EVERY MOTHERS SON
TRACING THE HISTORY OF THOSE FROM THE CENTRAL COAST WHO ANSWERED THEIR COUNTRY'S CALL AND THE TRIBUTES CREATED IN THEIR MEMORY
Michael Rooksberry
50th anniversary 1947- 1997
COVER PHOTOGRAPH Supporting troops of the 1st Australian Division, photographed on a duck-board track near Hooge, in the Ypres sector, in Belgium, 1917-10-05, as they passed toward the front line to relieve t heir comrades. The photograph, courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, is Dlustration 392 (Official Photo No E833) found in the OFFICIAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR OF 1914-18, Volume XII.
EVERY MOTHERS SON TRACING THE IDSTORY OF THOSE FROM THE CENTRAL COAST. WHO ANSWERED THEIR COUNTRY' S CALL AND THE TRIBUTES CREATED IN THEIR MEMORY
Photo courtesy of Gwen Edmondson.
Michael Rooksberry
EVERY .MOTHERS SON Published by Gosford City Library PO Box 21 Gosford, NSW 2250 Telephone: (043) 246 711
50th anniversary 1947-1997 Copyright 漏 1997 Gosford City Library & Michael Rooksbcrry
All rights reserved. No part of 路 this publication may be r eproduced, stored in a r etrieval system or transmitted in any form or by a ny means, electro nic, mecha nical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of t he pubUsher. 路
National Library of Australia ISBN 0 959 9919 9 9 Designed and typeset by Michael Rooksberry PO Box 190 Kincumber, NSW 2251 Photographs screened by Gosford Printing Pty Ltd Cor Avoca Drive & Scenic Highway Avoca Beach, NSW 2251 Telephone: (043) 822 566 Printed by Gosford City Council
CONTENTS
Dedication
5
Acknowledgements
6
Introduction
7
Memorials
9
Honour rolls
55
Personal memorials
99
Tree plantings.
111
Origins
115
Interesting asides
119
Casualties
125
Supreme sacrifice
129
Glossary of abbreviations 147
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED••• ...in remembrance of all those who gave their life to protect their country and a free tomorrow; ...to the hope there will never be the need to write another Every Mothers Son for those sacrificed in wars yet to be fought; and ...to the memory of John Warberton (1919-1996) who, in the true spirit of the ANZAC, put aside personal health problems to help bring a dream to life.
5
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I can foresee no circumstance which would allow someone to write a book of this type without the assistance, advice and expertise of other individuals - I gladly acknowledge I could not. Fortunately for me, I found myself surrounded by individuals and organisations· of the highest order which·made tl~e task much easier. Of course, I must thank Gosford City Council for the privilege of writing what, I hope, will prove to be a useful and informative pub~ication for those delving into the areas covered by Every Mothers Son. Opportunities to create historical reference work such as this are all too· rare these days and I commend council for their efforts' to help preserve this area's rich and pro.u d heritage. To the very professional staff · at Gosford City Library who showed me nothing but ~onsideration and patience in the months I conducted research th·ere - a· heartfelt THANK · YOU! You helped make a difficult project consider~bly easier. Words can't begin to convey my appreciation to Gosford City Council's Local Studies Librarian, Geoff Potter. Anyone having dealings :with .G eoff will quickly realise how fortunate council and the .public who use the IQcal studies' facilities are to have an individual like him watching over this ever-growing area of the library system. Many of the excellent photographs appeariQg in this book came about through the kind assistance ·.of Gwen Dundon. Gwen is another of those .priceless assets so necessary for the preservation of an area's heritage. Not only is she a skilled :writer with many books to her credit, she also seems to have the unique ability to uncover photographs of tremendous importance to the area' s history. . · · I am also most appreciative to the following individuals and organisations (placed in alphabetical order only) for their help with various aspects of Every Mothers Son: Joe Alexander, the Australian War Memorial's research centre, Ken Bond, Peter Davies, Ian Elton, Joan Fenton, Gosford District Local History Study Group, Marigold Lawrence, Fred Mansfield, M.alcolm McKenzie, Ivy Smith, Phil "Thommo" Thompson, Frank Walkenshaw and Wyong Historicai'Society. · Last, bu't certainly not least, thank you to my family ·for the patience and encouragement given me during the writing of this book- especially my wife Joy (I would probably not be the easiest person to get along with at the best of times, so I am certain she. was glad to see this project come .to an end). - Michael Rooksberry.
6
A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths are a statistic. ~ Joseph Stalin, Quoted in Harold Coyle, Sword Point, 1988
INTRODUCTION When I started to research material for Every Mothers Son the first thing to overwhelm me was the numbers. Modern warfare especially, as history records it, is largely made up of statistics - such 路 information as the number of shells fired, ships sunk, bomb tonnage, ground gained (or lost) and, of course, the ultimate statistic- the number of lives lost. I confess to having long been an avid student of World War II with, until now, only a passing interest in the history and events which made up the First World War. However, the deeper~ dug into the campaigns and individual battles of that monstrous event, the more I came to realise this period. of warfare would dominate as no other conflict including the Second World War. This is reflected in the photographs and editorial found on the pages of Every Mothers Son. I felt it could be no other way. Despite the very real threat of invasion during World War II and the close proximity of some of the fighting, the overall att~tude of Australia, as a whole, during that time seemed to be so much more subdued than it was during the years of WWI. From 1914 on, Australia appeared to be caught up in a patriotic fervour over which the population seemed to have little, if any, control. . Indeed, the facts (and figures) to come out of that great conflict from so long ago are, to me, absolutely staggering. 路 Australia, with a (then) population of some five million, dispatched a force of 330,000 (onethird of all males aged 18 to 44) to fight, and die, half a world away. Nearly 70 per cent of those sent were either wounded or killed (a figure nearly 20 per cent higher than Britain itself). As well, some 40,000 of the superb, rugged whaler horses (including much of the very best bloodstock) were sent over but never brought back. The losses suffered in both men and anima\s were to be felt in this country for decades after the conflict.ended. 路 The inclusion of facts and statistics was necessary for the overall 'picture' to be conveyed in Every Mothers Son. However, I have tried to bring to the reader more than just words and names inscribed on cold rock and dead wood! At the end of this book are the names of nearly 400 Central Coast men and boys who lost their life in the service of their country. It could be said that, especially with路 World War I, the lists of their names represent a 'culture of sacrifice' as far as war is concerned. However, they also represe~t loss, sorrow, heartache, fr~stration, destroyed families, grieving communities and all of the other images war and death bring .to mind. While I am very proud to have been given the opportunity to create what I hope will prove to be a useful tool for those researching the lives of individuals or delving into the Central Coast and its history, I am deeply saddened the circumstances ever occurred.to cause a book of this type to have been written.
7
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The sand of the desert is sodden red,Red with the wreck ofa square that broke;- 路 The Gatling's jammed and the Colon~l dead, And the regiment blind with dust and smoke, The river of death has brimmed his banks; And England's far, and Honour a name, But the voice of a schoolboy raUies the ranks: 'Play up! play up! and play the game!' -Henry Newbolt, 1862-1 938, A Perpetual Memory, 1915
8
9
Platform 2 ofGosford Railway Station in June 1918 picturing returned soldiers being given refreshments by Red Cross volunteers. Soldiers in both路 world wars were catered for by local volunteers. Photo courtesy of Brisbane Water Historical Society.
10
LOCATION
NAME Boer War Memorial (Gosford) Christ Church War Memorial (Gosford) Davistown RSL War Memorial Empire Bay War Memorial Erina War Memorial Gosford War Memorial Hardys Bay RSL War Memorial Keith Payne Vietnam Veterans Hostel Kincumber War Memorial Mangrove Mountain Memorial Club Memorial Fountain at Burns Place (Gosford) Norah Head Memorial Ourimbah-Lisarow RSL Ourimbah Railway Station (2 memorials) Patonga War Memorial Pearl Beach War Memorial . Terrigal-Wamberal Memorial Club Terrigal War Memorial The Entrance-Long Jetty War Memorial Toukley .R SL War Memorial Wisemans Ferry Bowling Club Woy Woy Memorial Park Wyong War Memorial
11
LOCATION
PAGE
NUMBER
NUMBER
2 3 8 10 1 7 9
11 4 5
6 12
16 17 34 30 36 13 29 51 31 52 19 50 42 39 21 22 35 35 46 "49 53 23 . 43
..
Our God and soldier we alike adore, When at the break of ruin, not before; Mter deliverance, both alike requited, Our God forgotten, and our soldiers slighted. - Francis Quarles, Epigram, 1640
12
History is littered with wa~ which everybody knew would never happen.
- Enoch Powell
Memorial Park, Mann Street, Gosford
(1)
With the return of Australian troops at the end of World War I, projects were being formulated to erect memorials to the memory of those who had fallen. In Gosford the first meeting of a committee, formed to-look into the creation of a suitable tribute to those who did not return, was held on Thursday, February 20, 1921. The meeting was convened by the president of the shire and held at the school of arts hall, the venue for all civic meetings at the time. The chair was occupied by Mr R. ·J . Baker, OWJler of The Gosford Times newspaper. A large number of people, including many ladies, attended the meeting. Many proposals were put forward including the erection of a memorial hall, public baths
Unveiling ceremony at the Gosford Wt;zr Memorial on April 25, 1924. Photo source unknown.
and a cottage hospital. . At that time, according to a report in The Gosford Times, a proposition was put forward ... that the parents of the soldiers .be asked to decide the form which the memorial should take: Various amendments were defeated and the motion that public baths be erected as a memorial was carried by an overwhelming majority. A committee of 12 was elected, an appeal made for subscriptions,. and a sum of £136 was pledged at the meeting. By May of 1922 however, for unknown reasons, the public baths memorial had been discarded. Perhaps it was thought too expensive or not sui~ably dignified! The projected memorial was now to be a memorial arch in the waterside park. However, some 15 months later it became obvious a change of design had taken place (this was not unique as it seemed to occur in most other committees throughout the land as well). The following statement, under the heading GOSFORD WAR MEMORIAL, appeared in The Gosford Times and seemed to indicate the decision was final as tenders were being invited: The War Memorials Advisory Board · has approved of a design p repared by Mr. G. S. Keesing, A.R.J.B.A., for a stone cenotaph at the Gosford Park, overlooking the Broadwater. Tenders are now being invited, and the citizens of Gosford hope to unvei/the finished work at an early date. The calling of tenders drew eight competitors, and prices ranged from £625 to £950. When the matter was- dealt with by the committee in early October 1923, the tender 13
Gosford War Memorial as It appeared in the early days of World War II.
of £624 12s by Harrison am! Elliott was accepted. Work was to commence on October 31, 1923, and completed within eight weeks. The successful tenderers had a quarry in Gosford, and the sample of the stone to be used, white freestone, was described as being of an excellent colour. The design drawn by Sydney arch itect, Gordon S. Keesing, was of the cenotaph type, standing 17 feet high, having a fa.ce to each point of the compass, with a base to each face of approximately six feet, tapering up\_'Vards to about four feet. Bronze tablets would show the names of loca1 soldiers killed. The memorial was unveiled by Brigadier. General Alex Jobson, D.S.O. (accompanied by Mrs J obson) on Friday, April 25, 1924. Brigadier-General Jobson read . messages fro m the King and the Prime M inister of Australia, and addressed the crowd prior to the unveiling. The two flags fell away from the cenotaph, and the assembly stood with bowed heads as the 'last post' was sounded. A newspaper report of the time stated ... The monument, erected a few ya_rds from the Boer War Memorial. is impressive in its simple dignity. Constructed of Go4ord freestone, it bears in handsomely-wrought bronze the A.l.F. . · crest, a laurel wreath, the words 'Their name
shall live for evermore'. Following a short and simple ceremony on Augu_st 4, 1928, floodlights, designed to highlight the cenotaph, were officially t urned on for the first time. The -ceremony commenced at 7.30pm and was presided over by Mr C. G. Brandis, President of Gosford District Sub-branch, R.S. & S.I.L.A. Among those in attendance were the shire presid ent~ Cr A. C. L. Taylor and the councillor·for the riding, Dr J. ~.Paul. At the conclusion of the speeches, the lights (erected under the direction of M r A. J . Cresswell) were switched on by Mrs Dermondy, senior lady member of the War Memorial Committee and · a member of the Red Cros·s Committee. The memorial, as it appears today, carries the following information: (south face) OUR GLORIOUS DEAD followed beneath by: BOER WAR 1899-1902, WORLD WAR I 19141918, WORLD WAR II 1939- 1945. KOREA 1950-1953, MALAYA 19-18-1960, BORNEO 1962-1966, VIETNAM 1962-1972.
On the east face is the inscription THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE. The west face contains the dates 191-1 and 1919 in the upper left and r.ight hand corners respectively while, centred beneath, are the words OUR GLORIOUS DEAD. Then follows t he na mes of those who lost their lives in World War I (as they appear and are spelt on the memorial): A. Banks, A. Bean, A. E. Bushell, Fl.em Campbell, H. A. Campbell, V. A. Cato, S. A.· Coull, W. Cragg, J . C unningham, A. P. Curtis, Sam'l Eley, W . E':'ans, J. Farrell, M. Farrell, T. R. ~ren ch , W. J. Frewin, J. Galloway, Tom Gardiner, Frank .Gell, F. H. Goldsmith, W. Hall, H. A. Hammond, Geo. Hastings, F. H itchcock, Roy Hobbs, R. L. H. B. Jenkins, J. S. Johnson, R. H. Le Gray, C. Martin, Dick Mayo, V. McKenna, C. N. Moir, C. W. Morris, A. S. O'Toole, P. C. O'Toole, Abe Parsons, V. J. Pinkstone, E. H. Place, A. Porritt, F. H. Ritchie, M. Scaysbrook, N. H. Sohier, R R. Weeks, E. V. Weiss, F. A. Weiss, C. W. Wright. At the top of the north face, set in a_triangle, are the emblems of the.three branches of the 14
service. Beneath the emblems are the dat.es the Gosford district branch of the RSL 1939 and 1945 on the left and right hand sides was... 'making a final check on names to be respectively. This js followed by a centred line inscribed on the cenotaph'. beneath which reads OUR GLORIOUS DEAD. A newspaper article on August 5, 1952 set a Then appear the following names (as tbey ·are deadline of September 5 for all names to be spelt): E. D. Alexander, W. G. Archibald, J. lodged with the secretary of the Gosford Babekuhl, D. M. Brack, R. Bryant, D. Burns, branch. This was followed by a list which the W. E. Burns, W. B. Cail, J. W. Castelli, J. public was asked to check for initials and Croudace, R.Donnelly, C. H. A. Drew, E. spelling. , Dubois, G. E. Duffy, L. J. Fraz~r, A. Fry, L. At last, on March 10, 1953, the Gosford subGallard, B. Gates, M. Gillespie, T. Gillespie, branch announced the Governor of N.S.W., A. Gossip, D. E. Hanscom be, R .. Haynes, T. Lieut-General Sir John Northcott would Hellyer, G. Holme, J. T. Hunt, R. Ingram, J. unveil the tablet (containing 51 names) on Kearney, D. Kessick, J. Kessick, J . Love, R. Saturday, April18. McGlashan, C. C. McPherson, A. C. Neill, R. The ceremony took place as · (according to E. Norman, J. Pickett, A. C. Robinson, A. W. newspaper coverage of the event) ...Shadows Robinson, C. M. S. Robinson, J . Russell, V. were falling across the Gosford Cenotaph ... Schmierer, W. V. Sborrock, P. Soiling, D. E~ and... The sun was going down behind the hills, Veness, T. Ware, C. Wells, J. P. ·White, A. giving calm to a background of peaceful waters Wilkinson, T. Wilkinson, G. Wood, K. M. and a hushed crowd. Woodbridge. . In addition to the unveiling, the day was also The effort to have the names of those who died made noteworthy by the diversity of those in World War II placed on the memorial who took part in the ceremony. They included commenced with the election of a nine two ·veterans of the -Boer War (Capt E. G. member committee at the monthly meeting of Foster and S/Sergeant 0. A. Vecsey), the Gosford sub-branch of the RSL in veterans from World War I and World War ll February 1952. The committee members, Rev. as well as two soldiers who bad returned from C. Francis, Messrs~ G. Frewin, J. Lawn, M. Korea just three days earlier (Allan Barnes Wilson, W. A. Smith, J . Perrott, B . Norris, 0 . from Saratoga and Peter Mors ofKincumber) Gannon and B. Elliott, were given the and. one soldier (Robert Coombes of responsibility of raising the_ £400 it was Wyoming) who was leaving for Korea with estimated the project would cost. · the 4th Battalion just days later. A newspaper report of the meeting stated, in Also in attendance were 20 Legacy children. part... The secretary of the club, Mr 0. Gannon, Affixed to the memorial's base on the north said the branch hoped to have the job completed side is a small plaque which reads: This before ANZAC Day. A collection at the meeting_ . cenotaph was restored, upgraded and dedicated raised £12 11s for the fund. as a tribute to all veterans by Gosford R. S. L. By April17, 1952 the fund was still £32 short Sub-branch, April 1988, A. C. Campbell, of the target amount and it was not until early Honorary Secretary and R. C. Sturgeon, May that it was announced in The Gosford President. Times the appeal was closed with a total of In mid-1996 Gosford RSL had the 1942 field £421 Is received. piece removed and refurbished. Removal and The same article stated the plate for the transporting of the weapon was handled by cenotaph had been ordered but it would be Waters Crane Service while the 'facelift' was about 16 weeks before it was moulded and carried out by Peninsula Sandblasting. Both inscribed with the names of servicemen who companies donated their time and labour. died in action in World War D. As well, a study was undertaken at the same The paper quoted Mr J. Lawn, secretary of time to determine the extent of damage to the the appeal, as saying... 'There should be enough memorial due to time and the ele~ents and money left to clean and beautify the cenotaph'. examine the best · methods to make the The Gosford Times ran an article announcing necessary repairs. 15
Many victories have been and. will be suicidal to the victors.
.
- Plato, Laws; c.352BC
Memorial Park, Mann Street, Gosford
(2)
According to a local newspaper account of the time, on Monday afternoon, November 2, 1902 ...there was quietly unvei~ed in the pretty Little park overlooking t~e Broadwater, a handsome marble monument which testified eloquently to the respect and fellow feeling of the residents for those wfw had fallen on her behalf. The monument is 12 feet in height and surmounted with an artistic emblematic urn. On one side of the square base is the following inscription:
ERECTED 3Jn jMtmorp of
located in the church grounds on the opposite side of Mann Street. In closing, the newspaper account of the ceremony stated, in part ... the one remaining thing to complete the monument is a railing to p rotect it from ruthless hands, and this we understand will be carried out as soon as sUfficient funds are available.
" 0 UR SOLDIERS"
The Boer War Memorial, pictured in 1996. is still in excellent condition despite 95 years of exposure.
WHO, IN SOUTH AFRICA, FELL IN DEFENCE OF THEm NATION DURING THE BOER WAR.
1899-1902 Lower down on the base is the quotation (a distorted Kiplingism): "They obeyed their Country's call". The remaining sides. each bear the name and particulars of an area soldier who lost his life in the war. T he names and information as they appear and as they are spelt: Trooper John Murray of Wamberal, 1st November, 1900; Corporal Franklyn Harcourt Legge of Woodport, 20th May, 1901; Trooper Sidney S. Mayo ojGosjord, 11th March 1902. It is interesting to note that Corporal L~gge was one of five famil y members in uniform during the Boer War and another local family, the Robertsons, had four members serving as well. . The front of the memorial is embellished with a carved wreath and two marble 路 rifles, th e whole being set on a路stone f~)Undation. Work on the monument was done by Mr Browne, monumental mason of Maitland. Mr Browne also cut the stone and . did the lettering for the Church of England memorial l-6
To brave men, the prizes that war offers are freedom and renown. ~ Lycurgus of Sparta, 396-324BC
Ctil?IST CtiUl?Cti WA12 M~()l21AL Mann Street, Gosford (3)
Under perfect weather conditions a congregation of more than 500 assembled on the grounds of Christ Church in Gosford on Sunday, August 29,.1920 to witness the un':'eiling and dedication of a war memorial. The memorial's dedication service began at 3pm with the hymn, 'God of Our Fathers'. The sermon was delivered by the Officiant, the Venerable T. R. Regg, Rector of Merewether, Canon of Christ Church, Newcastle, Archdeacon of Northumberland and Vicar General. Archdeacon Regg referred to the great pleasure it had given him to have the honour and privilege of conducting so memorable a ceremony at Gosford. The memorial took the form of a Celtic Wheel Cross set on three steps of revensfield stone. This form of cross was frequently used by Saints Aidrau, Columba and Finbar in the
The Church of England memorial resting on church ground overlooking Memorial Park in Gosford.
north and west of Scotland, in Northumbria and in Ireland to inspire the devotion of the people. The stone in the steps came from a quarry near Bishops Bridge village near Maitland and was said to greatly resemble the famous stone of which the English city of Bath was built. The cross and its base blocks were cut out of trachyte - a more durable and costly stone than marble. The western face of the cross and the face of the blocks were originally polished in low relief while the rest was left in its natural state. A newspaper report of the event quoted the stone masons, Messrs. Browne of Maitland, who erected the memorial and cut the lettering, as stating it took an hour to cut three letters with a 路maximum average of 24 letters a day. As a consequence, the chiseling was said to be "beautifully sharp and clean and will repay inspection". The Brownes also carried out the work on the Boer War memorial in Gosford Memorial Park.' The material used is termed as igneous rock, harder than granite, with its chief components being felspar, biotite, augite and hornblende geologically termed an Orthoclase Rock of the soda-potash series and was described as " greyish where natural, very dark where polished" . On the memorial's west face (facing Mann Street) is the inscription 'To the Glory of God, and in Memory of the Great War, 1914-1919, and of those here named of our Faith and of this Parish, who gave their lives for us. Greater love hath no man than this'. 路路 This is followed by Arthur Renwick, Rec~or and 17
..
20 August, 1920. The north, south and east faces are inscribed with the following names (as they appear and are spelt on the memorial): 路 路 On the north face: Tom Gardiner; R. L. H. Jenkins,~路 Hitchcock, V. A. Cato, Sam Eley, Frank Goldsmith, W. Cragg, H. A. Campbell, T. R French, A. Porritt.
On the east face: Flem .Campbell, H. Martin, A. Banks, C. Wright, K . . Sowell, P. M . Johnson, Al~ert Bean, A. P. Curtis, C. N. Moir, Frank Ritchie. On ttle south face: Walter Evans, Geo ~astings, }?ran~ GeU, A .. E. Bushell, Dick Mayo, Roy Hobbs, Victor Frewin, H. Le Gray, Abe Parsons, J. ~ammond.
18 .
The most disadvantageous peace is better then the most just war. - Desiderius Erasmus, Adagia, 1500
Mann Street, Gosford
In December 1963 a war memorial fountain, commissioned by Gosford Rotary Club, was unveiled at Burns Place, Gosford (the park area in front of Gosford railway station running parallel With Mann Street). Built at a cost of £7,000, the fountain was believed, at that time, to be the only wall fountain in Australia. A sketch plan, illustrating the- design of the fountain, was submitted to council on August 23, 1962. At that time it was also indicated it would be necessary to remove the existing bandstand and select trees to make way for the project. · Plans called for the back of the feature fountain to be in selected grey Gosford stone, veneered onto a reinforced concrete retaining wall with staggered steps to provide a pattern of water cascades. The pool basin was to be in reinforced concrete and lined with a glazed vitreous mosaic tile while the kerbing of the The memorial fountain at Burns Place as it is today. pool and surround was to be sawn Gosford (1996) still enjoys a uniqueness among war memorials. stone. Gosford Rotary commissioned former "The fountain was built f rom a model in a workshop in Alexandria, an(i it meant frequent scu lpto~ Gerald Lewers to design the memorial. It was the tenth fountain designed visits there. " by Mr Lewers - one. of his previous creations Mrs Lewers said the fountain's single jet bad was the massive fountain at the I. C. I. to be designed so the water, faUing in a convex building in Melbourne. Sadly, a few months and concave pattern, would match the copper after accepting the commission and before the bowl into which it dropped. project could be finished, he died following a The 10 feet by 15 feet mosaic wall 'backing the fall while horseback riding. fountain had been designed to ble1_1d with the His wife Margo, an abstract painter, and rhythm of the falling water. daughter Darani, a creative silversmith, took A Gosford couple anonymously gave £5,000 _ over the project. . toward the cost of the project which was In a newspaper interview concerning the unveiled by Mrs Clara Margin with about 200 memorial's unveiling, Mrs Lewers said ... "It people present including Mr A. McLachlan, meant a good deal ofwork, not only by us but by President of Gosford Rotary Club. the water hydraulics people at Adelaide The organisation announced it_would call the University, and at the water research laboratory memorial fountain the Margin Fountain in in Sydney. honour of Mrs Margin who was one of the "Darani flew to Adelaide once, and I went twice, district's best charity workers and was and I had to go to the water research laboratory president of the Gosford Red Cross Society for 29 years. many time for tests". 19
A commemorative plaque¡ is mounted just above the base of the wall and to the right of the fountain as you face it. The inscription . reads ...Rotary War Memorial Fountain openedby Mrs C. C. Margin. The gift ofgrateful
.
donors as a symbol to those who died in their efforts to achieve lasting p eace. Good will to all men. Arch McLachlan, President 1962-63 .
•
20
Verdun was the most senseless episode in a war not路distinguished for sense anywhere. - A J. P. Taylor, The First World War, 1963
Corner ofBay Street and Jacaranda Street, Patonga (4)
Located in this peaceful village, where Bay and Jacaranda streets meet; stands a monument. to those local young men who went off to battle in World War II. The memorial was unveiled by His E xcellency, Lieutenant-General John Northcott, C.B. , M V 0., Governor of New South Wales on July 11, 1948. The memorial was designed by T. W. Smith and erected with voluntary labour by Patonga residents. The committee members charged with the responsibility of seeing the project through to the end were: S. J . Horsley (chairman), Mrs T. W. Smith {(bon. secretary), H. Warrior {hon. treasurer) and T. W. Smith (hon. organiser). T here are two metal plaques affixed to the east face of the memorial. The top plaques bear the following wording: HONOUR ROLL (centred across the top in a single line) followed beneath by OF .R ESIDENTS OF PATONGA and WHO SERVED IN WORLD WAR 2 centred on two lines. This is followed 路 by 1939-1945. Then comes two columns of oames. The names as they appear and are spelt: P/0 The Governor of New South Wales, Lieut-General D. C. Cunnee R.A.N ., Spr K . W. Hickey Northcott unveiling the Patonga War Memorial. Photo courtesy ofAngela Stanford. MM , Tpr A. C. Sproul, Dvr R. N. Swanston, Dvr R. A. Swanston, Gnr J. M: Smedley, F!Lieut R. S. Williams D.F. C. KILLED, Gnr F. 11th JULY 1948. V. Winks, Pte K . J . Witchard. On the lower section of the monument is a Beneath this, on six centred lines of text, is: smaller. plaque with the following wording THIS STONE WAS UNVEILED BY; HIS centred on. six lines: In memory of; F/Lie~t. R. EXCELLENCY; Lieut-Gen John Northcott; C. S. Williams; D. F. C.; KILLED OVER FRANCE; B .. M. V 0.; Governor ofNew South Wales; an~ 22nd AUGUST 1944; and AGED 29 YEARS.
21
The fll'st shot is for the devil, the second is for God, the third is for the king. - Gunners' saying, English 16th century
Comer of Diamond Road and Amethyst Avenue, Pearl Beach
(5)
In October, 1948 Gosford Shire Councillor W .. L. Lloyd of Umina laid a 路 foundation stone for the Pearl Beach Memorial Community Hall. Construction was completed in September 1950 with a dedication路 and official opening ceremony conducted at that time. Also unveiled and dedicated on that day wa~ a memorial tablet constructed at the front of the hall and facing the street. The memorial was built as a donation by Mr Jack Butler. The Rev Cyril F rancis, Rural Dean of (;osford .conducted the ceremony. Following the dedication, Mr Yeo, State President of the RS.S.A.I.L.A., laid a wreath at the foot of the memorial. The names as they appear on the roll of honour: L. J . Gallard, A.I.F.; M. F. Murphy, A.I.F.; W. N. Green, R A.N.; W. J. Steinbeck, A.I.F.; L.A. Lowe, R.A.R.- Korea 1950. (A ll of these men lost their life)
22
', \ .
