife Emma had already left that address so the house would have been occupied by other family members or by tenants.

West Parade and the Foreshore at Rhyl 61

25 year old Amy left Oswestry in early 1928 and went to London from where she sailed to Australia via the Suez Canal on board the four year old steamer SS Oronsay.

One of the

passengers on board with her, at least until he disembarked at Naples, was the celebrated writer Rudyard Kipling.

We will meet up with Amy again later in this story.

SS Oronsay

62

Edwin Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

Harriet Evans

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

Edwin Evans

b 1866

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Evans

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

George Edward Evans

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

Levi Evans

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

Arthur Evans

b 1873

d nk

nk

By 1881 Edwin was a 15 year old working full time as a general labourer. He soon became apprenticed to an Oswestry blacksmith named Gibbs. Edwin’s father John had died suddenly in 1883 and his mother had moved from the Vine Cottages to 59 Beatrice Street in Oswestry.

Edwin made his way to Shrewsbury in January 1885 where on Thursday 13 th he made an oath:

“I, Edwin Evans do solemnly promise and swear that I will be faithful to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, her heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully serve in the Militia, until I shall be discharged.”

Edwin had enlisted to serve six years in the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Enlistment was voluntary but there was a certain appeal about having a uniform, learning combat training, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow soldiers, earning extra money from Militia pay and the excitement of an annual camp. No overseas service was required.

The Militia’s role was to provide defence against invasion and take over home garrisons in time of war overseas to free up regular battalions.

At the time of his enlistment Edwin was 19 and living at 55 Beatrice Street, where Thomas Evans lived with his large family. Perhaps the two Evans families were related but it does not explain why Edwin was not living with the rest of his family two doors down. Edwin was now working as a blacksmith and no doubt the battalion was keen to take on young men with Edwin’s skills.

63

His military service would have entailed an initial three months full time training at Shrewsbury followed by intermittent training and service at a local depot. Edwin was free to follow his occupation as a blacksmith for most of his time.

The 1891 Census shows Edwin had moved from Oswestry to the industrialised locality of Ince-in-Makerfield, just to the south of Wigan, the town where his sister Sarah was now living. As Ince-in-Makerfield is in Lancashire, it is likely that Edwin had only completed his six year Shropshire Militia service shortly before the Census was taken.

Coal mines and cotton mills were the chief provider of work in the locality. Many men also worked on the railways.

Edwin was a boarder of William Pendleton at a house at 169 Warrington Road.

William and his neighbour were both locomotive engine drivers. Another boarder was also a blacksmith like Edwin.

By 1896 Edwin had moved away from the Wigan area and was working 19 km north of Manchester in the town of Ramsbottom (meaning valley of wild garlic rather than an anatomical part). Ramsbottom was another heavily industrialised town providing plenty of work opportunities for a blacksmith.

Edwin was 30 when he married 28 year old Ann Edwards on 27 August 1896 at the Emmanuel Church in the neighbouring Edwin Evans Militia Enlistment village of Holcombe. Ann was living in Pot Green in Holcombe and worked as a nurse.

She had originally come from Llansantffraid in Wales, incidentally the same town that Edwin’s grandfather Robert Evans had retired to by 1881.

The wedding ceremony was conducted by the Rev Henry Dowsett who had been the rector of the church for the previous 21 years. He was very popular with his parishioners although he did maintain a certain strictness. Four years earlier he had a memorable altercation with some of the senior students at the village school after he caught them indulging in the sinful pursuit of dancing.

Edwin and Ann’s marriage certificate records Edwin’s father as a deceased coachman named “John Thomas Evans”, the only time John Evans was given a middle name. Edwin’s younger brother Levi Evans was a witness to the ceremony.

The 1901 Census finds Edwin’s wife Ann living in a four room house on the Wrexham Road at Overton, a village on the River Dee about half way between Oswestry and Wrexham. Edwin is not recorded as being at home on 31 March, the night the Census was taken. However, another 64

name is recorded that comes as a surprise. Arthur E Evans is shown as a seven year old son which would put his year of birth about 1894, at least two years before his parents were married.

To add to the mystery, his birth place is recorded as being Ewell in Surrey which is about 23 km south of London. I found no record of a birth in Epsom, the registration district for Ewell, from 1893 to 1898 of a boy named Arthur with a mother Ann Edwards or Ann Evans. This suggests that Ann may have been married at the time to someone else and the birth was recorded under a different surname and maiden name.

I did, however, find a baptism record for an Arthur Harold Evans who was born on 25 July 1897 at New Shoreham (now Shoreham-by-Sea), a coastal town near Brighton just over an hour’s drive to the south. His parents were Edwin and Ann Evans and the timing fits with a marriage in 1896. However, this would mean that the 1901 Census should have recorded Arthur as a four year old and not a seven year old.

I cannot isolate a further record of Arthur as either someone born in Ewell in Surrey in 1894 or in Shoreham, Sussex in 1897. He is not living with his parents in the next Census in 1911. So his origin and later whereabouts remains a mystery, at least to me.

I have also been unable to locate Edwin in the 1901 Census. He was probably working away from home at the time. Not all inns and lodgings bothered to keep accurate records of guests on a Census night, especially if the guest was up early and left before breakfast. I did find one Edwin Evans of the same age and born in Oswestry (not Llangollen) who was a boarder at a house in Elan Village to the south of Llanidloes in Wales. This far location and the fact he was recorded as a general labourer rather than a blacksmith makes this an unlikely record.

We have to wait for the next Census in 1911 to pick up the trail. 45 year old Edwin and 43 year old Ann are now living at the appropriately named The Smithy, a five room residence located between the villages of Sandy Lane and Penley near Ellesmere, about 5 km from Overton where they were living 10 years earlier.

Ellesmere in Winter

65

There may have been a family connection in Edwin and Ann taking over The Smithy. It seems the previous occupants were members of the Vaughan family, most likely the same family that Edwin’s older sister Harriet had married into. One of the Vaughan children, Gladys, who was born in 1909, later commented that they were related to the Wynn family of Wrexham. Gladys also said the family left The Smithy when the arrival of motor cars caused the blacksmith business to fall away. The house was also subject to rising damp and this helped the decision to move.

The 1911 Census records that Edwin and Ann had only one child and that it was still living. No doubt this was a reference to Arthur. What is surprising is Edwin and Ann are recorded as having been married for 18 years rather than the actual 15 years. I suspect they had been telling everyone they were married in 1893 to give legitimacy to Arthur’s birth in 1894.

It is thought Edwin died in 1928 at the age of 62 and his death recorded in the Ellesmere district but this has not been confirmed. I have not been able to isolate a time of passing for Ann.

Gladys Vaughan aged about 4

66

Elizabeth Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

Harriet Evans

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

Edwin Evans

b 1866

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Evans

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

George Edward Evans

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

Levi Evans

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

Arthur Evans

b 1873

d nk

nk

Elizabeth was the first of the children of John and Elizabeth Evans not to have been born in Llangollen. At the time of her birth the family had moved to a farm holding near Llandrillo to be closer to John’s parents.

Elizabeth spent most of her childhood, however, in Oswestry to where her parents had moved before 1871. By the time she was 23, Elizabeth was working as a tobacconist at a shop in Beatrice Street, probably at the family home. It was likely while working as a tobacconist that Elizabeth met Edward Griffiths, soon to be promoted to locomotive engine driver for the Cambrian Railways Company. Elizabeth and her family would have thought that Edward’s well paid occupation made him quite a catch.

Edward was 32 and still boarding at nearby Gittin Street when he married 25 year old Elizabeth at the Holy Trinity Church in Oswestry on 4 December 1892. It is unclear why Edward put his age down by two years on the marriage certificate. Perhaps he thought he needed to be closer in age to Elizabeth.

The ceremony was performed by the Rev Thomas Redfern, the vicar of the church. Elizabeth’s younger brother, George Evans, was one of the official witnesses.

Edward and Elizabeth were living in Beatrice Street when their first child, Ernest Sidney Griffiths, was born on 29 January 1894. He was baptised at the Holy Trinity Church by the curate, the Rev W Beavan, on 19 April 1894 but under the name of Ernest Sydney Griffiths (no doubt causing Ernest a lot of later problems).

67

Only a few days after the baptism, Edward was driving a mixed train of goods and passengers on the Cambrian Railway near Bettisfield when it collided with a goods train. 35 In the days before mechanical or electrical signalling, a train could only continue on a section of single line if the driver held a key (known as a token) for that section. The token had to be obtained from station staff who could only obtain the token (let’s say token B) from a holder after the previous train had cleared the section and their token (token A) had been inserted in the next section’s holder that then unlocked token B. The token was placed in a leather bag (known as a tablet) which was attached to a large metal ring to make it easier to hand over to people on the train or platform.

The system worked extremely well and is still used in the United Kingdom today on some small heritage lines. However, in the case of this particular accident, the fireman on the goods train handed over his section tablet to the stationmaster at Bettisfield while the train was still standing before the end of the section. The stationmaster then inserted the token, releasing the token for the start of that section back at Ellesmere. The stationmaster at Ellesmere then gave his token to Edward who sent his train on its way towards Bettisfield where it inevitably collided with the rear of the still standing earlier train.

Luckily, the collision was minor as Edward’s train was already slowing for Bettisfield Station. No passengers were hurt. An enquiry found fault with both stationmasters and both drivers (perhaps unfairly on Edward, I thought) for not following the rules. It pointed out that most of them had been working for over 11 hours straight. It concluded the railway company must take responsibility for allowing its servants to “drift into irregularities.”

Not long after this newsworthy event the family moved to a new residence at 8 Ash Road, just around the corner from the Vine Cottages where Elizabeth had grown up. It was here that Flora May Griffiths was born on 30 March 1895. She was baptised on 31 May 1895 by the church’s new curate, the Rev William Pownall Owen.

Beatrice Street Oswestry 35

The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard 27 April 1894, page 3

68

The family was on the move again, this time to a house on the Whittington Road further to the north. Another son, Reginald Edward Griffiths, was born here on 22 August 1897. Just over three months later on 2 November 1897, little Flora May Griffiths died from an illness described as “post-diphtheritic paralysis.� Her death occurred at Beatrice Street, suggesting either she was being cared for by other members of the Evans family or Edward and Elizabeth had moved yet again.

Flora would have contracted the same disease, diphtheria, which her cousin Walter Vaughan died from in Wrexham only three years earlier. Flora had a better response to the treatment and looked to be on track for recovery. But a small number of people who survive an attack of the disease and seem to be recovering well, start to get a paralysis in various parts of the body three to five weeks later. The paralysis could become severe and a painful death could result as the airways slowly ceased to function and organs shut down. This was the fate of Flora.

A year or two later the family had moved almost back to the Vine Cottages where Elizabeth had grown up. Their new residence was at 3 Albert Place, Oswestry. It was here on 27 April 1899 that Albert Victor Griffiths was born.

The 1901 Census shows the family rarely stayed in the one place for long. Normally, that would indicate an inability to pay the rent when it fell due, requiring a constant change of address. As Edward had a well paid job as a train driver, the reason may be that he was always on the lookout for premises to better house his family. The 1901 Census finds Edward, Elizabeth and their three sons living in Lloyd Street, Oswestry, yet again not far from the Vine Cottages and Beatrice Street.

By 1902 they had moved again, this time to a house at 3 Bridge Terrace, part of a new row of houses off the Whittington Road. Arthur Gordon Griffiths was born there on 11 May 1902.

Lloyd Street Oswestry

69

The following year caused more distress to the Griffiths family. Elizabeth was visiting her family in Beatrice Street on 27 May 1903 where her younger brother George Evans now ran the newsagency and tobacconist shop. Four year old Albert was playing out on the footpath in front of the shop when he started to choke on a peanut (or monkey nut as it was reported) which had slipped down his throat and Bridge Terrace Oswestry lodged in his windpipe.

People quickly came to his rescue but all attempts to dislodge the nut failed. A doctor soon arrived but he was also unable to retrieve the nut as it had travelled too far down. Albert eventually became unconscious and expired due to asphyxiation. His ordeal lasted about 15 minutes. 36 An inquest into his death was held the following day and a certificate issued by William Lewis, the Coroner for the County of Shropshire.

Not long after this time Edward started developing early signs of a serious illness. He would have experienced, fatigue, headaches, insomnia and feelings of depression. These symptoms, of course, were common to any number of illnesses and treatment would have been focused more on alleviation than the cause.

As time went on, Edward would start to show more concerning symptoms such as anti-social behaviour, impairment of memory and judgement, hallucinations and speech issues.

Eventually, he would have become delusional, particularly by exaggerating or making up great achievements.

He may have experienced melancholy or paranoia, seizures, mobility issues and higher levels of dementia.

To live with a person suffering from this illness must have been a torment for Edward’s family.

When his condition deteriorated to the point where they could cope no longer, he was admitted to the County Asylum at Bicton, a few kilometres north east of Shrewsbury.

Edward was diagnosed as suffering from general paresis (or general paralysis), identified by his mental state (particularly his sense of elation

36

Shropshire County Asylum at Bicton

Evening Express 28 May 1903, page 2

70

and grand ideas) combined with a progressive paralysis. Edward’s case was mirrored across the United Kingdom at the time, with thousands of patients receiving the same diagnosis of general paresis. The great majority of these patients were men in their 30s and 40s and they all exhibited the same tell-tale signs of the disease. Their outlook was bleak with most dying within months or days of admission. It was thought that up to 15% of asylum patients at that time suffered from this particular illness. What was the cause of such a morbid disease?

The separate identity of the disease from other forms of mental illness was made clear in the early 1800s but the cause was still unknown. Research pointed to various possible causes including excessive mental labour, heavy physical work, alcohol, a blow to the head and spinal injuries. Some doctors had drawn attention to the fact that the disease mostly affected men, with soldiers and sailors having particular susceptibility. It also became apparent that many of the patients had previously suffered from syphilis.

By the time Edward was admitted to the asylum, it was generally accepted by the medical profession and asylum superintendents that general paresis and syphilis were connected.

Edward finally succumbed to the disease on 2 September 1904. He had been suffering from the disease for at least a year. His death at the age of 44 left his wife and three remaining boys to be supported by other members of the Evans family. After Edward was admitted to the asylum, Elizabeth and the children returned to 56 Beatrice Street to live with her brother George.

It was not until the following year that it was finally confirmed that general paresis was in fact caused by the syphilis bacteria. After lying dormant, it rose to attack the brain and render its victims utterly helpless. The connection had been difficult to make because general paresis was such a late stage of syphilis, usually occurring 10 to 30 years after infection with no signs after the early stages had passed. 37 This late stage affected only about 5% of syphilis sufferers so Edward was particularly unlucky.

In the late 1880s, when Edward most likely became infected, the rate of infection for syphilis was about 8% of the population, although some reports had it as high as 10%.

There was no effective treatment until the advent of some arsenic based drugs and later penicillin. Edward probably became infected after the age of 14 when he had left home and found work in the larger towns like Oswestry.

He would have remained contagious during the early stages but not once those stages had passed.

Crockery from Bicton Asylum

He was 32 when he married Elizabeth and would have been well past any contagious threat. No doubt he thought he had beaten the disease and may have made no mention of it to Elizabeth. Elizabeth and her children never

showed signs of the disease in their lifetimes.

It was over the seven years after Edward’s death that Elizabeth’s brother George would step in to the father’s role for the three boys. George was single at the time of Edward’s death in 1904.

37

Looking Back – Jennifer Wallis, The British Psychological Society October 2012 Volume 25 page 790

71

He waited until he was 39 before he married in 1907 but he and his wife would have no children.

Elizabeth moved to a residence at 4 Bailey Street in the heart of Oswestry, probably around the time George married.

Oswestry The boys all attended the local school. The youngest, Arthur, started primary school on 20 August 1909 when he was seven. His school record shows he left the school on 8 November 1910. A notation was added “Gone to Australia.�

I have not been able to find the reason why Elizabeth packed up all of her most prized possessions into a small amount of luggage and then took her sons far away from family and friends to find a new life on the other side of the world in Australia. But that is what she did.

They boarded the SS Mamari in London on 30 November 1910 joining 480 immigrants to New South Wales. A report in The Sydney Morning Herald on 12 January 1911 (page 10) says that

SS Mamari 72

the majority of immigrants were “nominated” meaning that “no special arrangements are necessary in regard to housing them, their friends being at hand to receive them.”

This suggests that Elizabeth had a relative or at least a good friend who had already immigrated to Australia and who was prepared to take responsibility for the family when they arrived. I have not been able to identify any such relative or friend but I suspect it may have been a member of the wider Vaughan family.

The SS Mamari was built in 1904 in Belfast by Harland and Wolff. It was sold to the Shaw Savill & Albion Line who allowed the ship to operate under the banner of the White Star Line in a joint venture agreement. Another White Star Line ship also built by Harland & Wolff, the SS Titanic, would sink on its maiden voyage the year after Elizabeth arrived in Australia.

The SS Mamari arrived in Melbourne on 12 January 1911 on its way to Sydney where it docked two days later at Dalgety’s Wharf at Miller’s Point. It is hard for us to imagine the view of Sydney Cove with no Harbour Bridge, Opera House or high rise office buildings to draw your attention.

Elizabeth and the boys had an exciting arrival in Sydney. The master of the ship, Captain Burrill Holmes, said the steamer felt the full force of a cyclone that passed over the ship to the south of Sydney. He added:

“It is a long time since I experienced anything like it. The centre of the storm passed right over us. I have often been near the centre of a big storm, but never before have I been right in it. I shall not soon forget the wicked look of it. It began when we were off Cape Everard, the other side of Gabo Island. We had to lay to from 10 o’clock on Friday morning till 11 o’clock at night. I made two attempts to keep the ship on her course, but the sea was too heavy, and the safety of the passengers demanded that we should lay to again. There was a great deal of lightning, and some of the women on board were very much scared. No damage resulted, however.”

After unloading its passengers in Sydney, the ship continued its voyage to New Zealand before returning to England.

Elizabeth does not appear to have been fully honest when completing the immigration papers.

She put her age down from 44 to 38 and described herself as a housewife rather than a widow.

Perhaps she was advised to make herself look more presentable as an immigrant with future prospects rather than as someone who might struggle to make a living. She gave the correct ages for Ernest (16) and Arthur (9) but she put Reginald’s age down from 14 to 11. No doubt this was to obtain the cheaper fare for children under 14 and Reginald was certainly small for his age.

Regardless of the reason for leaving, they had now arrived in Sydney to start their new lives.

George Evans would never see his sister Elizabeth again but he would unexpectedly see both Ernest and Reginald in the near future.

The story of Elizabeth and her children continues in the next chapter of this book after the Evans’ story.

73

George Edward Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

Harriet Evans

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

Edwin Evans

b 1866

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Evans

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

George Edward Evans

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

Levi Evans

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

Arthur Evans

b 1873

d nk

nk

The story now moves on to Elizabeth’s younger brother George who was born on the farmholding near Llandrillo two years after Elizabeth on 4 February 1869.

George was only 14 years old at the time of his father’s sudden death in 1883. Except for 16 year old Elizabeth, his older brothers and sisters had all left home and George was the eldest of the three boys still under their mother’s care. Elizabeth and George would have taken on more responsibility for the management of the household income over the next 10 years.

We know that George was still living in Oswestry and actively engaged in local affairs in 1890 because he is recorded in the Oswestry Advertiser of 29 October as the principal proposer of a local solicitor, Richard Ellis, for election to the Town Council (even though George was only 21 at the time and barely able to vote).

George seems to have spent most of his life in Oswestry. However, I can find no record of him in the 1891 Census for either England or Wales. He certainly was not at the family home on the night the Census was taken (unless they forgot he was there).

There was a record of a George Evans reported in the Oswestry Advertiser in late 1889 who had been charged with stealing a bag of hops from his employer at a brewery in Oswestry. This George absconded and went into hiding, forfeiting the bail that someone else had put up for him, while his co-accused was found guilty and sent to prison for three months. I very much doubt this is the relevant George Evans as there were at least six people of that name living in Oswestry at that time and our George was always known in later life for his exemplary conduct as a businessman.

74

There is a possibility that George may have joined a volunteer army unit, following in the footsteps of his older brother Edwin. For example, a George Evans was a part time private in the 1st Volunteer Brigade of the Royal Welsh (Welch) Fusiliers based at Ruabon in Denbighshire, not far from Oswestry (who was awarded various prizes for drill skills in 1889 38). Or George may have been absent on business or engaged in itinerant work and his location on Census night was never recorded.