Next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle won. ~路
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'3
- Duke 路o f Wellington
Brick Wharf Road, Woy Woy
(6)
A news i.tem in The Gosford Times issue of August 3, 1922 appears to be the first official public notification concerning the erection of a war memorial in W oy The newspaper article stated .. .A public meeting is to be called shortly to deal with the proposal to erect a Memorial in Woy Woy to the soldiers who fell in the Great War. The "Dads" Association, which has the matter in hand, has already collected a substantial amount towards this object, and arrangements have recently been made for a site for the monument. This is a . triangular piece of ground at the corner of Blackwal/ Road and Railway Street, and has been generously given for a nominal sum by the Trustees of Cox's Estate. This article was preceded by an item in t he sa~e paper on May 4, 1922 which stated, in
The memorial obelisk 路 as it is today (1996). Tbe memorial park and surrounding recreational areas are beautifully maintained.
part... The matter of a public park for Woy Woy is now being carried td finality, and a surveyor of the Lands Department surveyed the area last week... The area comprises about 13 acres and consists of a rectangular block about on.e thousand feet long by about 600 feet wide. The land is part of Cox's Estate, the Trustees of which have agreed to give this area and a 66ft roadway from Blackwall Road in exchange for a narrow strip of land fronting the Brick-wharf Road Still another article in the 'Times', dated July 19, 1923, provides an insight into some of the difficulties encountered in mounting a project of this type and size. The article, titled NO WAR TROPHY FOR WOY WOY, read :.Mr G. P. Lawrence, Hon Sec of the Woy Woy Soldiers' Memorial Committee, has received the following:-Dear Sir,-Your letter, addressed to the officer-in-charge Base Records, has been referred to this office as thr! distribution of trophies is connected with the Australian War Museum. The distribution of trophies in New South Wales was effected by the New South Wales State Trophy Committee. This Committee in 1920 offered Woy Woy, through the Shire Clerk, Erina Shire, a German machine gun on a sleigh mounting. in the following year it offered a trench mortar. Neither of these trophies was accepted, though several reminders were despatched It was therefore concluded that Woy Woy did not desire to receive war trophies, and those offered were alloted to other towns desirous of receiving them. The whole of the trophies available for distribution in N,ew South Wales have now been disposed of, and I regret, therefore, that it is not practicable to comply with your request for tropJ:lies.-Yours faithfully, . J. T. TRELOAR, Director Australian War Museum. 23
WAR11E110RIAL
The official unveiling ceremony ofthe Woy Woy War Memorial. Photo courtesy ofGwen Dundon.
It is interesting to note that the field gun, eventually given by the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imper.ial League, was placed in position by 'lady war-workers'. Those ladies were: Mrs Badley, Mrs M.A. Gilan, Mrs P. Gilan, Mrs Lawrence, Mrs Garrard, Mrs Humphrey (of Kincumber South) and Mrs Piper. Though the war memorial, whose .costs were deferred by public subscription, was unveiled
The plaque comrnemorating the memorial 's unveiling is locqted a short distance from the memorial.
b~
Brigadier-General Alex Jobson D.S.O. on Anzac .Day, 1925, it was not officially 路 dedicated for another seven years. One week prior to the dedication on October 19, 1932 of the officially proclaimed 'Soldiers M emorial Park' by his His Excellency, Sir Phillip Game, G.B.拢., K. C. B., D.S.O. , Governor of New South Wales, a news item 路 appeared in The Gosford Times with the appropriate 路 heading ELABORATE IMPROVEMENT SCHEME! '{he article read .. A n elaborate scheme is afoot by the Woy Woy Sub-branch of the R. S. League, with the assistance of the Woy Woy Shire Council, for the further improvement of the Soldiers' Memori'al Park at Woy Woy, in connection with the Governor's visit on October 19. The part of the work which will be carried out solely at the expense of the Sub-branch, with the aid of voluntmy workers, provides for the instal/alion ofa memorial gate in stone work and metal, the whole of which will be replete with symbols, as indeed is the whole Park. The star beds are rapidly taking shape by the efforts of the Shire gardener. Volunteers, both returned men and civilian supporters, are assisting in digging out the noxious weeds in preparation for turf laying and eight hoop pine trees have been provided by the Woy Woy Sub-branch for the eastern end of the park. The electric pump, 24
The Australian flag design ofWoy Woy Memorial Park as seen (top) from the air and (bottom) from ground level before the commemorative wall was put in place. Top-photo source unknown/bottom photo courtesy ofGwen Dundon. 路
which was supplied by the Council, is being which stands the memorial obelisk! a captured installed, and the two flood lights are t o be put cannon and, in the centre, a stone 'altar of in new positions where they will illuminate not sacrifice ' which form s the base of a flagstaff. only the memorial, but also part of the field If Bordering the. park on two sides are rows of time permits, the eastern end of the field will be native trees, each bearing the name of a soldier terminated With flower beds, spelling the word killed in action. The entrance gate is in the form "Navy" and in the centre of the southern of of the 19,14-15 star supported by mas~路ive boundary, near the present rail fence, similar stone pillars upon which it is intended to place garden beds, with lettering appropriate to the bronze plaques bearing the names of various Australian air force will be.(ormed battle fronts. Each pillar will be capped with a stone bearing the words 'Lest we forget'. The designing of the park was the work of L . Another article in the 'Times' dated November H. W ebber, Woy W oy Shire engineer. An article in The Gosford Times issue of 21, 1934 and reproduced here, in part, offered October 20, 1932 gives the following additional information on the park and description of the site ... The memorial park is memoriai...Woy Woy Memorial Park is laid out laid out in the form of a huge Commonwealth in the form of a Commonwealth Flag, 370 feet flag bei,ng nearly 400 feet long and 130 feet long by 130 feet wide. The Commonwealth Star wide. The Union Jack is defined by red granite and the stars of the Southern Cross are paths and by redflower beds; the seven stars are represented by rock-bordered garden beds of flower beds edged in stone. Sup erimposed on the proper shape and dimensions. Union Jack is a raised Victoria Cross upon The component parts of the Union Jack quarter 25
are represented to scale by gravel paths and diagonal flower beds, Upon the quarter is superimposed a raised Victoria Cross 54 feet in diameter, outlined with a rock border and a fringe of gazania flowers (sic). Upon the domed centre line of the Victoria Cross is placed the Cenotaph and a captured field gun, the exact centre' being occupied by the flagstaff, at whose base it is proposed to erect a stone with the proportions of an (liter of sacrifice, a double cube. The flag is terminated at each end by a strip of garden bed and adjacent to one of these garden beds is a lawn with the letters A.I.F 6 feet tall, set out in red flowers. I The Cenotaph itself is a very fine sandstone structure of obelisk j01m. Trees and garden plots are provided with small headstones each commemorating an i~1dividual soldier who laid down his life in the Great War or who has died since. The symbolism of the design isasfollows:(1) Whole field is symbolical of the Commonwealth. (2) Victoria Cross symbolises valor. (3) Captured trophy symbolises victory. (4) Alter of sacrifice (not yet in position) symbolises sacrifice. (5) Cenotaph symbolises collective commemoration. (6) Headstones symbolise individual coirrmemoration. (7) Union Jack at the head of the'jlagstaff symbolises Empire. The Park is entered through a fine stone bearing in bronze letters the words "Lest We Forget". The . stonework in this entrance and adjacent wa~ling are the w_ork ofMr A. Milnr~. The iron gate, carrying an engraved bronze plaque, was supplied by the Woy Woy Sub-branch R.S.S.I.L. ofA. The work of bringing the design into effect was carried out by the Council's guardian, Mr J Shannon. Patriotic Woy Woy gladly meets each year the cost, -approximately 拢250, -of its unique Garden of Remembrance. The Wondabyne sandstone obelisk, with its marble tablets, rests on a raised base. The base is one metre 96cm square and 20cm in height while the 'trunk' of the obelisk is one metre 30cm on each side and the total .height of the monum'ent from the ground is approximately four metres 60cm. 路
--
There are more than 1. 000 plaques mounted on the wall which borders three sides ofthe memorial park. Each plaque contains the name and associated information ofthose from the peninsula who served their country.
26
·Three sides of the memorial park are enclosed by a wall constructed and dedicated in 1~7 4 by the RSL sub-branch with the assistance of Gosford City Council and, on individual · plaques, carries the names ~f nearly 1,000 of the area's young people who answered the call. : The (irst Anzac dawn service in the Woy Woy district was held at Woy Woy Memor.ial Park on Monday, A~ril 25, 1960 with approximately 150 people in· attendance. The service was' conducted by Rev A. J. Gould (Methodist), Rev C. A. Szwart (Presbyterian) and Rev R C. Dickson (Church of England) who also delivered the Act of Commemoration. Mr C. E. Knight, president of the )lSL subbranch and of Woy Woy Memorial Club, gave the address. The Last Post and Reveille were so_unded by Capt Armstrong of the Salvation Army. On the memorial itself are the following names as they appear and are spelt: (North face) "'W. J. Carey, W . Kirby, E. Kirby, C. M. Lukene, G. P. Lawrence, G. Loydstrom, C. Larsen, "'A. A. Martin, F. McFadden MM; "'H. Ormiston, E. C. Preston, J. Piper, *H. Peel, G. Quintrell, *i. H. Roberts, *R. C. Roberts, Jim Roberts, F. Rand, Ransley, 0. Richards, E. W. Settree, W. Stuart, *F. Stuart, *E. 0. Bayliss, *E. .J. Peak, C. Smith, F. Seymour; A. E. Stapleton, Jas. Singleton, C. Singleton, R. Singleton, J. ' Singleton, *J. 0. Tayl()r, *L. G·. Tonkin, R. C. Tonkin, R. Vidler, J. G. Viret, B. Vokes, E. White, C. White, R. Warmoll, F. Warmoll, Wallwork, C. J. ·watts, D. F. Wheately, H. Woolford, *C. Weaver; *J . Blackwell. Centred beneath the two columns of names is the word VIETNAM. (Note: Neither Ransley· or Wallwork had initials or christian names on the memorial) . (South face) In the left hand column, beneath the dates 1914 1918 is the following list: M. 0. Cox, E. R. Cox, R. G. Foun"tain, W. Geraghty, A. A. Murphy, H. Ormiston, H. Peel, R. C. Roberts, J. H. Roberts, F. Stuart, L. G. Tonkins, R. C. Tonkins, J. 0. Taylor, G. Weaver. At the top of the right hand col'urrin of names are _the dates 1939 1945 with the following
listed names beneath (as they appear and are spelt): T. W.l:lassan R.A.A.F., R. Biggs A.LF., A. F. Butler A.I._F., G. J . Cheyne R.A.A.F., H. · W. ·crews A.I.:P., . G. Fitzell A.I.F., W. Humphries A.LF., D. H, Jones A.I.F., E. Morante A.I.F., R. P. Mulligan A.I.F., M. Murphy A.I.F., D. 0 . Neal R.AN., Les Parks AI.F., J. Parkes R.A.A.F., K. A. Peters AI.F., G. Reeves RAN ., E ..H. Riding R.A.A.F., A. J . Skene A.I.F., _F. N. Snelgrove A.I.F., W. J. Steinbeck A.LF., F. Van Gelder A.I.F., B. Webb A.I.F., W. We~b A.I.F., R. S. Williams R.A.A.F .. (All the above lost their llfe). (East face) There are two columns of names: C. Alderton, G. W. Adams, D. Adams, W. J. Browne, C. A. Brown, M. Bourke, H. Bartlett, W. R. Costello, *E. R. Cox~ *M. 0. Cox, W. Cooper, W. Davis, P. Davis, 0. Dav~s , H. D~vis, F. W. Driscoll, C. Daley, E. Endico.tt, C. Easterbrook, S. R. ·F ord, C. Forfar, L. Flynn, W. Fegan, *G. R. Fountain, R. Glover, L. Garrett, W. Gridland, *D. Gerahty, A. H. Hagan, H. B. Hagan, A. S. Hutchinson, R. Holt MM, A. P. Hughes, C. W. Hawker, C. J. Jones, S. Jacobsen, W. Jacobsen, E. C. . Jacobsen, *G. W. Jenkins, M. ~eogh. Centred beneath the two columns of names is the word MALAYSIA. (*Lost their life· in the war - Though not indicated on the memorial, . . . R. C. . Tonkin also perished in the war.)" On the west face is the following inscription: ~o
our bopg
mlbo babt ~toob tn tbt forefront of tbt battle witb. tbt tlttt ot tbt tuo~lb'_~·btrot~. · ftgbttng tor ltbtrtp. bomt & Qfmpitt. ~~~ monuintnt ~~ grattfullp btbtcateb·bp tbt cttt?tit~ of mlop mlop. In the lower left-hand corner of the base stonework is a small plaque · with the inscription T. Andrews & Sons Lidcombe. T. Andrews and Sons also performed the stonework on the Kincumber War Memorial. FOOTNOTE: Approximately. two m~tres to the west of the memorial is a small rectanJ,'lllar-shaped metal ·plaque mounted on cut stone. The plaque reads: 27
PRESENTED TO GOSFORD .CITY COUNCIL & THE PEOPLE OF THE HAWKESBURY RIVER AREA BY THE SIIIPS COMPANY OF H.M.A.-S.IIAWKESBURY (K363) Of.! THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMMISSIONING OF THE FRIGATE AS A TOKEN OF REGARD & IN . APPRECIATION OF . THEWARTJJvJE & ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE R.A.N. PRESENTED BY . COMAI/ANDER W J. WESTON, D.S.C., R.D. (RET'D) LEGION OF MERIT (USA) (TO HAWKESBURY FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE WITH THE U.S. SEVENTH FLEE1) COMMANDING OFFiCER H.M.A.S. HAWKESBURY 1944-45 TO COUNCiLLOR D. B. O'CONNOR MAYOR ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF GOSFORD
..路
28 .
.. All a soldier needs to know is how to shoot and salute. - John J. Pershing, 1866-1948
..
<.·
Intersection of Heath Road and Araluen Drive, Hardys Bay (7)
The club's memorial is situated on the west s~de of the parking lot and consists of an obelisk mounted on a large circular base with a flagpole to the south of it. and is bordered by a light-coloured brick wall behind and a lower wall down both · sides with an open walkway at the front. Each · plaque is in memory of an individual who served in the military and has since passed away. On e exception is R. B. (Ray) Martin (bottom Tow) who lost his life while a POW in 1943. The information in italics after each name is that which is to be found on each plaque.. It has been reproduced here just as it appears. The top row (as they a ppear and are spelt): S. H. Davis WW1-WW2 , F. W. Bonfield 213MCH GUN 39-45, E. L. (Ted) Bailey, R. (Bob) Taylor I stBat WWI, Barry C. Steve~s 7th L.H. WW1, A. ~· Lloyd Johnson 49th Aust Trans WW2 , M. S. (Macka) Naseby 2113 Bat WW2 , R. A. Firth 1 L. H. Reg ·ww1, A. McK. (Lex) . Clow RAAF WW2, E mlyn Hughes Royal Eng. . U.K. WW2, E. B. Vaughn RAAF WW2, W.. P. Lumley AIF WW2. . T he second row (as they appear and are spelt}: A. A. (Scotty) Burns 2/1 Pion Bat WW2, E. E. Clucas 13th Bat WW1 , R. E. ~awkshaw 2/I Tank Attack 6 Div WW2, R. B. (Ray) Martin 213 Mac 8th Div WW2, S. R. Smith 9th Bat WW2 , Ken E dward NX503984 B .C.O.F., Leslie C. H. Hagarty Gnr NXJ47628, Alisa Jean Foley NFX77194 Unit 21I1 A.G.H. AAMwS, Reg H-eath NX175188 Gnr 2114, Fred Thompson WWJ 33rd Bat 33931 WW2 R.A.N , .Harry Charles Gregory NX52758 Passed away The memorial at the Hardys Bay RSL is a simple but 'Mar 94 Age 80, John Hazell P.O. R.A.N dignified tribute to those who served. Note the plaques R39465. mounted on the wall at the rear of the obelisk.
The plaque attached to the memorial's east face r eads: (Set in three lines) TO OUR FALLEN 1914-1918 and I 939-1 945. Beneath (staggered in three lines) are the words KOREAN VIETNAM WARS. T here are two horizontal rows of metal plaques on the wall behind the obelisk.
29
Nothing is so subject to the inconsistency of fortune as war. - Miguel de Gervantes, Don Quixote, 1605-15
. Junction of Kendall Road and Sorrento Road, Empire Bay (8)
Despite a lack of documentation to help verify the exact date, it is believed the memorial, at the junction of Kendall Road and Sorrento Road in Empire Bay, was unveiled and dedicated in 1946. The memorial, approximately seven feet in height, has inscriptions on the north and south faces. On the north face, at the top is WORLD WAR below which is written 2 and 1939-45. Beneath comes EMPIRE BAY HONOUR ROLL set on two lines. The names (as they appear and are spelt): A. H. C. Adams, C. C. Adams, E. R. Adams, F. H. R. A_d ams, H. J . Beattie, P. Cozens, T. R. Danks, G. E. Davis, W. G. Davis, D. A. Francke, C. R. Francke, E. D. Mer:rett, J. McDonald, D. K. Settree, J . L. Settree, D. W . Slater, Janie Willoughby. At the to路p of the south face of the column is WORLD WAR followed beneath by 1 and 1914-18. Then follows EMPIRE BAY HONOUR ROLL on two lines. The names as they appear and are spelt: C. W. Adams X 9-10-24, H. Davis, 0. B. Davis, E. H. Dumas, C. W. E. Hawker, A. H. Hagan, H. B. Hagan, A. P. Hughes , C. Quintall, W. Settree x 23-6-52, J . C. Viret, D. F. Wheatley. At the base of the column in small lettering is
X DECEASED.
The memorial at Empire Bay is situated in the centre of the small community's business area.
Across the base on both the north and south s~des is FOR KING AND COUNTRY. To the east of the memorial is a flagpole with a stone at its base on which is inscribed LEST
WE FORGET. FOOTNOTE: For路 information concerning the Empire Bay honou路r roll, consult the section titJcd Honour rolls.
30
Certain peace is preferable to a projected victory. · - Livy (Titus Livius), The History of Rome, from 29BC
Kincumber Public School, Avoca Drive, Kincwrzber (9)
The monument, erected by the residents of Kincumber in honor of the men who took part in the Gre.a t War, was officially unveiled on Saturday, December 20, 1919. The ceremony was performed by Brigadier-General G. M. MacarthurOnslow, C.M.G., D.S. O., V. D., O.N.• Credit for the realisation of the memorial -was generally given to Mr Tom .H umphrey who . "had worked early and late and used every" energy in bringing the project to a successful issue". _ After being informed of the death of the first local lad (Lance Corporal Lansdowne in April, 1918) the local progress committee decided to call a public meeting to consider the matter of constructing a mem.o rial. The first public meeting regarding this subject was held on June 8, 1918. This was followed by several months of apparent debate and procrastination until a meeting was held nearly a month after the signing of
the Armistice (on December 7, 1918) at which it was announced that Trooper Clive Harris Frost had perished at Port Said. This announcement caused the meeting to be adjourned without coming to a decision. Before the next meeting was held on February 8, 1919, according to a local newspaper article regarding the proposed monument... it had been ascertained that the parents ofthe deceased lads would prefer the proposed monument and, in deference to their wishes·and to the fact that a considerable sum had been promised for the erection of a monument, the meeting agreed to the proposal without division. A ·committee was immediately elected with
Brigadier-Genera/ G. M Macarthur-Onslow, pictured left with Kincumber Public School headmaster Mr J T. Pryce, returning a salute prior to the unveiling cerem-ony in 1919. Photo courtesy of Gwen Dundon. 31
~o
our bops wmtu·o l)abe .stoob in tl)t forefront of tl)e . battle tnttl) tbt· elite of tl)e bJorlb'5 l)eroe.s, tigbttng to·r Ubertp, l)otttt & C!Emptre. 'Qtl)t.s memoria[ is gratduUp bebtcateb bp tl)e people of itincumber.
The south face of the memorial (the side which faces Avoca Drive) . Photo courtesy of Gwen Dundon.
Mr J. T. Pryce, headmaster of Kincumber Public School, elected chairman and Mr Humphrey honora_ry treasurer. The commjttee met ·on M_arch 15, 1919 to consider designs submitted by four different firms with the design by T. Andrews and Sons of Lidcombe· (who also performed the stonework on the war memorial at Woy Woy) being selected. The memorial was erected on the grounds of Kincumber Public School next to what was then the entrance to the facility (where . it remains today, fronting Avoca Drive). It is constructed of Parnimatta sandstone in the form of an obelisk, with white marble· tablets inset on each of the four si~es, bearing the. names of those who enlisted from the Kin cumber area, together with outstanding . dates and events of the 'Great War'. The south fa_ce (the side facing Avoca Drive) bears the following inscription at the top:
Etched in the sandstone below the tablet is: Erected A.D. 1919 and T Andrews & Sons, Lidcombe. At the top of the east face, set in two lines are the words: Armistice signed lith Nov, 1918. On the tablet underneath are the words Fr.anc~ and Belgium followed _by a single column of names (as they appear and are speit): Sgt. E. W. C. Pryce, L/Cpl. S. E. J. Lansdowne, Sig. W. G. Humphrey, Spr. E. H. Dumas, Pte. A. W. Lans4owne, Pte. H. H. Fr.ost, Pte. P. J. Frost, Pte. J. J. Waters, Pte. E. Scaysbrook, Lewis Gunner, J. J. Burns, Volunteered W. J. Norman, E. White. On the north face.of the memorial, at the _top,
SCT. E. W. C. PRYCE . L- CPL.-S . . E. J . LANSDOWNE S .I G.
W. C. HUMPHREY.
SPR. E. H". DUMAS ,
..
PTE.-
·' '
A. W.
"
LANSDOWNE ,
H. H. FROST,
P . .J. " . J. J.
FROST, '/(ATERS,
E·. SCAYSBROOK ,
LEWIS· CUNNER
J.J . BURNS,
. - VOLUNTEERED. -
W.J. NORMAN , ~ E. WHITE .
WAR DECLARED 4thAUGUST, .l914. On the marble tablet beneath reads:
.
The m.emorial 's east face. Photo courtesy of Gwen Dundon.
32
BELOW: The north face of the J.:incumber War Memorial. Photo courte:,y of Gwen_ Dundon.
jl: TPR. LIEUT. T. F. HUMPHREYS, CPL. J. E. BOWCOCK ,
TPR.W. T. BOWCOCK ,
l.CPL S.E.J. LANSDOWNE-~ .:
KILLED AT 80VES , F.RANCE
.~
,.
• .~
" w. GREY,
..
•
)fie~ ~P~IL 19~· .• ·.. JPR ...
C.H.FROST.
C . H.FROST,
ll
- ·-
EUROPEAN WATERS&~ ~~
~
· .
v. K.HUMPHREY, W.T• .u
··DIED
••
•
.. R. N.JACKSON. STR.
,,
H.M.A.S. SYDNEY.
H.M.A.S ~ PARRAMATTA.
ABOVE: The monument's west face. Photo courtesy of Gwen Dundon.
is the inscription (set in two lines): German Fleet Surrendered 21st Nov 1918. On the marble tablet is: In Memoriam followed by LCpl. S. E. J LANSDOWNE Killed At Bobes, France 12th April 1918. Then comes: Trooper C. H. FROST Died Port Said 1st Dec 1918 beneath which is inscribed: For the souls of the Heroes die not. At the top of the west face, set in two lines is the inscription Peace Signed 28 June, 1919. The marble tablet bears the wording - Egypt, Gallipoli and Palestine. Then ·comes the following names as they appear and are spelt: "A" Tpr. Lieut T. F. H umphreys, Cpl. J. E. Bowcock, Tpr. .G rey. At the bottom of the tablet, set on separate W. T. Bowcock, Tpr. C. H. Frost, Tpr. lines,.are the following: European Waters, etc; V. K. Humphrey W T; "H.MA.S. Sydney"; R. N . Jackson Str and "H.MA.S. Parramatta". The ded ication ceremony was chaired by Mr Pryce who introduced Brigadier-General Onslow to the gathering. · The cost of the monument was £74 15s 9d w h i~e the preparation of the foundations and subbase, along with the transportation and erection, was done entirely by voluntary labour.
w:
FOOTNOTE: Kincumber Public School was fi rst school in 1874.
open~d
33
as a provisional school in 1870 and became a public
It is not an army·we must trai., for war; it is a nation• ., Woodrow Wilson, 1917
Murna Road, Davistown
On Sunday, April 23, 1961, a c~riotaph built by the Davistown RSL Sub-branch was unveiled and dedicated prior to. the commemoration service. The plaque on t he cenotap h, unveiled by Major F. C. Travis, Officer Commanding B Company, 2nd Royal NSW Regiment, reads: 'We that are left have erected this monument as a Memorial to commemorate those who fought for a cause and gave their lives for it'. · T he rifl~ on top (whic_h denotes the grave of a soldi~r killed in battle) was the rifle of Trooper Lawrence Mascord of 7th Division Cavalry Regiment and was donated by his bro·t her, Mr Fred Mas cord of Wyong, who attended tbe service. The bayonet was that of Dick Jordan of the 2/1 Survey Unit and the tin hat was given by Edward James of the 20th Battalion. The unveiling was·preceded by a march of veterans of three wars and was led by the Gosford Shire Band and foUowed by representatives of the women's organisations. The sub-branch president, Mr S. Hutton, led the march with Mr Jack Berry as standard bearer.
34
Are there no other alternatives than sending our armies to-chew barbed wire in Flanders? - Winston Churchill, 1914
. The Espli:made, Terrigal
It would appear the memorial at
Terrigal was installed between Anzac Day 1984 and Anzac Day 1985 as an article in The Central Coast _Express noted ... a dawn service would be held at the 'new memorial' in 1985, while ~o mention of it was made 路 regarding the previous year's service. The memorial is situated to the east of the Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club and takes the form of an obelisk four to five feet in height and approximately a yard across on each side of the base. The memorial stone, and flagpole, rests on a slightly raised sandstone 路 platform (to compensate for the slope towards the beach). A plaque is mounted on the east face of the memorial which reads:
TO 'THE MEMORY OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF AUSTRALIA WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES.JN THE MANY AREAS OF CONFLICT IN WHICH OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN ENGAGED LEST WE FORGET
An article in The Central Coast Express on November 27, 1992 noted a draft development control. plan proposed by .Gosford Council indicated the memorial could be moved to a proposed public square in CampbeU Crescent or to Rotary Park adjoining Terrigal Lake (as of 1997 this had not been done).
64 Dover Road, Terrigal
A memorial, constructed to be used for ceremonial purposes, is in place at the front (west side) of the club. It consists of a field piece resting alone while 路 behind and slightly to the north stands a low sandstone waD bearing the emblems of the Australian Commonwealth Forces, the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the words LEST
WE FORGET. Next to the wall is a flagpole. 35
My argum~nt is that War makes rattling good history; but Peace is poor reading. - Thomas Hardy, The Dynasts, 1906
Woodport Salvation Army Citadel, The Entrance Road, Erina (10)
The memorial, originally .erected at the junction of The Entrance Road and Terrigal Drive, wa~ officially unveiled oil November 11, 1923 and was dedicated to the memory of the· soldiers from Erina, Matcham, Wamberal and Terrigal districts who were killed in World War I. According to local newspaper coverage of the unveilin g, approximately · 1,000 people attended the ceremony performed by Colonel Vernon, D.S.O.. The memorial had its beginning when, in 1921, the War Trophies Commission offered Erina district two machine guns (provided they were suitably housed). At that time a public meeting elected trustees for the trophies . (Messrs Cardwell, Atkins, and Wright) and decided upon raising funds to suitably house them. A committee, consistin g of Messrs Weiss
(president), Walpole (honorary . secretary), Cardwell (treasurer), Wright, Griffiths and Atkins was entrusted with the task of raising funds. To get things moving, a day's sport was decid ed upon and subscription lists were opened. A total of £108 was raised fr_om both . sources. With this amount in hand, plans prepared by M r R. Shute of Point Clare (who· voluntarily prepared the original design according to specifications supplied by the committee) were submitted to the War Memorial Board in Sydney. A site had been granted by Erina
The unveiling ceremony at the Erina War Memorial on Armistice Day, November 11, 1923. Open~ng remarks were delivered by Messrs. G. A . Walpole (teacher at Woodport, Erina West School for nine years), and W H. _Weiss (headmaster of Erina Heights School) while those in attendance were addressed by lvf. Plumriclge (Salvation Army), · W. E. Kirkness, Rev L. Baines and_.Rev A. Renwick. Photo courtesy of the late Mrs G. Mercer ofWamberal. 36
Erina War Memorial as it appeared in 1970. Photo courtesy of Gwen Dundon.