A Sergeant in the 1st Volunteer Brigade RWF and Hat Badge By 1891 Elizabeth was running a tobacconist shop, probably in the front rooms of the family home. After her marriage in 1892 the tobacconist shop was taken over by George who later showed entrepreneurial acumen by expanding the business into other lines, including newspapers and stationery.

George did appear in court one day in 1896 before the bench of magistrates at the County Petty Sessions in Oswestry. But he was there to give evidence, not to answer any charges. George had ordered a parcel of 40 packets of cigarettes from a supplier in Shrewsbury. The parcel was sent by train to Gobowen Station on the Great Western Railway line that ran from Shrewsbury to Chester in the north. The parcel was then placed on another train that ran on the branch line from Gobowen Station to Oswestry Station. When George opened the parcel he found that it was damaged and short by four packets. After reporting the apparent theft to the police, a railway detective named Killaway investigated whether the parcel had been interfered with in transit from Shrewsbury to Oswestry.

Killaway’s enquiries led him to Gobowen Station where he interviewed a 15 year old station worker who said he saw a 14 year fellow worker named John Evans (but no apparent relation) open the parcel and take out the packets.

38

Oswestry Advertiser 6 March 1889, page 2

75

John Evans said he simply repaired the parcel because it was in a loose condition, not noticing that some of the contents may have already fallen out. Upon further questioning, he admitted taking the packets and giving them to the driver and fireman of the train. Young John was handed over to the police at Oswestry who also charged him with stealing a shilling from the Gobowen booking office.

John had no option other than to plead guilty but he brought with him some well respected people, including the rector from nearby Whittington, who gave such glowing testimony of John’s character that the bench of five magistrates unanimously put him on a bond rather than send him to prison.39 Whether George was ever recompensed for his loss was not reported.

George and his mother were still living in Beatrice Street at the turn of the century. By 1901 they were the only two members of the family left in the house (although the 1901 Census shows they were visited at the time by George’s 15 year old niece, Margaret Wharton, Harriet’s daughter).

George’s mother Elizabeth died less than two months after the 1901 Census, leaving 32 year old George fully in charge of the house and the shop. It was George who two years later ran from the shop to try unsuccessfully to save the life of his four year old nephew Albert.

In 1907 when he was 38, George married 35 year old Emma Trevor at Oswestry. Emma came from Pant, a town to the south of Oswestry on the Welsh border.

Neither appears to have been married before and I have found no confirmation of any children they may have had.

One family historian has identified two children born in 1907 and 1910 but the 1911 Census for Oswestry clearly records the number of their children living or not as “none.” That Census shows George and Emma as the sole occupants of the old six room family home and business at 56 Beatrice Street with Emma working in the shop as an assistant.

Many young men from Oswestry and the surrounding district enlisted for the First World War. Many more were later conscripted to make up for the huge losses being suffered. George would have seen a lot of young men he knew march off to war and, like everyone else, he would have been appalled that so many of them did not return. He would be pleasantly surprised to be visited during the war by two of the sons of his sister Elizabeth,

39

George Edward Evans

The Montgomery County Times and Shropshire and Mid-Wales Advertiser 27 June 1896, page 3

76

who had taken her family to Australia at the end of 1910. The happy reunion is covered in more detail in the next chapter.

George had not been well for a long time and this would have been noticed by his Australian relatives on their visit. George and Emma moved to a four bedroom house with two kitchens, a sitting room and a garden at No 1 Llwyn Terrace, further up Beatrice Street. He may have given up the business by then and taken in boarders to provide an income.

George was likely visiting or staying with his older brother Edwin at The Smithy near Penley when he died on 19 June 1922 at the age of 53. Probate was granted to his wife showing an estate valued at ÂŁ3,175 12s 10d, a considerable amount for the time and more than enough to provide Emma with a comfortable life.

There are three records for an Emma Evans passing away in Oswestry in later years that match her for age. The first was in 1945 when she would have been about 73, the next in 1960 when she would have been about 88 and the last in 1964 when she would have reached the good age of about 92.

Centre of Oswestry

77

Levi Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

Harriet Evans

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

Edwin Evans

b 1866

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Evans

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

George Edward Evans

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

Levi Evans

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

Arthur Evans

b 1873

d nk

nk

Levi is the son who spent most of his early life known as David Evans. His birth was registered under the name of Levi but the Censuses recorded him as David until he was 20. At that time he was still living at the family home in Beatrice Street. The 1891 Census and Kelly’s Business Directory of 1895 for Oswestry have his occupation as a tin plate worker.

Levi became a metal worker in one of the many foundries or factories that had sprung up in the area since the opening of the railway stations. He was also known for his singing prowess, being mentioned in passing in a local paper in 1897 for his contribution to a celebratory event. 40 Levi was 29 when he married 34 year old Eliza Owen on 23 April 1900 at the Registry Office in Oswestry. Eliza (which was short for Elizabeth) was an unusual choice for a wife. She was a widow with two children, two year old Annie and one year old Jessie. Eliza had married Thomas Owen at Oswestry less than four years earlier in 1896. Thomas was the licensee of the Fighting Cocks Inn further down Beatrice Street at No 13. He died not long after Jessie was born in 1898, leaving his wife £102 and the licence of the inn.

Perhaps marrying a lady who had her own pub was too much enticement for Levi who happily took on the role of husband and father to Eliza’s two daughters. In fact, Eliza had another older daughter tucked away who was born in 1885 when Eliza was almost 20. This daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Ellis, was given Eliza’s maiden name of Ellis on her birth certificate but the father’s name was left blank. Margaret, who was named after Eliza’s mother, was born at Treflach, a town not far to the south of Oswestry, where Eliza’s family came from and where her father

40

The Montgomery County Times and Shropshire and Mid-Wales Advertiser 2 October 1897, page 8

78

worked as an agricultural labourer (a term possibly more elegant or more encompassing than farm worker.)

Fighting Cocks Inn Oswestry The 1891 Census shows five year old Margaret living with Eliza’s parents at Treflach but Eliza was not recorded as living there at the time. Instead, she was working as a domestic servant (probably a maid) at the Railway Hotel in Beatrice Street.

Almost as soon as Levi and Eliza were married in 1900, Eliza became pregnant. Her fourth daughter, Levina Evans, was born on 5 January 1901 to become one of the early arrivals of the new century. There are no prizes for guessing who Levina was named after.

Fighting Cocks Inn early 1900s 79

Levi found himself in court the following month where he gave evidence in a case brought against his employer for negligent work.41 At the time Levi was working for John Minshall & Co, a business of plumbing and ironmongering. They had offices at Oswestry, Corwen and Barmouth on the Welsh coast.

Levi was the worker sent to the Osborne Hotel in Bailey Street, Oswestry (a short walk from his employer) to carry out a number of pipe connections at the hotel including a pipe to an earthenware cask in the bar of the hotel. Levi tested all of the connections with water to ensure they were well sealed. The cask was soon filled with rum. Some months later the landlord had the empty cask filled with port. The landlord’s manager came downstairs in the early hours of the following morning and found the rum had leaked all over the floor in a matter of only eight hours. The landlord wanted compensation for the loss of 12 gallons (54.5 litres) of rum and incidental expenses.

The landlord claimed that the soldering of the joint had not been done properly. Levi told the court the leak in the solder was a small break caused by the pipe being later knocked. His fellow worker, a plumber named James Redrobe said there was no way 12 gallons could have leaked from the cask over the time stated. The judge reserved his decision so that a test could be made to confirm the rate of leakage.

I have not found a report of the final result of the court case but a few online drip calculators indicate that a drip of about one every six seconds would empty 12 gallons in about 12 days.

The case may have been dropped after the tests were done.

The Business of John Minshall & Co in Beatrice Street

Shrewsbury Chronicle 8 February 1901, page 5, Wellington Journal 9 February 1901, page 12 and Towyn-on-Sea and Merioneth County Times 14 February 1901, page 2 41

80

The 1901 Census a few months after baby Levina was born showed 30 year Levi and his extended family living in premises at the back of No 64 Beatrice Street, just up the road from where his mother and brother George were living. Levina and her two older step sisters, Annie and Jessie, were part of the new blended family but the eldest daughter, Margaret Ellis, was not to be seen.

The Census shows Levi working as a gasfitter and bellhanger. I suppose there was some connection between what sounds like rather dissimilar occupations (research suggests these were both activities included in the array of skills of early plumbers).

Eliza gave birth to a boy the following year on 5 March 1902. They named him Henry Levi Evans but he was always known as Harry.

The plumber, James Redrobe, who worked with Levi in his days at John Minshall & Co, made news around England in 1907 as a result of an incident he experienced on a train on the way to see a football match. In fact, the match was the final of the 1907 English FA Cup Final between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday (then known simply as The Wednesday). The match was played in the stadium at Crystal Palace in London on 20 April.

James Redrobe, who was travelling on his own, caught a special train to London full of football revellers but as the train was passing through a tunnel near the town of Rugby, someone pulled the communication cord to stop the train. A man was reported to have fallen off before the tunnel. A search up the line eventually found James lying on the track with part of his left leg almost severed and other serious injuries.

James could offer no explanation for his fall (or he chose not to offer). At first his condition was reported as “favourable” with a note that his friends in Oswestry (no doubt including Levi) would be suitably sympathetic.42 After some time in hospital, his left leg was amputated. However, James died soon after from post-operative shock. At an inquest, the coroner heard from witnesses that James had woken up during the night in the wrong compartment and sought to move by using the running board on the outside of the train rather than use the internal corridor. One witness claimed to have seen James’ face in the window before seeing him fall backwards. A verdict of accidental death was recorded.

In case you wanted to know, The Wednesday won 2-1.

The successful Wednesday Team in 1907

42

Rugby Advertiser 27 April 1907, page 2

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The 1911 Census recorded 40 year old Levi and his family living at Coney Green House on Salop Road in Oswestry. A coney was another name for a rabbit and a coney green was usually a man made hill to accommodate burrows for the commercial breeding of rabbits as a food source. By Levi’s time, Coney Green’s occupants had been evicted and the site was fast becoming another residential estate.

Levi’s occupation was now noted as a plumber and gasfitter. Living with him as part of the family was the missing Margaret Elizabeth Ellis, the first daughter of Eliza, who was now 25 and working as a laundress.

Entrance to Coney Green today (between the buildings) The 1913 edition of Kelly’s Business Directory records Levi as a plumber at 21 Beatrice Street.

He was not one to stray too far from the old family home, at least not until war broke out with Germany in 1914.

Levi was at least 43 when he enlisted for service in the 2nd Shropshire Light Infantry before transferring to the Royal Engineers, who no doubt wanted to take advantage of his trade skills.

He arrived in France on 9 February 1915 and was discharged four years later on 12 March 1919, having managed to survive the horrors of the war when so many did not.

By the end of the war he was living at Stockport in a small area known as Portwood. Stockport was a large industrial town mostly in the County of Cheshire where the River Mersey begins its course on its way to Manchester and Liverpool. Levi may have moved his family here before his enlistment or during the war as some army records show his address as Stockport.

Levi and Eliza show up on their own in the 1939 Register as living at Nab Wood Cottages in Marple Road, Stockport. Levi is recorded as a sheet metal worker.

Levi died the following year at the age of 69. His death was recorded at Wrexham suggesting he may have moved away from Stockport soon after the start of the Second World War or else his funeral was held closer to other relatives.

82

Eliza was 79 when she passed away on 26 August 1944 at Peterborough in Northamptonshire, to the north of Cambridge. She was staying with a relative at the time.

Stockport in Cheshire

83

Arthur Evans John Evans married 1853 Elizabeth Edwards Children: Sarah Ann Evans

b 1856

d 1896

40 years

Walter Owen Evans

b 1861

d 1937

75 years

Harriet Evans

b 1864

d 1903

39 years

Edwin Evans

b 1866

d nk

nk

Elizabeth Evans

b 1867

d 1953

86 years

George Edward Evans

b 1869

d 1922

53 years

Levi Evans

b 1871

d 1940

69 years

Arthur Evans

b 1873

d nk

nk

The youngest of the Evans family, Arthur, was 10 years old when his father drowned in the Union Canal near Whittington. In 1891 when he was 17, Arthur was working as an apprentice print linotype operator at Oswestry, most likely at the Oswestry offices of The Oswestry and Border Counties Advertiser.

At the time, that newspaper was printed by the Carton Press in Oswestry. One of the owners of that printery was Arthur Minshall, the twin brother of John Minshall, the plumber and ironmonger who Levi Evans worked with for a time. Perhaps there was a connection between the families that opened doors for Arthur Evans to get his apprenticeship (it is probably only coincidence that the Minshall’s mother was also an Evans).

In 1891 Arthur was still living with his mother Elizabeth and older sister Elizabeth as well as his brother Levi.

The linotype machine was the biggest breakthrough in printing since the invention

Beatrice Street Oswestry 84

of the printing press. Printed material had earlier been made by using individual letter blocks where each letter was made of moulded metal glued to a wooden block. The blocks were then wedged by hand into a furrow in word order to form a line of type. The process was repeated for each line of the page. The finished page would then be inked and paper then pressed over the page to make a copy.

The linotype machine was patented in the US by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1884 and first used in the US in 1886. Arthur would have started his apprenticeship about 1890 when he was 16. He would have been one of the earlier operators of the new invention in Britain. By 1916 there were 33,000 machines in Britain alone.

The new machine produced a complete line of type (linotype) made only of metal (a mix of lead, tin and antimony). An operator used a keyboard to release small sticks of letters and other characters to a board where they were automatically placed in order along the line. These characters were reverse images and they were recessed on the stick to create a mould. Molten metal was then poured along the mould to create a metal line of characters (called a slug). The quickly cooled slug was then placed onto a printing press, awaiting the remaining slugs to complete a page before printing commenced.

At the end of the moulding process, the characters fell back into their holding area for reuse. At the end of the printing process, the slugs were melted down for reuse.

The slug could be used for printing about 300,000 copies, making them ideal for newspaper printing.

The operator needed to be very adept at not just Linotype Machine typing the lines but in engaging all of the relevant levers and instruments to make the process as fast as possible. The new machine allowed newspapers to be out on the street at least ten times faster than the old process.

Linotype printing was the primary source for the printing of newspapers, magazines and books until the 1970s when offset printing and computers started to take over.

Arthur’s skill as a linotype operator provided not only a generous income, it also made him a valuable resource. Skilled operators were in high demand and many travelled around the country looking for higher paid opportunities.

Arthur joined that travelling band and found himself in Sussex in the very south east of England and miles from Oswestry. Perhaps it is just another coincidence that the Minshall family came from Sussex.

Arthur was living in the small town of Redhill in Surrey where he was possibly working for the Caterham Times, a newspaper which was based in Redhill. The town was on the main railway line from London to Brighton. Today it is a commuter suburb for people working in London.

85

It was in Redhill that Arthur met a local girl named Agnes Norman. Arthur was 24 when he married 19 year old Agnes at St John’s Anglican Church at Redhill on 9 March 1898. The service was performed by the Rev James Orlando Gooch.

Agnes’ father, George Norman, was a baker and Arthur’s deceased father was noted as a printer rather than as a coach or cab driver. Perhaps Arthur hoped to persuade employers to employ him by crafting a better background in the printing industry. The official witnesses were Agnes’ father George and Edith Rose, a female relative on her mother’s side.

Soon after they were married, Arthur and Agnes travelled north to Oxford where their son, George Arthur Evans, was born later in 1898. The 1901 Census shows the family had moved to the city of Hereford, about 88 km (55 miles) to the south of Shrewsbury. They were living at 2 Lytton Terrace on Ledbury Road.

The next Census in 1911 records the family now living in a six room house at 16 Harle Street in Neath, an old mining town in Wales near Swansea. Arthur was now 37 and Agnes 32. Young George was a 12 year old schoolboy. Arthur continued working as a linotype operator.

Linotype Machine Operators We next find Arthur and Agnes recorded in the 1939 Register living back in England at 23 Raven Lane in Ludlow, Shropshire, a large town about half way between Hereford and Shrewsbury. The couple were now into their sixties and Arthur seems to have retired from the printing business and taken up the occupation of licensed victualler running one of the many hotels in Ludlow.

Arthur died in Ludlow on 14 October 1953 at the age of 80 leaving to Agnes his estate valued at £280/16/3. Agnes passed away in 1979 when she was 101 years old (taking the record for the longest life of anyone in this story).

86

Their son George firmly had his roots in Hereford. In 1914 when he was 16 he started work with the Great Western Railway Company (GWR) as a telegraph messenger. The following year he became an engine cleaner and by 1916 he had been promoted to a fireman (3 rd grade) and transferred from Hereford to Southall near London. He returned to Hereford in 1918.

By 1927 he was found to have defective eyesight, even with glasses. He became a shed worker at the intriguingly named Bullo Pill, a location on the River Severn near the town of Newnham.

One of England’s earliest railways was built in 1810 to cart coal from the Forest of Dean to Bullo Pill. The railway eventually became part of the GWR network. George was soon sent further downstream on the Severn to the town of Lydney.

George is likely to have married Miriam Rose at Ludlow in 1923. Although Miriam was born in Staffordshire, she may well have been related to the same Rose family as Agnes’ mother.

Haie Hill Tunnel just before Bullo Pill

87

The Australian Connection New South Wales Elizabeth Griffiths was 43 years old when she sailed into Sydney Harbour in January 1911 after a 45 day voyage from London. Her oldest son Ernest, known to all as Ern, was only a few days away from his 17th birthday. Her middle son Edward was known by his second name Reginald, abbreviated to Reg, and he was 13 years old. The youngest son was 8 year old Arthur and he would always be called Arthur.

Based on the newspaper report of their ship’s arrival, I strongly suspect that the family was sponsored by either a family member or friend who had already made the voyage to Sydney and was willing to put up some cash to pay for their passage and set them up on their feet when they arrived.

I have not tracked down where they were living in those early years. The first address I have for them is not for another three years.

We know that Ern soon became a lorry driver. At the time, motor vehicles were becoming increasingly popular but because they were so expensive they were still considered novelty items rather than necessary items. As the earlier vehicles required constant servicing and were prone to breakdown, drivers had to have extensive knowledge of the complex workings of the vehicle and be able to carry out their own repairs on the run.

Service stations were few and far between so drivers needed to be able to improvise with band aid repair and patch work while waiting for spare parts. Ern needed to be both a driver and a mechanic and his skills would have been in high demand.

Ern was a rather short and solid young man who worked out in the boxing ring. Boxing was a popular activity for boys and was still considered a gentleman’s sport. The University of Sydney, for example, had a famous boxing reputation as well as an academic reputation.

Despite his prowess in the boxing ring, Ern was a shy but likeable person who made friends easily. His British accent was commonplace at the time and was no barrier to his prospects in the new country.

Ern’s appearance was dominated by a prominent nose and heavy jaw. He was forever asked if he was Jewish which probably became rather tiring for him. Who knows, his appearance may have had a family connection as to why he had an uncle called Levi.

The celebrated British army officer, Field Marshal Lord Kitchener visited Australia in 1910 and expressed concern over the readiness of Australia to defend itself from enemies or its ability to help the British in time of war. He recommended a new scheme of military training for young men based on compulsory conscription.

A new compulsory military training scheme commenced on 1 January 1911, only days before the Griffiths family arrived in Sydney. Boys aged from 12 to 13 had to join the junior cadets at school. From 14 until 18 they became members of the senior cadets and wore a special uniform 88

until they passed into one of the citizens’ military forces including local militias and army and navy reserves.

Service in the senior cadets was part time, usually half a day a week with time off from school or employment. In addition, the cadets were required to attend occasional training camps, musters and field events.

The scheme was supported by the Labor government of the day and the major opposition party but it was very unpopular in the community. In 1911 there were about 350,000 boys around Australia who needed to register for service over the next four years but half were covered by various exemptions or simply failed to register. By July 1915, there had been 34,000 prosecutions and 7,000 detentions of boys, parents, employers and others involved in failures to register.

This community resentment would later play a major role in the failure of government to obtain a successful referendum for compulsory conscription for overseas service during the First World War. Elizabeth Griffiths took her duty as one of the newest Australians to ensure her son Reg did his cadet service. Young Reg spent three of his first four years in Sydney in the Senior Cadets. Ern has no record of such service, probably because his occupation as a lorry driver would have given him an exemption. No doubt, Arthur would also have joined the cadets when he turned 12.

By 1914 Elizabeth, Reg and Arthur were living at Queen Street, Concord. Ern may have already moved out of home to be closer to where he worked. Two addresses for an Ernest Griffiths are found in the Sydney Sands Directories for 1914, one at 17 Adolphus Street, Balmain and the other at 432 Wattle Street, Ultimo.

Lord Kitchener inspecting Australian Cadets 1910

89

First World War Australia was in the midst of campaigning in the sixth Federal Election since Federation in 1901 when war eventually broke out between Britain and Germany on 4 August 1914. Both major Australian political parties paused their campaigning to pledge their full support for Britain.

After some early fighting against German forces in New Guinea and surrounding islands, about 18,000 Australian soldiers were sent by transport ships to Britain for training and then on to join the fighting on the Western Front in northern France and Belgium. By the time the first soldiers started arriving at the Suez Canal in Egypt on their way to Britain, the decision had been made to instead land the soldiers in Egypt because of insufficient training camps in Britain.

While training in Egypt, the Australians were joined by soldiers from New Zealand and the combined Corps became known as ANZAC. The ANZAC soldiers and other allied forces were then sent to attack the Turks (Ottomans), who were now German allies, with a view to capturing Constantinople (Istanbul) to help take control of the Black Sea from Germany.

Landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey started from 25 April 1915. This campaign against the Turks was poorly planned and executed from the start. The allied soldiers suffered a staggeringly high casualty rate over the next few months. As thousands of wounded soldiers arrived back in Egypt, the call went out for fresh volunteers to replace the heavy losses sustained.

There was a huge surge in enlistments around Australia from July 1915.

One of the first to volunteer in this eager wave of new enlistments was 21 year old Ernest Sidney Griffiths who signed his application for enlistment on 26 July 1915. A medical examination found him to be fit for active service abroad.

After presenting himself to the army Ern Griffiths (Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) camp at Liverpool (Warwick Farm) he was assigned to the 6th reinforcement unit for the 17th Battalion and given the regimental number of 2659. He was described as being 5ft 5in tall, having a dark complexion with hazel eyes and brown hair. No distinctive marks were noted. His religion was recorded as Methodist.

At the time of his enlistment Ern was living in a terrace house at 279 Young Street, Annandale, probably as a boarder. Annandale was a reasonably well to do inner suburb of Sydney 90

comprising a mix of brick terrace houses and stately homes. The wealthier residents lived closer to the heights where commanding views were to be had of the harbour and city. The terrace houses were mostly occupied by workers and their families.

Ern was still working as a lorry driver (described as a motor driver on his enlistment papers). He identified his mother Elizabeth as his next of kin. Her address was noted as care of Nurse Bramwell’s Private Hospital Melandra in Rawson Street, Auburn. The hospital catered for short stay surgery and baby deliveries. I can only guess at the reason for Elizabeth’s stay, although she may have been working at the hospital rather than being there as a patient.

Elizabeth soon found new accommodation for herself and young Arthur care of a Mrs Williams who had a house in Short Street, Lidcombe which was a boarding house.

Ern’s army rate of pay was five shillings a day. Once he embarked for overseas, four shillings a day had to be allotted to someone in Australia (ie his mother) leaving him a whole shilling a day to spend on himself.

Reg Griffiths, Elizabeth Griffiths and Arthur Griffiths in Sydney in 1915 (Elizabeth Griffiths Collection)

It wasn’t long before Ern’s brother Reg also enlisted.

He must have been chafing at the bit trying to catch up with his older brother.

Family legend had it that Reg put his age up and forged his mother’s consent signature in order to enlist.

However, he simply waited until he legally turned 18 and, with his mother’s consent because he was under 21, he enlisted at the Liverpool camp on 27 August 1915, only a month after Ern. Reg was initially assigned to the 14th reinforcement unit for the 2nd Battalion and given the regimental number of 4502.

Reg was described as being 5ft 4in tall with a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. He was very different to Ern and no-one would think of them as brothers. Reg’s religion was noted 91

as Church of England, surprising really, as Ern was noted as a Methodist which was more in line with the family’s history. Despite having limited vision in his right eye (6/20), Reg also passed his medical and was declared fit for overseas service.

Reg described himself as a motor lorry assistant which suggested he and Ern may have worked together. He gave his home address as that of his mother’s at Melandra, Rawson Street, Auburn.

Reg received the same rate of pay as Ern. Ern was the first to leave for overseas when his unit left Sydney on 2 November 1915 on board the transport ship SS Euripides. They arrived in Egypt towards the end of the Gallipoli campaign but took no part in it. The unit then underwent training in preparation for the Western Front.

In early 1916 the Australian battalions were reorganised, primarily to mix veterans of Gallipoli with the recently arrived raw recruits.

Ern was assigned to the 55th Battalion of the 5th Infantry Division which was half made up of veterans from the 3rd Battalion. The 55th was initially based at the army training camp at Zeitoun on the outskirts of Cairo. Many of the adventures that soldiers had in Cairo and the surrounding areas would be written up on postcards and sent home to family. Quite a few soldiers also managed to contract at least one of the more common venereal diseases from their adventures but I am happy to say that Ern was never treated for such an affliction (nor would he want to have such an affliction after what had happened to his father).

Accommodation at Zeitoun Camp A large contingent of men of the 55th came from the Monaro region of New South Wales. One of them was my great uncle Cyril Eugene O’Connor (Euie, as he was known) who lived in Cathcart where my grandfather and most of his family grew up. Euie and Ern probably knew each other and of course had no idea our families would be joined 60 years later through my wife, a grand niece of Ern. Reg soon followed Ern overseas when his unit left Sydney on 15 January 1916 on board the mail ship RMS Osterley. As soon as he arrived in Egypt, Reg was admitted to the No 1 Auxiliary Hospital in Heliopolis suffering from influenza which had spread widely in the confined ship. He later rejoined his unit at the camp at Zeitoun where he may have seen Ern among the thousands assembled there.

Although Reg arrived in Egypt after Ern, his unit was sent to the Western Front earlier than Ern’s unit. Reg left the Egyptian port of Alexandria on 29 March 1916 on board the transport ship Transylvania, arriving in Marseilles in the south of France after an uneventful six days at sea (German submarines were active in the Mediterranean Sea and transport ships were given a much needed destroyer escort).

92

From Marseilles, Reg’s unit travelled mostly by train to join up with the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. By 14 May, Reg’s unit joined the rest of the 2 nd Battalion of the 1st Australian Infantry Division on the frontline near Armentieres in Belgium. The Armentieres sector had been quiet for some time and was seen as an ideal starting location for new units.

Although other Australian units became heavily involved in raids and battles along this front in the coming months, the 2nd Battalion saw no action during that time but did experience their first bombardments from German artillery.

Meanwhile in Egypt, Ern’s 55th Battalion was moved to another training centre at Tel El Kebir about 110 km north east of Cairo on the edge of the desert leading to the Suez Canal. They were Australian Soldiers exploring Egyptian ruins soon marched east to the canal to help defend the waterway from possible attack by the Turks. After enduring gruelling weeks of extreme temperature, shortage of water and disease, the battalion was finally sent to Alexandria where they boarded the transport ship Caledonian to take them to Marseilles where they arrived seven days later on 29 June 1916.

So far Ern’s 55th Battalion had not seen any action but as the soldiers gazed on and admired the beautiful harbour of Marseilles and its surrounding green hills, they had no idea that in a little over a fortnight later, 80 of them would be dead while hundreds would be badly broken or wounded or taken prisoner.43 From Marseilles, the battalion travelled by train to join up with the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front.

The Battle of the Somme in northern France was well under way and going badly for the allies. The 55th Battalion and the rest of the 5th Division were sent further north to Armentieres in Belgium to join the other Australian divisions already in place. The Germans 43

Australian Camp at Tel El Kebir

Snowy to the Somme – Timothy J Cook 1916 (from which some of this story has been drawn)

93

had earlier overrun a large part of Belgium but had been held by British forces from further advancement. The Germans were now focussing their attention on the fronts in northern France along the River Somme.

After arriving at Armentieres, Ern was promoted from private to driver in recognition of his prewar experience and the need for soldiers with driving experience.

Unfortunately for Ern’s battalion and the other new arrivals, only a week after moving into the trenches, a British General decided to use the very inexperienced division as a diversion to attack the German line to encourage the Germans to take men from the main Somme battlefield as reinforcements against this attack.

And so the infamous Battle of Fromelles came about. The attack was again poorly planned and coordinated, with British troops withdrawing at a critical stage without informing the Australian troops they were now on their own. This battle resulted in the greatest ever loss of Australian lives in a 24 hour period with casualties of over 5,500 men. This was the equivalent of the Boer War, Korean War and Vietnam War combined. Some battalions in the division lost over 90% of their strength.

The 5th Division, including Ern’s 55th Battalion, was incapacitated for many months and was not ready for combat again until October 1916 when it could only muster a limited strength.

Meanwhile, Reg’s 2nd Battalion and the rest of the 1st Division missed Fromelles as they had already left Belgium to take up position on the Somme frontline in France forming part of a new offensive against the Germans. On the night of 22 July 1916, the battalion sat in its trenches waiting for the order to attack the following morning. All night the soldiers had to endure heavy shelling and gun fire from the Germans.

Australian Soldiers waiting for an Ambulance to the Clearing Station 94

Just before sunrise the following morning, Reg became one of the first casualties in the charge against the German lines. He was shot in both the left arm and right leg. He was taken by ambulance to the 44th Clearing Station for immediate treatment before he was transferred to the No 23 General Hospital at Etaples on the French coast. From here Reg was transferred to the Military Hospital at Grantham in Lincolnshire, England.

Reg may have been wounded in the first charge but it could have been a lot worse for him. The battle he had briefly been in was the disastrous Battle of Pozieres, the place the Australian war historian Charles Bean said “…is more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth.” The 2nd Battalion alone had over 510 casualties, more than half of the battalion.

The object of the battle was to take up a new higher position to better “menace” the enemy. Reg was also lucky he missed the next action by his battalion, another killing field known as the Battle of Mouquet Farm.

From hospital, Reg was sent to Perham Down for further recovery. Perham Down was one of four Australian command depots in Britain dealing with soldiers who had been discharged from hospital and awaiting return to their units. Often these soldiers needed to be given drills and exercises to get them back into shape before returning to active service.

Australian Soldiers playing Two-Up at Perham Down Perham Down was located near Salisbury on the northern edge of the Salisbury Plain. In winter the camp was prone to heavy snow and wild gales and became known by the Australians as Perishing Down. Luckily for Reg, he arrived near the start of summer.

By mid-September 1916 Reg was ready to return to his unit in France. He arrived at the Australian Base Depot in Etaples on 17 September where he stayed for a week or so awaiting transfer to his unit.

The conditions in Etaples were appalling and soldiers, especially the colonial soldiers, were treated with much disrespect and contempt from the ruling British officers and their staff. The

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camp became legendary in Australian military history when the month before Reg returned there, an Australian soldier from the 10th Battalion verbally abused a British sergeant after the water in the soldier’s shower was suddenly cut off.

As he was being taken away, other soldiers stepped in to help him. All were later arrested, court martialled and sentenced to death for mutiny. However, Australian Army soldiers were exempt from capital punishment (as a condition of Australia’s involvement in the war) and their sentences were commuted. However, an Australian serving with the New Zealand Army was not exempted and he was shot by firing squad on 29 October 1916.

This and some other similar episodes at the time marked a turning point for the Australian battalions. From here on, no British officer or sergeant was safe from Australian soldiers and there was no surprise when some were killed in battle with bullet wounds from behind or met with sudden fatal accidents. Eventually, the British lost so many senior servicemen they gave up and the Australian soldiers were put under the sole command of Australian officers.

The Road between Pozieres and Mouquet Farm Reg was back in the field with the 2nd Battalion, now returned to Belgium, by 29 September 1916 but only for a month. He spent the rest of the year in and out of clearing stations and hospitals suffering from a variety of illnesses, including trench foot, pleurisy and myalgia.

During the earlier fighting on the Somme, the Germans had built a series of fortified lines behind the frontlines that enabled them to retreat to more heavily defended positions if attacked and from which to mount their own attacks and counter attacks. The furthest back and most fortified of the lines became known as the Hindenburg Line. After a series of major pushes by the allies

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that unsurprisingly sustained huge casualties, including the Battle of Pozieres, the Germans retreated to the Hindenburg Line and dug in.

Ern’s 5th Division joined the pursuit of the Germans across the old Somme battlegrounds to the Hindenburg Line from February 1917. In the months that followed they were involved in continuous fighting.

On April Fool’s Day 1917 Ern was one of a few soldiers found together drunk while on active duty. Drunkenness was not uncommon as both the inhabited and deserted villages held vast stores of wine. As well, the Australian soldiers were entitled to a rum ration which had a habit of accruing when the fighting was on. At the time of Ern’s indiscretion the battalion was occupying the village of Vélu in preparation for an assault on the larger village of Doignies, held by the Germans.

Drunkenness was still a serious offence and the punishment was strict. His commanding officer sentenced Ern to the maximum of 28 days’ Field Punishment No 2. This innocuous sounding punishment was the military equivalent of normal imprisonment with hard labour, except instead of being locked up in a cell, the soldier could be kept in fetters, handcuffs and other irons to prevent escape. His leave entitlements would be sent back to the bottom of the list and he would be fined his pay for the duration of the punishment. His punishment would not have been immediate as the battalion was on the front line ready to engage in a major assault.

Reg regularly sent Postcards to his Mother Elizabeth Griffiths

(Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) Early the following morning, Ern’s battalion attacked Doignies from different directions.

Advancing in short rushes across open fields, they came under a storm of machine gun fire that tore through the men. Despite the losses, the village was finally overrun and taken after most of the Germans had fled. The Germans left behind many trip wires and booby traps that resulted in a lot of the village being destroyed.

The battalion dug in and throughout the day resisted seven German counter attacks and heavy artillery fire. The next day the weather turned and the exposed defenders on the perimeter of

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the village spent a night in freezing rain, snow and biting wind while still under heavy shell and machine gun fire. They were finally relieved by another battalion on 3 April.

About a quarter of the battalion was either killed or wounded so Ern would have been grateful to have survived intact. Two days later the battalion was sent to a rest camp among the ruins of the village of Le Barque. It was here where Ern probably started his field punishment. A new major offensive soon opened up further north when allied divisions made a heavy assault against the Hindenburg Line near the village of Bullecourt.

The 55th Battalion was placed on standby to assist in the fighting if needed but they were not called on. Instead, the battalion moved on to a camp near BĂŠcourt where they spent the next two weeks relaxing in fine warm spring air playing football (rugby league) and two up. Except for Ern of course, who continued to endure his punishment.

The fighting around Bullecourt in the first battle of that name had been intense as the Germans fought with all they had to repel the allied attacks. The fighting ended in a costly stalemate. The Australian 1st and 2nd Divisions did, however, manage to breach a section of the Hindenburg Line and then came under fire on three sides from determined counter attacks to repulse them. Those divisions hung on grimly but again at great cost. The 55th Battalion was one of the units called on to relieve their comrades on the exposed front line.

They moved in under cover of darkness but there was no relief from the ferocious barrage of German shells that rained down on the Australian trenches. The next day, 9 April, the barrage was relentless with a mix of high explosive, shrapnel and gas shells.

One shrapnel shell burst among a group of men, instantly killing a company commander, Captain Gardner, who had only been promoted the day before. Others nearby were either blown to pieces or had limbs torn off by the blast. Many soldiers suffered injuries that day including Ern who received a shrapnel wound to his left buttock. His wound was later described as a gunshot wound but I don’t suppose you care a great deal what caused the wound, only how bad it was.

Postcard from Reg to his Mother (Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) 98

Reg’s 2nd Battalion was also called into action on 9 April, attacking the village of Hermies from behind the German lines while others attacked from the front. The battalion took the town capturing 200 German prisoners but at a loss of 181 soldiers.

After Ern had been evacuated for hospital treatment, the shelling across the front only got worse until both sides eventually tired towards the end of May. The Australians held on to their breakthrough in the line only for the Germans to rebuild and reconnect the Hindenburg Line further on.

Reg and the 2nd Battalion took part in the Second Battle of Bullecourt while Ern was on his way to hospital. The battalion was already well below half its strength after the fighting at Hermies.

Meanwhile Ern’s 55th Battalion had been spared the massive casualties suffered by most of the units at Bullecourt, having arrived after the most intense fighting was over. Even so, they had 33 men killed with over 100 wounded just to hold the line. Like Reg before him, Ern’s wound may have saved him from a worse fate.

One of the units relieved by the 55th was Reg’s 2nd Battalion but Ern by now was well away from the front on his way to England.

The 55th Battalion was now sent back for “…probably the longest, most complete, and most pleasant rest ever given to British infantry in France.” Over the next four months the unit spent most of its time in billets in various villages while enjoying beautiful French summer days. It was a shame Ern missed most of it.

Ern was taken by a unit from the 5th Australian Field Ambulance to the Casualty Clearing Station at Grevillers where his wound was cleaned and stitched, his clothes washed and dried and his body fed and watered.

The 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station based at Grevillers Ern needed time to recuperate from his wound. He was packed off to the 14th General Hospital set up on the French coast at Wimereux, south of Calais. From here he was shipped to England and admitted to the Middlesex County War Hospital in Napsbury, between London and Luton.

The hospital was built in 1905 and was the Middlesex County Asylum before the war.

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After two weeks in the hospital Ern was granted two weeks leave of absence to go where he pleased. Most soldiers used the opportunity to see as much of England and Scotland as they could manage while still having time to enjoy all the sights of London. Ern was required to present himself at Perham Down by 9 June 1917.

Ern’s Bed at the Hospital was the second on the right As this was the only furlough given to Ern during his war service, he used the time to find his way to Oswestry and catch up with relatives and friends he had not seen for nine and a half years. Among those relatives was his uncle George Evans and his wife Emma who still lived in Beatrice Street but further away from the town at No 1 Llwyn Terrace. It must have been a happy and probably unexpected reunion for everyone as the locals had probably thought they would never see Ern again after his emigration.

Back in Australia, Elizabeth and Arthur had changed address again. She notified the army in June 1917 that her new address was 12 Garden Avenue, Glebe. The army, however, continued sending correspondence to her at her previous address.

Garden Avenue ran off Glebe Street and was originally called Shaftesbury Gardens because the beautiful cottage gardens that lined the street were a reminder of the gardens in the well known London street of the same name. The street disappeared in a later redevelopment of Glebe in the 1980s.

What possessed Elizabeth to move to one of the most dangerous places to live in Sydney at the time remains a mystery. She must have had no idea of the growing reputation of the streets and alleys of inner city Glebe as the haunt of organised gangs containing some of Sydney’s worst criminals. Was she so desperate to find accommodation she went where it was the cheapest and where fair rents were more likely to be protected by legislation? Was she seeking to escape debts to unpaid landlords or did she owe money elsewhere? At least her stay here was not long.

Meanwhile, Ern arrived on time at the army camp at Perham Down after his furlough was finished. He was examined by an officer of the Army Fitness Board and classified as B1A, a generic classification signifying he was still under observation and assessment. Ern gradually

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recovered his fighting fitness and a month later on 9 July 1917 he was on board a ship at Southampton bound for France again.

He arrived at the 5th Division’s base depot in Le Havre the following day where he waited three weeks until 1 August when he was transported to his battalion, in time to enjoy the last month of summer with his comrades.

The Australian divisions had moved from the Somme battlefields of France back to the frontline in Belgium and were now heavily involved with fighting near the city of Ypres. The object of this offensive was to break through the less fortified German line over a small ridge called Passchendaele which would open the way for a direct attack on Germany itself.

The Australian 1st and 2nd Divisions, including Reg’s 2nd Battalion, had fought hard in the Battle of Menin Road from 22 September and had pushed the Germans back to a line near Polygon Wood (the wood having long ceased to exist as it was now a moonscape of craters, mud and the occasional tree stump). The 2nd Battalion lost another 199 soldiers killed or wounded in the Battle of Menin Road.

Afterwards, the 5th Division, including Ern’s 55th Battalion, Ern Griffiths at Oswestry with his Uncle George was called on to attack the Evans (Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) retreating German line and push them beyond Polygon Wood. The Australian troops were now supported by well over 200 pieces of heavy artillery plus mobile field artillery and machine guns. Aerial surveillance helped to pinpoint artillery bombardments.

All 12 battalions of the 5th Division (over 10,000 men) slowly made their way to the front to take up position. They were now under constant bombardment from the German artillery. At 5.50 am on 26 September the Australian artillery opened fire on the German line sending thousands of shells along a straight line of destruction about 180 metres ahead of the advancing infantry.