Shire Council adjacent to the final site hut the. War Memorial Board vetoed both the original ·plans and the site. . A representative was sent to interview the War Memorial Board who stated while 'its members did not consider the design suitable, if the . memorial was erected on private property, it was outside - the board's jurisdiction and approval was. not necessary. Negotiations were entered into with the Anglican Church .authorities to purchase a site. The committee acknowledged the 'sterling' work of Mr CA. Brown, Registrar of the Diocese of Newcastl~ as, they said, it was mainly 'through his instrumentality that the site was finally obtained'. Mr L. W. Turner, surveyor of Gosford, surveyed and prepared site plans free of all cost. Mr Martin, of Erina, undertook the contract to construct the melnorial and was commended by the committee for his efforts. lt was also noted at the unveiling that, through community effort, the memorial 'is free of debt' and 'has cost only .£153'. Prior to the commencement of construction, Mr Shute' s plans were subsequently modified to allow for a reinforced concrete instead of a
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tiled roof thereby making the memorial's entire structure reinforced concrete with approximately a ton of reinforcing steel ~nd 20 cubic yards of concrete being used. The alteration,s to the original · design were carried out by the Sydney firm of W. Adams & Co. who· also supplied reinforcement cut and shaped for the whole of the work. As stated above, ·records indicated the memorial's cost was £153. Local new·s paper reports of the time stated an additional £40 was ·to be raised to have honour rolls iriset by Anzac Day 1924...so a complete and p ermanent record for honour of those who enlistedfrom the district will appear in conjunction with that of tfwse who made the supreme sacrifice (apparently this was ~ever done). Concerning the physical dimensions of the memorial - the structure is 14 feet high and, taking in the steps and wall, is 17 feet from footpath level. The hexagonal base h~s a diameter of 14 feet and a thickness· of two feet reinforced throughout to carry the weight of six pillars, each three feet by one foot at the base diminishing to nine incl_les by nine inches columns four feet in height. These pillars carry 15 inch concrete bearers which support a dome-shaped roof with eaves 37
projecting 18 inches. Above ·the front of the memorial (as it originally stood) are the words War Memorial, while above the opening ·directly opposite is J9J..f-1918 . The names of the districts listed above are inscri~ed on the sides facing the respec~.ive centres (this applied when the memorial was on its ·original site but is not as it stands today). A pedestal occupies the centre of the hexagonal base, and acts as a mounting· for the Erina War Trophy. Originally this was a captured German machine gun but today consists of crossed rifles and a World .War I helmet resting on the top of a cross. The western face of the pedestal has a memorial tablet inset with the foUowin g inscription: Because they died, that others might not die, comfort your hearts. Below that, centred in a single column are the following names (as t~ey appear and . are spelt): A. Banks, A. Bean, ·J. F arraH, M. Farrell, C. Martin, V. McKenna, F. Ritchie MM, E. Weiss; F. Weiss, C. Wright. This is followed by the inscription : Mourn Them Not - They Died Greatly.
Even though, for more than 60 years,_it. had stood as a silent tribute to tho~e who gave their all for their country, the memorial would again be involved in a battle of its own when it was announced it must be moved to make way for major road construction. This reconstruction forced its relocation to the grounds of Erina 's Saivation Army Citadel on The Entrance Road in 1986. However, before this took place, according to the Sydney Daily Telegraph issue of July 11 , 1985, veterans from Terrigal said the. best place for the monument was with them while a spo-k esman for Erina said it was 'an E rina monument' and it must stay in the town and the secretary-manager of th.e Terrigal Memorial Country Club said his members wanted it in their grounds . . The memorial was rededicated on August 6, 1986 by Sir James Rowland; K.B.E., D.F C., A .F C. , Governor · Ge~eral of New South Wales.
In 1986 the memoria/was moved 10 ils new home on lhe grounds ofthe Salvation Army Citadel in Erina. This picture shows the present location with the citadel io the right and the bu~y The Entrance Road in the background..
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There was never a good ~~r or a bad peace. - ·Benjamin Franklin, 1706-90
()UI21M13Ati 12Ail-WA"" §TATI(),_.. Pacific Highway, Ourimbah (11)
There ai"e two _memorials· located on ground just south of the station's entrance and adjacent to the north side ofthe Pacific Highway. · The older of the two consists of a large beam resting on two columns in the form of an arch. The year dates 1914 and 1918 appear on the north side of the arch while the north side of the columns, each with the A.I.F. emblem at the· top, contain a list of those from the area who served in World War I. The original honour tablets mounted on the columns were unveiled on Sunday May 1, 1938 - at which time Anzac Day was also commemorated. The dual ceremony had been postponed from the previous Sunday due to the visit of a group of New Zealand Diggers to the district. The honour of performing the unveiling was given to Mr L. A. Robb, C.M. G. , State President, RS.S.I.L.A. In attendance were veterans from throughout the district as well as Mr Frank Pryor, President Ourimbah-Lisarow Sub-branch, Cr F. D. Burns, President of the Memorial
The memorial arch as it appears today. For the names listed please consult the pictures on the next page.
Committee and chairman for the day's activities, Mr Joe Lawn, President of Gosford Sub-branch, Mr D. A. Prentice, Secretary of G~sford Sub-branch, a contingent from The Entrance lead by Mr R C. Benson, president of that sub-branch, Mr George Downes, President of Mangrove Mountain Subbranch. Also present were the shire president, Cr A. E. Lillicrapp, Mr S. L. Gardner, M.H.R and Mr R B. Walker, M.L.A. . The service and· prayers were conducted by Rev F. Ballance, .Church of England and Rev F. A. Lackie, Presbyterian Church. The names on the columns (as they appear and are spelt): D. A. Agst, H. H. Akers, A. T. Anderson, H. Anson, A. T. Austin, A. M. Bailey, C. J. Bailey, A. P. Ballinger, C. Brown; J. V. Caldecott, *-V. A. Cato, A. Cassel, *H. J. Collings, A. Cottrell, J. T. Crane, *P. P. Crane, W. J. Crane, M. Denham, *J. M. Dickenson, C. J. Earl, C. S. Earl, W. V. Earl, A. T. Elliott, N. J. Elliott, *J. A. Evans, G. Ewing, P. J . Fraser, W. D. Fraser, R. Frazer, W. J. Frazer, H. J. Freeburn, E. Gibson, *F. Gibson, J. W. Graves, E. Grigg, H. J. Grigg, R. E. Harrison, A. Henry, *J. Henry, M. Hodgson, W. G. Holland, W. G. Joyce, A. Judges, A. Krumin, J. Krumin, A. E. Luxford, C. J. Moore, C. H. Morris, H. R: Morris, H. S. Morris, E. Munro, *0. D. Morphine, F. E. McDonald, *C. E. Nancarrow, R. T. Olive, R. D. Perkins, *W. Perkins, R. W. Robinson, T. E. Robson, *N. H. Sohier, J. G. Stevens, C. W. Taylor, G. Tawyer, J. C. Tynan, *L. D. Tynan, L. J. Van-Freight, D. J. Walker, *H. C. Walker, B. E. Wamsley, *C. C. Wamsley, F. Wilcox, J. B. Yates, *T. R. Yates, *W. C. Young. (* Lost their life in the war)
Some 16 years before the dedication of the 39
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The left-hand side plaque ofthe World War I memorial qt the station. Photo courtesy of Gwen Dundon.
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scrolls containin g the above listed names, a ceremony was · he.Jd on the site unveiling two war trophies. T he larger, a trench mortar, was to be placed permanently on display there while the second , a machine gun, was to be moved after the ceremony to the Ourimbah Public School. There, with the approval of the Education Department, it was to be housed in one of the rooms. The cer emony took place at 4pm on Sunday November 19, 1922 and short addresses were delivered by the Bon. W. M. Fleming, M.H.R, Rev. A. Renwick and Cr. F. D. Burns who chaired the ceremony.
The right-hand side plaque ofthe World War I memorial.. Photo courte:.y of Gwen Dundon.
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The second memorial, located in t~e same enclosed area and south of the above mentioned ~emorial, is obelis·k in shape and bears the following information:
The Australian Armed Forces Bi-centennial Memori'al at Ourimbah. Photo courtesy ofGwen Dundon.
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Set in the north face is a metal plaque with the following wording: Australian Armed Forces Bi-centennial Memorial The Community of Ourimbah-Lisarow, N.S. W. remember their Men and Women who Served and Died to Preserve Peace During the 200 years of White Settlement in Australia
Then comes: Boer War 1899-1902 Korea 1950-1953
World War 1 1914-1918 Malaya 1955-1960
World War II 1939-1945 Borneo 1963-1965
Vietnam 1962-1972
Lest We Forget Ourimbah-Lisarow RSL Sub-Branch Rededicated, Rev. John Price, Unveiled Athol Frewin, Brian Fuller, Ralph Fagan
On the west face is a metal plaque bearing the Australian Commonwealth Forces emblem beneath which (on two lines) are the words KILLED IN ACTION and 1914-1918 WAR. Then comes three columns of names (as they appear and are spelt): V. A. Cato, H. J . Collings, P. P. Crane, M. Dickenson, J. A. Evans, F. Gibson, J. Henry, A. Murphin, C. E. Nancarrow, W. Perkins, N.H. Sohier, L. D. Tynan, H. C. Walker, C. C. Wamsley, T. R. Yates, V. C. Young. The east face bears a plaque with the Australian Commonwealth Forces emblem followed beneath by KILLED IN ACTION and 1939-1945 WAR. . Then (as they appear and are spelt): R. L. Berry, B. G~tes, A. B. Gossip, F. Hellyer, C. S. Luke, E. G. Sohier, A. A. Winterflood. In the lower right hand corner of both plaques, in small lettering, is ERICH STEWART. The south face of the memorial bears only the bi-centennial emblem.
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I bad rather lose on~ man in marching than five in fighting. 路 路 ~~ Ulysses Simpson Grant, 1822~85
Pacific Highway, Ourimbah
A memorial was constructed between the bowling greens on the north side of the club in the early 1990s. . The raised base, approximately four feet by four feet, is of granite 路as is the obelisk which rests on top supporting a cross of the same material. The north face bears the Australian Commonwealth Armed Forces emblem. This is followed below by: IN MEMORY OF OUR FALLEN 路 LEST WE FORGET. On the. east face is the insignia for the Royal Australian Navy while the west face bears tb~ insignia of the. Royal Australian Air Force. The memorial was constructed to eliminate the need for amarch to tl\ememorial(s) in the park area at the railway station al~ng the Pacific Hig!hway on A~zac Day and other occasions.
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A battle sometimes decides everything; and sometimes the merest trifle decides a battle. · · · -Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon[), 1769-1821
Ciiy Park, corner ofAiison Road and Rankens Court, Wyong (12)
The first step towards bringing to reality a war memorial for the Wyong district - took place in 1921 when·a three man committee was appointed to find a suitable site. The three, Messrs Pearce, Warner and Wilkinson were also given the responsibility of overseeing the construction .of the memorial. A number of locations were considered but, in the end, it was decided to accept land in front of Wyong Railway Station donated by the (then) Railways Department. Construction commenced· in 1921 and the £650 required was to come from money raise_d throughout the district: However, on the day of the official unveiling there was still some £70' owing. This shortfall was corrected by having a 'whip around'.
Th_e completed Wyong War Memorial, constructed of polished trachyte surmounted by an orb of red granite, had a half circle fenc~ erected around it while four iron stands with electric lights stood in each corner. A pair of German 'trench mortars (painted green) were -m ounted on ~oncrete platforms. The placement of thes.e guns was not without controversy as indicated in':an excerpt from an article in The Gosford Times on April 6, 1923 .. jancy German guns surmounting the .names of our brave returned soldiers. This issue arose because the names of the soldiers had not, at that time, been engraved
The unveiling ceremony ofthe Wyong War-Memorial held on April 21, 1923. Photo courtesy of the Wyong Historic_a/ Society. 43
on the monument memorial was and , without this conducted by . Fr. N. being done, the • Bowditch; .F r. T. project was not 'O'Brien and finished. As well, it Salvation Arniy had been suggested Major (Ret) Ed the names be placed Sanders. The Marshal on the sides of the gun for the l)ay was Mr platforms. John Dolbel while Mr · The memorial was Paul Crittenden, MP officially unveiled by delivered the formal ) General Sir Granville ~ address _prior to the Ryrie, M.P. ·on April · ' unveiling. · ----;;,;. On the east face of the 21, 1923. . Among those present memoriali at the top, is the inscription IN on the day were Mr H. J. Street, chairman of MEMORY OF WYONG the · memorial HEROES. T~is is committee and Mr followed by two rows Walter Bennett, Wyong War Memorial shortly b~fore its relocation in 1994. of nam.es (the M.L.A. Photo courtesy ofGwen Dundon. . individuals are Also acknowledged as categQrised ·by _rank). being extremely instrumental in the memorh,d. The names as they are · spelt: Pte K. G. becoming a reality was Mr Albert Hamilton Randell, Harold Murray, Nornian J. Gibson, W~rner (a local real estate agent and one of . Harry Bale, Bertie Pemberton, Aubrey Smith, the original committee of three, he was William Boyd," David W. Dixon, Cecil Hall, described at the ceremony as Wyong's most Andrew Robert Hall, Leonard Jean Kelle, enterprising townsman). Mr Warner was Ray L. Goldsmith, Gilbert Harding, P. T.unable to attend due to illne_ss. · . Duncan, . Roy . A, Phillips; }1. McManus, Originally the names of 31 men who lost their Hector Crane, J~hn McKenzie, Thomas lives in the war were engraved on the Dwyer, ·w illiam Jones, Joh-n Royde, ·A. S. monument face while a .n~wsp.aper article of Atkins, James A. Farrell, R. G. Buckton, W. the times stated.~.'it is hoped shortly to H. Hodge, A. H . Bean,' A. 0 . O 'Rourke_, inscribe the names. of all men who enlisted William Woodbury; L/Cpl C. E. Riley; Cpl R. from the Wyong district, numbering about G. Crane, Cpl W. H. Redgate; Gunner Edgar 260'.(this was never done). · R. Waters; Sgt Eric · Tate. (All of these The monument was designed by Mr William individuals lost their life in the war) Martin, architect of Glebe in Sydney, and Centered on two lines beneath the names are: built by. Messrs Hedges and . Company of Thine 0 Lord and is the Victory. Syd-ney. . This is followed by: THIS MONUMENT WAS .As early as 1947 consideration was being ERECTED IN. HONOR OF THOSE Wi!O given to moving the m~morial for various ENLISTED FROM THIS DISTRICT . FOR reasons, though increased .traffic congestion SERVICE IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919. seemed to be the main concern. On the north face, centred at the top is a TJ:te memorial was moved from the raUway single line: ROLL OF HONOR. ·. square to its present location at Wyong City This is followed by tWo columns of names Park on February 22, 1994 and was (again, with rank stated). The names as they are spelt: F/0 Jack C. Burraston; F/Sgt N. rededicated at a ceremony on April16, 1994. The rededication ceremony was directed by Tresidder; A. B. Ronal_d Hugh Kerr; Cpl Mr Fred Mansfield, Presi~ent of Wyong ~SL . Victor Francis; Cpl G. Kelson; Pte Ronald Sub-branch, while the blessing of the Elwell, Keith Trigg, Guildford Ro~inson,
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Robert Tyrie, Alan Hart, James Davis, Peter Hamilton, Reg Huckle, N. A. J. Fernance, G. A. Beaven, G. Dewhurst, M. D. O'Connor, S. Boyd, E . J. Dowling, J. Winstanley, Robert McPhan, Craig Thomson; OBS A. D. Crowther. (All of these individuals· lost their life in the war) Centred beneath the two columns of names· is 1939-1945. The west side face bears ~he inscription DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO SERVED AND THOSE WHO DIED IN KOREA, MALAYA, BORNEO AND VIETNAM centred ·in three lines. On the south face is the inscription DEDICA.TED TO THOSE WHO SERVED AND THOSE WF(O
DIED IN ALL OTHER CONFLICTS.
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As long as mao dwells upon the· globe, hi.J destiny is battle• -..··
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. ··'. · -Oliver w·endell Hohnes, Jr. 1841-1935 '
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WA~ Mr=M()~IAL jntersection of The Entrance Road & Marine Parade, The Entrance
According to the official history of the sub-branch, it was-on the night of Anzac Day, 1926, when The ~nt~ance Diggers held their first reunion at Duffy's Store. Three years later, QD March 3, 1929, The Entrance-Long jetty sub-branch was bQrn. · Throughout the foltowing _years, many function$ ·and projects were held to raise money to purchase land and erect a permanent structure. These included (during the Christmas period of 1929) the first carnival.held at The Entrance. !he activities of the young RSL were rewarded a few years later by· the erection .o f The Entrance and Long Jetty MeQlOrial Hall, which was officially opened on September 5, 1935 by .Major-general Sir Charles Rosenthal,
K.C.B. , K.C.MG. , D.S.O. .. During that first Diggers' reunion (Anzac· Day, 1926) it was unanimously decided a small portion of land oil the Tuggerah Lake foreshore be made availab_le -by the Lands Department for the erection of a war memorial. The following week, The Entrance and Long Jetty War Trophy Committee was formed to implement the constr.uction of the memoriaL :rheir first meeting was held at Bayview Guest House on May 3, 1926, with Mr J~ck Power as president.
The Entrance War Memor.ial , with the entrance channel to Tuggerah Lake in the background. Today the commemorative pool is filled in and the imm~diate area fenced. Photo courtesy ofGwen Dundon.
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Other members of the committee were A. BULLECOURT FRANCE. . McCIQre (secretary), P. Dean (treasurer), J. The second pilla.r was known as the Column of Barrance, H . .Barsley, L. English, C. D. Remembrance. On each of its four sides was McLachlan, D. McLachlan, F. Napier and A. written the countries in which the First AIF fought - France, Anzac (Turkey), Belgium . Philpott. On N~vember 6, 1926· a German field gun, and Palesti·ne. captured by the 17th Battalion near Villers- The marble entablature mounted on .top was Bretonneux ·on August 8, 1918 and given to donat.e d by Nurse Hector, a nursing sister of the local organisation by the War Trophy the First AIF. On the left side is written: Stores Department at Victoria Barrac~ in 'DEDICATED TO MEMBERS OF THE AIF Sydney, was unveiled at The Entrance by the WHO FELL, 1914-1918'. On the right side are ·state governor Sir Dudley de Chair the words 'WE WILL RElvfEJvfBER THEM'. (accompanied by his wife, Lady de Chair, and . On Sunday, November 10, 1968 a gathering of daughter Elaine)~ · more than 300 people.stood in drizzling rain Among the dignitaries joining the large to witness the dedication and opening of a gathering were Senator General C. F. Cox, new garden of remembrance and memorial The Bon Walter Bennett, M.L.A. and cr· W. fountain by The Entrance-Long·Jetty R.S.L. A. Chapman, President of Erina Shire. The memorial was dedic~ted by the Anglican . Following the unveiling ceremony of the war Rector at The Entrance, Mr K. Clark and trophy memorial, a military ball was held at Father R. ·Reynolds, parish priest of The The Entrance Hall. Dancing continued until Entrance. . 2am and music was provided by the Blue Bird Among those taking part in the ceremony Dance Orchestra (comprising.Cal Huntington, were · Mr D. A. Kee.n, President ~f The Jack Whitehead imd Reef Royston). Entrance.;.Long Jetty RSL ·Sub-branch, Mr Admission to the ball was 716. Laurie Flynn, state RSL councillor and Cr W. . The original memorial was built as a square, ~arrett, president of Wyong Shire Council . railed-in enclosure. Mr H. Davey, guest of honour as well as senior In i930 the memorial was reconstructed in the vice-president of both the sub-branch and the shape of a hexagon ·to allow for the the club performed the opening ceremony. placement of two ironbark timber memorial When Mr Davey declared the memorial open pillars. the.fountain, in the shape-of a cross, burst into As well, the original flag pole was replaced by life while a guard of honour, provided by the a taU.e r one, 72 feet high and with yard arm Support Company of the 17 Royal New South of 32 feef on which two auxiliary flags could Wales·Regiment rested on reversed arms. be flown on all commemorative occasions. The · At.the time of its dedication the memorial was . blue gum spear was donated by Mr Albert in an area of 66 feet by 46 feet surrounded by Bohringer of Tumbi Umbi. a sawn Asquith and Gosford stone wall of The two pillars, each 15 inches square and random ·thickness on the southern, eastern fou.r feet six inches high, were put in place at and western boundaries. either end of the enclosure. These were T he memorial pool held 6,500 gallons of donated by Mr F. Carson of Brush Creek. . water. One of the pillars was known as 'The Memorial Built at a cost of $12, 500, the memorial was Mile Post' as it indicated the distance from . designed by Mr Stuart Murray of Burbank The Entrance to the various battlefields Of Seed· Farms who was also responsible for the World War I. It was unique as it was the only landscaping and construction. one of its kind in NSW and probably in The war memorial is located in Memorial Australia. On t~e top of the post were !he Park at the junction· of The E ntraQce Road words LEST WE FORGET and the sides and Marine Parade. carried such information as 9200 MILES TO In 1992/93 the fountain was deactivated and ANZAC and LONE PINE GALL/POL! and the pool filled in for two reasons. Despite the 11769 MILES TO FROMELLES and fact the memorial area and pool are
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consecrated ground, visitors were using the memorial fountain catchment area as a wading pool for their children or as ~way to cool themselyes in hot weather. Due to the smoothness of the pool's walls and bottom and the pipes stickin路g up to spray the water, it was creating a dangerous situation. As well, the problem had arisen that blockages in the pipes running from the small pump house to the fountain were preventing the pump from adequately moving water with the force required to do the job. Adding to this problem was the fact, between the pool and the pump bouse, are the buried ashes of three individuals which did not allow for easy excavation and repair. Taking all of this into consideration, it was decided to fill the basin in and redesign the area. Consequently, the pool was filled in, covered in concrete and topped with slate. A low fence was also put in place around the memorial. In 1996 the main路street ~nd foresh~re park area of The Entrance underwent a massive revamp and, as a result, the cenotaph has become even more of a focal point for those visiting the area.
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The memorial was unveiled by the Central Coast State Councillor for the RSL, La~rie Flynn at a ceremony on April17, 1971. The master of ceremonies was Mr Shankelton who opened proceedings by welcoming the estimated gathering · of more than 400, including·both veterans and young people. He then handed over to the Toukley RSL Sub-branch pr:esident, Mr Martin Owens, who welcomed the official guests among whom were the state Member for Wyong, Mr H. Jensen, shire president Cr W. Barrett, Mr Flyim, Mr Fred Travers, Rev John Dixon and Fr Fitzge·rald.
LEST
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Mr Owen also delivered t~e opening a~dress. Constructed of sandstone, the memorial is situated in ground fronting Main Road in Toukley and, apart from the commemorative unveiling plaque, bears only ·t he words 'Lest We Forget'. Ourimbah RSL member Mr Bert Beros, author of the wartime poem :Fuzzy-Wuzzy Angels', wrote and dedicated a poem to the Toukley memorial.
FORG ET
Toukley War Memoria/stands in quiet dignity facing Main Street, Toukley.
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The graveyards are fun of indispensable men. ~ Charles De
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Gaulle, 1890-1970
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Bush Street, Norah Head
A memorial paying tribute· to ~he merchant seamen who lost their lives during World War II was unveiled in the grounds of Norah Head lighthouse on June 4, 1995. Despite rain and cold, hundreds attended to see Member for Shortland Peter Morris and Veterans Affairs Minister Con Sciacca perform the ceremony. The brainchild of the Shortland electorate's Australia Remembers committee, the memorial was constructed with the assistance of volunteers from the Touldey RSL Club and is constructed from basalt rock weighing approximately two tonnes. It features an anchor recovered from Sydney Harbour in 1991 and is believed to have come from an English sailing ship. During World War TI Australia's coastline was menaced by both German mines and Japanese submarines. Two incidents which occurred ofT the coast froin Norah Head help illustrate the dangers Located just outside the grounds of Norah Head faced by those serving in Australia's lighthouse, this dignified memorial pays tribute to those Merchant Nav.y: who sacr,ificed so much in the merchant navy. ·on December·s, 1940 the North Coast St~am Navigation Company's Nimbin ·struck ·a mine sister ship). Despite r~ugh seas, the remaining laid by the German raid er Pinguin. The 25 crew members reached The Entrance Nimbin went down in three minutes taking beach in a lifeboat. seven crew members with her, including the Some of the survivors from the Iron Chieftain were in attendance at the unveiling memorial captain, WiiJiam Bysantson. Spotted by an RAAF seaplane, the 13 service including Max Bland of Waratah survivors endured two and a half hours in the West, Don Burchell of Belmont and Mick water until taken aboard the steamer Harris of Stockton. At the dedication ceremony Reverend Les Bon'albo. The next incident took place south-east of Martiri, from the Touldey RSL, said the Norah Bead on June 3, 1942 when a Japanese memorial "served_as a reminder of the courage submarine attacked the Boward Smith and commitment of those who fought for steamer Age. The Age escaped but 90 minutes Australia". later the BBP vessel /ron Chieftain was not so "Today we dedicate a memorial which lucky as it was torpedoed by the same appropriately honors those members of the Australian Merchant Navy who gave their lives submarine. Thirteen seamen lost · their lives· while 12 for this country during times of war, " he said. survivors were rescued from a raft by the "We dedicate the anchor that symbolises the·end HMAS Wilcannia, (ironically, the Nimbin's of a voyage an(i so we remember the end of a 50
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seaman's voyage through life and ultimate sacrifice he has made". "We dedicate' the ·basalt rock used here to symbolise sacrifice and we remember with gratitude the sacrifice ofAustralia's merchant seamen". "We dedicate the flagpole which carries the symbol of the nation and remember merchant shipping's · vulnerability to attack". . · < ''May this m~morial be a sign to us and all people of ou': way of life, freedom CUJd peace. "
1\~ITti VA~~~ VI~T~AM V~T~~A~S ti()ST~L Tucked away in quiet bushland at Norahville is the Keith Payne Vietnam Veterans Hostel. The facility became a reality when area Australian veterans of the Vietnam War decided to build a hostel as a 'living and working memoriar for the benefit of the community as a whole. · . Literature concerning the project states...it was built as a labour of love, Love of Country and · Love of Comrades. It was that,indeed, with ~uch unselfish acts as having all the sandstone and steel fabrication donated by Vietnam veterans as well as support from many other areas. While it is possible to put a cost on the material gifts donated, no cost could be placed on the voluntary labour of 13 Vietnam veterans who built the chapel between Febr uary 1992 and March.1993. · The total cost .o f the hostel was $2.6 million of which just under one million ·dollars was . provided by the Federal Government. It is impossible to describe the beauty and tranquility which .surrounds you as you stroll through the grounds·- a visit is the only way to appreciate what has been created here. pf special interest is the ar.ea of the grounds referred to as 'The Chapel'. This is an open air site which will be used at times for memorial and other services. But, as stated in the booklet . describing the facility ...mostly it will be a p lace of pilgrimage, a special place for memories, for meditation, for quiet reflection and, perhaps, a little prayet for the living andfor the dead: Rising above ' The Chapel' is an altar in th·e form of a solid sandstone cube on which is displayed the names of the more than 500 Australian servicemen who lost their lives in Vietnam. As well, the list also includes the na111es of the seven civilians who were killed. The hostel is named in honor of forrner Australian soldier and Victoria Cross winner Keith. Payne. Mr Payne earned his VC in Vietnam when he regrouped wounded and shell-shocked members of his .battalion and helped in their evacuation .under heavy en.emy fire in. 1969. Payne was presented his Victoria Cross by Queen Elizabeth. in 1970. · He was also decorated by the governments of the United States and the Republic of Vietnam. Among the decorations received were the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Cross of Gallantry and the Bronze Star. Keith Payne, who also saw action in Korea and Malaya, now makes h·is home in Mackay, · Queensland.- ·
51
Thus the war terminated, and with it all remembrance of the veteran's service. - ~ir William Napier, History of the War in the Peninsula, 1850
~C3l?()V~ M()U~TAI~
MI:M()l?IAL CLUI3 Hallards Road, Central Mangrove
A war me~orial, built by members of Mangrove Mountain RSL Sub-b~anch in working bees over a period of 12 months,.was unveiled on Apri129, 1956 prior to the A,n.zac service. The honor of performing the unveiling ceremony ~as given to Mrs Clara Margin, president of Gosford Red Cross branch, in appreciation of services rendered to servicemen through two world wars. However, the ravages of time and weather took their toll and, in 1992, a new memorial was unveiled at the present day clubhouse site. The link between the ' old' and the ' new' was not broken, as the ornamental sculpture which adorned the top of the first memorial now rests atop the new obelisk. The north face of the memorial (the side facing the club) carries the following inscription: TO THOSE WHO DID NOT RETURN. This is followed beneath by: Lest We Forget Beneath this is a plaque which reads: Ret1,1rned and Services League of Australia Mangrove Mountain Sub-branch This memorial was unveiled by His Excellency Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair A. 0. · Governor of New South Wales. Dedicated 5th April, 1992. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. Lest We Fotget
·--- -
---·-· ..__.> ______··---- ...... --·-----.....-
- --·.
I ., .,
The new memorial, erected in 1992, is situated opposite the entrance to the Mangrove Mountain Memorial Club.
FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the honour roll boards at the Mangrove Mountain Memorial Club, consult the section title Honour rolls.
FOOTNOTE: For information on the trees planted on Memorial Drive leading up to the club, consult the · section titled Tree plantings.
52
Old Northern Road, Wisemans Ferry
There is a war memorial situated on the east side of the bowling greens at the club . .Constructed of sandstone, it is approximately seven feet in.Jength, five feet high and one and a half feet thick. The south face bears the Lions International's Lions Project emblem under which is LEST WE FORGET. Just to the left of the above listed wording is a m~tal plaque which reads: THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY JIM JOHNSTON EX 3RD INFANTRY BATTALION 6TH DIV FOR THE 路 WISEMANS FERRY DISTRICT LIONS CLUB TO HONOUR THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED AND GAVE THEIR LIFE TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY OFFICIALLY UNVEILED BY LION ERNIE KIDD, DISTRICT GOVERNOR 2011{5 25-4-90. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the honour roU board at the bowling club, consult the section titled Honour rolls.