The line of barrage crept forward as the infantry advanced. The noise of the barrage was more than deafening. There was the stupefying concussion of the exploding shells accompanied by the rhythmical clattering of the machine guns to add to the clamour.

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The attack on what was a strongly defended German position was a great success for the Australians but like most of the battles, the cost came at a price. Ern was one of the casualties of the Battle of Polygon Wood on that day receiving a shrapnel wound to his face from the German retaliatory fire. By the end of the fighting the battalion had suffered another 48 killed and 145 wounded. Their numbers were getting down to half strength again.

Although Ern’s wound was a lot less serious than others, it was Ern Griffiths (Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) only inches away from being fatal.

He was picked up by a unit from the 8th Australian Field Ambulance and taken to the 5th Division Rest Station. Six days later Ern was back with his unit enjoying the last of the sunny days before wet weather set in.

In early October other Australian divisions were involved in the bloody but unsuccessful attacks on Passchendaele ridge. By mid-October, the 55th Battalion had moved up to occupy support trenches nearby at Broodseinde, all the time under heavy artillery fire. The ground was mostly mud and bog from the typical autumn rainfall in the mostly flat Flanders countryside.

Reg’s 2nd Battalion had a fighting role in the Battle of Broodseinde and came under heavy mortar attack while they were exposed in no-man’s land. Another 154 men were killed or wounded until the unit was relieved. Reg did not take part in that Battle as he was on furlough in England from 4 October for two weeks.

Captured German Pillbox Polygon Wood 26 September 1917 102

Most probably it was in this two week break that Reg made his way to Oswestry to catch up with the same relatives and friends as Ern had done five months earlier. Unfortunately, Reg and Ern were not able to line up their leave to be at Oswestry at the same time. Reg’s photos with his uncle George look very similar to those taken with Ern, standing in the same place with the same dog between their legs. You would think they were all there together, except there is no photo with both Reg and Ern in it.

Very soon the leave was over and Reg made his way back to his unit in Belgium. He was only back a week when he was admitted to hospital with scabies.

Meanwhile, Ern’s 55th Battalion spent two weeks in the trenches at Broodseinde before it was relieved. A further 18 men had been killed and dozens wounded just to hold some support trenches.

Almost everyone suffered from the effects of being gassed.

The battle for Passchendaele meanwhile raged on unabated.

Around this time, Ern wrote a letter to his headquarters company stating he had not yet received confirmation of his promotion as a driver over a year ago. It would be another nine months before his record was updated (and his pay increased, with back pay).

After a month of resting and training drills, the 55th Battalion made its way in midNovember to another section of trenches on the frontline, this time in the Wytschaete area, relieving a British battalion from Manchester. The area was a no-man’s land of shell craters filled with water and oozing mud that froze over each night.

The fighting here was much subdued compared to other sections of the frontline.

There were intermittent artillery barrages, gas shelling, machine gunning, sniper fire and night patrol clashes but the biggest fear was the cold. By the end of November, the battalion had been relieved and made its way to “…the heap of bricks and rubbish that had once been Messines” on their way to camp at Lindenhoek.

The men could take short excursions from the camp into nearby villages which had been untouched by fighting. A landscape of filthy mud was now replaced by green pastures, neat rows of trees, and pretty Reg Griffiths and George Evans at village streets with bright gardens and wonderful food and drink. By midOswestry (Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) December, with winter well set in and fighting largely curtailed, the battalion was sent for an extended rest to villages close to the French coastal town of Boulogne. Liberal leave was available in Boulogne and a sense of holiday prevailed.

Reg’s 2nd Battalion, however, spent their Christmas at Kemmel, near Ypres in Belgium. Unlike Boulogne, Kemmel was a flat, dull part of Flanders, largely destroyed by previous fighting. Even more upsetting, it was not on the coast.

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Back in Sydney, Elizabeth and Arthur were by December 1917 living at a house named Mamari in James Road at Bankstown. You may have noticed that Mamari was in fact the name of the ship the family embarked on for their voyage to Australia. Clearly the house was given that name

by Elizabeth.

Christmas that year for Ern’s 55th Battalion was a cold but happy event with a sumptuous Christmas dinner lasting well into the night. The welcoming in of 1918 was another happy occasion for the unit until one of the large barns used for accommodation burnt to the ground after stored hay was accidentally set alight. The night for some was spent sleeping on a groundsheet laid across a frozen ditch.

News travels slowly at times. It was not until 1 January 1918 that The Sydney Morning Herald published a casualty list that recognised the wounding Ern received back on 26 September.

This was to be Ern’s battalion’s last long break until the end of the war 11 months later. By January it was common knowledge that after the winter thaw the Germans would be adding over 100 experienced divisions (about 1,200 battalions of over 1,300,000 soldiers) to the Western Front following the Russian collapse on the Eastern Front at the end of 1917.

This massive increase in German soldiers on the Western Front would be countered by the entry into the war of the United States. The Germans knew the US troops could not arrive in large numbers before May 1918 so they planned to use their superior numbers to overwhelm the allies before then.

By the beginning of February, Ern’s 55th Battalion was back at the frontline, near Messines, furiously building new and better defences against the fully expected major German push to overrun the entire front. Sporadic artillery fire and German raiding patrols punctuated the defensive work.

German patrols were learning to avoid confrontation with the Australians, preferring to try their luck against other less well defended positions.

Reg Griffiths at Oswestry (Elizabeth Griffiths Collection)

Fighting gradually intensified from early March 1918 with larger German raiding parties and heavier shelling and gas attacks causing a steady flow of casualties among the battalions. One of the casualties among those battalions was Reg who was badly poisoned by gas on 7 March. He was taken by field ambulance to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station and from there to the No 55 General Hospital at Boulogne. He was placed on the ship Cambria and sent to England.

He arrived at the Bermondsey Military Hospital in Southwark, London on 29 March before transfer to the 1st Australian Hospital at Harefield in Middlesex to the north west of London.

On 21 March 1918, while Reg was safely tucked away in the hospital at Southwark, the Germans unleashed their major offensive against British forces in France with the aim of pushing the British all the way to the sea and cutting them off from the French forces. The British were overwhelmed and forced into a huge disorderly retreat, giving up almost all of the old Somme battlefields that had been won with such great loss of life. The Germans captured thousands of British soldiers and most of their artillery, tanks and ammunition.

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Australian Soldiers at Harefield Hospital To capture the vital French hub city of Amiens, the Germans needed to pass through the town of Villers-Bretonneux, 15 km out of Amiens. Most of the Australian divisions, including Ern’s 55th Battalion and Reg’s 2nd Battalion, were hurriedly sent south by lorry and trains to reinforce the units defending Villers-Bretonneux.

The 55th Battalion arrived at the ruined village of Aubigny on 5 April and were met by shell fire.

Two kilometres away, German, Australian and British troops were savagely fighting for control of Villers-Bretonneux. That night the men of the 55th crept under cover of near complete darkness to relieve a British cavalry unit occupying a hill (Hill 104) one kilometre from the town.

Every Lewis machine gunner, including Ern, carried extra ammunition and every soldier carried bandoliers of extra clips for the Lewis guns.

The broad and fairly flat hill was the highest point on the plateau on which the town lay and was an excellent observation post. The British had done little in the way of defensive works which left the Australians very unimpressed as they expected the Germans to give the occupied hill a lot of artillery attention.

The Australians set about digging in but they only had time to make shallow scrapes in the ground before the morning artillery fire reached them. The firing continued during the day. One soldier wrote in his diary:

“…mud, clods, crashes, blood, concussion and lacerated entrails lay sprawling in the dirt … things were in a bad state.

Archie Box was dying. Three more men were dead, smashed horribly. Half a dozen wounded.”

One of those dead was 24 year old Ern Griffiths.

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We know in some detail what actually happened to Ern thanks to the indefatigable efforts of a group of people who obtained and compiled reports into the deaths of Australian soldiers killed in action.

These reports were collected by representatives of the Australian Red Cross, who, in the case of Ern, wrote to relevant soldiers over the next few months asking for their first hand reports. By then the soldiers were either scattered over various hospitals in France or England or they were still at the front.

With regard to Ern, the reports were organised by Vera Deakin, a daughter of Australia’s second Prime Minister, Alfred Deakin. Vera was the Honorary Secretary of the Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau. At the time of gathering Ern’s reports, she was based in London where she managed a large body of volunteers to investigate the circumstances of both deceased and missing Australian soldiers. This task became vital in helping families accept their loss as official notifications provided scant information. The emphasis was on collecting verified eye-witness accounts. Vera Deakin reactivated the same role during the Second World War. The first report about Ern came from Private James Ward of Cooma, one of the Monaro soldiers:

“I was a few yards away in a trench at the left of VillersBretonneux when a shell burst burying Griffiths and Corporal Box. They were buried just where they were killed and I saw the cross being erected, it giving all particulars.”

Private Sydney Pratt from Prahan in Melbourne then provided more detail:

“I heard that Private Griffiths was killed about 6 April near Villers-Bretonneux. We took over the line from the Dragoon Guards at 1.20 am and about midday a shell came over. I understood that he was killed instantaneously, and that Corporal Archie Box was badly wounded and died almost immediately – a great friend of both. Private Wiggins buried them on the spot that night. They were short of stretcher bearers so I was acting S/B to their platoon at the time and Private Wiggins told me all about it. Herbert Dawson was also there. The Captain sent him down. I was only a few yards away. There was no real trench. There were only holes in the ground. Description: English I think, about 25, Jewish appearance.”

Another report was given by Private John Ash from Shepparton:

“I have seen the grave of Pte Griffiths. He was buried near the Support Line at Villers Bretonneux, but I heard orders being given for him to be taken and buried afterwards at the cemetery for the 14th Bgde at Aubigny. He was killed instantaneously I heard by a H E shell in April while on a M G Post (machine gun). Description: Thin, small, with Bn 2 years.”

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Private, later Sergeant, Fred Wiggins from Majors Creek near Braidwood added his report:

“Re Pte 2659 Pte E S Griffiths. He was killed on the 6.4.18.

I was well acquainted with him and had been for a considerable time before his death. I am sorry to say he was not buried in a soldier’s cemetery, but was buried in the field where he died. He was killed pending an attack in which he was buried several times by shell fire, he died almost immediately on being buried the second time, principally from concussion, his face was of a dark blue and also had his legs shattered below the knees. There is a cross over his grave N.E. of Villers-Bretonneux where he was buried along with one of his mates who belonged to the same Lewis Gun Team.”

Another report was given by Private John Dummigan from Ireland (incorrectly named Dunnington in the typed report):

“It was somewhere to the left of Villers-Bretonneux.

During the day we were lying low in shallow dug outs which we had made the night before when we came up. I had a talk with Griffiths the previous evening. The Germans were 1,500 yards away. In the afternoon I saw a shell land 50 yards away in a hole where Griffiths was.

I could not go and see because we were exposed to the view of the enemy, but after dark I asked our officer, Lt Lorgan, if the shell had hit anyone. He said Griffiths was badly wounded, and Cpl Box killed, and that Griffiths had d/w (died of wounds) an hour afterwards. It was too dangerous to move the wounded till after dark. I had been speaking to Griffiths a few days before. I knew him well and came with him in the “Euripides” from Australia in Nov 1915 to Egypt, and had been with him ever since. He was 5ft 6 with a white face and dark hair and a Jewish nose.

He would be buried by his own platoon.”

Private Fred Blood from Armidale in NSW added his report:

“He was in my B Company. I did not see him killed but Pte E Collins who was in his platoon I think knew him well and told me he was killed instantaneously by a H E shell at Villers-Bretonneux. Corporal Box and another Cpl were killed by the same shell. I believe he was buried at Aubigny but Collins could give all information. He was a dark man of about medium height well built and a boxer.”

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Ern’s burial place was noted as being 1,400 yards north of Villers-Bretonneux and 2,450 yards south east of Fouilloy, a village on the Somme (marked on sheet 62D of a map at 0.24.s.1.S – whatever that means). No trace of the grave was later found and Ern’s records are marked “no known grave.” Instead he has a number of plaque memorials including one at the Australian War Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux.

A telegram was sent to Ern’s mother Elizabeth in Sydney advising her of Ern’s death and expressing regret. I can only imagine the anguish and pain Elizabeth felt when she received this terrible news. She had already lost two children and a husband. Her sons were the centre of her life. Ern was the man of the house with a steady job and reliable income.

Reg was likely still in hospital in Southwark when he heard the news that his brother had been killed in action on 6 April. Reg was discharged from the hospital on 26 April 1918 and given two weeks furlough (possibly as Vera Deakin bereavement leave) before needing to report to the Australian No 4 Command Depot at Hurdcott in Wiltshire, north of Salisbury.

Whatever the reason, Reg did not turn up at Hurdcott until 2 June, making him three weeks absent without leave. He was given 7 days’ Field Punishment No 2 and fined 21 days’ pay. After attending a drill and training course at Longbridge Deverill in Wiltshire, Reg arrived in Le Havre, France from Folkstone on 17 July 1918 before rejoining his unit in the field 10 days later.

Photo of Australian Soldiers given to Reg Griffiths

(Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) 108

Elizabeth meanwhile was advised by the army that Ern’s personal effects consisted of letters, photos, razor, card, strop, belt, badges and a holdall. A kit containing these effects was despatched to her via the transport ship SS Barunga on 20 June 1918.

The SS Barunga had previously been owned by a German shipping line under the name SS Sumatra. It was seized in Sydney on the day war broke out and later manned by an Australian crew. It was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by a German submarine on 15 Jul 1918 on its way to Australia. All crew and passengers were evacuated before the ship sank, but it took Ern’s personal effects with it to the bottom.

On 8 August 1918, the allied forces in the Amiens sector, now led by the Australian divisions under the command of General Monash, launched a huge offensive against the Germans who had been stalled at Villers-Bretonneux. That offensive would be decisive in turning the tide of the war. The Germans, who were completely exhausted and long malnourished, retreated in disarray back to the Hindenburg Line and then beyond. Reg’s 2nd Battalion was involved in this last major phase of the war but Reg missed most of it having been accidentally injured two days before the offensive commenced.

Reg suffered a slight laceration to his scalp that managed to keep him away from the front for those vital three weeks. A report on the accident stated:

“Whilst proceeding with unit to billets by omnibus, Pte Griffiths, who was riding on top of the bus, was struck on the head by a beam from overhead bridge, causing the above injuries. The bridge was low and the night dark.”

The army had commandeered a fleet of open top double deck omnibuses to help ferry men to and from the battlefield. The casualty report doesn’t explain how Reg was the only person not to see the low bridge. After another stint in the hospital, he rejoined his battalion on 27 August.

SS Barunga previously the SS Sumatra 109

The 2nd Battalion was involved in a number of successful raids against the Germans behind their lines as the Germans retreated further. On 18 September, Reg was one of the 77 casualties in a large attack on the Germans. Although his face wound was not severe (he rejoined his unit two days later), it was treated as a third wounding. Australian soldiers were not required to take part in further active service after receiving a wound for a third time.

A Post card from Ern to his Mother (“I say take me back to dear old Ausie”)

(Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) Reg would have been happy with his exemption but he had no idea at the time that his and the other the battalions of the 1st Division would see no further action before the war ended when the armistice commenced on 11 November. The division was so exhausted and depleted in numbers that they were withdrawn for a complete rest period. They were relieved by US forces that had been arriving at the front since June.

Bearing in mind that the 2nd Battalion had a normal strength of around 1,000 soldiers (with reinforcements regularly being added to replace losses), by the time the war ended the battalion had lost 1,199 men killed and 2,252 wounded. The chances of someone surviving unscathed for the duration is rather slim – in fact about one chance in six. Reg just happened to be wounded or injured at just the right time to miss out on the very worst of the fighting. Ern’s 55th Battalion was better off. It only had 507 killed, including Ern unfortunately, and 1,346 wounded.

Reg was transferred out of his battalion to the Australian Army Service Corps where he was appointed as a Driver.

Back in Australia, a formal letter was sent to Elizabeth on 4 October 1918 giving some details of Ern’s death. The letter went on to say:

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“He was buried by his comrades and a cross was erected over his grave. The utmost care and attention is being devoted where possible to the graves of our soldiers. It is understood that photographs are being taken as soon as possible, and these will be transmitted to next of kin when available.”

Elizabeth was not very happy with the army. Not only did she never receive a photograph of Ern’s grave but she was later advised that no grave could be found. She was also very unhappy with the list of Ern’s effects that had been lost at sea. She asked about his wrist watch, pocket wallet, fountain pen, bible and other items that had not been identified in the list. Those items were never accounted for but I suspect they were buried with him as they may have been on him at the time he was killed and his body was very badly damaged.

Elizabeth placed a death notice for Ern in The Sydney Morning Herald on 2 November 1918 (page 12):

“GRIFFITHS – Killed in action April 6, 1918. Ernest Sydney Griffiths, beloved son of Mrs Griffiths, Bankstown, and the late Edward Griffiths, many years driver on the Cambrian Railways, Oswestry, England. Three years today he sailed away, a soldier and a man.”

The army wrote to Elizabeth on 25 February 1919 confirming the loss of the SS Barunga and all of its cargo, including Ern’s personal effects (whatever they were).

Reg, meanwhile, stayed in France awaiting transport to England for the return home. There were so many soldiers and so much equipment that needed to be shipped back to Australia that it took over a year to organise. Reg was eventually sent to England in early April 1919 where he promptly contracted bronchitis.

He was admitted to the Australian General Hospital at Sutton Veny, a pretty little village in Wiltshire that was very popular with convalescing Australian soldiers. No doubt, Reg enjoyed his nine day stay.

Reg was finally put on board the transport ship Soudan and left England on 12 May 1919. A notice appeared in The Sun on 21 June 1919 (page 1) under the heading Soldiers Returning:

“Mrs Ernest Griffiths (clearly an unfortunate mistake), Mamari, James Street, Bankstown, has been notified that her son, Private Reginald Griffiths, is returning by the Soudan at the end of this month.

Another son, Private Ernest Griffiths, was killed in France twelve months ago. Both enlisted at the beginning of the war.”

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An Embroidered Postcard from Reg Griffiths

(Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) Reg arrived in Sydney on 30 June. He was formally discharged from the army on 25 August 1919, four years after his enlistment. He had survived the war but he would be afflicted both mentally and physically for the rest of his life.

By 1920, 18 year old Arthur Griffiths was working at Simpson Lonsdale Ltd, a printery and manufacturer of cardboard boxes at No 7 Woodburn Street, Redfern, an inner suburb of Sydney.

We know this because he was involved in a worker’s compensation claim against the company for a work injury. The injury was in fact the loss of some fingers in an accident involving the printing press. As Arthur was under the age to commence a court action (21 years), his mother

A Postcard from Reg Griffiths to his younger brother Arthur Griffiths

(Elizabeth Griffiths Collection) 112

Elizabeth stepped in on his behalf as “his next friend”, a quaint legal solution to describe an authorised representative.44 The loss of fingers ruled Arthur out from any war service, no doubt a relief to his mother.

Between 1920 and 1921, Elizabeth received a memorial plaque and a scroll honouring her son’s sacrifice and a pamphlet titled “Where The Australians Rest.” I don’t know the whereabouts of those items. Ern was posthumously awarded the usual decorations from the war for a soldier who enlisted early - the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal Elizabeth later moved to 156 Palace Street, Petersham before moving in August 1922 to a weatherboard iron roofed cottage in Chelmsford Avenue, Bankstown built only four years earlier.

Elizabeth may have had a lot of moves since arriving in Australia but the house in Chelmsford Avenue (later identified as No 20) would be owned by her and where she would live the rest of her life.

Elizabeth’s move to Chelmsford Avenue may have had a lot to do with Reg as he also lived there with his brother Arthur. Reg would have been eligible under various Federal and State legislation for a subsidised war service loan or some other type of assistance available to returned servicemen.

Reg returned to his occupation as a motor driver and Arthur moved from working in a cardboard box business to a steadier job in the printing industry. The wages of Reg and Arthur would have been the primary source of the household income and sufficient to pay a mortgage on the house.

After all of the tribulations the family had faced since the turn of the century it was now time to fully settle down and make the most of the opportunities the new country could provide.