53
I saw them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats, And the ruined trenches, lashed with rain, 路 Dreaming of things they did with baUs and bats, And mocked by hopeless longing to regain Bank-holidays, and picture..sho~s, and spats, 路 And going to the office in the train. -: Siegfried Sassoon, Dreamers, 1917
54
路 ~.an.aur
55
~.ails
路路
Member~:
of the Red Cross rode in the Australia Day procession down Mann Street, Gosford in 1915. Above them the sign states they are from the Gosford District War Relief League. On the opposite side of the banner was the inscription: "We shall never grow tired of working for those who have offered their lives to protect us ". Photo courtesy of Gwen Edmondson.
56
LOCATION ·.· NAME
/
LOCATION PAGE NUMBER NUMBER
Brooklyn Railway Station Christ Church - Gosford . Empire Bay Assembly Hall Erina Heights Public School Ettalong War Museum Gosford Boys Home Gosford RSL Holy Family Anglican Church- Wyoming Kanwal-Warnervale. RSL Progress Hall Kincumber Boys Home Kulnura Community Hall Mangrove Creek Public Scho~l Mangrove Mou~tain Community Hall · Mangrove Mountain Memorial Club Mangrove Mountain Union Church Matcham-Holgate Hall Narara Community Hall Narara Public School Ourimbah Creek . Public School Ourimbah-Lisarow RSL Ourimbah School of.Arts Hall Somersby.Halls. . Spencer Public School St Albans Anglican Church St Luke.s Anglican Church - Woy Woy The Entrance & Long .Jetty War Museum . The Entrance Surf Life Saving Club Tuggerab Progress Hall Tuggerah Public School Tumbi Umbi Hall Wagstaff Memorial Hall Warn beral·Hall Wise~an's Ferry Bowling ClD:b Woodport Public School Wyee Community Hall Wyong Creek P~blic School Wyong Historical Society's Homestead WyongRSL Yarramalong Public School . Yarram~dong School of Arts Hall 57
47 17 18 14 13 22 33 39 42 . 43 40 41 20 24 23 26 25 27 38 44 . 45 15 34 29
i8 16 21 ·46 19 35 32 31 30 37 36
97 63 69 70 64 62 59 73 8.2 69 88 91 92 89 91 72 74 . 73 76 75 77 87 93 94 68 83 84 78 78 77 68 72 96 71 84 81 80 . 79 86 85
On the idle·hUt of summer, . Sleepy witli' the flow of strea~s, Far I hear the steady drummer · Drumming like a noise in dreams. Far and near and low and louder On the roads of earth go by, Dear to friends and food for powder, SoldierS marching, all to die. East and west on fields forgotten Bleach the bones of comrades slain, Lovely lads and dead and rotten; · None that go return ~gain. Far the calling bugles hoUo, · High the screaming fife replies, Gay the fdes of.scarlet follow: Woman ·bore me, I will rise. - A·E . Housman, A Shropshire Lad, 1896
58
As peace is of all goodness, so war is an emblem, a hieroglyphic, of ~1 misery. - John Donne, Devotions, 1622:xvii '
26 Pacific Highway, West Gosford . (13)
There -a re four honour roll boards located on the north wall of one of _the meeting rooms at the club. Each board has the words MUNICIPALIIY OF GOSFORD across th~ top along with the ·crossed Australian flag and Union Jack.,Beneath this, to either side, are the dates 1939 and 1945. Below these dates, in a single line are the words: RESIDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR SERVICE OVERSEAS. Each board has four columns of names. The names as they appear and are spelt: FIRST BOARD: E. J. Dickson R.A.A.F. , G. Dibben R.A.A.F., A. King RA.A.F. , A. W. T. Jollow R.A.A.F. , G. R. Pickering A.l.F., F. J. Marshal A.J.F., M. Alexander A.J.F., A. H. Dawson A.I.F., R. H. Nissen A.I.F. , A. G. Chapman A.I.F. , "'J. W. Castelli A.l.F. , R. H. King Kemp A.l.F., A. K. Wells A.J.F. , W. C. Wroe A.I.F. , E. R. Mortimer A.I.F., A. H. Berry A.l.F. , C. W. Parsons A.J.F. , W. A. Daven A.I.F., G. Pryor A.J.F., W. A. .
Crisp A.l.F., 0 . Staunton A.l.F., H. Keenan A.J.F., C. ~======~~======~ R. Hobbs A.J.F. , J . W. E. Johnson A.l.F., J . H. Wa_keling A.I.F., C. C. Harvey A.I.F., V. G. Byrne A.l.F. , *G. Woods A.J.F. , R. G. Walpole A.J.F., "'W. B. Cail A.J. F., F. B. Butt A.I.F., R. Dibben A .J.F. , J. N. May A.I.F., W. J. Marsh A.!F. , J. C. Marsh A.J.F. , R:. Pry~r A.!. F., A. H! McDonald A .IF., G. E. Sykes A.l.F., C. Wilson A.l.F., H. Wilson R.A.A.F., J. Hitchcock A.J.F., D. J . Douglas A.I.F., E. W. Lane A.I.F., L. Higgs A.l.F., C. H. Lovell A.I.F., R. C. Wheeler A.J.F., S. H. Andrews A.I.F., Ron Pryor A.I:F., F. Renfre\y A.I.F. , A. M. Cannon A.l.F., A. First board. McGlashan A.l.F., N. H. Adams A.J.F., B. Walpole A.l.F., W. A. T. Hart A.J.F., S.M. Douglas A.l.F., M. Lovell A.I.F. , C. R. Jeffress A.l.F., F. Foster A.I.F., J . Ryan R.A.A.F., E. C. Simpson R.A.N , W. M. Crawford R.A.N, J . Daven R.A.N , "'A. Wilkinson A.I.F., C. W. McLachlan· A .J.F., J. A. Gruggen A.l.F., R. J. Morris A.I.F., G. Wilkinson A.!.F., *T. Wilkinson A.J.F. , A. R. Pic·kering t A.I.F., *A. S. J. Fry A.J.F., F. J. Boreham A.I.F., ·R. Brittliff A.l.F. , J. Starkey A.I.F., V. Starkey A.l.F. , J. H. Hunt A.l.F. , T. Clifton A.IF., F. 0. Bellamy A.J.F. , H. J. Graham AJF., W. Hitchc.ock A.I.F., J. Kearney A.l.F., C. W ~ Owen A.!.F., W. S. Norton A.!F., *R. C. Ingram A.l.F., H. Eley A.I.F., T. Snowdon A.J.F. , S. D. Cassell R.A.A.F. , B. Lewis R.A.A.F., R. J. Creighton R.A .A.F., J. Hawkes R.A.A.F., L. J. Adcock R.A.N, R. Mortimer R.A.N, A. Easey R.A.A.F., R. L. Rowe A.I.F. , H. S. W·a rd A.I.F., T. Fogarty A.J.F,, S. Gates R.A.A.F.. . SECOND BOARD: (Note: All of the individuals on this board were A. / .F) G. J. Aiton, A. C. Atkins, E. Appleton, V. Andrews, A. V. C. Adcock, M. B. Brown, F. P. Bendeich, J. J, Baigen~, R. J. Bishop, J. Bailey, A. W. Burke, A. C. J. Buttsworth, B. Brooks, E. J . Biddle,.z . C. Bellamy, H. Butwell, K. Beattie, C. E. Beattie, G. Bayfi_eld, C. E. Brindle, D. F. Biddle, V. M. Breen, W. Brannigan, F. B.r annigan, G. Bushell, R. Craig Jnr, ..*C. H. Drew (boardindicateshediedwhilca POW), R. L. Dibben, R. E. Dibben, B. Douglas, R. A. Douglas, E. J. Douglas, J. Dickson, *R. Donnelly (board indicates he died of wounds), A. S. Dwyer, C. Duncan, M. J. Donovan, E. 0. Edwards, S. J. Eden, R. E. 59
Edwards, H; )]:Hiott, H. E. Eden, G. H. Eden; R. H. Edmundson, S. B. Frewin, L. Free.burn, 0. K. Froude, S. E. Fry, R. J. Fraser, T. H. Fletcher, M. . K . Gruggen, R. A. Gibson, D. B. Gibson, G. Goldsborough, C. Garrett; S. Gavenlock, J. H. Grantham, F. J. Grieve, W. A. Gordon, *A. L. Gallard, D. A. Gregory, A. B. Gell, L. Gell, A. S. Hunt, R. K. Holt, M. Hitchcock, R. G. Hattley, F. J. Hickling, M. Hickey, L. Hudson,·A. W. Hennessey, J. W. Hennessey, A. J. Hellyer, J. T. Hooper, F. P. Hunter, P. B. Higgins, 0 . R. ·Hayward, E. Hextall, J. H. Hattley, J. G. Holmes, W. G. Jollow,, C. 0. Kilpatrick, A . Keevers, A. E. Kay, J. M. C. Kay, M. Second board. S.Lloyd, T. Murray; E. Mortimer, J . ·M~rgan, R. G. Maher, N. ~idson, A. .G. Mobbs, K. Mills, L. M. Mills, J. C. Muro, R. Mitchell. THIRD BOARD: (Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all those listed on .this board were A.J.F). H. G. May,. E. N. McCormac, J. McNamara, F. McCarr-y, W. R. McDougall, J.D. McLeod, J. McBride~ M. S. Needham, H. Norris, T. Newsham, H. Newsham, R. Olsen, K. Oades, R. W. P.ryor, B. M. Pryor, C.. Pollard·, R. B. P~ake,· J. S. Pateman, S. C. Pateman, N. Parry, H. G. Parsons, A. B. Paul, S. A. Paul, *J. Rickett, G. Rougall, R. C. Ross, K. Rain bird, *C. M. Robinson (board indicates he was killed in action), R. Roberts, S. Rowley, F. Renfrew, T .. H. Robson, K. C. Roberts, A. Renwick, S. K. Sooter,
V. Sohier, J. L. Stewart, D. L. Sherring, J.
·c.
Speers, J. D. Staples, C. Stevenson, R. Strickland, D. G. Trask, L. Tonkin, 0. A. Vescey, P. J. Wells, · W. R. Wells, W. Wroe, C. G. Wright, H. L. W~rd, E. Ward, L. W. Ward, W. T. Ward. K. A. Ward, M; . A. w ·ilson, c. A. Wilson., w. Water~~ G. Weavell, J .. A. Weir, A. W. Weir, S. Wright, J. Willis, A. H . Ward, K . S. Winterbottom, W. Williams, R. A. Young, B. Yardley, F. T. Adams R.A.A.F., D~ W. Berry R.A.A.F. , L. A. Bannister R.A.A.F , C. R. Third board. . Buttsworth R.A.A.F., M. Bisley R.A.A.F., M. F. Buscombe R.A.A.F., J . W. Brittiff R.A.A.F., J. A. B~rry R.A.A.F., F. A. Bushell R.A.A.F., L. J. Brann R.A.A.F·, T. Carley R.A:A.F., F. Charters · R.A.A.F., A. S. Cooke R.A.A.F, J. W. Clarke R.A.A.F, R. D. Cassell R.A.A.F, G. H. Dixon R.A.A.F, F. J . .Dibben R.A.A.F., L. G. Dibben .R.A.A.F, A. S. Douglas R.A.A.F·, E. F. Dwyer R.A.A.F , J. W. Elms R.A.A.F, *L. J. Frazer R.A.A.F (the board indicates he was missing in air operations), A. G. Frewin R.A.A.F , J . .c. Grieve R.A.A.F., A. Griffiths R.A.A.F. , K. H. Godfrey R.A.A.F.; D. C. . . Harvey R.A. A.F., *J. T. Hunt R.A.A.F.. FOURTH BOARD: R. J. Hubbard_R.A.A.F., C. E. Hammill R.A.A.F., F. A. Hickey R.A.A.F., F. C. Johnson R.A.A.F., F. J. James R.A.A.F., R. A. Jaggard R.A.A.F., T. ~yons R.A.A.F., J. A. Martin R.A.A.F., G. L. Midson R.A.A.F., D. +"faddy R.A.A.F., F. H. Mike R.. A.A.F., A. W. McLachlan R.A.A.F., R. F. McDougal R.A.A.F, J . Mclnerne R.A.A.F.,· B. Needham R.A.t4.F , L. W. Oldham R.A.A.F., L. C. Ongley R.A.A.F., J. H . Parkes R.A.A.F., M .. PennicuickR.A.A.F., p; J. T. Pile R.A.A.F, N.H. T. Pi)e R.A.A.F., A. E. Plu~mer R.A.A.F., W. S. Paton R.A.A.F, B. J. Porter R.A.A.F , S. N. Parry R.A.A.F:, T. Rooney R.A.A.F., A ·C: ReesR.A.A.F., K. G. Robson R.A.A.F., C. R. Rankin R.A.A.F, J. Scott R.A.A.F.·, F. H . M. Smith R.A.A.F. , D.P. Soloman R.A.A.F , J. H. Starkey R.A.A.F., M. A Sterland R.A.A.F., A. J. S. Sumner R.A.A.F., R. Tulk 60
R.A.A.F, M. B. Thompson R.A.A.F., A. E. Wilson R.A.A.F., *J . P. White R.A.A.F. (board indicates be was missing in air operations), 0. F. Walpole R.A.A. F., R. Wells R.A.A.F, D. B. Wood R.A.A.F., *G. M. Wood R.A.A.F (board indicates be was killed in action), C. R: Wallwark R.A.A .F, I. WaneR.A .A.F. , N. WestlakeR.A.A.F., R. P . R. Young _R.A.A.F., R. D. Brown R.A.N., K. Buchan R.A.N, J. G. Bishop R.A.N., J. Burrel RA.N.. A. F. E rskine R.A.N., M. Frazer RA.N., J. Gale R.A.N., J. Kirkness R.A.N, R. H. MacDonald R.A.N., A. MacDonald R.A.N., T. A. Rowland R.A.N., W. Robinson R.A.N, L C Tltomas R.A.N, B.. Fourth board. Topple R.A.N, F. Verden R.A.N., L. L. Walpole R.A. N. Centred beneath the above names in the third column is WOMEN. This _is followed by these names as t~ey appear and are spelt: I. Dengate Nurse A.I.F., E. ' Brooks, A. WA .S. , G. L. Blanch A. W A.S., K. Deasey A. W A.S.; R. Delandre A. WA .S., P. M. Donovan A. WA.S., D. V. Falconer A. WA.S., E. Gregory A. WA.S., J . Grant A. WA.S. , D. Milney A. WA.S. , J. V. Tulk A. WA.S. , J . Abra A.A.M WS. , J. May A.A.M W.S., E. M ulqueeney A.A.M W.S., R. E. Renwick A.A.M W. S., D. M. Burgess W.A. A.F., M ..C. Denham W.A.A.F., H. A. Gibson W.A.A.F, E. Hobbs WA.A .F, H. M . Kemp W.A .A.F., V. J. Pollard W A.A.F., A. Ton kin WA.A .F., L. B. Vescey W.A.A. F., B. Walker WA.A .F., F. J. Wright WA.A .F. , P. Mulqueeney WA .A.F., H. Dixon, W.R,A.N, N. C. Lawrence WR.A.N. , B. Cooper, R. E. ' Duncan. (* Lost their life in the war) . All but the first board have the name J. G. Walsh in small print at the bottom.
61
.. The· right of conquest has no basis except in the right of might. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, 1762
Mount Penang, Kariong
The boy's home, situated on Mount Penang overlooking Gosford, was established in 1913 and an article in the Gosford Times dated April11, 1918 noted, in part... of the 61 boys who comprised the roll when the home was established, no less. than 56 enlisted after the war broke out...and, as of the date of the article... l5) had enlisted with six having been killed, 16.wounded and two reported missing. The artiCle also noted of the three officers who 'responded to the Empire's call' ... one (Corporal Weeks) has been .killed, and one returned with a strained heart. A roll of honour was unveiled by Lady Davidson, wife of the Governor of NSW, Sir Walter Davidson, on September 13, 1918. The governor was una~le to attend as, according to a newspaper report...he had contracted a severe attack of influenza. . Lady Davidson was attended by Captain Saltmarshe and accompanied by Mr A. S. James (Minister of Education) and Mrs Jam es, Bon. Alfred E dden, MLA, Mr J. Dawson (Chief Inspector of Schools), Mr ":'· E. Bethel (Chief Clerk for the Education ·Department), Mr J . Nangle (Superintendent of Technical Educat~on) and Mr S. H. Smith (Inspector of Continuation Schools).: The party was met at Gosford . Railway Station by Mr F . R. Archbold (Shire President), Mrs Archbold and a number of
' townsmen'. The party motored to the Boy's Home and, after an inspection of the buildings and ·farm lands, under the guidance . of the Superintendent, Mr F. A. Staynor, lunch was served at Mr H. C. Wood 's residence. At 2pm the boys were paraded and as-sembled in front of the main building, facing the !honour roll. · · During the subsequent speeches reference was made to the 183 lads who had passed through the school and were now fighting on the other side of the world. F ollowing the speeches and _ unveiling ceremony, proceedings were terminated with cheers for the King and the boys at the Front. The board contained. part of the wheel from the ' training ship '.Sobraon' which the institution replaced as a training facility. At the time of the publication of Every Mothers Son (1997), the whereabouts of this roll of honour was unknown.
62
Courage in soldiers is a dangerous profession they follow to earn their living. - Due de Rochefoucauld, Francois, Maxims, 1665
路 Cti~IST
CtiU~Cti
Mann Street, Gosford
On July 23, 1916, with some 250 individuals in the church looking on (and more than 100 looking through the windows and listening outside the building), a roll of honour was unveiled at Christ Church in Mann Street, Gosford by Mrs J. Shaw, widow of Canon John Shaw, Rector from 1865 to 1870. T his was followed by the national anthem and the sentence of dedication. The roll, three feet by two feet in路 size, was in .fibro cement from a Sydney studio. The embellishments and decorations were painted by two Gosford ladies and the writing was done by Mr Bills, a local bank manager. Mr Martin of Erina, over a period of two days, prepared the wall to receive the writing and set the roll up free of charge. A M r W. Moore, with equal generosity, provided and fixed in place the frame and glass. The roll had approximately 170 names written in and space was left for additions. At the time of the publication of Every M others Son (1997), the whereabouts of this roll of honour was unknown. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the war memorial on the grounds of the church, consult the section titled War memorials.
63
It is well that war is so terrible;·we would .grow too fond of it - Robert E. Lee
Shop 5, Picnic Parade, Ettalong Beach (14)
This superb museum is the 'home' to three h<mour rolls, each enjoying a ·unique history. The first, and oldest, is ·a large honour roll board which had its beginning when a 'largely attended' meeting, presided over by Phil Gle~ister, .. was held on July 18, 1916 ~lt an [! undisclosed site. At that time tenders were called for the erection of a 'Scroll of Honour' in Woy Woy Public School. The meeting unanimously deci~ed to accept the tender of Woy Woy craftsman, Frank Piper. On November 15, 1916 the honour roll was unveiled before a ·large crowd at Woy Woy. Public School. At the time it was stated... it has been decided to_erect the toll of honor in the public schoo[ until such tfme as a school of arts · or other suitable building was available. The ceremony was' performed by Shire ·P resident Cr. F. R. Archbold with Phil Glenister acting a~ chairman. The honour bo-a rd, of polished cedar and surmounted by the Australian coat of arms draped with Australian flags and UniQn Jack, was financed through public subscriptions with more than £100 being raised. As the cost The World War I honour ro/J board as it appearei in a · / pictorialfeature in the January 17,. 1917 edition ofThe -of the board was £49, the remaining money Sydney'Mail. · was, acc-ording to a newspaper report of the time, to go to desen,infJ.local cases. Warmoll, C. Forfar, G. Loydstrom, S. Mr Piper placed the names of 57 ' local lads' in Jacobsen, P. Davis, F. A. McFadden Mlvf, W. gold letters on the b9ard ~ith . 'more to 'be Cridland, H. Woolford, L. Flynn, C. J. Jones, added later'._ C. E. Woolford, .J im Roberts, "'M.S. Cox, G. At the time of the unveiling, ·four of the men W. Jenkins, E. Kirby, T. Humphreys, W. whose nam~s appeared on the board ha<f . Jacobsen, C. Larsen, H. B. Hagan, 0. Davis, already lost their lives. · G. Quintan, *S. Lansdowne, E. Dumas, M. The·names as they appear on the board and Bourke, W. Fegan, ~F. Stuart, A. E. are spelt: J. 0. Taylor, A. A. Martin, *A. A. · Stapleton, W. Cooper, Jas. Singleton, C. Murphy, *R. C. Roberts, C. J. Watts, *B. Singleton, R. Singleton, J. Singleton, J . Piper, Peel, L. ·R. Warmoll, H. ·Bartlett, E. C. E. White, P. Frost, W. Humphreys, M. Jacobsen, *C. Frost, A. P. Hughes, H. Davis, Keogh , E. Endicott, W. R. Costello, S. R. G. W . Adams, D. F. Wheatley, J. Bowcock, C~ Ford, *J. H.' _Roberts, *E. K. Cox, W. W. Hawker, C. Easterbrook, C. Daley, F. Wallwork, W. Ki~by, W. J. Browne, E. C. Seyll!our, G. A. Browne, Vo~es, F. Preston, E. W. Settree, . A. H. Hagan, W .
!'
-a.
. 64
AL L I N TH E . II E lVI P_I R E' S- CAU S E..I
An article in the November 23, 1916 issue ofThe Gosford Times concerning the unveiling of the World War I honour roll board at Woy Woy Public School on November 15, provided the following names of the children dressed to _ represent the various -states of Australia and nations around the·world: BRITANN/A-Doris An(lrews, AUSTRALIAAmy Davis, FRANCE-Hilda Boyd, BELGJ(hl!f-Doris Hamilton, SERviA -Kathleen Vidler, R USSIA-Emi~y A ndrews, ITALY-Hazel Murray. RO UMANIA -May Watts, CANADA-Elsie Kirby, SOUTH AFRICA-Esma Straub, i\'EW SOUTH WALES-A lma Afurray, VICTORIA-Olga Woodford, QUEENSLAND-Dorothy Pointer. NEW ZEAL4ND-Patricia A unrey, SOUTH A USTJt4LIA-Jean Alderton, WEST A USTRALIA-Marion Sprould, TASMANIA-Agnes Jacobsen.
Davis, J . C. Birett, A. Landsdowne, E. Pryce, A. S. Hutchinson, F. Rand, W. Stuart, G. M. Lukene, T. Ransley, C. Smith, W. Gray, R. Glover, C. Alderton, F. W. Driscoll, J. Waters, C. Whit~, L. Garrett, R. Holt MM. (* Lost their l?fe in the ii'ar)_·
SOLDIERS which read ... There is in the Woy Woy Herald office (a·peninsula newspaper no longer in production), a handsomely illustrated and framed collection ofphotographs of 50 men who left this district to bear their part in the Great War. This honour roll, which has been in the keeping of Mr L. Gilan, should be in some .FOOTNOTE: A complete report of the unveiling location which can be taken as in some sense ceremony appeared in the November 23, 1916 issue of belonging to the public generally. As we do not Th e Gosford Tim es. ·seem likely to get a town hall or other p1ibiic· 0 D D building, a suggestion that the general waiting room at the railway station is the best available place has been made. Possibly the Railway V()~T~IT tl()~()U~ Commissioners would not prove contrary on ~()LL lj()A~[) such a matter as this, and the proposal is worth inquiry. The second honour roll enjoyed the Subsequently, the Woy Woy Anzac Day following 'birth': _ Committe~, at a meeting held in the Masonic In the February 5, 1925 edition of The Go~ford Hall on May 20, 1926, passed a motion the Times· there was, included in the WOY WOY committee take charge of the honour ·roll and news column, an item titled HONORING THE place it in a suitable position with the consent 65
of the donor (Mr . W. E. Phegan) and the Jacobsen, F. A. McFadden, Jim Roberts, L. recipient (Mr Gilan). It was also decided that R. Warmoll; (fifth row) W. Cooper, T. Davis, H. permission J.?e sought to place the honour roll Bagan, G. W ; Jenkins, A. Murphy, Jack in the R.P.A. meeting room in the Masonic Roberts, C. J. Watts; (sixth row) W. Costello, E. Hall. · Dumas, C. Hawker, C. Jones, B. Peel, W. This was followed by an article in The Gosford Settree, D. F. Wheatley; (seventh row) E. K. S. Times, dated July 8, 1926 ~ which stated.-.. The . Cox, W. Fegan, A P. Hughes, W. B. Kirby, E. Way Woy .war souvenir containing photos of Pryce, W. H. Stuart, C. E. Woolford. local boys from Way Woy district, enlisting in · The work on this uniqu ~ honour roll wa·s done the Great War, which was presented to the Anzac iby Royal Studios in Chatswood. · Committee by Messrs W E. Phegan and Leonce Gilan, has been hung in the Masonic Hall, in a prominent position adjoining. the · stage. Mr Chas. Pettit, from Huntley's Poin_t, Sydney, who. WUI2LI> WAI2 II was foreman builder for Mr G. H. Holliday, contractor for the Masonic Temple, and alsq for tl()~()Ul2 l?()LL the cottage of the late Mrs Hadley close by, did .13(),~[21) the work gratis; · and the Committee desire to tmder .their thanks to him. . . . The next ·mention located in the media of the The third honour roll has taken a half portrait honour roll· is in 1934 when, ahead of . century to take its proper place. . . a Woy Woy Shire Council meeting in June of Following the end of hostilities in World War that year, it was noted in The Gosford ll, a desire.was expre~sed to create an honour Times ...Prior .to the commence!flent of a Woy r oll board to acknowledge those individuals Woy Council meeting in June 1934, Mr J. A. who served from the peninsula area. Haines, President ofWoy Woy Sub-branch of the However, for various reasons, the board was Returned Soldiers League, presented to the not created for ~0 years. · council a photographic honor roll bl!aring the In 1996, thanks to the efforts ·of Mr John portraits C?f 50 men from the Woy Woy district Warberton, a life-long peninsula resident and World War ll veteran, those individuals who . who served in World War I. left the peninsula area to fight for· their In accep.ting the honour roll portrait the shire president, Cr Green (according to a country on the battlefields .of World War ll · n·e~spaper report Qf the presentation), have now been remembered with their own assured Mr Haines that the co~ncil was honour roll board. happy to have ~he honour roll which would be Sadly, Mr Warberton did not live to see his desire become a reality. However, laying aside hung in the coun.cil chambers. Inscribe.d over the crossed Union Jack and his own health problems, he arranged for all Australian flag are the words KING, HONOJ~ of the necessary work to be carried out. to bring the board to life arid for it to be hung.in · and COUNTRY. the Ettalong War Museum. There are seven vertical rows of photographs At the top of the board are the crossed with each soldier's name printed below his Australian fl ag .and Union Ja.ck, below this, portrait. The names .as they appear and are spelt: (first set on three lines comes: row) B:· Bartlett, M . S.. Cox, R. Ford, T. F . WOY WOY-ETTALONG-HARDYS BAY R.S.L. Humphries, W. E. Kirby; G. Quintan,. F. SUB BRANCH HONOUR ROLL Stuart; .(second row) J. Beresford, C. Daley, C. WORLD WAR II- 1939-1945 Frost, W. ·G. Humphrey, C. Larsen; T. H . This is . followed by the Australian Ransley, R. Vidler; (third row) G. Brown, H . Commonwealth Military Forces insignia and, Davis, B. F rost, C. E. Jacobsen, G. Lukene, centred under that : 0 . Ri<!kard; B. Vokes; (fourth row) W . G. Brown, RESIDENTS OF WOY WOYSHIRE W . J, Browne, 0. B. Davis, A. Hagan, W . ENLISTED
a
66
The names as they appear and are spelt: F. J. Adams, C. J. Allan, K. E. Allen, L. S. Anderson, R. K. Ashton, C. M. Atkinson, *A. F. Butler, D. Barlow, *T. W. Bassan, N. Baldwin, *R. A. Biggs, A. Bourne, J. Brooker, J. Baldwin, R Bartley, R. A. Banks, A. R Blogg, 0. Boo~ , - L. Braddish, J . Bridge, J. H. Brown, E. Budworth, R J. Chambers, D. D. Campbell, J. Costello, A. Curtin, J. A. Curtin, S. Clark, *G. J. Cheyne, *H. W. Crews, *J. Curwood, H. E. Charlton, J. M. Church, A. Clarke, D. I. Conac-her, H. Cornock, C. Curnock, R Cooper, J. Cowie, W. Dugdale, J. J. Dalto[l, G. E. Dann, H. D. Dillon, R S. Dines, W. A. Dudley, E. L. Dries, S. W. Dugdale, F. Erwin, R. Fraser, *G. FitzeU, R. Fisher, A. G. Farthfng, D.. J. Ferguson, L. T. Ford, A. W. Fienberg, L. Flaherty, R. S. Flack, A,. G._ Fountain, R. H. Frazer, *L. J. Gallard, J. Groves, G. Gauchi, J . J. Grady, B . Grady, W. N. Green, A. L. Gregory, *W. Humphery, J. A. Haines, E. 0. Bayes, R. A. Hughes,.R. S. Hughes, F. V. Hoare, A. T. Bellyar, F . .J. Hellyar, K. Hickey, C. J. Hines, F. J. Hockey, F. Bore, u: D. Hudson, H. Hulbert, B. C. Hynson, *D. H. Jones, F. P. Jackson, C~ J. Jones, B. Kerr, B. Kingston, C. R. Knight, B. Knightly, M. Knight, W. Kilvers, C. Kennedy, R. A. Kerrigan, J. N. King, M. King, H. H. Lawrence, N. Lester, J. Loaney, L. Lamb, T. F. Leroy, J. G. Lay, H. J. Lester, D. Lewys; L. J . .Lewis, M. R. Lewis, K. Links, A. N. Longhurst, R. S. Lovell, *F. Morante, *-R. D. Mulligan, *M. F. Murphy, R. J. Mutton, J . Margin, W. Margin, C. Margin, F. _Margin, P. E. Minns, R. Makepeace, A. Mcintosh, D. H. Menteith, T. McColl, E. C. McCall, W. McCall, V. McCall, P, A. MacCon.nell, J. C. McChesney, G. W. Montgomery, S. McDonald, H. McDonald, R. Mcinerney, J. S. McKenzie, A. Martin, H. Marsh, B. G. Meddows, S. Menteith, C. Michel, R. W. Miller, G. Mitchell, H. Mitchell, J. Mitchell, S. E. Mitchell, W. Mitchell, R. A. Morris, J. A. Morrison, H. Mullins, J . Munro, *D. Neal, W. N~wby, J. Newton, R. Nielson, J. H. Ottey, S. Ottey, J: Parks, *L. Parks, K . J . Parks, *J. N. Parks, *H. A. Peters, J. Perry, W. Peterson, T. Pithers, C. H. Power, F. H. Paddison, F. H. Porter, F. A. Porter, *E. B. Riding, G. Retford, N. Retford, *G. Reeves, J. Riding, L. Rose, c.·Rose, C. Reid, P. Reid, W. Remington, P. J. Rand, P. J. Randell L. W. Rawson, A. Readhead, J. M. Reddy, R. K. Retford, W. J. Rierson, G. W. Riley, R. Ritchie, E. G. Ryan, G. W. Ryden, *J~ .R. Savage, R. Savage, K. Stewart, F. Slieenan, R. E. Swancott, R. Smith, C. H. Smith, E. L. Smith, L. Smith, H. J. Scully, *W. Steinbeck, *F. Snellgrove, *A. Skene, A. J. Shields, F. G. Shields, A. E. Saville, L. W. Sheen an, .Q. Shields, J. W. Shorten, A. L. Singleton, R. Singleton, H. Sky, P. Slade, A. G. Sproule, W. Steedman, E. W. Stevens, R. A: Swanston, R. N. Swanton, R. Tucker, L. A. Tucker, B. Tucker, A. Tattersal, L. G. Thorsby, K. J. Thorsby, A. 'R. Thorsby, W. K. Thomps«;m,.H. A. Thompson, J. G. Tuxford, W. Thomas, R Tuxford, *F. Van Gelder, C. White, J . C. White, L. White, 0. A. White, R. S. Williams, S. Williams, S. E. Winter, J. T. Warburton, *B. Webb, *W. Webb, ~· Wilson, C. Wils·on, R. Wilson, E. P. Watson, R. Watson, R. E. Watson, K. M Wardell, H. ~ashington , D. Wilson, F. Winks, K. J. Witchard, C. J. Wright, W. Yeadon, W. J. Young. (* Lost their life in the war) WOMENS FORCES J Adams, F. Adamson, J Bassan, D. Bourne, V. Hankenson, B. Winter. MERCHANT MARINE ·F. Rising, P. Skepos. The board was created by Dewars Cabinets of Woy Woy; the w9rding and names on the board were done by Cusack Aquatic Signs and the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces 'rising sun' insignia was crafted by Cunnenn & Co Pty Ltd of Granville. FOOTNOTE: A remembrance plaque was unveiled at Woy Woy (now Ettalong Beach) War Memorial Club on Sunday, Auf:.'USt 28, J 960. The plaque, honouring former residents of the district who died in World War ll, was unveiled by Mr C. E. Knight and was placed in the club 's foyer immediately above the entrance.