44

The Daily Telegraph 16 June 1920, page 9

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Bankstown in 1922 – Liverpool Road (Hume Highway) intersection with Chapel Road and Rookwood Road – settlement was sparse. McQuillan’s Hotel (now the Three Swallows) is in the centre

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Edward Reginald Griffiths Edward Reginald Griffiths married 1924 Daisy Melba Louisa Victoria Mills Children: Dorothy May Griffiths

b 1924

d 2009

85 years

Marjorie Florence Griffiths

b 1926

d 2000

73 years

Edward Reginald Griffiths

b 1928

d 1929

0 years

Arthur Charles Griffiths

b 1928

d 2012

83 years

Gwendoline Beatrice Griffiths

b 1930

d 2015

85 years

Early Married Life Within a year or so after moving into Chelmsford Avenue, Bankstown, Reg had a met a young girl with the unusually long name of Daisy Melba Louisa Victoria Mills. The name Melba was shared in common with thousands of girls around Australia in honour of Australia’s world renowned soprano, Dame Nellie Melba. The names Louisa and Victoria would almost certainly be in honour of two of Queen Victoria’s daughters.

Daisy grew up in Mulgoa in the Penrith District of western Sydney where her father was a local builder. Daisy moved to the suburb of Canterbury to look for work as a dressmaker and it was probably in Bankstown where she found a job. Reg was 26 when he married 19 year old Daisy on 26 April 1924 at the District Registrar’s office in Canterbury. The marriage register incorrectly records Daisy’s age as 20. Why this mistake was made is unclear as there was no consequence for the age difference. Daisy needed parental consent to marry whether she was 19 or 20.

Reg’s best man was 50 year old James Henry Donsworth who, like Reg, was both English born and a returned soldier. Jim, as he was called, was a veteran of the Boer War. Reg and Jim enlisted in the First World War within a few days of each other and may have met in training camps or on the way to France or Belgium. Jim was an artillery sergeant in the same division as Reg’s 2nd Battalion. Jim returned to Australia in early 1918 after being severely wounded in his right leg (he spent the rest of his life with a pronounced limp). On his return he is thought to have lived further up Chelmsford Avenue from where Reg was living.

For many years Jim ran a large award winning poultry farm in Turvey Street, Revesby called The Don, which he mostly populated with white leghorn chickens. Jim was 20 years older than Reg. He was like a father figure to both Reg and Arthur who had lost their own father when they were very young. Arthur would one day become a poultry farmer at Padstow near Revesby and Jim may have had some influence in that decision.

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At her marriage, Daisy was attended by Alice Stephen who may have been a friend or work colleague or she may have been a convenient witness who worked at the registry, as was often the case.

Reg was described on the marriage register as a motor mechanic. This is not surprising as motor drivers in those days were usually mechanics as well. Working only as a mechanic, however, meant a more stable home life than that of a driver who often needed to travel long distances and be away from home for long periods. Reg was soon back to driving for a living but I doubt he was away from home too often.

Daisy and Reg Griffiths on their Wedding Day By the time of the wedding, Daisy’s parents, Charles and Amy Mills, had bought land and built a house in Brancourt Avenue, Bankstown (Charles was a builder). Reg and Daisy may have moved in with them for a time, or they may have moved in with Reg’s mother, but it was not long before they were renting their own house a few doors down from Daisy’s parents in Brancourt Avenue.

Brancourt Avenue was a relatively new subdivision in Bankstown. At the time, Bankstown was still very much rural. Many farms surrounding the town centre were being subdivided to cater for the housing boom following the end of the First World War. Main roads like Meredith Street and Marion Street had only the occasional house dotted among the fields, pastures and large areas of native bushland.

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Two immigrants from France, Julien and Alice Cocu, arrived in the late 1800s and purchased a 40 acre farm on the Liverpool Road (now the Hume Highway) at North Bankstown at the top of what would become Brancourt Avenue. Julien became well known in the Bankstown area for the quality of his cream which he delivered by horse and cart.

By 1902 Julien was making cheese, including brie and camembert, using authentic French methods (he was the first person to commercially make brie in Australia).

Having difficulties with such a French name and to help with marketing the business, Julien and Alice changed their surname to Brancourt in 1904. When Julien served in the First World War, Alice increased the business to compensate for his absence.

The first petrol service station in Bankstown was built in 1924 on the corner next door to their house and cheese factory.

They subdivided the farm and the new subdivision road was called Brancourt Avenue. The garage workshop included a small factory for making crumpets. The service station is still there today and you can still buy around Australia a variety of family made dairy products with the Brancourt name.

Daisy was in fact about six weeks pregnant when she married. A daughter named Dorothy May Griffiths was born on 13 November 1924. The name Dorothy may have come from Daisy’s cousin, Dorothy Hughes, who was born in 1906 and was a year younger than Daisy.

Julien and Alice Cocu

Another daughter, Marjorie Florence Griffiths, was born two years later on 17 September 1926.

The joy of having a burgeoning family was offset by the increasing difficulties that Daisy faced.

Reg, like many returned soldiers who had experienced the horrors of a bloody war as well as losing his older brother, had not settled well into his post war life. He had become a heavy drinker and a gambler. The economy was contracting after the euphoria following the end of the war and jobs and money were becoming harder to find as prices went up. Wages were generally too low to comfortably house and feed a family. Unionised strikes on the wharves and elsewhere disrupted industry and caused much temporary or permanent unemployment. It would only get worse as the world drifted towards the Great Depression.

Daisy had to deal with an imperfect husband and two small children but she could rely on support from her mother Amy, who the children knew as Nin. Daisy’s life was further disturbed by the extension of the railway from Bankstown.

Brancourt Avenue was cut in two when the Bankstown Railway Line was extended to Regent’s Park in 1928. The house that Reg and Daisy lived in was on the southern end of the street and very close to the railway line (later records show the house was No 66). The dust and noise would have been intense during the construction of the railway line.

Daisy gave birth to twin boys on 17 October 1928. They were named Edward Reginald Griffiths (after his father) and Arthur Charles Griffiths (after Reg’s brother Arthur and Daisy’s father Charles). At the time, Reg and Daisy were living in a house in Gordon Street, Bankstown, possibly to escape the construction of the railway.

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Both boys thrived in the early weeks after their birth but after a few months, little Edward started to show signs of a serious illness. He developed a sore and swollen mouth which caused him breathing difficulties. He was eventually diagnosed with diphtheria, the same disease that Reg’s two year old sister Flora died from in Oswestry in 1897. The disease had no respect for boundaries, countries or opposite parts of the world. It was easily transmitted, mostly by coughing, and it was not brought under control until the advent of antibiotics and effective immunisation.

Edward was five months old when he died on 29 March 1929 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children at Camperdown in Sydney. He was buried three days later at the Church of England Cemetery at Rookwood.

This was a devastating blow for Daisy and caused her to be further unsettled. What was surprising about this tragedy was that Edward’s twin brother Arthur shared the same cot and was otherwise with his twin all of the time, yet Arthur showed no signs of the infection.

Bankstown 1934 – Chelmsford and Brancourt Avenues

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The Depression Years

Dorothy, Gwen, Marjorie and Arthur Griffiths 1931 Although the signs of economic troubles had been around for some years, it was the Wall Street Stock Market Crash in the US in October 1929 that triggered the economic crisis that became known around the world as the Great Depression. By 1930, Reg and Daisy were caught up in the turmoil that engulfed Australia. Up to 30% of all Australian workers became unemployed with most of them in Sydney and Melbourne. The rest of the workforce largely suffered from cuts in pay at a time of rapidly increasing prices and of shortages of food, petrol and other staples.

The 1930 Electoral Roll shows Daisy living back at Brancourt Avenue. Reg is shown as still living at Chelmsford Avenue with his mother, suggesting that he and Daisy lived apart. This is unlikely to be the case and a more simple explanation is that Reg never got around to lodging a formal change of address after he was married. Or it might be that a returned soldier who received a war service loan was compelled to reside in the premises and not rent them out. Reg may have intentionally maintained the fiction he had never left Chelmsford Avenue.

Daisy gave birth to another daughter in 1930. She was named Gwendoline Beatrice Griffiths.

Neither of those Christian names appear in the histories of Reg or Daisy’s families so I have no idea where they came from. I can only guess they were taken from the names of good friends.

For some reason, Reg and Daisy soon reversed the Christian names and the baby became known for a long time as Beatrice Gwendoline (which would cause some confusion in later life).

The following year Brancourt Avenue would make headlines around Australia for what became known as “The Battle for Bankstown.” The story is indicative of life in Bankstown at the time and is worth a closer look.

By 1931 Sydney was a city of mass unemployment. In the Bankstown district over 60% of male breadwinners had been out of work for a year and 40% of the district’s houses were unoccupied.

Scores of evicted families lived in cobbled together shacks on various sites of vacant land, including one large area at Chullora.

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Food, mortgages and rent were what drove households in those times. The introduction of the dole by the NSW government ensured that the jobless would receive rationed items of food but it did nothing towards helping pay the mortgage or rent. As a result, evictions for non payment were commonplace.

The leaders of the Communist Party saw the depression as an opportunity to further the Party’s cause. Members signed up to a new organisation called the Unemployed Workers’ Movement (UWM). The movement soon attracted large numbers of jobless. The UWM took part in antieviction activities including the mass occupation of premises to thwart bailiffs trying to put evictees on the street and confiscate goods for unpaid rent.

A Returned Soldier and his Family Evicted from their House After some early successes against the bailiffs, the police were brought in to deal with UWM occupations. Again the UWM was successful in rallying community support for their occupations and the police were reluctant to act. However, the occupations became more numerous and the police came under pressure to deal with the lawlessness. After a particularly heated clash in Leichhardt, the police resolved to smash up future occupations. And so attention turned to Bankstown.

No 92 Brancourt Avenue was on the corner of Melanie Street on the northern side of the railway.

It was a two bedroom fibro house named Auld Reekie, the off-smelling but affectionate name once given to Edinburgh. It was owned by a war widow who let it to a returned soldier with a wife and two daughters. Unable to pay the rent, the tenant joined the UWM and asked them to occupy the house when he was threatened with eviction. The tenant’s family left as the UWM members moved in.

Soon the house had been sandbagged and the windows and doors covered by barbed wire. The police later feared the wire had been connected to the electricity supply. The UWM held rallies and singalongs at the house waiting for a police response. It came at 6.45 am on 17 June 1931 121

when more than 30 police cars and three wagons carrying at least 40 officers (but probably a lot more) pulled up at the house. Groups of nearby residents turned up to witness the commotion but were threatened by the police to keep away.

The police attacked the house, cutting their way in and then used their batons to quell the men inside who had armed themselves with bricks and lumps of stone, iron bars and pick handles.

One policeman ducked as a brick was hurled at him. Unfortunately the brick struck the head of the inspector behind him causing a badly fractured skull. At that, a policeman fired his pistol at the assailants, shooting one in the thigh and grazing the head of another. This was the first and last occupation where shots were fired.

Reg, Elizabeth and Daisy Griffiths with children Arthur, Gwen, Dorothy and Marjorie 1931 122

A total of 17 occupiers were removed from the house, many of them unconscious with wounds consistent with being given a thorough belting by baton and boot. Most were taken to hospital for treatment. The occupiers were later charged and after two failed trials, they were mostly convicted, receiving sentences of between three and 18 months hard labour. The UWM continued to occupy premises and stir up local opposition to forced evictions but they stopped setting up any more barricades.

The following year Daisy again fell pregnant. Work for Reg was still hard to get if not impossible.

The family was given some assistance from Daisy’s relatives but the struggle was real and the pregnancy was yet another burden.

Daisy made the decision, probably with Reg’s blessing, to have the pregnancy terminated. At the time, abortions had become common as families struggled to cope with additional children.

Everyone knew of someone who had terminated a pregnancy.

As an abortion was almost always illegal, it needed to be done on the quiet by a midwife or other suitable person comfortable with breaking the law. These backyard procedures came with considerable risk to the mother as haemorrhages and infection were common problems due to the lack of proper equipment and facilities.

Unfortunately for Daisy, she suffered a severe blood infection. Her three and a half year old son Arthur’s earliest memory of his mother was of her being carried out of the house in Brancourt Avenue on a stretcher to be taken to hospital. As it turned out, it was his one and only memory of her.

Daisy died on 1 June 1932 at the Coast Hospital at Little Bay (renamed the Prince Henry Hospital two years later).

She was 27 years old.

Her death certificate shows the cause of death as septicaemia following a confinement, meaning she died from a blood infection after going into labour. The City Coroner, Mr E A May, decided an inquest was not necessary which was unusual given the circumstances. Perhaps the Coroner was led to believe that the onset of labour was natural. Daisy was buried at Rookwood Cemetery two days later.

Suddenly, Reg’s world had collapsed.

Struggling to find reliable work and not coping with the loss of his wife, he was not in a good position to look after his four children aged between two and Arthur Griffiths with Amy Mills (Nin) seated eight. He continued to live in Brancourt Avenue where he and the children were given much ongoing support by Daisy’s mother Nin. She brought them cooked meals, clothing and other items of necessity. The children were frequently left on their own, often at night, and today would no doubt be described as neglected.

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Reg had no problem finding female companionship and he was frequently successful in having them move in to help look after the children while he found work. These girlfriends, usually described by Reg as housekeepers, were not that good at keeping house, let alone caring for the children.

Reg spent a lot of time working or looking for work. When he wasn’t driving a lorry during the day, he drove a taxi at night and looked for other jobs to make ends meet. It was a hard time for everyone.

School children receiving a cup of soup and a slice of bread to ward off malnutrition

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The Carlingford Homes Reg found it increasingly difficult to earn money while caring for the children. Other members of the Griffiths and Mills families may have been prepared and even happy to take in one or more of the children but with the depression in full swing, these were not normal times and those family members were suffering with their own distress.

The three girls went to live with their grandmother Elizabeth at Chelmsford Avenue while Reg continued to live at Brancourt Avenue, at least for a time. He eventually gave up the property and moved back in with the rest of the family at Chelmsford Avenue.

Young Arthur was left out of the family group at Chelmsford Avenue because his grandmother thought having a boy would add too much to the burden. She was probably also influenced by Arthur’s other grandmother Nin Mills who was happy to take care of Arthur at her home in Brancourt Avenue, even though it meant separating him from his family.

As it turned out, neither grandmother was able to make their arrangements last. When Nin’s husband died in January 1934, she left her home in Brancourt Avenue and moved in with her eldest son Irving (but known to everyone as Charlie or just Charl) and his wife Annie. They had a house in Sir Joseph Banks Road in Bankstown. Young Arthur came across with Nin and was made very welcome by his Uncle Charl. However, by 1935 Charl and Annie were in financial distress and the house was repossessed when Charl and Annie were unable to pay the mortgage.

Boys collecting redundant wood blocks from reconstructed roads Elizabeth Griffiths was also struggling to provide for the girls during the worst years of the depression. Everything hinged on Reg’s ability to find a reliable income and help with the cost of looking after the girls and providing some funding for his son Arthur.

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By the end of 1934 it was clear Reg no longer had the means to help with any funding. He had been unemployed for too long with little immediate prospect of finding work. When Nin and Charl became unable to look after Arthur, it was with great reluctance that Nin approached the Rev Alfred Smith who was the rector of St Paul’s Church of England in Chapel Road, Bankstown.

The rector, who must have known Nin well, then made a recommendation to the office of the Church of England Homes for Arthur to be given a placement at one of the church run homes.

Placements were very difficult to obtain. The homes of all of the religious orders had far more applicants than there were positions available. The Church of England Homes were getting over 30 applications a month, almost all of which would be refused. Many single parents caught up in the depression were in the same position as Reg and were looking to have their children cared for in a government or religious institution until they could get back on their feet.

Nin’s application was successful and Arthur was placed at the Boys’ Home at Carlingford at 756 Pennant Hills Road where he was admitted on 21 January 1935. He was only six years old.

Four year old Gwen, eight year old Marjorie and 10 year old Dorothy (now known as Dot) soon followed and were placed together at the Girls’ Home at Carlingford, a few kilometres from the Boys’ Home. It was a difficult time for the girls and for Arthur who was separated from his sisters as well as the rest of the family.

The Boys’ Home usually catered for 130 boys who typically called the home Carlo. During Arthur’s time at the home, the superintendent and matron were Mr and Mrs Hill who were much liked and respected by the boys, although Mrs Hill could be a bit of a dragon with her rule enforcements. The Girls’ Home was under the control of Matron Jenkin who had charge of about 150 girls.

Part of the Boys’ Home at Carlingford The church run homes did not have the harder or more austere reputation of the government homes. Discipline was strict but fair and tempered by compassion and kindness reflecting the church’s Christian ideals of achieving full development of body, mind, heart and spirit. Kindness, however, was not a substitute for love. The homes were regularly visited by honorary doctors, 126

dentists and opticians as well as other specialists when needed. The children, more fortunate than many of their ancestors, were vaccinated against diphtheria.

It was tradition for the Patroness of the homes to be the wife of the NSW State Governor. Some of the Patronesses looked on their roles as purely ceremonial but others took a great interest in the homes and were regular visitors. The President was the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and the committee members included judges, doctors and other high ranking officials within the Anglican community.

The homes put on many official lunches and morning and afternoon teas which usually doubled up as fund raisers. The children were very involved with these functions, often helping to serve or putting on a song or performance or showing visitors around the home. The Girls’ Home held annual garden fetes that were always well attended. The Boys’ Home received constant visits from members of the Old Boys’ Union who provided much appreciated guidance and inspiration.

Part of the Girls’ Home at Carlingford The homes were hives of industry where staff, children and visitors kept up a constant flow of functions, activities and amusements. There was never a time for the children to be bored. The homes were well supported by parish churches, community groups and businesses who donated much of the clothing, food and materials used by the homes. Cake stalls and other fund raising efforts were held all over Sydney in support of charities including the homes. As small examples of community generosity, an orchardist donated two cases of apples. A lady donated tennis rackets and balls. The confectionary company Nestle donated boxes of 3d chocolates. Sewing clubs donated large numbers of knitted clothing. A wireless radio was donated to the Girls’ Home. Four cases of cod liver oil were donated but I am not sure how much appreciation was shown by the children.

The Boys’ Home had its own herd of cows which were cared for and milked by the boys. The home could be self sufficient with milk and butter. The boys also grew vegetables in large garden beds. There were plenty of useful and enjoyable activities to keep them occupied, as well as playtime. The boys’ choir regularly performed at parish churches in the area.

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The girls were taught home and domestic skills so they would be well prepared to run their own homes. Business skills were not on the agenda but they did assist with the running of the school.

Sport had a prominent role in both the Boys’ and Girls’ Homes. The boys had an annual sports day that was eagerly looked forward to, mostly because of the large range of cash and other prizes on offer. The boys also competed in the Northern District Cricket and Soccer Associations, often being the premiers or the runners-up. They also played in the Granville District Soccer Association knock-out competitions. One year, the Secretary of that association wrote to the Boys’ Home saying:

“The members of my Association felt it is their duty that your boys should receive some recognition of the very sportsman-like conduct right throughout the season, and have decided to award a set of trophies to Carlingford C of E Boys’ Home – one for each lad who took part in the competition – and they will be inscribed with each player’s name as winners of the Sportsman Cup.” The girls played mostly in house sports but they competed in an annual Christian sport event held at The King’s School Oval at Parramatta where they won many trophies, cups and certificates.

Boys and girls all attended their own schools in the homes before attending Carlingford Rural District School for their higher education. Many stayed long enough at school to gain an intermediate level certificate but only a few a year would sit for the leaving certificate, usually at

Boys tending the herd at Carlingford 128

Parramatta High School. could walk there.

The District School was close enough that children from the homes

The children were allowed out of the homes during school holidays, provided relatives were willing and able to look after them. The girls usually went to Chelmsford Avenue to stay with their grandmother, Elizabeth Griffiths. She was happy enough to look after the girls during the holidays.

Arthur, still separated from his sisters, spent his holidays with Nin, Charl and Annie. Their care was well supported by Charl’s brother Cecil Mills and his wife Daphne. Arthur looked forward to these holidays and was always grateful for the extended love he was given.

The homes provided their own school holiday activities for those children who did not stay with relatives. Seaside holidays were held at Cronulla at the end of the year. The children could learn to swim in the rock pools and revel in the surf when not enjoying the delights of the slippery dips and merry-go-rounds in the local parks. Each child got to spend a week at the holiday home.

Another holiday home was later established at Terrigal. Camping and bushwalking were also favourite activities during the holidays.

At the 1937 Annual Meeting of the Executive of the Homes, Lady Margaret Gordon was invited to give the official address. She had previously been a renowned Welsh born opera singer who married a Sydney barrister and became much involved in musical education, children and charities. She said:

I am ashamed to confess that I had never seen (the homes) until about ten days ago when I was invited to go up to Carlingford. We had a happy afternoon of planting trees, a short service, tea, going over the Homes, and meeting the boys. The boys were a fine type. They looked so clean, fresh and healthy, mentally as well as physically. They looked you straight in the eye. They grasped you firmly by the hand – they were not in the least bit self-conscious, and they left you with the impression that they understood the meaning of the word “Home.” The Homes, themselves, were indeed real homes in every sense of the word, and set in ideal surroundings.”