67
I have seen war. I h~ve seen war Qn land and sea. I hav.e seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men coughing out their gassed lungs. I have.·seen the dea~ in the mud. I have seen-cities-destroyed. I have seen two hundred limping, e:x:hausted -men come out of the ·l ine- the survivors of a regiment of a thousan~ that went forward 48 h9urs before. i have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I bate war. · -Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945
. 151 Blackwall Road, Woy Woy (15) •. .
Displayed in an alcove at the front of the. church (to your left as you enter) ·is a superbly crafted marble honour roll board. The inscription at the top reads: GREATER LOVE HATH NO MA N THAN THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HiS LIFE FOR A FRIEN.D. . Centred beneath this is ROLL OF HONOUR; . then, centred on three lines, follows: Names of the men from this Parish who voluntarily gave their lives for their King and Country . · . Then follows two colum'ns. Of ~ames (a~ they appear and are spelt): Sgt H. Ormiston, Cp W. Geraghty, Cp C. R. Fountain, LCP C. Lansd.o wne, Tpr M. S. Cox, Tpr E. K . 'CQx, Tpr H. C. Fros~, - Sap J. 0. Taylor, Pte ~. Roberts, Pte J. Roberts, Pte H . Peel, Pte F~ Stuart, ~te S. Lansdowne, Pte A. A. Murphy, Pte R. C. Ton.kin, Pte _L .· C. Tonkin. · · Centred beneath the two columns of names: "BLESSED ARE THE DEAD".followed by two lines centred: FATHER IN T]jY GRACIOUS KEEPING LEAVE WE NOW'THY SERVANTS SLEEPING. FOOTNOTE: Also located in the alcove. (on the wall to . the right of the boriour roll board described above). is a private memorial plaque to the Roberts brothers · from members of ·their company. · For a description, consult the section titled Personal memorials.
. I
.
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•Ill {It
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The honour roll board at St. Lukes Anglican Church in WoyWoy.
· ·WAt3§TAt=t=~ M~M()l?IAL ilALL Corn'er of WagstajJA venue and Mulhall Street, Wagstaffe (16)
There is a small wooden honour roll mounted in the main room of the hall.. . The two _n ames.appearing on the board (as they are spelt) are N. A. Calcott )939-1945 and D . . E. Hanscombe. They both lost their life in World War II. Unfortunately, research failed to reveal when, and by whom, the board was erected. 68
Every individual nobly did his duty; and it is observed that our dead •••were lying·as they fought, in ranks, and every wound was in the front. - Sir William Beresford .: ,. .·('• :.
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.~MVIVI: 134...,- A~SI:MI3LY tiALL Corner ofRosella Road and Echuca Road, Empire Bay (17)
On Saturday, July 15, 1916 a large number of the· residents of Empire Bay gathered ~t the assembly hall (now the Anglican Church), at the corner of Rosella Road and Echuca Road in Empire Bay, to take part in the unveiling of the roll of honour erected 'in honour of our boys who had gone to fight for King and Country'. The gathering was addressed by Mr Edward Beattie, who conducte.d .the unveiling, and Rev. T. Hill, M.A. The honour roll board, which today resides on the west waJI of the church, was donated by Messrs Gordon Beattie and A. V. Ainsworth. The names as they appear on the board and are spelt: C. W. E. Hawker, J . C. Viret, G. W. Adams, G. Quintall, W . Settree, H . Davis, H. B. Hagan, A. P. Hughes, D. F. Wheatley, A. B. Hagan, 0 . B. Davis, E. H . Dumas. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the Empire Bay War Memorial, consult the section titled War memorials.
St Joseph's Convent, Humphreys Road, South Kincumber
An honour roll bearing the names of 58 former residents of the home (1 0 of whom paid the supreme price) was unveiled on July 18, 1919 by Very Rev. P. ·Mcintyre. Unfortunately, a · search through records and newspaper articles as well as a search of the grounds failed to locate the board or reveal what happened to it.
69
War is the greatest plague. that affiicts man.kind; it destroys religion, it destroys nations, it destroys families. Any other scourge is preferable. ,..., Martin Luther, Table Talk, 1569
Corner of The· Entrance Road and Serpentine Road, Erina Heights
(18)
'
An honour roll containing 45 names was unveiled· on Thursday May 24, 1917 at 2.30pm as part of the festivities and ceremonies organised to celebrate Empire Day at the school. The honour roll was· made by Mr E. Compton,·one of the parents, as a donation. A.newspaper report at the time stated .. .lt was made of maple, highly polished, with two panel~. enclosed in glass for the names, with the Union Jack and Australian flag crossed over the top. The Erina PS Parents' and Citizens' Association claimed the privilege ofpaying for the lettering, done in gold leaf at a cost of £1 17s 6d. The principal, Mr W. H . Weiss made a few introductory remarks, welcoming visitors and speakers and pointed out the honour roll contarined "45 names ofpast scholars, andfathers and brothers ofp resent scholars of the Erina Public School". The board, which now contains· 49 names, is located in the office reception area of Erina Heights Public School.' The school is located on The Entrance Road at the junction with Serpentine Road. It is rectangular in shape with crossed Australian flag and Union Jack at the top with the words HONOR ROLL on either side of the flags. There are two columns of names covered by glass. The names as they appear and are spelt: James Allan, "'William Anderson, William Archibald, Alexander Archibald, George Archibald, David Bates, "'Albert Bean, Frederick Bromley, Allen Campbell, Robert Coulter, Harry Dening, Alfred Dunlop, Dominick, Farrell, John Farrell, Michael Farrell, "'Frederick Gibson, Edward Gibson, Arthur Hillier, George Henry, William Henry, John Jones, David Jones, Stanley K en nedy, Hugh Kennedy,. Leslie Kennedy, Albert Kennedy, Alfred Kirkby, "'Cyril Martin, Harold Martin, Ulric Michelsen, Joseph Parry, George Wm Pritchard, Herbert Roy Pritchard, Thomas. Ray,· Frank Ritchie, Clive Rose, Leslie Rose, William Stockdale, Cecil Stockdale, Ray Tasker, Ernest Watkins, "'Frederick Weiss, *Erie Weiss, Joseph Wilson, "'Clarence Wright, Horace Fearnside, Leslie Klumpp, Donald McLean, Ray Smalley. ("'Lost their life in the war). · FOOTNOTE: Erina Heights Public School was first opened as a provisional school in 1873 and became a public school in 1880. FOOTNOTE: For ioform~tion concerning the Erina War Memorial, consult tlie section titled War memorials.
70
... .
~
Cou~tless and-inestimable are the chances of war. . ~ Winston Churchill, The River War, 1899 '
' •,
W()()()()()~T
VUI3.L IC SCti()()L
Corner ofThe Entrance Road'and Ernest Street, Erina
(19)
Located at the corner of The Entrance Road . and .Ernest Street, the school's ·administrative area and classrooms are just east of the site of the home of the Legge family mentioned in another section of this book. The honour roll was unveiled at 2.30pm on FOOTNOTE: Woodport Public School was· opened in . A-ugust 3, 1918 by Mrs W. Archibald of Erina 1893. From 1923 to 1950. it was known as Erina West P. S.,. then Erina P. S. until 1954. Its name was then who had three sons in the war. cb'anged back to Erina West P. S. and remained that Among those in attendance were the shire way until1992 when it ·again became Woodport Public president Cr. F. R. Archbold and the · School. principals of several area schools. The board, made from Queensland maple, has FOOTNOTE: A public meeting was held on July 8, at the top WOODPORT . then PUBLIC 1918 at the Erina School of Arts Ball· to discuss tbe .
SCHOOLROLL OF-HONOUR. Then the following list of names as they appear and are spelt: Teachers N. Hobbs, MC, "'R. Hobbs MC, ·Pupils A. Archibaid, G. Archibald, W. Archibald, F. Atkins, W . Bates, F. Bromley, S. Capper, B., Christenson, W. Eaton, F. Edwards, T. Edwards·, A. W. Frost, A. Frost, K. Frost, W. Hubbard, S. Hubbard,. L. · Klumpp, A. Kirkby, J . Kirkby, S. 'Kennedy, S~ Martin, J. Parry, W. Parry, "'M. Scaysbrook, L.A. Rose, D. Spicer, W. Spicer, W. Scott, *C. Wright, E. Watt, R Pearce. ("'Lost their life in the war). . Some two years earlier Wood port had been the venue of another ceremony. This one, held on August 18, 1916, was the planting of 24 trees by mothers having sons serving in the military. Following the planting. a basket pi~nic was held with students, teachers ·a nd parents attending. ·Sadly, while all those assembled were enjoying the festivities, word was received by Mrs Wright that her son, Clarence, had been killed in action.
advisability of preparing and establish.ing a roiJ of honour to record tbe names of the individuals who had enlisted from within the shire's boundaries. The ·meeting was chaired by Erina Shire ·President F. R Archbold and, among those attending, were individuals from as far away as Ourimbah and Mangrove. On a motion from Cr Wilkinson, seconded by Cr Kibble, it was decided to prepare a roll of bon our to be placed on the verandah of the shire chambers. Mr F. D. Bums from Ourimbab' stated they, 'already had a_n honour. roll at Ourimbah, and it · was the intention of .residents later on to erect a monument to the .memory of local lads who bad fallen'. Under the circumstances he said be did not know that they would be prepared to share in the cost of providing a roll of honour to be placed in Gosford. After .a lengthy discussion, and a series of amendments, it was decided to raise the necessary fu.Qds by public subscription. Newspaper coverage _of the m~eting stated, in part...lists were to be circulated and the subscription was to be limited to not more than one shilling, the idea being to permit all, old and young, to contribute. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the Erina War Memorial, consult the section titled War memorials.
71
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" ,· :
Old~ men declare .war..But it is y~uth that must fight and die.. ·· .-:. ij:erbert Hoover, iune 27, 1944 ..
Oak Rqad, Matcham (20) .
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According to an article in The Gosford Times dated September 24, 1915, the 'crowning·work' of the year for Matcham Progress Association was the erecti9n of. the hall which ...had l;Jeen completed entirely by voluntary suf?scriptions and labour. Subsequently, a news item in the same paper on October 13, 1916 reported ... the usual monthly meeting of the Progress Association was held in the local hal~ on the 7th instant... and .. .it was decided to ereCt an honour board in the hall, giving the names and photos of the 16 lads who have joined the colours. The roll of honour was unveiled at a ceremony conducted by the Rev Arthur R.enwick at 3pm on January 21, 1917. · The board is located on the south waD of the hall mounted over the fireplace. At the top is MATCHAM followed beneath by ROLL OF HONOUR. · The names are in two columris between which is a series of cameo photographs of 20 of the 24 individuals listed ori the board (including the two soldiers who_lost their lives). The names as they appear and are spelt: Henri Dubois, James Taylor, William Pritchard, Harold Martin, Arthur Hemmings, ·Tom - Shon~s , Walter Marks, Ulric Michelsen, Roy Pritchard, Joseph Pickett, *Cyril Martin, Robert Brown, ';rom H. Rea, Peter Methvev, *Arthur Banks, William ~ollard, Clar~ Cox, Harry Denning, Jno. C. Smith, Les Klumpp, Horace Fernside, Ray Smalley, John Graves·, G. A~ F. Heyne. (*Lost their life in the wqr)
WAME~l2~L t-l~LL Ocean View Drive, Wamberal (21)
There are two honour roll boards on walls in the north-west corner of the hall. The smaller board on the north wall has the words Honor Roll inscribed across the top with In ·. Memory Of just beneath. · · · . The names as they are spelt and as they appear on the board are: A. Bean, F. Ritchie, M . Farrell, J. Farrell, F ..Weiss, E ..Weiss and C. Martin. Across the ·bottom is the inscription, Who Fell in the Great War 1914-1918. The second board ·(on the west willl) reads across the ·top Wamberal District Honor Roll with the ·word Men centred directly beneath. This is followed by these names (as they appear and are spelt):_F. Archibald, *W. Archibald, C. N. Berry, ·N.C. Berry; W. J . Berry, F. St. G. BirkS, K . N. Birks, W .' J. A. Brown, W. W. Brooks, D. B. Campbell, S. W. Coote, D. E. Cooper, H. W . Gleeson, J~ R. Gleeson, *A. Gossip, J. N. Higgins, ·P. J. Higgins, D; A. Bird, T. Marshall, C. Mercer, M. J. Nelson, A. E. Pike, J. 'Pike, J . W. Read, F. A. Sawtwell, *V. G. Schmerier, *J. · H. Shadlow, N. H . Smith, J. 0 . Tedder, R. A. Upston, R. E. Watkins, and G. Walters. Centred directly beneath i_s the word Women with -the following names (as ttiey are spelt): A. Dobb, D. L. Gleeson, ·M. K. Gleeson, P. Nelson, E. 0 ; Sawtell, T. M . Sa~tell, E. B.-Upston. (*Lost their l~fe in the war)· · Across the bottom is the inscription DorJated by Wamberal B.A.O.C. Post. 72
We Polish soldiers, for our freedom .and youn, have given our souls to God, our bodies to the soil of Italy and our hearts to Poland.
- Inscription at the Po~ish cemetery, Cassino, Italy
2 Ronald Street, Wyoming . (22)
An honour roll bqard, originally displayed at St Johns Church of England in 路 Lisa row, is located on the north wall of the chapel. The ho.n our roll was originally presented to StJohn's by Mr and Mrs A. Wamsley and family. It was worked in cedar, rosewood and beech by Mr Harry Wamsley. Acro.ss t he top are the words Supreme Sacr?fice. There is a pillar on either side with the following wording- (left side/top) 1914 - (right side/top) 1918- (left side/bottom) Peace - (right side/bottom) Victory . Centred between the columns is a single row of names (as they appear and are spelt): W. Perkins, V. Cato, N.H. Sohier, C. C. Wamsley, T. R. Yat'es, 0 . D. Morphine, W. C. Young, J. M. Dickens路on, J. Henry, L. D. Tynan, J. A. Evans, C. E. Nancarrow, F. Gibson, H. C. Walker, P. P. Crane. Beneatll the names is A .I. F.. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the private stained glass window memoriaJ to Pte Ronald W. B aynes, consult the section titled Personal memorials.
Intersection ofPacific Highway and Berrys Head Road, Narara . (23)
On March 28, 1919 a rolf of honour was presented to Narara Public School by Erina Shire President F. R. Archbold. The honour board was well presented and designed with flat sides and base and a domed top . . Across the top in an arched shape are the words HONOR ROLL with the words Narara and Public School centred beneath on the next two.lines. The names, set in two columns, as they appear on the board and are spelt are: Capt. F. Campbell, N. Sohier; H. Campbell, G. Willis, N. Landeman, A. O'Toole, J. Pine, F. Gavenlock, A. Campbell, S. Coull, E. Peck, A. Mobbs, Claude Earle, Charles Earle, R. Thompson, N. Cragg, G. Archbold, J. Mackinney, A. Hall, J . Krumin, D. Jones , M. Kemp, A. Ball, H. Campbell, G. Wright, J. Stacey, B. Grigg, A. Greenwood and E. C. Sohier. Beneath the names is the following inscription on two lines: Presented by F. R. Archbold, Esq. J P. and President Erina Shire Council Gosford. FOOTNOTE: Narara Public School was opened in 1889.
73
The trenches were the concentration camps of the First Worid War.
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- Robert Kee, quoted in John Keegan, The Face ofBattle, 1976
Goonak Parade, Narara (24)
In the early hours of October 31, 1926 a fire totally destroyed the original Narara Hall and, despite an inquiry being held, the coroner was unable to determine if it had been deliberately set. The ' new' hall, located on Goonak Parade K. Kay, A. Kellett, K. Kellett, S. Knevitt, A. (which runs parallel with the railway line E. Marsh, p; Mathews, G. May, I. McDonald, through Narara), was officially opened by D. Mcintosh, N. McMillian, J. Moore, C. N. Erina Shire President, Mr A. L. Taylor on Morgan, I. Mosse-Robinson, C. MosseJuly 13, 1928. The opening ceremony was Robinson, W. Norton, *A. Neill, R. Neill, A. followed by a ball to celebrate the event. The Oakes, F. Oakes, F. O'Donnell, L. O'Donnell, cost of building and furnishing the new hall ·J. O'Neill, G. O'Neill, S. Olsen, R. Olsen, J. · was £610. Pateman, S. Pateman, R. E. Peck, J. D. Peck, The honour roll board (dedicated to those L. Peck, J. Rae, G. Rougall,_J. H. Rohrick, F. who served in both World War I and World Saunders, H. Shipley, D. Shipley, R. Shipley, War ll) is located on the north wall of the hall K. M. Williams, F. A. Smith, W. Sperring, E. and is divided into four sections. At the top of Stevenson, R. Taylor, E. Thomas, L. K. the left hand section are the words NARARA Thomas, R. Volber, R. Holt, B. Walsh. DISTRICT HONOR ROLL followed l;>y· these The last section of the honour roll board bears names (as they are spelt): L. Howard, R. the inscription WOMEN centred over two Stevenson, A. Marsh, C. Wilson, H. Eley, R. rows of names. Kay, W. Stevenson, *R. Baynes, J . Hodson, H. Batt, K. Deasey, H. Dixon, D. Gavenlock, C. Austen, "'J. Babekuhl, L. Babekuhl, D. M. Giles, B. Keniff, E. O'Neill, M. O'Neill, J. Black, I. Black, C. Bryant, L. Carrol, C. H. Rohrick, N,. Sliversides, D. B. Smith, I. Colditz, J . Compton, G. Cox, L. Dalziel, F. Walsh. (* Lost their life in the war) Day, G. Dixon, E. Dixon, A. Morris, C. Arnott, J . Gruggen, A. Hodson, S. Frewin, FOOTNOTE: A captured ~nnan heavy machjne guo *B. Gates, W. Silversides, *R. Bryant, V. was uove~Ied at Narara Railway Station on March 1, Austen, V. Dodd, J. Dwyer, C. D~yer, *D. 1922 by Major-General C. H. Brand, C.B.. Farr, R. E. Gascoigne, W. Gavenlock, G. According to a report in The Go.~ford Times on March 2, 1922, a large crowd was·in attendance to witness the Gavenlock, N. Gavenlock, A. H. Gavenlock, ceremony. Among those taking part were many exE. Gavenlock, F. Gavenlock, E. Gavenlock, A. servicemen including Captain R Bosaoquet, Captain Gilbert, J. Giles, E. Giles, R. Grant, L. G. T. Adcock, Sergeants A. W. B elsham and B. Griffin, M.G. Grigg, E. Griggs, G. Griggs, M. Marshall, Gunners A. C. Cheater and G. H. Moir, Gruggen, L. Baynes,-J. Haynes, F. J. Higgins, Drivers~· Bosanquet and J. V. Rose and Messers R P. Higgins, *T. Higgs, T. Hill, V. Holcombe, B.ill and T. Hodson, trustees of tbe war trophy. Following the ceremony, the soldiers, and their B. Holcombe, A. Holcombe, K. Hunt, C. Kay, families, were entertained with afternoon tea in A. Kay, W. Kay, H. Kay, N. Kay, Narara Hall.
c:
74
In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers. -Neville Chamberlain, 1869-1940
.
Pacific Highway, Ourimbah (25)
According to an article on the front page of The Gosford Times on May 27, 1952 ... The Ourimbah-Lisarow branch of the RSL decided at its monthly meeting to erect a maple honour roll, on which will be inscribed the names of men from the district who died in both world wars. A member of the branch will make the board. Subsequently, it was reported in The Gosford Times on February 5, 1954.. .An honour roll made by one of the members has been erected in the Ourimbah-Lisarow RSS&AILA clubroom. The board, a very fine piece of work, was made by Mr G. Lubke, and carries a bronze plaque wiih the words "lest we forget" surrounded by a laurel wreath. The torch ofremembrance is mounted on it. . This was followed on April 23, 1954 by an article in the same paper concerning the Anzac celebrations of that year which stated, in part.. .At the hall Mr Barr (Rev D. Barr of Wyong Presbyterian Church) gave the commemorative address and Mr Roger Dean, MP for the Robertson electorate, unveiled the honour roll on which are the 路names of the men in the two World Wars who did not return. The honour. roll is of Queensland maple and was designed and made by a member of the sub-branch (Mr J. Lubke). It is surmounted by a bronze laurel wreath and the words "Lest We Forget" in raised gold le.ttering. The names of the men are inscribed in gold letters (the voluntary work of a Gosjord signwriter). The roll is a handsome piece of work and the sub-branch is proud to have it hanging on the wall of the clubroom: The honour roD board is located on the south wall of the main bar area of the club. It is approximately eight feet high and four-and-a-half-feet wide with four rows of names. 路 At the top of the board are the crossed Union Jack and Australian flag with two lines of scroll beneath which reads ROLL OF HONOR and OURIMBAH DISTRICT. Centred underneath is 1914 -18. . The names on the board (as they are spelt): .D. A. Ayst, H . H. Akei:s, A. T. Anderson, H. Anson, A. T. Austin, A. M. Bailey, A. P. Ballinger, C. Brown, V. J. Caldercott, *V. A. Cato, H. L. Cassel, *H. J. Collings, A. Cottrell, J. T. Crane, "'P. P. Crane, W. J. Crane, M. Denham, *M. Dickenson, C. Earl, C. S. Earl, W. V. Earl, A. T. Elliott, N.J. Elliott, *J. A. Evans, G. Erving, P. J. Frazer, W. D. Frazer, R. Frazer, W. J. Frazer, H. J~ Freeburn, E. Gibson, *F. Gibson, J. W . Graves, E. Grigg, H. J . Grigg, R. E. Harrison, A. Henry, "'J. Henry, M. Hodgson, W. G. Holland, W. G. Joyce, A. Judges, A. Kruman, J. Kruman,.A. E. Luxford, e J. Moore, C. H. Morris, H. R. Morris, H. S. Morris, E. Munro, *E. ~urphin, F. E. McDonald, "'C. E. Nancarrow, R. J. Olive, R. T. Perkins, *W. Perkins, R. W.Robinson, T.E. Robson, *N. B . . Sohier, J._G. Stevens, C. M. Taylor, G. Tawyer, J. C. Tynan, "'L. D. Tynan, L. J. Nan-Freight, J .D. Walker, *H. C. Walker, B. E. Wamsley, *C. C. Wamsley, F. Wilcox, J . B. Yates, *T. R Yates, *V. C. Young, C. J. Bailey. Centred beneath the above names is: 1939-45 and UN. Force, KOREA. Below this is another four rows of names (as they are spelt): L. Andrews, E. Andrews, W. Archbold, J. Ashworth, L. Ashworth, W. Ballantyne, E. Ballantyne, G. Birt, A. S. Brown, R. J. Bridges, D. B. Bridges, L. J. Bridge, N J. Bridge, "'R. L. Berry, A. E. Burdett, E. Beattie, G. 路Bullard, Z. C. Bellamy, K. Bailey, L. G. Collins, E. Collins, R. Clifton, E. Cregan, H. Cleeve, A. 75
Cook, R A. Cooke, R Cumming-s, F. Donaldson, K. Grew, R. E. Frost, R S. Fagan, D. J. Fagan, c.路- Frazer, S. B. Frewin, A. W. Andrews, J. W. Richter, C. Frewin, A. Frewin, G. C. Fewtrell, E. R Foott, *B. Gates, A. H. Gosper, K . J . Gosper, C. G. Gosper, *A. B. Gossip, A. Goldie, L.Grant, G. C. Haynes, *F. Helly_er,_W. H. Higgins, A. W. Hoye, W. 路S. Hulbert, I. M. Humphres, B. Holt, K. H. Jaques, C. H. Jaques_, S. Joyce, G. Joyce, M. KennifT, W. Kenniff, A. J. Kearsley, A. King, L. G. Lang, H. ~. Lowe, A. Lowe, *C. S. Luke, A. C. McPherson, K. C. McPherson, F. McCarry, A. G. McGill, M. McCauley, L. Hough, R G. Maher, W. A. Mellen, L. Mellen, F. K. Midson, G. E. Mors, M. L. Morris, S.M. Morris, G. A. Morris, D. V. Morris, G. F. Morris, A. ~orris, K. Morris, B. Morris, E. Manning, J : Olive, R. J. Olive, F. O'Toole, R. E. Peck, E. Pender, J. Pring, M. A. Pryor, B. M. Pryor, C. Pocock, J. J. Ra1,11m, A. T. Richter, W. J ..Rowe, R. T. Rowe, N. Robson, C. Robson, R G. Robson, W. J. Scott, E. Scott, W. Sohier, A. W. L. Sohier, J . Dibben, G. M. McNeil, E. J. Sohier~ F. J. Sohier, F. S. Small, C. J. Stubbs, W. F. Sharpe, A. W. Sinclair, B. D. Tha~ker, E. Troy, Les Vincent, L. D. Vincent, T. D. Wood, R Wood, E. T. Wells, M. Wells, R. Wilson, R. Wellard, *A. A. Winterflood; C. Williams, W. J. Worrad, R. E. Winton, J. L. Wa'lton, W. B." Yarnall.(* Lost their life in the war) The names continue on the remainder of the fourth column under the centred title WOMEN which is followed by the names: V. Bailey, L. Genge, L. O'Tool~, E. R E. McPherson, G. Sterland, B. KennifT, D. H. Andrews, M. H. Andrews, J. Wells. Below this list, centred in the column, is Vietnam War D. G. McNeil, R Grant, K . J. Butler, P. C. Cooper, A. M. Croaker, B. A. Fenwick. In the lower right hand corner in very small print is: J. 0. Walsh, Terrigal 274. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the three war memorials in Ourimbah, consult the section titled War memorials.