On another occasion, Sir Ernest Fisk, the founder of the broadcasting company AWA and a leading businessman in the electronics industry, said of his visit to the Boys’ Home:

“Nowhere could be seen a collection of boys in better physical fitness, manners and address and obvious zest for living than these lads had, due to the surroundings of the institution and the manner in which the Homes are carried on; and, above all, that which impressed me most was that which is characteristic of most boys throughout the length and breadth of the country – that of sincerity and keenness and a zest for life.”

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Amy Florence Mills (Nin)

Playing at the Girls’ Home in the 1930s

Annie Mills’ wider family also maintained strong connections to the children. Annie’s sister, Olive Fisk, who married in 1937 and lived at Campsie, was keen to adopt the youngest child Gwendoline. Olive already had three sons with her husband, John Wholohan, and was more than happy to add a girl to the family. Reg put an end to that speculation as he was reluctant for the children to be separated (perhaps he didn’t see the irony).

Buckland House at the Boys’ Home 130

The girls left the Girls’ Home about August 1937 when presumably their father Reg was back in full time work and their grandmother, Elizabeth Griffiths, was again capable of caring for them at Chelmsford Avenue. Elizabeth was still reluctant to take on Arthur and with Nin still unable to take him back, Arthur continued to be a resident of the Boys’ Home, where he would stay for another five years.

When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, the effect on the Boys’ Home was immediate. Rationing was introduced across the wider community and soon applied to the home.

The boys needed to become more self sufficient with their gardens and herd. Funding, that ordinarily would have come to the home, was now needed for the war effort. But the home was happy to do its bit to help and soon made adjustments by tightening the budgets.

By June 1941, at least 61 Old Boys had enlisted in one of the three services. Men in uniform soon became a common sight among the visitors to the home.

Arthur stayed at the Boys’ Home for seven and a half years, until he was almost 14. His records indicate he was returned to his father on 10 June 1942 after Reg had returned from active service overseas. Despite being given over to Reg’s care, Arthur was very quickly sent back to live with Nin, Charl and Annie.

In later years Arthur would point out the water tower at Carlingford that was splotched with what looked like black and blue paint. In fact the splotches were made by boys leaving the home over the years who added their marks to the tower by throwing missiles of ink. Arthur never forgot which splotch was his.

Arthur always said he was well cared for during his time at the home and he made a lot of friends.

His young spirit was nurtured at the home and his time there never made him a bitter or hard person. Some events he well remembered, for example, the cold showers every morning, even in winter. Also, the time he was sent across the road from the home to buy cauliflowers from the Chinese market gardens. They had acres of cauliflowers as far as you could see. But on seeing the Chinese workers with their huge machetes, he quickly fled back to the home, handed back the money and said “Sorry, they’ve run out of cauliflowers.”

Sisters Annie Fisk (Mills) and Olive Fisk (Wholohan)

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Second World War The Second World War officially began when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939.

Britain and Australia were among the countries to declare war on Germany two days later. Reg formally enlisted on 16 October 1939 at the Military Depot in Addison Road, Marrickville, one of the Army’s major centres in suburban Sydney.

Reg was assigned as a private to the 11th Garrison Battalion and was given the service number N 70370. Although at 42 years of age he was a bit too old for active service, he gave his correct date of birth when he enlisted. His next of kin was noted as his daughter Dorothy Griffiths of 20 Chelmsford Avenue, Bankstown, which was unusual as Dot at the time was only 14 years old.

This meant that most of his pay would be directed to his young daughter, rather than to his mother.

The Garrison Battalions were made up of older men in their 40s and 50s who had previously seen service, usually in the First World War. They were put in charge of internal security and coastal protection. The 11th carried out mostly guard work at military bases and installations as well as at major landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Reg wasn’t all that happy with this Dad’s Army type of service – he wanted to go overseas where the real action was. He felt he had been marked down because of his age and was given a low rating at his medical. The Medical Officer had rated Reg as unfit for active service but fit for garrison duty. He also noted that Reg was only temporarily unfit and that he had a full upper denture fitted. An old gunshot wound on his left arm was noted as a distinguishing feature.

Reg set about improving his level of fitness by losing weight and exercising regularly. Seven months after his enlistment, Reg presented himself at Victoria Barracks at Paddington in Sydney for a second medical. This time he gave his date of birth as 22 September 1900, now putting his age as 39. He was passed as fit for active service (Class I) and was allowed to be discharged from the 11th Garrison Battalion to commence training for active service as a private on 5 June 1940.

After almost three months general training at the military base at Ingleburn he joined the training unit of the 2/1st Pioneer Battalion to learn some of the particular skills needed for that battalion (a 1st Pioneer Battalion had already served in the First World War and the prefix 2/ was needed to distinguish the two periods of service).

The battalion had been raised in Sydney in May 1940 so Reg’s transfer came through in time for him to make the first cut of 900 men. Although the battalion was fully trained as an infantry battalion it was made up of men with trade or practical skills. Its primary role was to provide engineer support to the infantry divisions.

Reg’s experience as a lorry driver would have been seen as an asset.

Reg Griffith’s second enlistment photo (when he was fit)

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Further training took place at Wallgrove in Sydney before his company was sent to Dubbo for special field training. He returned to Sydney on 28 September 1940 and two days later his company embarked for overseas service on the troopship Johan De Witt. The ship arrived at the Suez Canal on 2 November where the company was disembarked and put on a train to Palestine to join up with the rest of the battalion.

The 2/1st served in Palestine until March 1941 when it was transferred by ship to the Libyan port of Tobruk to help repair the port’s facilities and local airfields, construct roads and collect equipment captured from the defeated Italian 10th Army, all before the expected arrival of more combat hardened German forces under General Rommel.

Unfortunately, Reg seems to have missed the boat, literally, as he had gone missing for two days at the time his ship left. When he turned up he was confined to barracks for seven days and forfeited two days’ pay for the offence.

Soldiers of the 2/1st Pioneer Battalion – Reg Griffiths has been lightly circled Reg then had the ignominy of having to hang around until the next ship could take him on to Tobruk which didn’t occur for another three months. It was during these three months that the worst of the fighting took place in what became known as the Siege of Tobruk where Australian, British and other allied forces withstood a major campaign by German and Italian forces to retake the port. Tobruk was seen as vital to the Germans to help support their intended invasion of Egypt. The only other suitable port was at Benghazi but that port was within the range of Allied aircraft which could attack German shipping and cripple their supply lines.

Reg’s ship ran the German blockade of the port and he finally arrived in Tobruk and rejoined his battalion but by now the siege had settled into a routine of patrols and minor skirmishes as the Germans used ground, sea and air forces to encircle the port and starve the defenders out.

By July 1941, the Allied defenders, by now mostly Australian, were exhausted and their health had broken. There was no option but for the defenders to withdraw. By the end of September most of the Australian forces, including the 2/1 st Pioneer Battalion, had been relieved by fresh Allied forces during the withdrawal process. The battalion’s losses were 45 killed, 63 wounded 133

and nine taken prisoner. Total Australian casualties at Tobruk were 746 killed, almost 2,000 wounded and over 1,000 taken prisoner.

For the next four months the 2/1st were based back in Palestine.

The Australian government recalled most of its forces in the Middle East to defend Australia from the Japanese who entered the war with the bombing of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii in December 1941.

The 2/1st left Port Taufiq (now Suez Port) at the entrance of the Suez Canal on 5 February 1942 on board the SS Somerville bound for Australia. Reg, however, only made it as far as Colombo, the capital of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where the ship docked for supplies.

Reg was evacuated to an 2/1st Pioneer Battalion in Palestine Australian run hospital (12th Australian General Hospital) which had been set up in Colombo to treat wounded and sick soldiers on their way back to Australia. Reg was suffering from a severe skin rash (dermatitis).

He was in hospital for just over a week. Unfortunately for Reg the hospital at this time was made up entirely of tents as a new building was still under construction. He would not have enjoyed the heat, the humidity or the mosquitoes.

Reg Griffiths Army Driving Licence

Reg Griffiths - possibly in Colombo 134

This was an extremely dangerous time to be in South East Asia. The Japanese were in the process of implementing their long planned invasions. Only weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Japanese had total air and sea superiority in the far western Pacific region. In the process they sank Britain’s two largest warships in South East Asia.

Hong Kong soon fell and the following month the Japanese invaded Singapore and the Philippines. Singapore soon fell, a week before Reg arrived in Colombo. Ships and smaller craft carrying refugees and evacuees were constantly arriving in Colombo.

Japanese ships, submarines and aircraft were everywhere and any travel by ship in the region became a harrowing experience.

The Japanese then quickly advanced to Borneo, Java, Sumatra and New Guinea. The first major sea battle in the region, the Battle of the Coral Sea, was fought by US and Australian warships engaging the Japanese fleet in May 1941. The Battle of Midway was fought the following month.

It was not a good time to be travelling by ship.

Despite this, Reg was taken on board the unarmed troopship (and former ocean liner) SS Andes on 1 March 1942 for the return voyage to Australia. The ship was accompanied by two other fully loaded troopships that had also been ocean liners, the SS Orcades and the SS Strathallan.

They had no warship to accompany them.

When enemy aircraft were spotted out at sea, the three ship convoy dispersed and the SS Andes made its own way to Australia keeping well out to sea to avoid as much trouble as possible.

These troopships did not always survive the war. The SS Orcades was sunk by a German submarine seven months later after leaving Capetown for Liverpool. The SS Strathallan lasted another three months until it was sunk by a German submarine in the Mediterranean Sea while carrying 4,656 troops and nurses.

Battle of the Coral Sea – A total of 13 ships sunk or damaged, 171 aircraft destroyed and over 1,600 killed (USS Lexington, in photo, was sunk) The SS Andes managed to survive this voyage (and the war) arriving in Adelaide on 15 March 1942 on its way to Melbourne. Again, Reg failed to make it to his destination. The dermatitis had returned with a vengeance and he was also suffering from malaria which he claimed he 135

picked up while in the tent hospital in Colombo (Reg would have recurring but lessening bouts of malaria over the following years).

He was packed off to the 105th Australian General Hospital (now the General Repatriation Hospital) on the corner of Daws and Goodwood Roads in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. He stayed there for almost five weeks.

Reg was discharged from the hospital on 21 April 1942. The 2/1st had been sent north to Queensland to carry out engineering work in the Brisbane and Ipswich areas and Reg needed to make his way from Adelaide to catch up with the battalion. By now Reg may have seen an opportunity to leave the service on medical grounds. He travelled to Sydney where he caught up with family and friends. While he was there, he filled in the paperwork to allow his son Arthur to leave the Carlingford Boys’ Home. He then travelled to Queensland to rejoin his battalion and perhaps work on getting a medical discharge.

By July 1942 it became known that the 2/1st would be sent to New Guinea to help with the fighting against the Japanese with the first departures occurring in August. By early August Reg claimed he was unable to do the required physical training. He was sent to the 117th Australian General Hospital in Toowoomba for medical assessment. The hospital had only recently been established after taking over most of Downlands College, a boys’ boarding school run by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

Reg complained that he had stomach trouble for the last three months with abdominal pain, nausea and acid reflux, all of which he blamed on the malaria. He also got breathless from only slight exertion which he put down to the damage done to his lungs from being gassed during the First World War. He said he could not keep up his job and wasn’t able to pull his weight.

The initial assessment was that he was simply too old for active service. To everyone, he looked even older than his real age, let alone his reduced age. His general condition had shown an all

Reg Griffiths bottom left – the “old man” – in Central Australia 136

round deterioration, not fitting a Class I soldier. Reg was referred to the Medical Board for further assessment, The board was very considerate to Reg. It noted he had been serving for over two years, with the last 18 months in the Middle East. He had suffered trench foot and gassing in the First World War but he was discharged then as fit and remained well in civilian life. He suffered no serious illness in the Middle East except for a dose of sandfly fever, a common flu-like condition that usually had no lasting effect.

Nothing of note showed up in his thorough medical examination where everything appeared to be within normal ranges. The board placed particular emphasis on his age to find that he was no longer physically able to carry out front line service. Perhaps disappointingly for Reg, the board considered he could still be usefully employed in another capacity, seeing as he was a driver. He was then reclassified as Class B2.

While the rest of the 2/1st went to New Guinea, where they faced some of the fiercest fighting imaginable, Reg was sent back to NSW, possibly Sydney, where he was reassigned for sedentary duties. He stayed there until 19 December 1942 when he was formally transferred to the 14th Australian Field Bakery Platoon, no doubt as a driver rather than a baker. I have not been able to track down where this platoon was actually based but it came under the command of the Central Australia headquarters at Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

Staging Camp at Alice Springs Headquarters Reg was transferred out of the 14th to the 41st Australian Field Bakery Platoon on 23 February 1944 and he stayed with that platoon working as a driver until 24 July 1945. Between June 1944 and February 1945 his platoon was rotated to the Northern Territory town of Katherine.

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Reg’s health gradually improved and in July 1944 he was reclassified as Class B1. Reg was promoted to Lance Corporal in December 1944. He was admitted to the 4th Australian Camp Hospital on 5 May 1945 which was located at Bowen Hills in Brisbane, suffering from an outbreak of dermatitis on his scalp. He was then quickly shunted off to the 3rd Australian Camp Hospital at Enoggera, also in Brisbane, where he was treated over the next three weeks.

On discharge from the hospital, Reg was sent to the 31st Australian Field Bakery Platoon which at the time was likely based in Queensland. The locations of the bakery platoons are hard to pin down as they were constantly rotated around northern Australia so as to share the experience of working in remote areas.

For most of the war, Reg allotted a portion of his army pay to be made to his mother (to help look after his daughters) and another portion to be made to his sister in law, Annie Mills (to help look after his son). Reg’s Record of Service Book does not, however, state the proportions involved.

A driver has just delivered a truck load of freshly baked bread

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The Post War Years The war ended with the formal Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945. Reg was discharged from the army on 26 October that year and returned to civilian life after an absence of five years and nine months.

He found his way home to Chelmsford Avenue to reunite with his mother Elizabeth and his daughters, 20 year old Dot, 18 year old Marjorie and 15 year old Gwen. He would also have made contact with his son Arthur who had just turned 17.

Reg was by now 48 years old but the effects of disease and illness and general wear and tear had worn him down and he looked a lot older. He resumed work as a motor driver and spent most of his remaining working life delivering meat to local butchers. Reg became eligible for a disability pension from the Australian Government (TPI Pension) as a result of his war service.

Reg did not stay at Chelmsford Avenue for long. He probably found it difficult to combine the outgoing type of social life he enjoyed with living at home with his mother and daughters.

Reg Griffiths

After Elizabeth Griffiths turned 80, she may have started to feel her age.

She had faced many tribulations in her lifetime and the fact she had so far survived for eight decades showed a strong capacity for life in the face of adversity. By now she had started to experience chest pains and was diagnosed with both blocked arteries and myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle usually caused by a viral infection.

Elizabeth decided to make a last will and testament on 8 October 1948, probably to be on the safe side in case her health failed.

The following year Reg found himself in a difficult position. He placed a notice in The Sydney Morning Herald on 23 November 1949 stating: “I will not be responsible for any Debts

contracted in my Name without my written consent from this date. Edward R Griffiths, 41 Wattle Street, Punchbowl.�

Younger people today are used to paying for goods or services by card, phone or other electronic means and only sometimes by cash. But for earlier generations who were often paid monthly or only when work was available, it was common practice to have accounts with various shopkeepers and suppliers, with the account payable at the end of the month or as agreed. The account would also be used by family members running errands or doing some shopping for the family.

In Reg’s case it is possible that a friend, or more likely one of his daughters, was running up bills on his accounts without his permission. Placing a notice in the paper was a first formal step to 139

protecting yourself against claims but the downside was that it brought attention to yourself as a financial risk. I imagine you would soon find all of your credit accounts at shops and stores would soon be closed.

Elizabeth Griffiths was 86 when she suffered a fatal stroke at home on 23 February 1953. She was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium two days later.

Elizabeth had lost her husband at a young age as well as two infant children. She had also seen plenty of tragedy within her wider family. She managed to bring her three remaining children to a new country where they could start a new life. Her eldest son was a casualty of the First World War. She lived through the Great Depression and later the Second World War where another son was again placed at risk. The girl from Llandrillo in Wales did not have an easy life.

At the time of his mother’s death, Reg was 55 and living back at Chelmsford Avenue where he would stay for some years, often helping to look after grandchildren and other family members needing support.

Reg’s health started to fail in the early 1960s and he suffered a series of worsening strokes. On each occasion he would be hospitalised and then placed in a convalescent or rehabilitation facility.

Elizabeth Griffiths at Chelmsford Ave In between these placements he could not live on his own and was taken in by his daughter Dot. As his condition worsened he became partly paralysed and severely restricted in movement and impaired in speech. He was placed in permanent full time care.

Reg’s last will and testament was made in 1963 under which he gave a quarter share to each of his three older children. Another quarter share was divided between his youngest child Gwen and her two children, Gayle and Ken. With Reg now incapable of returning home, the decision was made in 1964 to sell 20 Chelmsford Avenue. The sale, to people named Bakunowicz, was organised by Reg’s son Arthur and daughter Dot who had a joint power of attorney from Reg. The sale price was £2,700.

After years of living as an invalid in aged care, Reg suffered a sudden heart failure causing fluid to rapidly build up in his lungs. He passed away on 28 November 1972 at the Jesmond Private Hospital at Strathfield. He was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium three days later.

It took a year before Probate of Reg’s will was granted. The net proceeds of his estate came to $8,408.62.

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Dorothy May Griffiths By 1946, the year after the Second World War ended, Dot was living at 69 Undercliffe Road, Undercliffe with a family headed by Charles Allder Ball and his wife Margaret. Charles worked as a marine engineer.

Undercliffe was a suburb located between Cook’s River and Wolli Creek about 10 km south of the Sydney CBD. Its name came from the quarrying of the sandstone bluffs between the two waterways in the 1800s. The suburb is now part of Earlwood.

Three sisters - Marjorie, Gwen and Dorothy Griffiths Charles and Margaret Ball had a son living with them named Stuart Allder Ball who was a textile worker. Dot was also a textile worker and most probably she and Stuart were employed at the same mill.

The largest employers of textile workers in the area were the woollen mills at nearby Marrickville.

These mills, namely Vicars, Globe and the Australian Woollen Mills, had over 70% women in their workforce, mostly involved in spinning, weaving, combing and mending. The men did the mostly dirtier or heavier work such as sorting the raw wool, dyeing the wool and moving bales.

No doubt the men were better paid.

Dot may have been a boarder with the Ball family as most of the textile workers lived within a short distance of the mills. Or she may have met Stuart at work and moved in with his family after they became romantically attached.

Dot was 21 when she married 19 year old Stuart at the District Registrar’s Office at the Court of Petty Sessions, Campsie on 5 July 1946. Dot’s grandmother, Elizabeth Griffiths, was on hand to act as a formal witness to the marriage.

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It wasn’t long before they had a son, Robert Eric Ball. As it turned out, Robert would be their only child.

Stuart changed jobs, possibly to earn a higher wage to look after his family. He became a moulder which was a name given to a range of occupations but in Stuart’s case would have been someone making moulds for the casting of heavy metals like iron. By 1949 Stuart and Dot had moved to 8 Beatty Parade, Georges Hall. The house was on Garrison Point and it overlooked Prospect Creek with Liverpool Golf Course on the other side.

Some time over the next nine years the family moved only a short distance to 20 Haig Avenue which was closer to the Georges Hall shopping area and Bankstown Airport. By now, Stuart was working as an aircraft fitter. Dot and Stuart stayed in this residence for many years but, over time, their relationship deteriorated.

Dot had become friendly with a man named Leslie Walter Bottom. Les was a baker by trade who had come to Sydney from Cooma with his wife Bessie and their two children, Beverley and Michael. Bessie died in 1960 at the young age of 47.

Dot and Stuart divorced in 1966. Dot was 42 when she married 57 year old Les on 9 April 1967 at the Methodist Church, Bankstown. The ceremony was performed by the Rev Athol Brooks.

Rita Trzuskowski, who was a next door neighbour at Georges Hall, was one of the formal witnesses to the marriage. The other witness was Reginald Robert Beaver, Les’ son in law, who had married Beverley in 1960, not long after the death of Beverley’s mother, Bessie.