Pacific Highway, Ourimbah (26)
A roll of ho.n our containing 14 names was erected in 1917 by the Vigilance Committee. The board was constructed by Mr G. H. Jaques "free of cost except for timber charges" . The unveiling ceremony, performed Mr Alfred Edden, M.L.A. with Mr F. R. Archbold, shir~ president, acting as chairman, took place at 2pm on Saturday, July 28, 1917. Across the top of the board the words OURIMBAHPUBLIC SCHOOL PUPIL'S HONOR ROLL are written in .an arch form. The next line, centred, is THE GREA T WAR. Then follows two columns of names. At the top of the left hand column it reads 1914 1918. The names as they appear and are spelt: *T. Yates, J .Yates, *P. Thompson, H. Freeburn, A. Henry, *J. Henry, 0 . Henry, R. Henry, D. Henry, *H. Mason, *W. Young, *C. Wamsley, B. Wamsley, R Harrison, *C. Menzies, H. Menzies, *E. Connelly, R Draper, M. Draper, W. Earl, E. Duffy, G. Hattley, E. J. Hawkins, C. Taylor, G. Stevens, T. Robson, F. Macdonald, E. Smith, A. Bailey, H. Rootsey, C. Brown, A Cottrill, W. Frazer, F. Davidson, H. R N. Morris, C. Morris, H . S. Morris, *N. H. Sohier, J. Winning. (*Lost their life in the war) FOOTNOTE: The school opened in 1863 and was known as Blue Gum Flat until1887. It is located across from the Ourimbah~Lisarow R.S.L. Club on the Pacific Highway in Ourimbah.
76
'·..
There is no road offlowers leading to glory. ~ Jean de La Fontaine, Fables, 1668-94:x ·..
f)UI21M13Ail §Cilf)()L f)t= AI2T§ llALL (27)
An article in The .Gosford Times ·on May 2.,-1918 noted a roll of honour was unveiled
at the burimbah School of Arts hall on May 5. · . The honour roll was carved in wood by Mrs Will Hawkins of Wingham, NSW who also. performed the unveiling ceremony at approximately 2pm on that Sunday. A newspaper article ~f the event stated, in part, .. .Jt will be a purely religious service, suitable hymns will be sung, and it is hoped the clerical heads of the churches in Ourimbah will be p resent and deliver suitable addresses. The newspaper noted it ·took Mrs Hawkins three months of 'patient labour' to complete the · board. A guard Of honor was formed by a detachment of the Gosford Cadets. A reporter's.estimate of the crowd in attendance was...over 500 people in the hall and fully 200 . more had to remain outside. According to the report in The Gosjord Times concerning the unveiling ceremony, the following names appeared on the board: R. T. Oliver, W. Perkins; V. A. Cato, W. D. Fraser, H. H. Akers; N. H. Sohier, C. C. Wamsley, T. R. Yates, W. J. Crane, 0. D·.- Murphi_ne, C. s·..Earl, H. L. Cassel, H. J. Freeburn, W. C. Young, J. T. Crane, M. 'Qenham, J. M. Dickenson, H. Anson, A. P. Baliinger, J. Henry, A. Henry, L. J. Van-Freight, L. D. Tynan, J . C. Tynan, J. B. Yates, R. W. Robinson, N.J. Elliott, W. V. Earl, A. Krumin, D. A. Agst, J. A. Evans, A. T. Austin, G. E. Wing, A. E. Luxford, M. Hodgson, E. Munroe, P. J. Fraser, H. J ..Grigg, R. E. Harrison, C. W. Taylor, A. T. Anderson, C. J. Earl, J. G. Stevens, C. E. Nancarrow, F. Wilcox, F. Gibson, C. Brown, H. J. Collings, F. F. McDonald, E. Gibson, W. S. Joyce, J. W. Graves, J . Krumin, C. J. Moore, R. Frazer, D. J. Walker, A. M. Bailey, T. E. Robson, P. P. Crane, B. E. Wamsley, G. Tawyer, J. V. Caldecott, W. S. Holland, P. D. Perkins, A. Judges, A. Cottrell, H. S. Morris, H . R. Morris, C. H. Morris, E. Grigg, C. J. Bailey, W. J. Frazer, A. T. Elliott, H. C. Walker. The hall was located on Maitland Road (the old-Pacific Highway). It was opened by a grand ball on Friday, August 26, 1904 and _was totally destroyed by fire in the early hours of October 10, 1922. The building's contents, including the roll of honour were destroyed in th·e blaze. Th·e war trophy, a machine gun, was badly damaged in the inferno but was· later restored and put on displ~y at Ourimbah Public School. A coroner's inquest was unable to determine the cause of the fire. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the three war memorials in Ourimbah, consult the section titled War memorials.
TUM131 UM131
M~Mf)I21~L
llALL
Junction Tumbi R oad and Eastern Road, Tumbi Umbi
The roll of honour was unveiled during a 'welcome home' social for Pte H. Ruff on April11, 1919~ The hall was demolished in 1981. Unfortu_nately, research was unable to
dis~over
the fate and/or whereabouts of the honour roll. 77
War·is not one of tbe_acts of life. On the contrary it is a thing so vile that nothing b~t the highest necessity or. the. deepest charity can make it right. . ;._ Hugo Grotius (Huigh de Groot), De Jure ac Pacis, 1625
Junction ofFowler Road and the Pacific Highway, Tuggerah . (28)
Centred at the top of the board is· IN HONOUR followed beneath by OF THE OLD BOYS OF and TUGGERAH PUBLIC SCHOOL (centred on two lines); then (again centred on two lines) comes WHO SERVED THE EMPIRE IN THE GREAT WAR and . 1914-1918. The two columns of names as they appear and are spelt: P. Abraham, D. W. Ambrose, H. Ashby, S. Atkins, C. Ausburn, C. Bailey, "'R. Beattie, *A. Beattie, *H. Bentley, A. Brown, C. Brown, *G. Buckton; R. Buckton, F. Burns, R. Burns, W. Byrnes, C. Chaseling, "'L. Oouten, A. Colmer, *H: P. Crane, *R. G. Crane, C. Dafter, L. Dafter, *H. Denney, R. Denney, C. Earl, L. Foott, B . Freburn, F.· Goldie, S. J. Harris, G. R. Hayward, N.H. Hobbs MC (Capt.) , F. Lees, J. Morgan, C. Morris, G. Morris, *C. C. P.arsonson, L. Preston, *A. E. Smith, *H. Smith, E. C. Sohier, *E. Tarrant, J. Tarrant, P. Tilghman, K. Walmsley, A. Woods. ("" Losttheir life in the · war) FOOTNOTE: Tbe school was opened in 1892.
TUt;t;I:VAti 1)[2.( )f;VI:SS
~LL
(29)
At approximately 3.30am on the morning of September 9·, 1990, the third oldest community .hall in Wyong Shire was destroyed by fire .. Tuggerah Community Hall was built in 1915 and only Yarramalong Hall (1 904) and Wyong Creek Hall (1914) were older. As the flames consumed the structure it also took with it the original honour roll boards from both world wars. Today a 1,1ew hall stands on the site of the original in Anzac Road, Tuggerah, though there does not appear to be any plan~ to replace the lost boards (which had been regilded by Wyong RSL ·club only a short time before the blaze). For more information on the history of Anzac Road, Tuggerah, please refer to the section titled Tree plantings. Obviously, it is not possible to verify the names which appeared on the boards (nor their spelling). However, aceording to records, the names on the boards were (from World War 1): R. J . Adams, C. W. Argett, A. Bakewell, W. Barrana, S. Blair, H. Broue, F. Godie, C. Hatcher, R. A. Haynes, F. Lees, P. B. Murray, L. Preston, R. E. Skelton-Sheldon, H. E. Smith, W. Smith. (Skelton-Sheldon was listed as a corporal and all the others as ·privates) For World War ll the list was: S; E. Bryant, D. Campbell, R. Campbell, R. Campbell, W. Campbell, A. Chasling, B. Chasling, P. Conroy, H. Daymond, R. Daymond, H. Ferguson, K. Ferguson, N. Ferguson, R. Ferguson, A. Fripp, B. Fripp (WAAF) , C. Hill, A. Kent, G. Kent, T. Knight, E·. Lees, H. Lees, A. Legg, H. Legg, M. Legg (AWAS} , J. Northby, S. Outwaite, T. Ponton, D. Roser; S. Shaw, W. Stevens, R. Sternbeck, A. SQlith, G. Smith, K. Smith, J. Smith, J. Taylor, A. Trigg (WAAF), "'K. Trigg, *R. Trigg, H. Williams. ("" Lost their life in the war) 78
I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another. - Thomas Jefferson "'
Corner ofAnzac Avenue and Margaret Street, Wyong (30)
The honour roll board is situated just off the foyer at the club. Above the six columns of names is 1939 HONOUR ROLL 1945. The columns are split into two groups of three while, in the centre, is the RSL symbol with LEST WE FORGET beneath; Centred at the bottom is a cross and SUPREME SACRIFICE. -The. names as they appear and are spelt: F. C. Amor, R. E. Amor, G. Argeat, G. Atchison, L. Atchison, A. Bailey, F. E. Bailey, A. G. Baker, *C. A, Beavan, W. G. Biddle, L. Blackford, R. Blackford, *S. Boyd, W. Boyers, R .. Bradley, L. J. Bridge, W. Broadfoot, G. Brown, D. Buckridge, A. J . Buckton, *J. Burraston, 0. Butler, F. Butler, W. J. Butler, E. Buttrey, J. Byles, T. Byles, J . Caldwell, D. Campbell, W. Campbell, G. Cannon, H. Cant, T. Cater, E. Christianson, W. Clifford, S. Coleman, F. Craft, R. Craft, *F. Crowther, A. J. Cumming, J. Dadd, N. Dafter, *J. Davis, J. Deaves, J. Deaves, V. Deaves, *C. Dewhurst, A. Dowing, *E. J. Dowing, G. Dowing, J. Dowing, J . Eggleton, E. J. Elwell, F. Elwell, *R. Elwell, A. Ferguson, H. Ferguson, S. Ferguson, A. Femance, C. Fernance, C. D. Feroance, F. J. Fernaoce, .J . E. Fernance, *N. A. J. Fernance, W. R. Fernance, M. Fowler, *V. Francis, W. Fuller, W. Gardiner, L. Gilkison, V; Gilkison, K. Gillies, H. Goldie, J. A. Goodlet, D. Gordon, C. Gould, H. Gould, M. Grant, C. Greentree, R. Greentree, ~P . Hamilton, D. R. Hand, F. J. Harris, W. Harris, *A. Hart, C. Bill, E. R. Hill, F. W. Hill, G. Hill, A. Hinde, J . Hinde, *R. Huckle, A. D. Johnson, C. T. Johnson, B. Jurd, *C. Kelson, L. Kennedy, N. Kennedy, R. V. Kennedy, W. Kennedy, A. Kent, A. A. Kent, E. G. Kent, G. A. Kent, *R. H. Kerr, .M. Kipgsland, G. Knight, J. H. Kohler, R. K. Lance, E. B. Lees, H. Lees, W. J . Lees, F. Lowcock, J. Lowcock, J. Lowcock, *R. McPhan, W. McPhan, W. Mangan, I. Marsh, F. F. Mascord, ~路 0. Mascord, L. Mascord, R. J. Masterton, R. _E. Mavin, E. J. Morris, R. H. Morris, J. Morton, J : Mumford, *M. D. O'Connor, A. G. Parr, M. Perry, W. Perry, A. C. Poile, C. H. Poile, J. T. Poile, H. L. Preston, *G. Robinson, C. L. Roberts, S. R. Roberts, *R. Sew~U, A. Sharpe, E. Sharpe, J. Sharpe, J. Sharpe, R. F. Sherman, H. Simmons, T. Simmons, A. Smith, C. Smith, V. Smith, R. Sternbeck, S. Symons, J. H. Taylor, *C. Thompson, *N. Tressiter, *K. Trigg, W. Trigg, B. Tyree, B. T. Tyree, *R. B . Tyree, E. Underwood, G. Vaughan, V. L. Walters, A. Walmsley, R. .Walmsley, V. Walmsley, T. Wand, G. Wand, S. .Wand, K. P. Whiteman, *J. Winstanley, A. Woods, A. E. Woods. . Following this list of names and centred in the sixth column are GARRISON FORCES followed by: N.C. Dafter, W. B. Kent, E. Lowcock, S. Peck, L. D. Rodgie. Then comes WOMEN'S SERVICES followed by: M. B. Huddart, E. G. Beavan, M. A. Britt, B. Clifford, J . Clouten, J . Dadd, V. K. Kent, A. I. Mascord, R. M. Mayo, E. W. Piper. (* Lost their life in the war) In the lower right hand corner, in small letters is B. J. 1984.
79
War, tike the thunderbolt, follows its taws and turns not aside even if the beautiful, the virtuous and charitable stand in its path. -William Tecumseh Sherman, 1820-91
H T â&#x201A;Ź N e tilSTOCICAL SeCIETT'S H O M E S T E A D 51 Cape Road, Wvong (31)
Alison Homestead, located just off of Alison Road, approximately one kilometre west of Wyong is the 'home' of the Wyong District Museum and Historical Society and records through excellent displays the lives of the district's pioneers. Among the many superb exhibits is an honour roll which, as much as any other on the Central Coast, offers an insight into the patriotic zeal and fervour which gripped Australia during World War 1. It is framed and rectangular in shape with exquisite artwork. Across the top is HONOR, KING and COUNTRY. Centred beneath is ^ O A ^ G and below on a singltlinth HONOUR ROLL. The vast majority of space is taken up with a montage of cameo photographs of dozens of young men from the local area who served in World War I. In the centre of this photographic display is a laurel wreath with No. 1 at the top while, inside the garland, are three columns of names. The names as they appear and are spelt: R. J. Adams, E. Archer, Stanley Atkins, C. E. Barnes, E. E. Barnes, Sam Barnes, S. C. Barnes, W. Barrance, B. T. Bridge, Clarence Bridge, Eric Brown, O. Bowman,*R. G. Buckton, L . C. Chandler, R. W. Chandler, *Arthur Clark, E. A. Colley, R. M . Colley, W. E. Colley, Sid Compton, *H. P. Crane, *R. G. Crane, N. C. Dafter, Edmund Duffy, J. J. Dwyer, *Tom Dwyer, F. V. Earl, W. J. Earl, Ht. Easterbrook, *A. J. Farrell, J. A. Fowler, R. G. Fowler, Tom Fuller, Fred Goldsmith, H. R. Graham, W. A. Graham. J. A. Hand, *G. Harding, Percy Hayes, R. B. Hedley, D. A. Henry, E. R. C. Henry, O. N. Henry, * J. Henry, F. W. Hill, J. A Hill, Stanley Hitchcock, C. G. Johnson, F. W. Jones, H. G. Jones, G. B. Kennedy, C. F. Lawler, Frank Lees, T. D. Lloyd-Jones, VARy Lloyd-Jones, W. C. Lower, A. A. Martin, A. L. Martin, H. I. Moore, R. S. Moore, L. G. Nicholas, J. J. O'Grady, L. A. Randall, *K. G. Randall, R. B. Randall, S. L. S. Randall, *W. H. Redgate, E. H. Redgate, Alan Richards, Ruben Roberts, Lindsay Ross, F. T. Salmon, A. H. Sharp, R. E. S. Sheldon, *A. E. Smith, E . S. Smith, W. T. Smith, Dick Tarrant, H. H. Tarrant, Jack Tarrant, P. S. A. Thoday, R. V. Walkden, W. Wamsley, E. E. P. Waters, *E. R. Waters, Horace Waters, H. K. Waters, A. B. Watts, L D. Watts, W. A. Watts, Albert Woods, P. A. Woodbury, J. H. Wright. (* Lost their life in the war) Across the bottom is EUROPEAN WAR 1914 and, in the lower right hand corner, is Royal Studios Chatswood. A small brass plaque is mounted on the bottom of the frame which reads: Presented to the Wyong District Museum and Historical Society by Alfred Watts, the son of William Arthur Watts, No 65 on this Honour Roll, April 1987.
80
.
•;
To make war, to kill withoul being killed, is an illusion• . · --: Mik;hail IvnaoVich Dnigomirov, Notes for Soldiers, c. 1890 '
Yarramalong Road, Wyong Creek (32)
The rectangular shaped honour roll board at the school bears 'the following inscription: WYONG CREEK PUBLIC SCHOOL . Roll~~ Honor This. is followed by : As a tribute to the pupils of this school who voluntarily enlisted in the Great War• .Tl\e two columns of names as the appear and as they are spelt: . R. Arundell, S. Boyd, R. M. W. Boyd, *W. Boyd, L. C. Chandler, R.- W. Chandler, H. E. Chandler, R. Goldsmith, S. Goldsmith, A. E. Knight, V. K. Kenyon, L. Preston, *B. Pemberton, E. M. J. Riley, "'C. E. Riley, A. B. Smith, *H. Smith, "'W. Woodbury, D. Walker, *T. H. McEnery.(* Lost their life in the war) Centred beneath the two columns of names is 1914- 1918. A small wooden plaque has been mounted on the lower right hand corner which reads: This board was restored by courtesy ofWyong R.S.L., 1988. In August 1916, 12 trees, dedicated to the memory of boys from the district who voiunteered for·service in World War I, were planted by the students. Those who had a tree planted in their name were: F. J. Salmon, E. M. Reilly, Syd Goldsmith, Les Chandler, Bob Chandler, E. Reilly, Alb·Deaves, E. Snowdon, A. B. Smith, W. Woodbuf! and Bob Boyd . .FOOTNOTE: Known as Wyong Creek Lower until 1888, the school started as a provisional' school in 1883 and became a public school in 1884.
81
Ti.nie swims before me, making as a day A thousand years, while the broad ploughland oak Roan mill..-like and men strike and bear· the stroke Of war ~s ever, audacious or resigned, And God still sits aloft in the array · That we have wrought him, stone--deaf and stone--blind. · ...:Edward Tho~~. February Afternoon,' 1916
~WAL·WAl2~~l2VAL~ Vl2()f3l2~SS
l2SL
llALL
Warnervale Road, Warnervale (33) '
The hall, originally situated just off Wallarah Road in Kanwal, was moved to Warnervale Road, Warne..V.ale (near the bushfire brigade station) to undergo a complete rebuild inside and out using both the existing struCture and n~w additions.
. . At the time of this book's publication, the · (as they appear and are spelt: F. C. Amor, R. honour ron board was being cared for. in a E. Amor, A. E. Ashton , R. C. Barns, L . W. private residence ..near the ball's new home Blackford, A. E. Brundell, A. W. Burgis, G. and is to be placed back in the hall upon G. Cannon, P. J. Cannon, Evylyn Cannon, B. completion of the work. C. Childs, H. E. Docksey, J. H. Downing, H. The board itself is in as good . a conditon as · Dyer, J . M. Eggleston, S. W. Goodwin, R. G. any whiCh were examined during research. Ja·r main, G. L. Knight, L. J. Knight, H. ·G. Centred at the top of the board is Kanwal - · .Laird, F. F. Mascord, L. Mascord, Ailsa Warnervale Honour Roll Board followed Secombe, K . 0 . Mascord, T . Murray, I. L. beneath by Great War 1914-1918: Murray, *R. B. McPhan, W. G. McPhan,_G. Then comes six columns of names (as they M. McPhan, H. E; Murton, F. T. P~arce, D. R. appear and are spelt): C. E. Barns, E. E. ~earce, P. H. Pa~~low, J. C. Passlo~, K. C. Barns, Sam Barns, P. T. Duncan, J. Duncan, ·Passlow, James Sharp, E . H. Sh_a rp, J. J. · S. V. Duncan, W. A. Graham, JI, R. Graham, Sharp, L. W. Smith, H. J. Stone, J . P.·Sutton, T. B. · Gascoigne, R. A. Gascoigne, *G. *C. S. Thomson, R . Thomso.n, . R. Harding, R. B. Hedley, F . W. Jones, H. G. Waddington, A. Wamsley. ("'Lost their life in the war) (Though not ·indicated on the· bo_ard, ~ones, A. Latham, *E. McManus, "'·R.· A. Phillips. Evylyn Cannon and Ailsa Secombe were in the Centred below the na.mes listed for World A WA S) War I comes 1939 - WORLD .W AR- 194. As the At the top of the sixth column are the words roll of names for World War IT was added Qarrison Forces, foiiQwed by: C. Campton, V. . prior to the end· of hostilities, it was planned M. Lavender, V. C. Scobell, E. Smith, G. W. to add the year the war ended at a later date Hickling, E. E. Holmes. . - obviously, t,_.is was never done. Centred across the bottom is "They Answered Then follows ·a further six columns of names Their Country's Call".
82
The US Army conclu.ded during World Warn that almost every soldier, if he esc~ped death or wounds, would break down after 200 to 240 'combat days'; the British, who rotated their troo.ps out of the front line more often, reckoned 400 days, but they agreed breakdown was inevita~le. The reason that ab~ut only one sixth of the casualitieS were psychiatric was that most combat tl,'oops d~d not survive long en.ougb to go to pieces. - Gwynnepyer, War, 1986 ·,
'
TI-l~ ~~T~A~C~·L()~f3 J~ I
WA~
I,_,-
MUSI:UM (34} .
Opened in 1991 and located at the north end of the grounds of the Tuggerah Lakes . Memorial <:;:tub on The Entrance Road, t_his facility houses an excellent display .of ·wartime memorabilia and literature from the various conflicts in which Australia has been involved. Among the items ·On display is the honour roll board originally at The Entrance North Public School. Across the top of the board, in two line~, . HONOUR ROLL and WORLD WAR TWO. Beneath these is KIA a.nd R.A.N . Then follows two columns of names (as they appear and are spelt): R Benson, *Clifford Royce, J . Mantle, D. J . Roberts, J. W. Roberts, H. Hayes. Centred below these names is A.l.F with two columns of names (as they appear and are spelt): W. Anderson, R Barham, V. Benson, J. Brogden, R Brown, R Byles, A. Clifford. J. Clifford, *N. Clifford, Robert Cli~ord, T. Clifford,. *F. Dennis, Clem Dafter, K. Duffy, C. Eddy, K. Fowler, T. Fowler, W. Fowler, H. Freeman, K. Freeman, F. Hawken, J. Huntington, A. Kay, Ross Taylor. . Centred below is R.A.A.F. followed by two columns of names (as they appear and are spelt): G. Dafter, N. Dafter, F. Douglas, J. Haggarty, M. Hargraves, R. Kay, R Roberts, P. Neary. At the bottom left hand side of ~he boa.r d is M.N with M. Buckleton beneath while, on the lower right hand side, is A . W.A .S. with the name B. Haggarty underneath. ("'Lost their life in the war) Also on the site is a veteran of World War II - a 40mm Bof.ors anti-aircraft gun. · The gun, put in ·place in 1993, is on perpetual loan from the School of Artillery at North Head in Sydney where·it had been 'resting' for mor.e than 40 years. FOOTNOTE: The Entrance and Long Jetty Returned Soldiers' Me.m orial Han was officially opened on Thursday, September 5, 1935. · The ceremony of unlocking the door with a gold key was performed by Major-General. Sir Charles Rosenthal, K.C.B. , K. C.M.G. , D.S.O.. . As he performed the official duty, Sir Charles, who was accompanied by Lady Rosenthal, said...' With this golden
key] open these doors ahd may this hall, and all it stands for, be a fitting reward for the golden deeds ofthe men whose achievement and memorial it is '.
Included in the large crowd attending the official cef\emony were Mr R C. Benson (president of the local returned soldiers' branch), MrS. L. Gardner, M.H.R and Cr A. R Taylor (shire president). With AI Green's Winter Garden Orchestra playing old time and jazz music from 8pm to 2am, some 400 people attended a ball and supper heJd to commemorate the opening of the hall. Mr A. C. Parry was the contractor and builder in charge of the structure. The haiJ, located at the corner of The Entrance Road and Campbell Avenue, is now The Entrance Neighbourhood Centre.
83
,
.
Broken and pierced, hung on t~e bitter·wire, By their most precious death.the Son of Man R~deem for us the life.of our desire 0 Christ how often since the world began! . · ~ Hetuy N ewbolt, 1862~ 193 8, A Perpetual Memory, )915 ~
~
.
TtiE ~~·~~«::~ . SUl2t= Lit=~ SAVl~t;· l:LUI3 Marine Parade, The Entrance
Situated on the board. .
so~th
wall of the club's main entertainment room is a memorial
On the top left is 1939:..194-? arid on the toip right is KOREA."This is· followed beneath by (left) MALAYA and (right) VIETNAM. Below ·this is: To the glorious memory of .the men from this club whp gave their lives for thetr . counfly and in grateful remembrance of all those who served. A~ the botto~ comes The Entra_nce SLSC and Lest We Forget.
~1:1: . l:()~U~IIT
tiALL
.h.mction of Wyee Road & Hue Hue Road, Wyee (35) ..
Located on the hall's east wall in the main ~oom is an honour roll board listing those area individuals who served in World War I and World War II. .At the top of tht: board, set on. two lines, are WYEE and DISTRICT. Beneath are two columns of names. , One the left hand coiumn the names as they a[ppear and are spelt: Pt. it H . Deaves, ""Pt. ·E. Jarvis, *Pt. J . Bateup, *Sig.. A. Alexander, Gnr.. R. F. Johnson, Gnr. H. L. Johnson. Pt. H. Crow·e , Sgt. S. C. Thornwaite, Pt. R. A. Mcnonald, Pt. Haywood, Clp. C. DeSilva, T1p. S. T~ompson.
· Centred below this column is 1914-1918. The names in the right hand column as they appear and are spelt: *F. Bond, E. Pateman, R. Boyd, *H. Alabaster., *D. Hodges, A. Deaves, A. Lawrence, S. A. Lawrence, P. Farmer, J. Bateup, W. Bateup, A. Hodges, A. Sanson. Centred beneath is 1939-1945. ("" Lost their life ~n the war)
8"4
You can't say civilization don't advance, however, for in every war they kill you a new way. - .Will Rogers, 1928 . Autobiography, .
Junction ofYarramalong Road and Leewoo Close, Yarramalong (36)
The hall was opened on August 26, 1904 by Mr M. Charlton, M.P. in the presence of about 150 residents from all parts of the district. A Mr W. J. Waters was invited to give a 'brief history of the efforts to make the hall a reality. An article concerning the opening in The Gosjord Times noted Mr Waters reported ... "The first step was taken in July 1902 when, as a result of a public meeting, a picnic was held and the sum of five pounds raised. This was quickly followed by a_nother, when the_handsome sum of £38 was netted, and since then a series ofconcerts, etc, had been held which, together with private subscriptions, had brought the total up to £105~'~ In April of 1904 tenders were called for the erection of the hall. The lowest tend_e r, £172 lOs, was accepted. The size of the build_ing is 58 feet by 24 feet, and the contractors were Messrs Palmer and · Bailey. · An article in The Gosford Times of November 28, 1918 detailed .the activities and ceremony surrounding the unveiling of an honour roll board at the hall on November 23. This honour roll, in accordance with arrangements made _under the auspices of the Y arramalong Patriotic League, contained the names of 25 men belonging to Yarramalong and immediate neighborhood. · The unveiling was conducted by Mrs F. Gibson, mother of Norman John Gibson, the first area man to be killed in the war. Mr Cleve Waters, president of the local Patriotic League, presided over the function which opened with the singing of the national anthem followed by the doxology (a short hymn ofpraise to God). At present, two honour roll boards are mounted on the south wall over the stage. The .left hand board (as you face .the stage) reads YARRAMALONG centred across ttie top followed be.neath by ROLL OF HONOR centred on two lines. Then comes 1914-1918 centred above two rows of names. The names as they appear and are spelt: E. R. Henry, J. A. Hill, 0 . Steele, E. E. P. Waters, H. K. Waters, W. Perry, *N. F. Gibson, R. Grant, A. Greathead, H. Waters, H. Murray, A. A. Martin, A. L. Martin, G. Sunderwood, W. Adams, B. Bridge, F. W. Hill, P. A. Woodbury, E. R. Waters, *C. H. Bale, H. J . Anderson, H. Mlills, S. S. W. Henderson. A. Woods. ("'Lost'thefr life in the war) Centred beneath the names are the words Lest We Forget. _ The right hand board has the words ROLL OF HONOUR in two lines across the top with 19391945 centred beneath. Then follows two rows of names (as they appear and are spelt): E. G. Beaven, Sister, F. Bailey~ E. A. Christenson, L. Cheers, A. J ..C. Coventry, J. S. Cox, *G. T. Dewhurst, C. D. Fernance, F. J. F~rnance, J . E. Fernance, "'N. A. J. Fernance, L. Gavenlock, E. N. Gavenlock, L. S. Gavenlock, S. W. Gavenlock, M. R. Gran.t , *B. Harvey, E. R. Hill, G. Hill, B. Jurd, L. Knight, S. T. C. McKay, R. Perry, A. E. Stinsc;m, J . Wa ters, L. Waters.("' Lost their life in the war) FOOTNOTE: Though records and newspaper accounts state :is names were on the 1914-1918 when it was unveiled; the board now contains only 24 names. No reas:Qn for this difference has been found , however, it was not uncommon for names to be removed and/or added for va rious reasons. 85
..
Never, never, never believe any war wiD be smooth ~nd easy. ~ Wmston Churchill, A Roving Commission, 1930
Yarramalong Road, Yarramalong
(37)
. Empire Day celebrations in 19t7·saw a roll ofhonour unveiled at Yarramalong Public School.. · Cr G. A. Palmer, as chairman of the proceedings, announced to the gathering the main features of the program would be the unveiling of .a n honour roll in the school and the unfurling of the national .flags. . . Speaking ~o the assembly, Mr J. S. Anderson, he4tdmaster ofYarramalong Public Schpol with a son on ~ctive duty, expressed his gratific-ation at seeing so many present and proceeded to e~plain the aims and obje~tives of Empire Day celebrations. Then followed addresses by Mr J. H. Davies, teacher of Cedar Brush Public School, Mr ~ · W. Hawthorn, teacher of Ravensdale Public School, and Mr W. Baldwin ofWyong Creek Public School. · At the chairman's request, Mrs Anderson, wife of the Yarramalong headmaster, unveiled the honour roll board which had been draped with t he Union Jack and Australian flag. An article in The· Gosford Times reported that, in performing the unveiling, Mrs Anderson said, "On behalf of the present pupils of this school I have been asked to unveil this roll of honor in memory of old boys of the school who volunteered for active service. I do so with the fervent wish that most, if not all, will return home safely". According t~ the newspaper report of the event, the -honour roll board contained 11 names: J. A. Hill, H. K. Waters, E. E. T. Waters, G. S. Underwood, "'N.J. Gibson, J. Cook, W. T. Cook, .. F. W. Hill,~E. J. Waters, E: R."Waters and H. J. Anderson. _ However, the board on display in the school today 'carries the following names (as· they appear and are spelt): H. J. Anderson, J. Cook, W. T. Cook, "'N. F. Gibson, J. W. Hackland, A. W. llarrison, F. W. Hill, J. A. Hill, G. S. Undenvood, E. E. Waters, E. J. W~ters, E. R. Waters, H. K. Waters. ("' Lost their life in the war) FOOTNOTE: The school \vas opened as a provisional school in 1870 and became a public school in 1883. The school was known as Wyong Creek School until 1888.
86
··
.,
War iS the g~:eat auditor of instit11tions. '· - Correlli Barnett, TheSwordbecirers, 1964 ' '
S()M~~SI3""
tiALLS
(38)
Acc~rding to a news item in The Gosford Times, the original Somers by Hall was
officially opened on Thursday, August 22, 1918 by Mr Alffed Edden, M.L.A. followed by 'the first big concert on the Mountain'. Mr H. S. Robinso-n, President of the Somers by celebration with Federal Member of Progress Association, occupied the chair and Parliament (and returned soldier) W. M. . was joined. on the platform by Mr Edden, (:r Fleming performing the ceremony . F. R. Archbold (E rina Shire President), Mr F. Those being welcomed back were: Privates A. Stayner and the Rev Canon Studds. Hammond, Townshend, Newcombe, Ford, . Apologies were received from Rev A. Renwick Moyes and Trooper Reddall. and CrT. J. Pemberton. Apologies were r~ceived from Privates P. The ·proceedings opened with the national · Newcombe, J. For~ and C. Hammond and anthem followed by numerous· musical Messrs.. Cowlishaw and Harris. offerings and recitations from members ofthe The Gosjord Times issue of October 9, 1919, community~ reporting on the evening's activities, rioted Afterwards, Mr Robinson, on behalf of the Mr A. R. Studds occupied the chair and · progress association, thanked all who were conducted the welcome home duties. Joining present for their attendance and offered them him on the piatform were Messrs. J. Bushell, a welcome to Somers by. R Moore and W. E. Kirkliess. It was subsequently reported in The Gosjord Follo~ing the welcoming home ceremony, Mr · Times on August 29... 'The Hon, Alfred Edden, F. A. Staynes presented the returned soldiers at Somersby on Thursday night, unsuccessfully ~ith pendants and the Anzac bride of Private attacked Jawbone Nield 's record, only Moyes with a handsome bouquet of wild registering 1Y2 hours'. flowers. At a meeting of the Somersby Progress Mr Fleming was then introduced and asked to Association, held on April 12, 1919, it ·was unveil the honour roll. decided to erect a roll of honour in Somersby The original hall, located at the· junction of Hall as 'a permanent memorial to those w ho Ulinga . Road and Debenhaa.n Road, was have enlistedfrom this district... the board will be destroyed by fire along with the honour roll . board mentioned above. made out of native wood '. A subsequent news item under the heading The informnation .a nd names on the board: SOMERSBY was printed in The Gosford Times SOMERSB Y of July 17, 191.9 which stated in part... ~ Roll World War I Honour Roll of Honour Board was presented to the 1914-1918 Association by Messrs. Allen anfj. Grant. Names GRAN_TAlexander ("Sandy'') of local soldiers who enlisted are to be printed in PARSONS- A be gold letters, and the Board will be hung up in the PILE- Sidney · Hall. Arrangements are being made for Peace ROBINSON- Walter celebrations to be held at Somersby on Saturday, · REDDALL - Bruce 19th instant'. STUDDS- Turvin However, the actual date of the ceremony was changed to Monday, October 6, 1919 (Eight At the ' new' hall, located on Wisemans Ferry Hour Day) to coincide with a 'welcome home' 87
Road (next to Somersby Public School) an honour roll board ·is on display on the east wall. The top reads SOMERSBY ROLL OF HONOUR and directly beneath is FOR THOSE THAT
SERVED. This is followed by two columns of names. Centred at the top of the left hand column is the word MEN while at the top of the right hand column is 1939-1945. . The names as they appear and are spelt: R. Ahearn,· G. H. K. Allen, R. Allen, F. Baxter, C. Beesley, E. Braham, W. Brown, W. Chappell, H. Chivers, A. Cologan, J. Crotty, R. Day, E. Etherington, G. Etheriilgton, R . A. Findlay, T. Fogarty, C. Goldsmith, A. Grant, J. M. Hall, H. Lewis, F. Lyne, J. Ma~nson, G. Marshall, R. E. Mobbs, J. Moore, F. O'Toole, L. Owen, E. Paterson, R. Pa:ul, F. L. Pearce, W. Pettigrew, J. Pring, A. Pritchard, R. Pritchard, S. J . Prjtchard, *M.S. Robinson, W. S. Robinson, J. Rogers, C. A. Shields, D. Shields, F. Shields, T. Sterling, W. Townsend, A. Witherby. (*Lost his life in the war) Beneath. this double colunin of names _is the following: (left hand column) WOMEN (right hand column) 1939-1945. Then comes: E. Etherington, B. M. Moore, M. R. Moore, L. O'Toole, .J . Sterling, J . Ware. Under this two column listing is the following_: (left hand column) VIETNAM and the name T. IJammond while the right hand column reads.l962-1972 and the name H. Stumpp. · Centred at the bottom of the board is LEST WE FORGET. FOOTNOTE: The names and some of the information concerning the honour roll boar4 from World War I was furnished by Mrs Ivy Smith. The author is.most appreciative for her assistance and that of Marigold Lawrence.
1\UL~UVA C()MMU~I"O"
1-iALL
Junction ofGeorge Downes Drive and Gerta Road,.Kulnura ' (39) .
The hall was o·fficially opened on Saturday, December 2, 1922, erected in memory of the seven local young men who were _killed in World War I. Mr W. Cameron, M.L.~., performed the. ·c eremony in the 'unavoidable absence' of the Minister for Lands (who sent an apology, owing to an important call to the north). The day's activities included a sports program followed by a basket tea and a concert. The haJJ (costing a total of £170 lis 3d to build and furnish) was buil~ on three acres of land that a Mr Hunt allowed the government to resume. The official opening 'ras followed, on December 10, by the unveiling of the honour roll. The hall was totally destroyed by fire on Sunday, July 17, 1938. As there was no water supply available, residents could only stand and witness the destruction of the building. . . After some months of deliberation it was decided to construct a new hall. To this end, the trustees called for tenders for th·e erection of the new building based on. the plans and specifications prepared hy W. Watson Sharp, A.R.A.J.A. · - · The new hall is located on the site of the original hall in Kulnura across from the gene·r al store at the junction of George Downes Drive and Gerta Road. · The honour roll board is located on the north wall. It is constructed with flat sides and bottom and a domed top with crossed Australian and Union Jack flags at the top). The top line reads Roll o.fHonor, followed beneath by Great War 1914-18. Centred }?elow that is Killed In Action.. The names as they appear and are ·spelt: C. A. Akers, H. E. Gre~, N.J. Gibson, W. L. C. Harris, ~· Penn, H. E~ Williams and M. Whitehead . . 88
The god of Victory is said to be om~..hande(l, but Peace gives victory to both sides. ~ Ralph W~do Emerson, Journal, 1867 .•.
MA,_.f3l?()V~
M()U,...TAI,_.
M~M()l?IAL ~LU13 Hailards Road, Central Mangrove (40) .
An honour roll listing those who lost their lives in war ~as unveiled and dedicated on Sunday, April 19, 19~4 by Mr Joe Alexander, President of the Mangrove Mountain RSL sub-branch. . .
The unveiling was to have ·been preceded a march from the main road to the clubhouse by approximately 50 ex.:servicemen led by scouts, girl guides and the Gosford District Boys Band. , This was abandoned because of heavy rain. . . A service, conducted by Mr G. Canno.n, was held at 2pm followed by the unveiling. In unveiling the boards, Mr Aiexander made reference to the early days of t~e sub-branch. "There have been many changes during the years o(the sub-branch and there have been many · faces coming and going". "It is said that the first meetings were held sitt ing on a huge log at Peat's Ridge on the first Saturday after every full moon". · · · · "Tiiis was immediately after·the First World ~ar when the district began to settle more closely and the valiant of that war, still more valiant in building homes in virgin bush, banded together to carry on the tradition of comradeship" . "Some were the sons of early pioneers, others came to start afresh". "Membership rose and fell with the passing years, a~d then came the Second World War" . . "After that, again came new settlers and a surge of membership and enthusiasm of old and new · veterans saw the building of this hall in 1950", Mr Alexander said. · . The RSL club was formed in 1960. The unveiling ceremony was followed by the Prayer of Dedication and recitation of the Ode to the Fallen. Two boards mounted side-by-side containing 142 names of those individuals from the area who · served their country in time of conflict from the Boer War onwards. Of the iildivid1Jals listed, 25 (17 in WWI and 8 in WWll) lost their lives. The names as they appear _and are spelt: BOER WAR 1899·- 1902 B. McKenzie C. Stubbs WORLDWARI *C. A. Akers, A. Anderson, A. Aubrey, A. Baines, A. E. Ba~nes, A. Buie, A. W. Burns, C. R Burns, *R. W. Burns, J. Busby, *A. Bushell, *C. Church, L. Cockett, R. Coleman, P. Comensoli, G. Downes, J. Eggleton, *N. J. Gibson, 0 . J . Gibson, F. Giles (listed twice), C. Gordon, R. E. Grant, *H. E. Gray, R. L. Gray, :{?. Halesworth, H. Ballard, *W. L. C. Harris, B. Hobday, H . J. Hodson, S. Hudson, G. T. Hunt, R. N. G. Hunt, H. W. Jackson, *W. Jamieson, L.A. Kellynack, A. Kemp, H. Kimberly, C. Kinghorn, W. B. Kirk, C. Leary, R. Le Gray, C. Lees, A. J . Love, ~c. V. Love, R. Maroney, A; S. May, A. K. McClean, R. McKenzie; R.N. McKenzie, S. McKenzie, T. Millard, *M. Penn, A. Penny, H. E. Phelps, R. Phelps, *V. J. Pinkstone, B. Reddall, W. T. Redman, J. Reelly, W. Robinson, C. S~ Sharpe, J . Sborrock, R. Shorrock, W. Sborrock, W. A. Smith (listed twice), W.. T. Smith, P. F. Soiling, *S. A. Starkey, E. Starkey, *V. Starkey, J. Thorpe, R.. Turner, J. Wagner, W. Watkins, J. White, *W. 89
Whitehead, *H. E. Williams, A. G. Wing, C. Winterbottom, H. Woodbury, "'S. J. Woodbury, S. V." Woodbury, F. L. Young. (* Lost their life in the war - R. Le Gray died from injuries sustained on 16/ 12116 though his death is not indicated on the board). WORLD WAR II R. Ahearn, R. Argent,.R. Atkins, T.-Atkins, I. Back, Sr. M. Baines, F. W. Baxter, "'G. Beavan, J. Bradl~y, E. Browning, F. Bryant, F. L. Burgess, W. Burns, P. J . Cashman, G. R. Charlton, P. Clifford, E. F. Collins, K. E. Cook, H. J. B. Cooper, R.}. Cooper, L. C. Cousins, G. T. _Craft, R. E. Danks-Brown, A. J. Douglas, H. Fitzsimons, P. Fitzsimons, F. Giles, K. Gosper, A. R. Hallett, J. D. H. Hannema, M. R. Harrison, *R. Hill, "'G. Holme, R. E. Huxley, S. L. Kase, J. Kelly, C. F. Kitchen, F. G. Lee, * J. Love, E. J. Mansfield, A. Mather, S. Mayberry, C. Miles, R. C. Neil, "'A. Neill, J . Pinkstone, A. Pritchard, S. J . Pritchard, K. F. A. Pye, C. W. Read, "'A. Robfnson, "'J. Russell, W. Russell, "'W. Shorrock, J. Snow, J. L. Stuart, C. Stubbs, D. Sykes, K. Travis, E. Wallace, E. C. Wallis, E. M. Ward, J. Williams, K. Williams. (* Lost their life in the war) POST WORLD WAR ll A. E. Barnes FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the war memoriaJ at the club, consult the section titled War memorials. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the trees planted on Memorial Drive, consult the section titled Tree plantings.
The_ honour roll boards on display at the Mangrove Mountain Memorial Club. The room in which they are situated 路: is an excellent tribute to those individ~als fro m the area who fought for A-ustralia.
90
Soldiers are made on purpose to be killed. -Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon 1), 1769-1821 .
M4Nt;J2()VE
M()U~TAI~ U~l()~
.
CtiUI2Cti
Wisemans Ferry Road, Mangrove Mountain (42)
A special service was held at the church on Sunday morning, October 17, 1920 to unveil a memorial tablet commemorating the names of the men from Mangrove Mountain who were lost in World War I. The October 14, 1920 issue of The Gosford Times carried the following description of the ceremony ... On Sunday last the Special Service in connection with the unveiling of a Memorial Tablet commemorating the names of the merifrom Mangrove Mountain who made the great sacrifice whilst on active service in the. Great War, 1914-18, was held andwas very largely attended by the residents of the district. A pleasing feature of the event was "the large attendance of ex-members of the A.l.F. Mr John M. McDonald, of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales, officiated and performed -the ceremony of unveiling and dedicating the tablet. The service throughout was most impressive and will be remembered by all those who were present: Mr George T. Hunt ably presided at the organ. Today there are tw~ superb honour rolls on display on the north wall of the church. Both are done by hand, including the artwork, and are mounted in simple wooden frames. They each have the same ROLL OF HONO UR across the top with Mangrove Mtr. just beneath. This is followed by two columns of names. The names on the left hand 'roll' as they appear and are spelt: A. W. Barys, H. E. Williams, Lieut F. Seymour, H. E. Grey, A. Greethead, F. A. Starkey, V. Pinkstone, H. Akers, A. J . ~ove, F. L Young, R. W. Phelps, G. Wood, B. G. Hodson, A. Baiyes, Sgt-Mjr Winterbottom, W. B. Kirk, M. Penn, R. Mackenzie, W. Robinson, G. Colman, R. Colman, R. Marongs, W. Harris, R. Grant, C. (or G) Lees, G. Ak~r~, R. Gibson, A. Bushell, Mjr Ballard, B . Kimberley. The two columns of names on the right hand roll as they appear and are spelt: G. Downes, W. Jamieson, W. Shorrock, J. Shorrock, R. Shorrock, C. Reddall, C. Wippell, F. Giles, Taylor (no initials given), G. Hunt, P. F. Salling, H. G. Gates, E. Haslem, L.A. Kelynack, C. Le Grey, W. Lindsay, R. C. Moxham, J. Galloway, H. Phelps, C. Grant, R. H. Hobbs, A. Wing, C. Love.
Wisemans Ferry Road, Mangrove Creek .
(42)
.
The roll of honour, erected in Mangrove Creek Public School, was unveiled on July 2. 1917 by the newly elected _M r Bruce Walker, M.L.A.. The board was described as being five feet eight inches high by two feet six inches across, made of polished maple and carrying the following information: 路 路 The inscription, Mangrove Creek Roll of Honor, Men who answered the Empire's call, is surmounted by the Union Jack and Australian flag, and underneath appear the following names (as they are spelt): S. Woodbury, H. Woodbury, A. Woodbury, P. Pemberton, R~ Pemberton, T. Jones, E. Jones, T. Wallbank, A. DeMontfort, J. Donovan, W. Wilson, S. Woodbury, L. Woodbury, E. Starkey, H. Starkey, V. Starkey, R. Kelly and L. Andrews. FOOTNOTE: The school was opened in 1861 and closed in December 1977. 91
.
Now deeper roll the maddening drums, And the mingling host like ocean heaves: While from the midst a horrid wailing conies, And high above the fight, the lonely bugle grieves. - Granvill Mellen, Ode on the Celebration of the Battle ofBunker Hill, 1825
~f71)()V~ M()U~TAI~
f:()MMU~IIT
tiALL
Corner Wisemans Ferry Road and Waratah Road, Mangrove J'v!o untain (43)
A roll of honour dedicated to the soldiers from Somersby, Peat's Ridge, Kulnura and Mangrove Mou~tain who served in World War I was unveiled at the ball on April 27, 1935. Miss M. H. Hull, president of the Mangrove · Mountain branch of the Country Women's Association unveiled the honour roll in me~ory of Mr Redman MacLean Maroney (please see ·footnote). lp performing the unveiling Miss Hull said, "I have the honor to unveil, on beha(f C?f the Mangr~ve Mountain branch of the Country Women'sAssociation, this memorial". The cost of the boar.d was subsqibed by residents of the district. More than 50 young men from the district had enlisted and fully a quarter of them lost their lives. The honour roll board, located on the west wall and just south of the stage, has the words · ROLL OF HONOR across the top, the next line is Mangrove Mountain; this is followed by two columns of names. The names as they appear find are spelt: *C. A. Akers, A: Burns, *A. Bushell, ·,.,c. Church, S. C. Col~an, R. Colman, G. Downes, *H. E. Grey, F. Giles, H. J. Gates, *R LeGrey, J. Galloway, C. Grant, R. Grant, 0. J . Gibson, B. J. Bodson,'*W. L. C. Harris, H. R. Ballard, G. T. Hunt, H. Haslem, *W. Jamieson, W. B. Kirk, H. Kimberley, L. A. Kelyn.ack, A. J. Love, C. Lees, W. Lindsay, *C. V. Love, R. N. Mackenzie, R. MeL. Maroney, R. C. Moxham, *V. Pinkstone, R. W. Phelps, *M. Penn, H. E. Phelps, W. McQ. Robinson, C. Reddall, *S. A. Starkey, W. Shorrock, J. Shorrock, R. Shorrock, P.F. Soiling, F. Seymour, *B. E. Williams, G. Wood, C. T. Winterbottom, C. J. Wippell, A. G. Wing, ~M. Whitehead and F. L. Young.
(* Lost their life in the war). Beneath the names.. .For King and Country and centred underneath is: 1914- 1918. Affixed to the bottom of the honour roll board is a small metal plate with the following inscription: Erected in memory of R edmond MeL. Maroney Died 1st ofMarch 1935. · FOOTNOTE: Of all the honour roll boards and memorials examined for this book, this board is the only one located which was unveiled to the memory of an individual who did not die in time of war. The obituary of Mr M!lroney, printed in The Gosford Times on March 7, 1935, offers an insight into why the board was erected in his memory. The obituary reads, in part... The late Mr R. MeL. Maroney was one of the pioneers of Mangrove Jvft., having taken up land there in 1910 in the· virgin bush. When war broke out in 1914 he had made · great improvements, but left his young orchard to enlist, and lefl Australia with the 1st Field Company Engineers on Dec. 10, 1915, and served with the A.I.F.. until the end of the war. While on active service he was gassed several times, blown up, and buried by a lilinnenwafer, and on another occasion badly wounded. With the exception of short periods In hospital, he served for the whole period of the war, towards. the end transferring to the 1st Field Ambulance as a stretcher b·earer. /vir Maroney participated in most of the big engagements with the A.l.F. on the Western Front, and when he returned to Australia was suffering from the effects of his war experiences. He never regained his health, and two years ago he began to fail. and was admitted to hospital. l!owever, it was apparent that his life could not be saved, ana recent~y he was allowed to return home. Mr Jvfaroney was one of the.best known and most highly esteemed men in the district, and willingly participated in every movement for the benefit of either individuals or the community.
92
When you go home Tell them of us, and say, For your.tomorrow We gave _our today: - Inscription on the ~ritish war memorial at Kohima (India), 1944
Wisemans Ferry Road, Spencer (44)
With 70 area residents looking on, an honour roll board was unveiled by Mr Riley, Inspector of Schools for the ·district of Newcastle South on June 5, 1917. The board was unveiled amid, cheers and the beautiful strains of Advance Australia and the . · national anthem. A newspaper article of the time noted •..the thanks of residents are due to Mr P. Edwards, to whose · exertions is chiefly owing the erection of this monument in honour of our soldiers. The board C!>nsists of a slab of Queensland maple with the lettering inlaid in gold. At present it is mounted on the north wall of one of the class rooms. At the top is the crossed Union Jack and Australian flags with Spencer Public School set on one line underneath; Beneath this are the words Honor Roll. This is followed by a single column of names (as they appear and are spelt): *S. B. Woodbury, *H. Kelly, R. Britten, J. Donovan, J. Pemberton, B. Starkey, J. Higgins, *T. Markley MM, J. White. ("' Lost their life. in the war). FOOTNOTE: The school was opened in 1900 as a provisional school and became a public school in 1902.
'•
93
A battlefield
is at once the playroom of ail ·the go.ds and the dancehall of all furies. - Jean Paul Richter, Titan, 1803
~T ALI3A~·~ A~t;LICA~
CllUV(:Il
Wharf Road, St Albans (45)
The ~eptember 26, 1918 issue of The Gosford Times carried a news item from their ·.St Albans 'correspondent' concerning the unveiling of a memorial tablet tQ one.of the young local men who had been killed in the war. The article read ...Owing to the temporary indisposition of the.Rector o/the Anglican Church, last Sunday evening's memorial andfarewell service was held on Monday, 23rd instant, when Miss Pearl Fernance unveiled a tablet to the memory of her brother, the late GulJner Darcy Ferndnce, who was killed in action in France on September 29th, of last year. In the course of an appropriate address, the Rector {Rev F. S. Griffiths) impressed on his hearers that he has not c#ed·afailure who has a cross in France. Mr (Jriffiths has ~'}listed, and leaves Australia·at an early date after a ~hort min_istry here. T~day that tablet still rests in the church along with tablets to two other 'lost sons'' .and an
honour roll board. The white 'ma.rble 'tablet, beautifully veined with grey, (with black marble trim and · black · lettering) is. mounted on the north. interi'or wall near the alter steps and bears the following inscription:
In Loving Memory of GUNB DARCY L. FERNANCE 10TH BA ITERY 4 TH BRIGADE A.l.F. KILLED IN ACTION FRANCE 29TH SEPT 1917 AGED 22 YEARS ' j4 YO UNG LIFE NOBLY ENDED" ·At the bottom of the tablet, in small writing is: F. ARNOLD. Mounted on a small serving table in the church ·proper is a metal plaque whicb bears the following inscription:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD And in loving memory of our dear son and brother Private A, L. BAILEY ·who died in France July 1OTH, 1917. The gift ofhis parents ct11dfamily; Affixed to the.alter table is another small metal plaque which reads:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD . In memory of PRIVA TE GEORGE R4Y FLEMING KILLED AT THE LANDINGAT GALLIPOLI .94
The honour roll board is also located on the north wall of the church and is of polished timber with gold lettering. It features hinged doors which open out to reveal four panels. As you face the board it reads: 路 FOR GOD, KiNG & COUNTRY.
ROLL OF
ST. ALBANS
CHURCH.
HONOUR
ON ACTIVE-SERVICE
GREATER . NOlvf.AN
LOVE HATH THAN THIS
ON ACTIVE-SERVICE
BAILEY A. L. BAILEY B. DEANA. C. DEANC. L. FERNANCE D. L. FERNANCER.
HEARNE A. FLEMING G. R. BAILEY A. L. FERNANCED. L.
+May... 28... 1915 +July ... JO... l 917 +Sep/... 29... 1917
JURD O. P.
ROSEA. P.
The sandstone church, on Wharf Road, overlooks St Albans from its site high up a hill to the . north. of the community proper. FOOTNOTE: The author acknowledges the above information could not have been compiled without the kind assistance of Mr Ian Elton of St Albans and is most appreciative of his efforts.
95
This is not p~ce: it is an armistice for twenty years.
- Marshal Foch
_._
.•
Old Northern Road, Wisemans Ferry (46)
Two honour roll boards are mounted on the south wall at the·west end of the main function room of the club. The boards, along with many other items of historical significance to the community, were given a 'new home' at the bowling club following the demolition of the community hall which was located on the present site of the local public school. · Among the framed items on display in .t his group is a large grouping of 22 individual's photographs with Wiseman's Ferry Representatives World War II 1939-1945 at the top centre. The original honour roll board was unveiled in Ferry Hall early in February 1918 by Mrs McLean., wife of the teacher at Wisemans Ferry School. She performed the ceremony just prior to departing, with her husband, to live in .the Shoalhaven district. · In a . sad irony, a newspaper article concerning the unveiling noted their son Allan was recovering from battle wounds and expected to ...again face the fire shortly - he was destined to · be killed in action on August 9, 1918. . . As you are facing the display, the left hand board is topp·ed by the A.I.F. emblem with the words For Australia beneath. This is followed by Wiseman's Ferry Roll Of Honour set on two lines. then comes a single column of centred names with 1914-1918 at.the top of the column. The names as they appear and are spelt: T. Burrows, P. A. Cross, F. Cross, R, C. Fernance, A. Ford, AlfFord, A Hearne, W. Julius, J. E. Key, A. McLean, J. Phillips, G. Palmer, A. E. Cross, A. Pollock, W . Rose, E. Rose, *A. T. Rose, A. L. Rose, A. 0 . Sheen, C. Singleton, W.'D. Usher, S. G. Wilson, "'C. Bailey, W. Bailey, A. G. Marchant.(* Losi their life in the war) The right hand board also has the A.I.F. emblem with For Australia beneath followed by Wiseman's Ferry Roll Of Honour set on two lines. The names, set in two. columns, as they appear and are spelt: C. P.rice, J. Connors, A. Laughton, K, Laughton, R. Diplock, V. H. Law, K. Todd, M, Laughton, J. Mann, J. Curwen, E. Rithards, L. Russell, F. G. Hearne, W. Peters, S. Pryor, R. Singleton, J. Walmsley, L. Stane, *J. Stane, W. White, A. Bailey, Fd Meisterhan, Fk Meisterhan, V. Parkes, D. Rose, E. Gould, J . Millward, F. Parkes, W. Storm, H. Daniels, H. Turner, A. Chaseling, G. Cameron, J . Corrie, G. Russell, E. Singleton, J. Potts, M. Crud, N. Books; A. Books. ("' Lost their life in the war) At this point in the second·column is WOMEN centred followed by: M. Setchell, C. Setchell, M. P~ters, J. Rose. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the war memorial at the bowling club, consult the section titled War memorials.
96
Here dead we lie because we did not choose To live and shame the land from which we sprang. Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose, But young men think it is, and we were young. . - A. E . Housman, More Poems, 1936 :â&#x20AC;˘.
Brooklyn (47)
Located on the Sydney-bound side of the railway station at Brooklyn is an honour roll board containing the riame.s of 57 ~ndividuals from the area who served in war. Despite being outside, the boar~ is well protected from the elements by the overhanging roof and is in excellent condition. Across the"top is BROOKLYN followed on the next line by FOR GOD & CO UNTRY while beneath comes ROLL OF HONOUR. The four columns of names as they appear and are spelt: *S. Cain, S. C. Sutton, E. F. Ross, *H. V. Ross, P. T. Johnson, *A. F. Johnson, C. Goodman, *H. H. Brown, C. F. Brown, E. Cox, *J. Farrell, D. D. Farrell, *M. Farrell, A. B. C. Wood, W. H. Wood, T. Sutton, W. V. D'Landro, T. Peters, J. Malone, *P. Allen, C. Angle, J. S. Ogilvie, *S. Garton, T. R. L. Angelo, B. T. C. Atkinson, V. Williams, W. Burdon, V. U. Leaves, F. W. Murray, *R. Denver, A. R. Haggar, J. McCredie, F. G. Packman, J . W. Packman, J. Grace, A. Blacklaw, E. Baker, G. P. Burt, A. T. Burns, R. Buie, L. C. Moore, J. Canham, E. Dowrick, G. S. Williams, E. Palmer, J. T. Biggins, S. A. Lippman, R. V. Blundell, T. Freeborn, A. Monk, R. Gartbon, S. Woods, A. Carpenter, E. J. N. Green, J. J. Baker, T. P. Hegberty, W. E. Nicholson.(* Lost their life in the war)
97
What passing-bells for those who路die as cattle? Only the monstro~s anger of the guns, Only the stuttering rifle's rapid ratde Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor beDs, . Nor any \"Oice of mourning save the choirs,The shrill, demented choirs of wailing sheDs; And bugles call them from sad shires. - .WJlfre~ Owen, Anthem f or Doomed Youth. in Poems, 1920
98
-
J'.ers.onal ttt.ettlllrials 路 .