Dot and Les stayed at 20 Haig Avenue after Stuart had moved out but by 1972 they had moved to the NSW Central Coast. They first lived at 63 Copacabana Drive at Copacabana where they had an elevated view looking over Copacabana Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The property had access from both the front and back which was convenient as the front access was quite difficult due to the steep grade.

Les was a keen collector and breeder of birds, mostly budgerigars. He built an aviary in the open area below the house. He continued working as a baker as did Dot’s son Robert. By 1972 Robert and his recently married wife Maureen were living at 21 Carroll Avenue, Gosford. Robert and Maureen’s wedding reception had been held at the Copacabana home.

By 1977 Les and Dot had moved to 168 Winbin Crescent, Gwandalan at the southern end of Lake Macquarie.

63 Copacabana Drive, Copacabana

Stuart Ball stayed on in Georges Hall, later moving to 16 Beale Street, just around the corner from Haig Avenue. For some time he was working for the Sydney Water Board. He does not appear to have remarried after his divorce from Dot. Dot, who had become a great-grandmother, passed away on 17 November 2009 having just reached her 85th birthday. She was buried at the Pinegrove Memorial Park at Minchinbury in 142

western Sydney seven days later. Her death notice, published in Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph, stated:

“She lived for those she loved, and those she loved remember.”

Her husband, Les Bottom, had died only a few months earlier on 10 September. He was six weeks short of his 99th birthday. Les outdid Dot by being a great-great-grandfather. He was also buried at Pinegrove.

Memorial to Dorothy Bottom

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Marjorie Florence Griffiths Marjorie, the second child of Reg and Daisy Griffiths, turned 19 two weeks after the Second World War officially ended. At the time she was living at Chelmsford Avenue with her grandmother and sisters. Like her older sister Dot, Marjorie worked in a textile mill and most likely worked at the same mill as Dot. Marjorie was a more carefree spirit with an easy going manner which sometimes meant she didn’t always make the best choices in life. How Jack Hanchard came into her life is a mystery. Jack might today be described as a colourful character but by 1940 when he was only 22 years old he was known across Sydney as a career criminal.

Oscar John Hanchard, to give him his formal name, was born in the NSW rural town of Orange about 1917, making him nine years older than Marjorie. His criminal career started at an early age after he moved from Orange to Sydney. By the age of 15 he was already known to police for breaking into houses and stealing money, jewellery and goods.

In 1936, when he was 18, he was trapped by police in a terrace house in Parramatta where he attempted to escape by swinging along window ledges to the end of the terrace. When he realised he would be caught if he continued, he climbed through a bedroom window and quickly hid himself. He was found by police standing in a wardrobe wearing a woman’s frock.

On a later occasion he was again chased by police in Parramatta and was captured as he was trying to pull a revolver from a draw. After his release from prison in about February 1937, 19 year old Jack managed to become attached to 18 year old Bernice Morton who was living with her widowed mother Alice at Parramatta. When Bernice became pregnant, Jack was keen to marry her but Alice objected to Jack as not being an acceptable husband for her daughter.

Jack soon resumed his housebreaking activities later saying he needed to raise money to help look after Bernice. Before long he was arrested, charged and found guilty of two housebreakings.

He was sentenced to 12 months hard labour at Long Bay Gaol, Malabar.

Jack regularly corresponded with Bernice who moved to Orange to stay with Jack’s parents for the birth of the baby. Jack became desperate to get to Orange to marry Bernice before the baby was born, regardless of Alice’s continued opposition.

On 11 September 1937 Jack was working with 25 other prisoners in the less secure farm section of the gaol when, unnoticed, he scaled a high fence and disappeared into the adjoining scrub. The alarm was raised only after he was found to be missing.

Jack was nothing if not resourceful. Despite wearing a prison uniform at the time of his escape, he managed to steal clothes from some backyard clotheslines, evade capture and make his way to the city and from there catch a train to Orange where he caught up with Bernice and his parents. But the police had a good idea what he was up to and two hours before Jack and 144

Bernice were to secretly marry, Jack was caught after he jumped out of a window, climbed several fences and hid in someone’s backyard. He was charged with escaping lawful custody.

While in gaol at Orange waiting for transport to Sydney, Jack was visited by Bernice and her mother.

Alice was still opposed to the marriage (possibly even more so now). Jack told the court he only escaped because he had been denied permission from prison authorities to marry Bernice (ignoring the fact she was still under age and needed Alice’s consent).

Newspaper Headline 1937

Taken back to Sydney, Jack was sentenced to nine months imprisonment to be added on to his earlier sentence.

As it turned out, Jack and Bernice did get married but they had to wait until he was released from prison and then for Bernice to turn 21 to avoid parental permission. They were married on 24 August 1940 at the All Saints Church, Parramatta, with the ceremony performed by the Rev George Manning. Jack’s parents were the two official witnesses. I doubt Bernice’s mother was in attendance.

Jack didn’t let marriage and fatherhood get in the way of his criminal activities. He continued with his housebreaking career becoming known to police as “one of the most daring and cunning housebreakers who had ever operated in Sydney.”

He was arrested in 1941 and charged with burgling 20 homes in the western suburbs and north shore, taking items worth many thousands of pounds. Conducting his own defence, he asked a detective “Have you ever known me to associate with criminals?” to which the detective responded

Long Bay Gaol at Malabar 145

“No. You endeavour to associate with people above your own standard.” He was sentenced to three years hard labour and declared an habitual criminal.

Jack was sent back to Long Bay Gaol to serve his sentence but he was only there a few weeks when he hatched a daring plan to escape. Feigning illness, he was transferred to nearby Prince Henry Hospital which had a special secure wing for sick prisoners. While there, he was visited by a female (possibly Bernice) who smuggled in a bottle of lemonade.

In the early hours of the following morning, Jack asked the warder on duty to roll a cigarette for him. While the warder was distracted, Jack picked up the empty lemonade bottle and struck it heavily on the warder’s head. Jack fled down the hallway but was pursued by the dazed warder who tackled Jack and in the ensuing fight managed to rip open Jack’s long nightshirt. A nurse came running to the warder’s assistance. Jack managed to free himself from the warder and then landed punches on both the warder and the nurse but had the rest of his nightshirt torn off in the process.

Now completely naked, Jack jumped through a window and made his escape. On his way through the grounds he snatched some red dotted women’s pyjamas from a clothesline and a pair of old white shoes. A passing milkman later saw Jack come out of a phone booth and Jack told him he was only wearing the pyjamas because a soldier had caught him in bed with his wife and he had to flee. The milkman heard him say darling to someone on the phone.

Jack then came across two young men who thought Jack was drunk. One of them took Jack home where he put on a pair of pants and a cardigan over the pyjama top. He also took a pair of shoes and promised to return everything plus 10 shillings for their trouble (a promise ne never kept).

Jack then made his way to Central Railway Station where he telephoned someone in Parramatta who brought him a suit and hat. He changed into them in the station’s toilets and then went to a city cinema to see a movie.

Police set up a strong presence in Parramatta as it was where Jack’s wife and many of his friends lived.

The police were rewarded when Jack was seen walking down Church Street. He was stopped at gunpoint and handcuffed without resistance. He said he was trying to find out where his wife was now living. He was charged with escaping from lawful custody and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Jack was sentenced to another 12 months hard labour for the escape

Newspaper Headlines 1941 146

and three months for the assault on the warder.

Jack was able to avoid any service in the armed forces during the Second World War as he spent most of it in gaol. In 1943 Bernice and the two daughters she had with Jack were living with Jack’s parents who had now moved to Harris Park near Parramatta. Bernice was by now reconciled with her mother Alice as she was also living with them.

But it all became too much for Bernice. By the end of the war she had met another man, Ronald Martin, who was more than happy to look after Bernice and her daughters a lot better than Jack had. She married Ron at Wagga Wagga as soon as her divorce came through in 1947.

Jack was again in trouble in 1949 when he was questioned by police on suspicion of having in his possession a stolen diamond ring. Quickly, Jack prised the diamond from the ring and attempted to swallow it before he was stopped, taken to the police station and charged.

Some time during the early 1950s Jack met Marjorie Griffiths. It is very likely that Marjorie knew about Jack’s criminal past (and possibly present) and about his previous marriage. Nevertheless, they were married at the District Registrar’s Office at Auburn on 10 June 1955. The marriage was witnessed by Jack’s brother Robert and his sister Mary. I note that no-one from Marjorie’s family was asked to act as witness and perhaps none of them were present.

The Sun 28 October 1941 page 2 and The Daily Telegraph 23 October 1941 page 5 At the time of the marriage 28 year old Marjorie was still living at Chelmsford Avenue with her father Reg. Jack was by now 38 and living at 275 Noble Avenue, Chullora which was the home of the Hanchard family. He was working as a transport driver. Marjorie moved in with Jack and his family but not for long. By 1958 Marjorie was back at Chelmsford Avenue. There is no Electoral Roll record for Jack anywhere, suggesting he was back in gaol.

Jack always had a car or two at his disposal but he never owned one. He loved to drive and take friends and relatives on day trips on the weekend. On one occasion he took family members on a trip down the south coast to Ulladulla but he didn’t leave until midday resulting in a long drive home at night. He enjoyed the driving more than the destination.

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Jack once took off on a trip to the country with Marjorie to visit Cecil and Daphne Mills, who were now living at Cootamundra. Not wanting to arrive empty handed, Jack pulled over on the way, shot a sheep in a paddock with his rifle and then strapped it to the car. On arriving at Cootamundra he butchered the sheep in the Mills’ backyard and then hung it up in the chook pen. It took some time for Cecil and Daphne to regain their power of speech.

Like Bernice before her, Marjorie reached her limit. She petitioned for divorce and after it was granted she married Alan Malcolm Vass at the District Registrar’s Office at Bankstown on 9 September 1960. They were both 33 and living at 52 Dutton Street, Bankstown which was the home of Alan’s parents, Alan and Vera Vass, and their other children. This was Alan’s first marriage.

At the time Alan was working as a spray painter and Marjorie continued working at the textile mill. Alan had enlisted for service in the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War. His young age at the time of enlistment suggests he may have been a navy cadet.

As a spray painter, and at other times as a motor driver, Alan worked in the transport or motor car industry. So too did Jack Hanchard for part of the 1950s and it may be that Marjorie met Alan through Jack.

Or it may be that Alan met Jack at Long Bay Gaol as Alan had his own run in with the law. In 1952 Alan was sentenced to six months hard labour for illegally using a motor vehicle, something Jack was also prone to do. While serving his sentence, Alan was brought to court as a witness against two other men but he refused to give evidence.

Alan said to the judge:

“I had good health, good hair, and everything before the police started to victimise me. Now I have lost every penny I had. I have lost two stone in weight, and my hair is falling out.”

Headline from 1952 148

The judge was not impressed with his excuse for going prematurely bald and ordered Alan to be returned to prison “until he purged his contempt.”

Alan and Marjorie lived at Dutton Street for about 10 years. As far as I know, Marjorie and Alan had two children, a son Martin and a daughter Linda. Linda was born with a condition called ectodermal dysplasia which meant that she had some altered genes that caused abnormalities or malformations of certain parts of her body such as skin, teeth, hair, nails, nerves and sweat and salivary glands. Baby Linda lived for only 18 days after her birth. Her death, at the Royal Alexandria Hospital for Children at Camperdown on 7 May 1964, was most likely caused by her body overheating or by breathing problems. She was cremated at Rookwood cemetery a few days later. Her death would have been devastating for her parents who were helpless to deal with the condition.

By 1972 Alan, Marjorie and Martin had outgrown the Dutton Street house. They moved down the coast to Lake Illawarra where they had a house at 133 Pur Avenue. They would stay there for the next few years. It was while living at Lake Illawarra that Marjorie and Alan won first prize in a NSW State Lottery. It may have been the Opera House Lottery which had a prize of $200,000, or it may have been one of the lesser lotteries. In any event, Marjorie and Alan were very generous with their winnings, offering to share money with family and friends.

Alan decided to use some of the winnings to buy Marjorie a car, a VW Passat, but after a number of unhappy driving lessons, Marjorie decided she did not want to be a driver.

It wasn’t long before the family was on the move again, this time to a house at the end of Mascot Street, Woy Woy (in fact No 30), close to the entrance to Brisbane Water. At the time, Alan was working as a motor driver.

Alan’s father died at Woy Woy in 1979 after A winning Opera House Lottery Ticket having moved there from Bankstown not much earlier. Sometime after 1980 the family moved to Queensland and lived in Woodridge, a southern suburb of Brisbane. Martin was by now working as an electrician.

The twice divorced Jack Hanchard died at Georges Hall on 15 May 1974 at the relatively young age of 57. He may have been in contact with his former brother in law Stuart Ball who was still living at Georges Hall at the time.

Marjorie passed away on 8 July 2000 at Woodridge. Alan Vass remarried after Marjorie’s death.

He was living in a caravan park when he passed away sometime after 2007.

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Arthur Charles Griffiths In 1942 when he was almost 14, Arthur left the Carlingford Boys’ Home and returned to live with his Uncle Charl and Aunty Annie at their house in Highland Avenue, Yagoona.

Arthur’s mother Daisy had many family members who continued to provide support to Daisy’s children, sometimes with money but more often with visits and taking them on excursions. They particularly felt sorry for Arthur (and perhaps a bit remorseful for his long time in care) and did their best to help him and keep in contact with him.

Arthur (who was now known to most people as Art) became close to his mother’s side of the family. His relationship with his Uncle Charl was always strong but he had a close affection for Charl’s younger brother Cecil Mills who lived at Punchbowl. Together with his wife Daphne, Cecil went out of his way to show great kindness and support to Art which continued after his return from the home.

One of the first things Art did after leaving the home was to get a pushbike so he could be free to roam his new world. His father Reg lent him most of the money to buy the bike and made sure he paid it all back. Art continued with his higher education at Belmore Boys’ High School, a school known for its teaching of trade skills, but he was not keen to stay and left as soon as he was old enough (probably when he was 16).

His first full time job was at a timber yard in Concord where he worked with his Uncle Charl. He rode to work on his pushbike. He was a strong and tenacious rider and A young Arthur Griffiths constantly tried to better his riding times to and from work. He realised he had the stamina to ride longer distances and he was soon riding out to the far western areas of Sydney including Penrith, Mulgoa and Camden where he would catch up with some of his mother’s family who had spread over those areas.

He was enterprising enough to go all the way out to Cobbitty where he went rabbit shooting. He would sell the meat to a local butcher and sell the skins to a tannery at Rosebery.

Art found the work at the timber yard frustrating as he struggled to keep up with the adult employees (but not for want of trying). He next found work at an aluminium factory in Dutton Street, Bankstown making pots, pans and other aluminium products. His work brought him into contact with asbestos but fortunately he did not stay long enough to be harmed.

Moving on, his third job was with the Industrial Electric Company at Underwood where he spent most of his time winding, rewinding and overhauling electrical motors and generators. This mostly involved the intricate winding of long lengths of copper wire into tight coils that were fitted onto the poles of a motor to enhance the magnetic force of the motor. Art rode to work on his bike every work day, wind, rain or sunshine.

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Art also rode his bike to visit relatives and help out on weekends when family, such as Jack and Marjorie Hanchard, needed extra hands with building or repair work.

The Company later moved to Addison Road, Marrickville. As Marrickville was on the Bankstown rail line, Art was able to travel by train. He stayed with the Company for many years.

He was a hard worker and keen to make as much money as he could. He religiously saved and when he was 17 he had enough to buy a motor bike. He also bought a long brown leather coat. He became a common sight buzzing around Bankstown on his bike.

Around this time, Art made friends with Ron Pettit and Percy Lythall. The three friends had an active social life. The highlight was spending a weekend at the Hollywood Guesthouse next to the Nepean River at Wallacia where they could swim, dance, ride Art working at Industrial Electric Co horses, cycle, play cricket, golf, tennis, billiards and table tennis, go fishing and rabbit shooting and otherwise enjoy the lounge, log fires, sunny verandas and other comforts of the guesthouse on a large property with other like-minded guests. They soon became part of a larger group of young men and women that regularly met up for dances, picnics and other social events.

After saving more money, Art sold his motor bike and bought a Ford Prefect car which became his pride and joy. The good times at Wallacia came to an abrupt end when the 33 room guesthouse was accidentally destroyed by fire in December 1950 during the course of renovations.

Hollywood Guesthouse at Wallacia 151

Bankstown had always had a strong community spirit and people either knew or had some acquaintance with just about everyone. Art had already crossed paths a few times with a young Norma Willis but when he was 22 he met 17 year old Norma again with a group of her friends at Yagoona Railway Station on their way to work in the city. Norma worked as a clothing machinist at Millicents in Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills.

He asked Norma if he could take her to the local cinema (to see the movie Blood On The Moon, a 1948 cowboy movie starring Robert Mitchum and Robert Preston). She agreed but Art needed permission from Norma’s father, Ken Willis. It seems that the Willis family had heard of Art’s father Reg and were not impressed so they were not keen on their daughter going out with Reg’s son, who was also known to ride a bike. Their concerns were allayed by Norma’s older sister Joyce who said she had danced with Art on a few occasions and she found him a thorough gentleman. He had also gotten rid of the bike in favour of a car.

And so a romance blossomed into a relationship.

On her way home from work in June 1951, Norma did a delivery to a belt factory at Belmore.

Art picked her up at Belmore Station in his car and told her he had won 2nd prize of £500 in a State lottery. They made arrangements to get married as soon as possible. There was just enough time to get formally engaged two weeks before their marriage at St Felix Catholic Church at Yagoona.

Antipathy towards Roman Catholics had existed in Britain for centuries and was brought to Australia by successive generations of new arrivals. The Griffiths and Mills families had members who refused to attend the marriage in a Catholic Church, including Art’s grandmother, Elizabeth Griffiths.

As there was no room for them to stay at the Willis residence in Woodbine Avenue, Yagoona, they needed to find another place to live. They were invited to stay with Art’s Aunty Ol (Olive Fisk, sister of Aunty Annie) who had a house at 63 Tallawalla Street, Beverly Hills.

It was only a month after they were married that Art and a friend were in the Ford Prefect when it Movie Poster – Blood On The Moon was run over by a double decker bus which continued to drag the squashed car down the road. The car was totally destroyed but somehow both Art and his friend managed to crawl out of the wreck with no serious injury.

Art was keen to make sure he could support having a wife and a future family. He worked overtime at Industrial Electric two nights a week whenever extra money was needed. On other nights he found similar work at another factory at Earlwood. He started working on weekend milk runs in the Greenacre and Enfield areas working for his friend George Luster.

Art had met George and his wife Edna at the Hollywood Guesthouse. George and Edna belonged to another group of visitors but staying at the same time inevitably led to a crossover of friends.

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A local man named Winterbottom bought a milk run at Yagoona and Art switched his weekends over to this milk run around 1963. Art and Norma’s first child Graeme was born in January 1953 while they were still living with Aunty Ol at Beverly Hills. Not long after, Art and Norma bought a house at 40 Bowden Boulevarde, Yagoona. They moved into the house in October 1953. The house would always be the family home. Their second child Narelle was born in November 1955.

Art eventually left his job with Industrial Electric to take up work at a company then known as Xpress Tyres where he would pick up tyres in his company supplied Holden utility vehicle and return them after retreading.

He then moved to a brush and cleaning product company called NSW Brushware Supplies owned by a family appropriately named Broom. The company later changed its name to Australian Cleaning Supplies (ACS). Art was employed there for three years as a salesman. His truck run included a convent where he had to ring the bell and wait to be interrogated before he was allowed to enter and show his wares.

In the meantime, his friend George Luster was working for E A Mensdorff Pty Ltd, a company based at St Leonards who sold a vast range of tyre and wheel repair equipment and service station accessories such as puncture repair kits, valves, wheel weights, pressure gauges, air hoses, jacks and tools. George’s run to service stations and tyre centres had become so large he arranged for Art to take over part of it which included most of the area south of Parramatta Road and the South Coast.

Art was also kept busy working for George on weekend mornings and afternoons loading and unloading ice cream between trucks and George’s freezers.

In the 1990s a rival business named Stenner became a key supplier of the equipment Art sold. Not being a fan of Stenner, Art made the decision to leave Mensdorff, with their blessing, and become an independent contractor so he did not have to deal with Stenner.

Art and Norma Griffiths

The decision was hard at the time but turned out to be very successful.

It allowed Art to build his business and eventually sell it to fund an early retirement when he was 58.

It took Art 10 years to replace the Ford Prefect with a Holden FC. In that carless time the family travelled everywhere by bus, train, on foot or by lifts from family members and friends, including their long term next door neighbours, John and Beryl Slade.

Holidays were spent at Long Jetty, Blue Bay, Avoca and Windang as well as at Cootamundra where Art’s Uncle Cecil and his wife Daphne now lived.

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As the children grew up, Art took a very active role in their school and sporting life. He was the manager of Graeme’s soccer team for many years and President of the P&C at North Bankstown Public School where he was well known for organising fund raisings and social events.

Art and Norma had a hectic but rewarding social life chiefly involving family, friends, travelling, dancing, squash and golf.

Art became ill with a developing vascular dementia that affected his balance and memory and later his processing of functions. He went into care at the Yagoona Nursing Home in January 2008. He declined over the next four years and passed away at the home on 21 June 2012 at the age of 83. Norma, who looked after his needs at the home on a daily basis, continues her role of matriarch to her growing family.

Norma and Art Griffiths in 2006

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Gwendoline Beatrice Griffiths Gwen was 15 when her father returned to the family home after he completed his war service in 1945. She was 20 and still living at home when she married 23 year old John Frederick Chambers (known as Jack) on 10 February 1951 at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Bankstown.

The service was conducted by the Rev H J Marshall, the long term vicar of the church.

Gwen’s sister Marjorie and her brother Arthur were the official witnesses.

By coincidence, it was the night of the wedding when Gwen’s brother Arthur took his future wife Norma on their first date to the local cinema.

At the time of his marriage, Jack was living at 86 Meredith Street, Bankstown.

His father, Reginald Chambers, had committed suicide in 1935 when Jack was about 7 years old. His father had been ill and unemployed for two years during the worst years of the Great Depression and could no longer cope with his condition. Like many others in a similar position, he knew his family of a wife and six children would be better off on welfare if his wife was a widow. He tied a clothesline to a bannister and then around his neck. His wife Minnie tried desperately to talk him down from the stool he was standing on but Gwen and her father Reg he made the jump and died. This was not his first attempt at suicide. The horrific death of their 39 year old father at the family home in Balmain would have left Minnie and the children traumatised for many years.

The family later moved to a house at 11 Boardman Street, Bankstown where Minnie stayed until she moved to Blackwall near Woy Woy in 1949 to be near her daughter Jess. In July 1950 Minnie was one of 17 protesters who entered the Council Chamber at Gosford to complain about flooding in the Woy Woy area. She was prompted to do this by her husband’s brother, John Leslie Chambers, who happened to be a local councillor. Quite excited with the protest, she left the chamber at the lunch break with Jess, intending to have lunch at the Royal Hotel. She had only walked a short distance when she complained of a sudden headache before collapsing unconscious. An ambulance took her to Gosford District Hospital where she seemed to recover but she collapsed again soon after and died. Minnie was 53.

And so it was that Jack Chambers had no parent present at his wedding the following year to Gwen Griffiths.

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Reg’s brother, Arthur Gordon Griffiths, bought a block of land at Lot 6 Cahors Road, Padstow, not far from where Arthur and his wife Eveline lived in Banks Street (in fact, just around the corner). The only building on the land was a garage. Gwen and Jack moved into the garage and paid rent to Arthur while they saved money to build a house and eventually buy the land from Arthur.

Gwen and Jack’s first child Gayle was born while they were living at this property. However, they found it increasingly difficult to pay the rent and save money at the same time. By 1954 they had moved in with Gwen’s father Reg at 20 Chelmsford Avenue, Bankstown. Reg’s mother Elizabeth had died in 1953 and only Gwen’s sister Marjorie was still living with Reg in the family home.

Reg Griffiths with Grand Daughter Gayle Chambers Gwen and Jack’s second child Kenneth (Ken) was born in December 1953 while the family were living at Chelmsford Avenue. Jack worked in many different jobs. He had been a storeman, labourer and furniture polisher and later worked as a chair maker.

Gwen and Jack grew apart as the marriage became unstable. They both went their own ways.

Some time later Jack joined the Australian Army where he was eventually attached to the No 2 Base Ordnance Depot at Moorebank. Gwen also moved out after some time leaving the two children in the care of their grandfather Reg. Divorce proceedings were started in 1960 and finalised by March 1961. Gwen was by now living at 524 Railway Parade, Hurstville. She had met Leslie Piggott, a single man who was living in Panania, not far from Padstow. Gwen had become infatuated with Les and despite reservations

by Les’ parents over him having a relationship with a divorcee, 31 year old Gwen and 26 year old Les were married on 24 November 1961 at the District Registrar’s Office at Rockdale. The official witnesses were Ted and Valerie Hayes who lived at Hurstville not far from Gwen. Valerie was an office worker and Gwen may have worked with her.

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Gwen started a second family with Les and they had two sons, Mark and Stephen, around the period of 1967 to 1969. For a time they lived at 51 Wentworth Avenue in Caringbah. Mark still lives in Sydney but Stephen is thought to have passed away in Queensland in about 1995.

With the departure of both Gwen and Jack, Reg now had two grandchildren to support while living on his war pension. He provided a level of love and support to Gayle and Ken that he had been unable to give to his own children when they were growing up. He would walk the children to school every morning and be waiting to walk them home every afternoon. He gave them pocket money and made sure they had everything they needed. Reg was eventually granted legal custody of the two children.

Some time after Gwen’s departure, Jack began regular visits to Chelmsford Avenue to see the children. Jack was by now based at the army camp at Moorebank. These visits continued until Reg had the first of his strokes in early 1960. Jack now had to take full responsibility for the children. He found a couple of short term accommodation solutions for the children with people Jack knew at Strathfield and Granville.

Eventually, Gayle and Ken ended up staying with the family of Mick and Peg Murray at the married quarters village at the Moorebank army camp for the last six months of 1960. Here, they attended the Moorebank Army Primary School.

Gayle and Ken Chambers at 20 Chelmsford Avenue, Bankstown By the end of 1960 Reg’s health had improved and he returned to live at Chelmsford Avenue.

Gayle and Ken were returned to Reg’s custody. In early 1963 Reg had another stroke, this time a lot more serious and he was admitted to hospital long term. For a while Gayle and Ken stayed during week days with the Hannant family who lived across the road in Chelmsford Avenue. On the weekends Jack would stay with the children back across the road in the family home.

Jack started working on a plan to have the children better looked after on a permanent basis.

He arranged for Gayle and Ken to be placed with an army buddy, Frank Newman and his wife Pat. They agreed to legally adopt the children provided there was no contact with the children’s birth families.

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Gayle and Ken lived with their adopted family until they could find their own way in life. They eventually reconnected with their natural parents in 1972 and 1975.

Gwen and Les moved up the NSW north coast. Gwen was 85 when she passed away on 1 October 2015 at St Andrews Nursing Home at Ballina where she had been a resident for some years.

Jack Chambers also remarried, in 1971 well after he and Gwen divorced. Jack and his second wife Amy also moved up the NSW north coast to South West Rocks, near Kempsey. Jack died on 12 October 2004 when he was 77. Amy passed away on 24 November 2017 when she was 90.

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Arthur Gordon Griffiths As a reminder as you near the end of this story, Arthur Gordon Griffiths was the youngest of the three sons who immigrated to Australia with their mother Elizabeth in 1911. He was 16 years old when the First World War ended in November 1918. Unlike his older brothers Ern and Reg, Arthur grew to a reasonable height which must have come as a surprise to Reg when he returned from the war.

Arthur continued living at 20 Chelmsford Avenue, Bankstown for the next 20 years. For most of that time he worked in a printery business before he became a bus driver. His largely simple life changed much for the better when he met Evaline Maud Bell who lived not too far away in Tower Street, Panania.

Wedding of Arthur and Evaline Griffiths – Evaline’s twin sister Gwen on left Evaline (or Ev as she was known) came from a large family. She had six brothers and six sisters.

Their father worked as a milliner. The women in the family were mostly dressmakers and many of the men made a good living with poultry farming in the Revesby and Panania areas.

Arthur and Ev were both 35 when they were married at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Bankstown on 22 January 1938. The service was performed by the Rev H J Marshall, who 13 years later would officiate at the marriage of Arthur’s niece Gwen at the same church.

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A son, Denis Ernest Griffiths, was born on 28 August 1940. It was touching that the son’s name honoured his uncle Ernest who was lost in the First World War. A daughter, Lorraine, was born on 25 November 1942.

By 1943 Arthur and Ev were living at 37 Chelmsford Avenue, only a short distance up the street from Arthur’s old family home.

Arthur may have been told by the Bell family there was good money to be made from poultry farming. By 1945 Arthur had bought a large poultry farm with a house in Banks Street, Padstow just to the north of the railway line and not far from Padstow Station. His chickens may have been supplied by the Bell family. The property was large enough to also have orchards and vegetable gardens.

Poultry Farms were common in the Padstow – Revesby area Arthur’s brother Reg would occasionally spend time staying with Arthur and Evaline. Sometimes he helped with building or maintenance work or looking after the chickens. At other times it was because Reg was broke and needed a place to stay or dry out after a long spell of drinking. Arthur never touched alcohol in his life. Although he was close to Reg, he was known to say “one alcoholic in the family is enough”.

During the 1940s the surrounding area was gradually being subdivided for residential housing.

Housing and poultry farming have never been compatible neighbours, mainly due to the smell and noise from the poultry.

The pressure was on for poultry farms to move away from residential areas. Eventually they were declared a noxious trade making new farms and extensions and major renovations of old farms impossible.

Arthur saw the writing on the wall. By 1952 the poultry farm was closed and the property subdivided into smaller building blocks. Arthur enlisted friends and family to help build a new house on one of the larger blocks while he and Ev lived in the old house next door. The new house would later be known as 15 Banks Street, Padstow.

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Arthur placed an advertisement in The Sydney Morning Herald on 11 February 1953 seeking a price to build an all-weather tennis court. In fact two tennis courts were built at the back of the new house and they were completed around the time Arthur and Ev moved into the new house. The tennis courts were run day to day by Ev. As part of the subdivision, a new street, Nigel Place, was created to provide access to some of the building blocks.

The old house was demolished to make way for the new street.

Arthur and Evaline

The sale of the subdivided land made Arthur and Ev sufficiently financial enough to afford a comfortable lifestyle. They were able to give assistance to their children and to some of their other relatives such as Reg and Reg’s daughter Gwen.

Arthur put money into a number of property investments. One of the larger investments was with the property finance and development company known as Cambridge Credit. The company had bought more than 1,200 hectares of vacant land on the outskirts of Melbourne’s metropolitan areas in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They installed sewerage, lighting, kerbing and guttering with the intention of selling off fully serviced residential housing blocks. The company also held considerable real estate assets in other States for income and development purposes.

Property prices had risen substantially in the early 1970s.

This pushed up interest rates and by 1974 there was a major price slump.

Over confident creditors who had lent money to the company panicked and stopped further lending. This loss of cashflow and inability to raise further funds caused the company to crash and be put into receivership.

Arthur was one of the secured debenture holders who held mortgages over the various parts of the company’s properties. The Arthur Griffiths receivers eventually started selling properties as prices started to rise but it took many years before the debenture holders started to receive a trickle of payments. The final distribution to holders took place just over 33 years after the collapse, well after the passing of Arthur and Evaline.

Arthur found employment with the Postmaster General’s Department where he worked as a mail sorter for many years until retirement. According to his medical history, Arthur suffered a heart attack in early 1967 when he was 64. The following year he was found to have an advanced

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stage of stomach cancer which had spread to his bowel and other organs. He died in Bankstown Hospital on 22 August 1968 when he was 66.

Ev stayed on at Banks Street for some years before selling the property and moving to Regents Park. In later life she moved to a unit near Wiley Park station. She was living at Liverpool when she passed away on 1 March 1991 at the age of 89. At the time of her death Ev had seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Arthur had told his family over the years he was related to David Jones, the founder of the department stores that bear that name. David Jones was born in 1793 in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire which was a Arthur and Ev Griffiths in later life county in the south of Wales and far away from any of the Griffiths and Evans families mentioned in this story. His mother was, however, a Davies which is the same surname as David Griffiths’ wife Eleanor.

Elizabeth Griffiths’ mother was Blanche Jones before her marriage to Robert Evans and Margaret Griffiths’ daughter Lizzie married a man named Jones. So there may be some veracity to Arthur’s claim.

15 Banks Street, Padstow – with Ken Chambers 162

It was mentioned earlier in this story that Amy Vaughan, the niece of Elizabeth Griffiths and cousin of Arthur Griffiths, immigrated to Australia in 1928. She was of similar age to Arthur.

As far as I know, Elizabeth and her sons were Amy’s closest relatives in Australia and probably the reason why Amy chose to immigrate to Sydney.

Amy found work as a live-in housekeeper at the prestigious Pymble Ladies College at Turramurra.

She was still working there when she married English born Henry Charles (Harry) Bramble on 24 January 1936 at St James Anglican Church at Turramurra. The service was performed by the Rev Ronald Cameron, the rector of the church. Arthur was one of the formal witnesses to the marriage. Amy and Harry first lived in Turramurra before moving to the Bankstown area.

They rented Arthur and Ev’s old house at Banks Street, Padstow before moving to 72 Northam Avenue, Bankstown.

Harry and his family had emigrated from Worcestershire in England the year before Amy. It is unlikely they knew each other before arriving in Australia. The Bramble family sailed on the SS Euripides, the same ship that had carried Ern Griffiths off to the First World War 13 years earlier.

Amy kept in close contact with the wider Griffiths clan in Bankstown. She and Harry enjoyed many family activities and they were held in fond regard by the family.

Harry was 42 when he joined the volunteer Army Militia in 1939, soon after the start of the Second World War. The Militia (later known as the Citizen Military Forces or CMF) was mostly concerned with protecting Australia and its defence installations and iconic buildings and structures. The role of the CMF was greatly enhanced after Japan entered the war in December 1941 as the threat to Australia was significantly increased. Harry’s service was mostly on a part time basis and lasted until 1948, well after the war was over.

Sydney Harbour 1943

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Harry was working as a council employee when he died on 14 April 1956 at the age of 58. Amy later lived in a unit in Nottinghill Road, Regents Park. She passed away on 16 October 1985 at the age of 83 and was cremated at Woronora Cemetery.

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Denis Ernest Griffiths As a new baby, Denis was very popular with the wider Griffiths family. His aunt Dot was 16 years old when Denis was born and she competed with her sisters for Denis’ attention. Dot spent hours playing with him, pushing his pram around and generally spoiling him with affection.

Denis was 20 when he married 16 year old Catherine Dominy at St Luke’s Catholic Church at Revesby on 22 December 1960. The service was performed by the parish priest, Father Patrick Carr. Parental consent to the marriage was needed as both Denis and Catherine were under age. Their first children were twins, not surprising really as Denis’ mother Evaline was a twin and his uncle Reg had twin sons. Their third child was born many years later.

Catherine and Denis Griffiths Denis and Catherine first lived at Randwick after their marriage but then moved to a flat in Padstow. Denis’ father Arthur bought a house in Ryan Road, Padstow not far from Banks Street and rented the house to Denis and Catherine at a reduced rate. They moved to a Housing Commission house at Green Valley when that became available.

After leaving school, Denis worked for the Maritime Services Board. He later worked for a tyre company, Jax Tyres, before joining the NSW Public Service in 1960 as a cleaning inspector. He was responsible for inspecting government buildings including police stations, court houses and schools. He took a transfer to Bega on the NSW south coast in 1977.

Denis is recorded as having resigned from the NSW Government Supply Department on 16 March 1984 after closure of the Bega office. He then took up a similar job with the ACT Government in Canberra. With the increased contracting out of public services to the private sector, Denis 165

joined the staff providing protective services to the members of the Australian Parliament in 1988. He once worked at the Lodge, the official residence of the then Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.

He accepted a redundancy package in about 1992 and was then contracted to the Department of Defence working on security clearances.

By 1996 Denis and Catherine had moved to Queensland for the warmer climate where they eased themselves into semi retirement.

They eventually settled at Sippy Downs near Buderim on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Denis passed away on 5 August 2017 just short of his 78th birthday. Catherine still resides at the Bellflower Retirement Resort.

The Prime Minister’s Lodge at Canberra

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Lorraine Griffiths Lorraine was 19 and working as a dressmaker when she married 21 year old Laurence William Jones (known as Bill) at St John’s Anglican Church, Penshurst on 12 October 1962. The ceremony was performed by the former Army chaplain, the Rev Gordon Mottram. The reception after the wedding was held a short distance away at the Rosebowl, Peakhurst (where coincidently my wife and I had our own wedding reception 13 years later).

Bill was for many years a soldier in the Australian Army attached to the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) based at Moorebank where they shared the site with the School of Military Engineering (SME).

As a teenager, Bill had applied to join the Army Apprentices School as an apprentice vehicle mechanic and he was accepted in the 13th Intake. The School had been set up at Balcombe on the Mornington Peninsular in Victoria after the Second World War to meet the Army’s growing technological needs. An apprenticeship was a highly prized three year live-in trade, clerical or musical qualifying course. Those members of the 13th Intake who successfully completed their apprenticeships, including Bill, graduated in 1960.

After their marriage, Bill and Lorraine lived with Lorraine’s family at 15 Banks Street, Padstow before they found their own place to live.

A house at 70 Stockton Avenue, Moorebank later became their family home for many years and it was where Bill and Lorraine raised their four children.

Bill’s service included a number of overseas postings, the first of which was in Malacca in Malaya between 1963 and 1965.

Lorraine accompanied Bill on this posting.

During this time, Bill was sent to Thailand for a few months.

They returned to Moorebank where Bill was again based until he was sent to South Vietnam with 1 Field Squadron of the RAE for a year long tour between 1969 and 1970. He was part of the 21 Engineer Support Troop that had been 167

Lorraine Jones with her Uncle Reg Griffiths

assigned to 1 Field Squadron. The Australian forces were based at Nui Dat to the south east of Saigon. The primary role of 1 Field Squadron was to construct essential infrastructure as part of the war effort and to provide water, electricity and other services to help the local population.

The squadron’s work often took them to difficult and dangerous locations in areas with unknown enemy positions. The squadron had the highest casualty rate per unit strength of all the Australian units deployed in Vietnam.

Lance Corporal Bill Jones in South Vietnam in 1968 The photo above shows Bill preparing beams for the construction of a bridge linking the large population centre of Binh Gia to the outside world. The construction of the bridge took only eight hours. Bill attracted a large crowd of curious children.

Lorraine again accompanied Bill when he was posted to Papua New Guinea between 1972 and 1974 but that was the last of Bill’s overseas service. While still living at Moorebank, Bill was posted to various bases around the Sydney area.

Bill was promoted through the ranks from Lance Corporal to Warrant Officer Class 1. He was a Staff Sergeant when his deployment in Vietnam finished on 4 March 1971. In 1977 he was one of the 6,870 Australians to receive the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal, commemorating the Queen’s 168

25th year on the throne. Later that year he was awarded the National Medal of the Australian Army for 15 years of diligent military frontline service.

In retirement Bill continued his involvement with the RAE in a volunteer role helping to organise reunion and remembrance events and erecting memorials at SME and other locations. He was an active member of the RAE Heritage Society at SME. Bill had been instrumental in establishing the first RAE Vietnam Memorial at Holsworthy and spent the following years helping to maintain, repair and refurbish the memorial until it needed to be relocated. Bill was one of two supervisors who, over a two year period, organised the erection of the relocated RAE Vietnam Memorial at Chowder Bay on Sydney Harbour in time for the 2005 Anzac Day Dawn Service.

Unfortunately, Bill was unable to attend the Dawn Service because of serious illness. He passed away two months later on 23 June 2005 at the age of 63. His funeral service a week later at the RAE Chapel at SME was attended by over 100 people. Bill was well known to many of the former sappers of the RAE units.

Lorraine still lives at the family home in Moorebank.

The National Medal For Service and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal

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Appreciation Yes I managed to write the story but others helped. They gave me some of their photos and told me some of their own stories. They steered me in new directions and improved my accuracy with their closer involvement in events. They pointed out some of my drafting errors (no doubt there will still be more). They otherwise offered helpful ideas. They also became keen to see me finally finish.

At least they will get to see their names in print. They are (in alphabetical order) Catherine Griffiths, Graeme Griffiths, Ken and Lenore Chambers, Lorraine Jones, Narelle O’Connor, Norma Griffiths and Ted Bramble. Your help has been much appreciated.

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