99
: ~
-
m Donnison Street.
Australia Day 1915 and patriotic fervour had reached fever pitch. The procession above is seen proceeding down Donnison Street in Gosford. The tall buildings in the background are situated on Mann Street. Phoro courtesy of Gwen Edmondson. 路
100
LOCATION NAME Sister Sumner's memorial Cox brothers memorial plaque Roberts brother's memorial plaque Private Haynes memorial window Private William Young's memorial Private Jones' community memorial 'Treepillar' memorial lost Robert Buie
LOCATION NUMBER
48 49
50 51 52 路53
PAGE NUMBER
103 105 106 106 106 107 108 109
There bad -been years of Passion • scorching, ·cold, And much Despair, and Anger heaying high, Care whitely watching, Sorrows manifold, Among the young, among the weak and ·otd, And the pensive Spirit of PitY whispered, 'Why?' Men had not paused to answer. Foes distraught Pierced the thinned peoples in a brute-like blindness, Philosophies that sage long had ~ught, And Selflessness, were as an unknown ·thought, And 'BeD!' and 'SheD!' were yapped at.Lovingkindness. Calm fell. From he.aven distilled a clemency; There was peace on earth, a._d _silence in the sky; Some could, some could not, shake.off misery: The Sinister Spirit sneered: '.It had to bet' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?' - Thomas Hardy, marking the signing of.the arinistice, 1918
102
See that little~: stream. We·could waJk to it in two minutes. It took the British a whole month to· waJk to it- a whole empire walking very slowly, dying in front and pushing forward behind. And another empire waJked very slowly backwards a few inches a day, leaving the · dead like a million bloody rugs. "" F. Scott Fitzgerald, .Tender Is the Night, 1934
Memorial Park, Mann Street, Gosford
On March 19, 1933 a diverse group of individuals gathered together at the northern tip of Gosford Memorial Park to witness the planting of a tree of remembrance and the unveiling of a stone tablet to the memory of Sister Katherine Sumner who had passed away the previous year. The gathering, made up of returned soldiers and citizens from all walks of life, also included her husband Ron, a sister (Mrs J. Keith of Sydney), Mr L. A. Robb, State President of the R.S.L. of N.S.W., Mr C. G. Brandis (President of the Gosford bra_nch of the R.S.L.), Mr A. Jamieson (Secretary of the G~sford branch of the R.S.L.), Mr. R. Hill (President of the Central Coast Council of Fruitgrowers' Federation), Mr R. C. King Kemp, Dr J. H. Paul, Rev L.A. Anderson and Mr H. G. White (Superintendent Viticultural Nursery) and many other men and women prominent . in the community life of the district at that time. To better understand why such a group had braved (according·to newspaper reports of the time) 'the fierce heat of Sunday afternoon' to witness this ceremony, it is perhaps best to look at the life of Sister Sumner. Sister Mary Katherine ('Kit' ) Curtain was one of five family m ~mbers (two other sisters . and two brothers) who enlisted for service in the early days of World War I. She joined the · Australian Army Nursing Service and sailed from Tasmania early. in 1915 bound for the 1st Australian General Hospital in Heliopolis, Egypt. Later she was transferred to the British Base aospital at Rouen, France. According to those who eulogised her memory at the unveiling, Sister Sumner... 'travelled on the troop trains in the blistering sands of Egypt and tended the wounded in the extreme conditions found on the fields of Flanders'. Sister Sumner (or Curtain as she still was then) returned to Australia in 1918 and was
1r-:
r ' - :. KAT H'r\ p\ I I•~ . :- --, ·' \., i\ f
Pr T I
'I
1•,
/'J -
r· W. A
MAR CH 19·,
How many thousands have passed by this tribute without even noticing it?
discharged as medically unfit. She was appointed Matron of the TB Soldiers' Sanatorium in Launceston, Tasmania. However, shor tly after taking up this appointment she successfully applied for a position in New Guinea, and from the end of 1918 to 1926 she was on the nursing staff at Namanula Hospital, Rabaul. In his speech Mr Robb stated, in part... "The war had taken its toll of her health and ·strength, as it had done with so many thousands of her brothers in arms, but her term of service did not finish there. She came ~ack to labour among the 103
sick and suffering men of the A .I. F. at Namamlia Hospital in Rabaul. Always the original Aniacs had first place in her affections, and there she married one of them: ''After leaving Rabaul Sister Sumner movec! to Gosford where she became a member of the C. WA. and worked with the same grand spil:it which had marked her career through the war". 路 The tree of remembrance which was planted by Mrs J. H. Paul, Pre.s ident of the C.W.A., was a member of the oak family (Grevillia Banksia) and was commonly known as the 'torch tree'. Though the stone is still in place, 路the tree does not appear to have survived. The stone tablet bears the inscription ... Tree planted in memory of Katherine Sumner, ex-nursing sister A.A.NS., by fellow members of the C. WA.
,
104
My message today was a message of death for our yo_ung men. Ho~ strange it seems to applaud that. . · - Woodrow Wilson, after his speech asking the US Congress-for a declaration ofwar, Aprill91 7
Anglican Church, Wagstajfe Avenue, Wagstajfe (48)
In December 1914 two brothers from Wagstaffe, Edward King Standish Cox and Miles Standish Cox, while serving as privates in the 4th Battalion of the 1st Australian Expeditionary Force, contracted _pneumonia on the voyage to Egypt ~nd died within three days of each other -{Edward on December 13 while at sea and Miles on December 16 in Alexandria). As can be noted from their regimental numbers, 164 and 165, they were among the first to offer their services in World War I. The Gosford Times issue of February 26, 19.15 noted ...the public have been asked to subscribe towards a fund to be utilised in a suitable manner in perpetuating the brothers' memory. A separate article in the same issue reported ...a total of £33 17s 9d has been collected to perpetuate the memory of the Cox brothers of Wagstaffe Point, members of the Expeditionary force who recently died in Egypt. · · The Rev. W. M. Herford was appointed the honorary treasurer to the fund while Messrs. Hadley and Kenny were joint honorary secretaries.
An article in The Gosford Times on June 18, 1915 reported on the unveiling ceremony which took place on June 6 at the Church of England Mission Hall in Woy Woy. · In part, the article noted ...Standing room_was the ordet of the day long be/ore the time appointedfor the service. Fully 250 people were present and took part. Following singing by the choir and congregation and delivery of the shortened evensong by Rev Herford, one of the sisters of the Cox brothers, Miss Una Cox, was asked to perform the unveiling ceremony. After suitable prayers. were read, the tablet was pronounced duly erected. · the brass •ablet, set on an oak mount, was created by Messrs. Castle and Son of Newtown and bore the following inscription: "To the Glory of God and in affectionate remembrance of two brothers, Privates Edward K. Standish Cox and Miles Standish Cox, of the lsi Australian Expeditionary Force, who died in J:;gypt. This tablet is erected by the p eople of Brisbane Water, ·]915". . The memorial· plaque now resides on the east wall of the Anglican Church (completed in 1918) located m Wagstaffe Avenue, Wagstaffe.
105
The cry of. the Little Peoples goes up to God in vain, For the world is 路given over to the cruel s~ns of Cain. ~Richard Le Gallienne, 1866-1947, The Cry ofthe Little Peoples, 1892
V()13-=VTS 13V()Tti-=V'S Mt=Mf)VIAL VIA.f)UI: Anglican Church; Blackwall Road, Woy Woy (49)
In an
alcove at the front of the Anglican Church is mounted a memorial plaque to the Roberts brothers who lost their lives in World War I. The 路brass tribute reads: In loving memory of Pte J H. Roberts 54 Bat KIA in Belgium, Feb 15th 1916 also of Pte R. C. Roberts 18th Bat DOW at Rouen, Mar 4th 1918 Erected by comrades C Cov 54th Bat A.I.F.
The Roberts brothers memorial plaque.
Holy Family Anglican Church, 2 Ronald Street, Wyoming (50) .
On the east wall (the front wall 路or the church facing Ronald Street) are stained glass windows.
thr~e
The centre window, approXimately five and one half to six feet in height, has the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces emblem set in the bottom panel with the following wording beneath: In memory of Pte Ronald W Haynes, killed 8 February, 1942, a gift of the family . In the lower right hand side of the panel in very sin all writing, is: John Ashwin & Co, Syd. The window was originally erected at All Saints Church, Narara. FOOTNOTE: For information concerning the honour r~ll board in the church, commit the section titled Honour rolls.
路VVIVATI: WILLIAM
.,_.,f)U~t;~S
Mt=Mf)I:21AL
(51)
A memorial font basin in St Peter's Church of England (no longer in existence), erected by the family of Pte William Cecil Young of Ourimbah,.was dedicated at Evensong on Sunday, April27, 1925. The service was conducted by the Rector, the Rev A. B. Wyrill who, according to a newspaper report, ma.d e reference to ''the sacrifice made by the fallen soldier". Private Young survived the slaughter of Gallipoli only to die in France on August 15, 1916. 106
Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come. - Carl Sandburg, The People, Yes, 1936
Vl?IVAT~ J()~-=s~
C()'"'"U~IIT M~()l?IAL Jilliby Cemetery, junction ofJilliby Road and Hue Hue Road (52)
In 1915 a young man from the Jilliby area~ William Jones, died while in military training camp at Liverpool, south of Sydney. Subsequently, a collection was taken from area residents and a memorial marble headstone was erected in Jilliby Cemetery. A report in The Gosjord Times on October 13, 1916 stated, in part... The unveiling of the headstone to the memory of Privqte W. Jones took place last Sunday afternoon (Oct 8) in the presence of a large number of residents of Wyong and Jilliby. The stone (which is a book stone and tiled all over the grave, and purchased from Messrs. Meldrum and Markey, of - Newcastle), was covered with the Union Jack. Mr Pattinson, the·presiden~ of the committee, opened the ceremony with a hriefspeech, stating the delay in getting the stone etc, after which he called on Messers, A. Wamsley and W Russell to · unveil it. This was followed by nll;merous speeches and the national anthem concluded the ceremony. The cost of the stone was £21 15s and, as the sum of 22s 3d was still owing at the time of the unveiling, a collection was taken up. The newspaper article reported ...the sum of£2 2s 3d was thrown on the flag, leaving a balance in hand of 20s, which will be donated to the next send-off held at Jilliby. The inscription on the memorial reads: (Written vertically along the left hand side of the stone on what would be the ' page' ends as the 'book' is open) He did his duty. On the left hand 'page' is the following: To the memory of Private William Jones who died at Liverpool Military Camp 17th September, 1915 · aged 18 years. .
Beneath that, set on three centred lines: He rose responsive to his country's call but, alas, was nipped off in the bud. The right hand 'page' bears the following centred inscription: · ERECTED BY MR C. MILL AND FRIENDS In the lower right hand corner is a small · inscription set on two lines: C. P. Lock and Newcastle.
Private Jones' marble headstone - one of many unique and ornate works in Jilliby Cemetery.
107 .
The most persistent sound which reverberates through men' s history is the beating of war drums. . . :. Arthur Koestler, Janus.-A Summing
'Tl2~~VILIAI2' M~M()~I~L
Up, 1978
L()ST
(53)
The Gosford Times edition of November 26, 1936, under the heading MOUNTAIN'S LOSS, ~eported ... Treasured relics ofMountain history were destroyed by a recent bushfi路re . . Part of this 'lost treasu_re' was a 'treepi~ar' which formed part of the inain support for the . house of Mr George Downes of Kulnura. Mr Downes had demolished the. structure as it existed when be purchased the property but had been careful.to preserve the tree trunk because upon it was carved the names ofW. L. C. Harris and Charley Akers. Both were from the Kulmua area, volunteere.d early in. the 'Great War' and had lost-their lives. The ~rticle stated r.elatives and friends bad planned to take away the section of the trunk with the names on it and have it kept as a permanent memorial to the two young soldiers:
108
•..
. ·. : Tbe·soldie.r, _above alrother.people; prays for peace, for he must sutTer and beartJJ,e d_eepest wounds and sca.n of war. · · ·· - Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1962 " :: ; . ·. :.. .
Of all the public and . private monuments and memorials to be found on the Central Coast, none captures the attention and Imagination more than a headstone resting the quiet surrounds of Brookiyn Cemetery:
in
It is not the stone itself, but the words inscribed on it, which create the interest:
ROBERTBUIE LEWISGUNNER3801. WORLD WAR/. DIED 'ANZAC DAY 1964. AGE 70. HE 51-JOT DOWN THE R ED BARON, BARON VON RJCHTHOFEN, APRIL 2 1, 19 1 B. CONGRA T ULATED BY GENERAL RAWLINSON, & IN PERSON BY GENERALS BUR WOOD, BROWN & HOBBS. LEST i1£ FORGET
The stone is a memorial to Robert Buie who, as much as anyone, found events such as war call attention to individuals who would have otherwise lead peac_eful, unass umi~g lives. What makes Mr Buie's life stand out more than that of most of the other hundreds of thousands of young Australian men who 'answered the call' ~nd fought for 'King and Country' half a world away, was his involvement in a controversy which has raged on long after all those directly co~cerned have left us. To help understand the circumstances Robert Buie foun~ himself in, it is helpful to look at an article in The Gosford Times issue of August 1, 1918 wh~ch reproduced a letter from Gunner Buie to his mother. The article is titled MEN WHO DOWNED RICHTHOFEN and states...Gunner Robert Buie, son of Mrs Buie, of Hawkesbury River, and Gunner Evans, a Sydney soldier, were the men responsible for closing the career of the noted German.airman, Baron Richthofen. The two soldiers mentioned are , and they were·engaged in anti-aircraft work·when the German airman b.ecame a Lewis gunner5< victim of their fire. Writing to his mother on April 26 last Gunner Buie says: -"Another gunner (Evam) and myself did a bit of good shooting here OIJ the 21st. We. brought down an aeroplane containing one of Germany's best airman. He was chasing one of our fellows, and nearly had him . when we opened up with our machine guns at about 200 yards range, and dropped him saving our man from disaster. All'the heads' were pleased, and no one was more pleased than our two selves. It was a goodflying shot. He was doing about 120 miles an hour. Airmen ·tried to claim bringing him down but it is no use, as all the other 'planes were about two miles away. On his disc was 'Captain Baron von Manfred Richthojen'. We may be having a trip to England on the strength of it so soon as it is confirmed. "In a subsequent letter Gunner Buie, referring again to the downing of the German super-airman, said:-"It would have.been his 80th 'plane if we had not stopp~d him." _Though a great number of individuals on the ·ground saw the incident and Gunner Buie was indicated by name as having brought the plane down; though he received personal congratulations from General Rawlinson, General Birdwood, General Brown and General . Hobbs; though he was awarded a citation from General Hobbs; and, though an eyewitness confirmation was presented by Captain Dalton Thomas Walker Neville,M C:, D.C.M, Croix de 109
Guerre, and mentioned four .times in despatches, 'official' credit for bringing down the 'Red Baron' was given to Captain A. R. Brown, a Canadian serving with the RAF. There are those who might say Rober( Buie was guilty of having too vivid an imagination. However, after reading as much material as could be obtained on this subject, it is the opinion of this writer that, if Robert Buie was guilty of anything, it was of being a simple soldier unfairly caught up in events over which he (and others) had no control. At a time when the outcome of the 'Great War' was pretty much decided, it may be that the allied leaders (both military and civilian) had started to take more notice of the public's realisation and concern over the millions of young lives which had been lost in the last few years. To this end, every opportunity had to be taken to put as favorable a light as was possible on every event. In the case of the shooting down of Germanys' most famous 路 airman, would it have not been a more rewarding public relations exercise to have the 'Red Baron' downed by one of the young, dashing 'knights of the air' than by a 'humble' soldier struggling with millions of others in the mud and carnage on the ground . .
While, obviously, this theory . can not be proven, it should be remembered that history is dotted with examples of those at the top changing the 'historical facts' of an event to . best suit themselves and others. The Monday April 27, 1964 issue of the Central . Coast Express carried a路 front page article on the passing of Robert Buie which noted he died on Anzac Day morning w.hile fishing alone in his dinghy on Mooney Mooney C reek just north of Mount White. He was found by his son Kelly. 路
FOOTNOTE: At the Mangrove Mountain Memorial Club, surrounded by the pictures and awards of dozens of other local individuals who went to war from the area, is a photograJlb of Gunner Buie and the citation he received from Major General J. Hobbs. For more information on the memorials and honour roll boards at the club, consuJt the appropriate sections of this book. FOOTNOTE: For a more detailed look at the events surrounding the downing of von Richtofen, consuJt the following books: Th e Day Th e Red Baron Died by Dale M. Titler; The ANZACS by Patsy Adam-Smith (ISBN 0 17 0050661 ) and OFFICIAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR OF 1914-18, Vol V, The A.I.F. in France 1918, p. 693ff by C. E. W. Bean.
11 0
Wr££ plantings
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The wording 'THIS IS .THE LIFE' on this World War I Australia Day parade entrant is in sharp contrast to the scene depicted by the young men. It would be interesting to know what became ofthem: Taken on July30, 1915 at Gosforc/. Photo courte.Sy of Gwen Edmondson. 路 路
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Battle, n. A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would· not yield to the tongue. Cannon, n. An instrument employed in the ratification of national boundaries. Peace, n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting. - Ambrose Gwinett Pierce, The DevWs Dictionary, 1911
WV')' WV')' Two separate areas ofWoy Woy we.r e the subject of memorial tree plantings. Both took place during or shortly after the end of ~orld War I. One group of trees was located to the east of the Woy Woy War·Memorial while a larger number were planted running parallel to the r·a.illine in a southerly direction from the present day railway station. A visit to that site would reveal these 'living tributes ' have long since been removed to make way for a parking lot. · In the case of the trees planted to the east of the memorial, a memorial plaque was provided for each tree. Research did not uncover any of the plaques so it is unlikely any of the trees still live.
0 0 0 WvvdPvrt Vubllc Schvvl Some two years prior to the unveiling of its honour roll, Woodport Public School was the venue of another ceremony. This one, held on August 18, 1916, saw the planting of 24 trees by mothers having sons serving in.the military. Following the planting a basket picnic was held with students, teachers and parents attending. Sadly, while all those assembled were enjoying the festivities, word was received by Mrs Wright that her son, Clarence, had been killed in action.
0 0 0 W')'VDQ At 2pm on Saturday, August 12, 1916, approximately 100 individuals assembled at the corner of Hill Street and Porter Street to witness the renaming of Hill Street to Anzac Avenue and to participate in the symbolic planting of approximately 70 brush box trees along its route by those individuals in the group who h:ad a relative at the war. In addition, a wattle was planted at each corner. Those assembled included Mr, W. A. Chapman, chairman of the Citizens' Committee (organisers of the day), Cr F. R. Archbold, Erina Shire President and Mr M. C. Ogden, shire clerk. . . . Following the planting, those gathered adjourned to the post office where a roll of honour was unveiled. None of the trees are alive today.
0 0 0
W')'V.n l! Cr-eek Vublic SCh()VI csJ) In August 1916, 12 trees, dedicated to the memory ·of boys from the district who volunteered for service in World War I, were planted by the students. Those who had a tree planted in their name were: F. J. Salmon, .E. M. Reilly, Syd Goldsmith, Les Chandler; Bob Chandler, E. Rei~ly, Alb Deaves, E. Snowdon, A. B. Smith, W. Woodbury and Bob Boyd. 113
Tut~ue.-ah
A tree planting ceremony, with nearly every home in the small community involved, was held on August-26, 1916. The Gosford Times issue of September 8, 1916 reported .. .At 2pm a number of residents assembled at the public hall where various speeches were made relative to the planting of the trees, and the proposed naming of the road from the rai/way station to the post office corner as "Anzac Avenue" to ~ommemorate our brave soldiers who have gone to .fight the Empire's battle. The first tree was planted by Cr. Alex Wilkinson, representing the shire council. the second tree was planted by Mr F. C. Fripp, representing the president of the progress association and the public hall comm'ittee. Next came Priva~e Dick Haynes, a returned soldier, followed by Mr Joseph Lees, the area's oldest resident. In all 37 trees were planted. The newspaper noted two arches, one at either end of the avenue, were erected and decorated with flags for the occasfon. . . Today the only arches to be found on Anzac Avenue are the 'golden' ones and none of the trees survived the onslaught of 'progress'.
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In 1995 the Mangr.ove Mountain RSL Sub-branch revived the practice of planting . trees in memory of those who died in war. . Early in that year 24 trees were p.l~nted along both sides of Memorial Drive which leads to the club and a ceremony was conducted on Anzac Day: 路 At the top of Memorial Drive stand a rectangular concrete pillar approximately four feet in height. Mounted on its top is a plaque with the Australian Commonwealth Armed Forces emblem in its centre. To the left of the emblem is 1914-1918 and to the right 1939-1945. The wording below the emblem reads:
MEMORIAL DRIVE DEDICATED ON THE 23rdAPRIL 1995 TO .THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DID NOT RETURN "WE GIVE OUR TODAY FOR YOUR TOMORROW" LEST WE FORGET
The memorial pillar at the top ofMernorial Drive. Each of the 2./ trees planted beside the drive has a low concrete platform in front of it which bears a metal plaque carrying information concerning the individual
Trees were planted and plaques erected to the memory of: (World War I) C. A ..Akers, A. Bushell, H. E. Gray, R. L. Le Gray, W; L. C. Harris, W. Jamies.on, C. V. Love, V.. J. Pinkstone, M. Penn; S. A. Starkey, H. E. Williams, M. Whitehead, N. J. Gibson, V. Starkey, S. B. Woodbury, R. W. Burns. (World War II) J. Love, W. Shorrock, G. Holme, A. Neill, A. Robinson, J ..Ru路ssell, R. Hill, G. Beavan. In April 1997 two L5 Pack howitzers, given to the local RSL sub-branch by the Federal Minister for Finance, were put in place on either side at the top of Memorial Drive. 114
速rigins.
115
Two ofthe 'jloats ' taking part in the /915 Australia Day parade through Gosford. The photograph shows the south end ojAfann Street in the area known as Paul's Corner. Photo courtesy ojGwen Edmondson.
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The origins of-
The Anzac Day dawn ser,vice he~d throughout Australia and New Zealand on April 25, originated in Albany, Western Australia. On the morning of November 1, 1914, at 4.30am, army chaplain Arthur White held a family service at StJohn's Anglican Churcht Albany, for soldiers and their relatives. The troops were to sa~l that day for the·Middle East (the original Anzacs). They were on board'28 Australian and 10 New Zealand transports with four heavy cruisers for protection - Melbourne and Sydney (Australia), Minotaur (Britain), Ibuki (Japan): All were anchored in King George Sound. · Chaplain White, who .sailed with 'the Anzacs, was so moved by the pre-dawn service and the subsequent tragedies of war be decided on his return ~o Albany after the war to conduct an annual dawn service in remembrance of fallen comrades. Gradually the dawn service became part of Anzac Day services throughout Australia and New Zealand.
T~e
origins of·
Poppy Day, first held in Australia in ~92l, . had its origins a year· earlier when the British Legion was formed to foster the interests of ex-servicemen. ··Field ~arshal Earl Haig, searching for a flower of remembrance, ~dopted the poppy (he also saw it as a means of raising money for the returned soldiers. The poppy is a flower which bas 'enjoyed' different meanings throughout the ages. In ancient China when the poppy was white (and in view of the potency of the drug which is distilled from it) was known as the 'flower of forgetfulness' . The poppy was to keep this meaning throughout the ages until the time of the Napoleonic wars, when an observant writer of the period noted the intimate association of the scarlet poppy with . the graves of those fell in battle. Lord Macauley rem_a rked that the fields of battle such as Waterloo and Dettingen which were ~are wastelands before the ·conflicts, blossomed out after the battle with 'the burial of youth and warriors', into vast stretches of scarlet; the scarl~t of Flanders' poppies. He said the poppy should now be known as the flower of sacrifice. FOOTNOTE: Tbe above information was taken, in part, from .an article in The Gosford Times issue of November 3, 1932:
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The origins
~~- _
1\llAI\1 The origin of khaki has a history which is perhaps unique. It was first manufactured in Bombay in a cotton mill of which the manager was a Scot and the head weaver a native of India. ·, The mill had supplied a good deal of material for the uniforms of both English and Indian soldiers. · ·One morning the plant manager had to see the army officer in charge of the department which purchased the material. · The officer said, " Can you make a strong and durable cott~m material which is not exactly like t'he earth and not as green as grass? Somethi!lg that· will not show the men up, and will wash and not lose its colour. We want it for the native regiments, and mind, it must be durable." "I can," said the manager. . "Then make a roll as a sample and bring it to me. If you can strike what I want it will be a big thing fo'r your mill, for you will get a tremendous order." Now . the manager could not speak Hindustanie very well, so he resorted to a method of illustration in explaining to his native weaver what was wanted. He procured S()me earth and some leaves,and in Hindustanie, much broken up by pidgin English, he explained the new material was not to be ·the colour of earth or of the leaves. Then, to give the poor weaver a. faint idea of what really ought to be the C9Jour, he mixed the twO together, r ubbed them up, and informed the bewildered man that w;1s what he required. Having sati~fied himself he had sufficiently explained himself, he · proceeded in the same illustrative way to give an idea of what the material,was to be like. ·He seized some samples of the strongest thread they had and, putting them together, pulled ~s hard as he could, exclaiming "zore" (strong). He then sent the weaver about his business. Now that weaver was a man -who had a ·very inventive head and, after pondering over the p·roblem, set to work producing a roll of cloth. · Wnen the manager saw it he simply gasped. "Kyeah keah you soor" (what you done you pig) he exclaimed in wrath. Fearing violence the weaver fled. The manager picked up the material apd examined it. "Can't be helped," he said to himself, "I must submit'it and take my luck." . · Off he went to see the officer who had given him the order, and submitted the sample. " Splendid! The very thing," he remarked as he _examined the material, "just what I've been looking for for ye~rs. The very colour and durability, what do you call it?" The manager was non:-plu_ssed for a moment, then he th9ught of what he had said to his weaver and a happy thought passed through his head. He joined the first two words of his angry remonstrance and replied to the officer, "Kha Keah". The first to wear khaki were the Sikh regiments, then the Ghurkas, then the E nglish regiments. FOOTNOTE: Tbe above was taken from a contributed article which appeared in The (Josjord Times issue of August 11, 19~1. While this writer was unable to substantiate its accuracy, it makes for a goo~ yarn.
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119
Another excellent example of the way the Australian community, as a whole, was caught up in the patriotic passions fired by World War I. This group was taking part in an Aus_tralia Day parade at the height of hostilities. Photo courtesy of Gwen Edmondson. 路
120 .)
Nothing is more exhilarating than to be_shot at.without result. - Wmston Churchill, The Malakand Field Force, 1898
THE MOST PROMINENT MILIT-ARY PERSON... ... on the Central Coast would undo~btedly be James Gordon Legge (1863-1947) of the famous family of soldiers from Erina. Educated as a schoolmaster and barrister, Legge joined the militia, then the permanent forces in 1894 where he woo both the Queen's Medal and the King's Medal in the Boer War. He drafted the bill for universal military training in 1909 and represented Australia on the Imperial General Staff (1912-14). Legge returned to become Chief of the General Staff. He commanded the 1st Div, AIF (1915); formed and led the 2nd Div; became Chief of the General Staff again (1917) and was commandant of the Royal Military College Duotrooo from 1920 to 1922. Legge was promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1924. James Legge had married Anne Ferguson in 1896 and the couple bad two sons. Upon his retirement he farmed in the ACT for several years prior to his death on September 18, 1947. During his military career James Legge was involved in a considerable amount of controversy mostly, it would seem, because he was more concerned with making sure soldiers did not die needlessly in poorly planned miiitary actions whi.ch were usually conceived by individuals more interested in grabbing headlines and protecting their own careers if something went wrong than they were in doing the job right in the first place. FOOTNOTE: For more on the life and career of J ames Legge see the book No Australians Need Apply- The troubled career ofLjeutenant-General Gordon Legge by C. D. Coulthard-Ciark; published by Allen & Unwin, 1988. ISBN 004 300 1041.
DOD
THE FIRST SOLDIER... ... from the Gosford area to die serving his country in time of conflict was John Rowan Murray. Private Murray, from Wamberal, died of illness on November 1, 1900â&#x20AC;˘ . At that time he was serving with the Imperial Bushmen in the Boer War.
DOD
GOSFORD'S FIRST SOLDIER... ... was Hugh Reid Campbell (usually called 'Reid') who enlisted in the Sudan contingent of 1885. H~ was the son of Hugh and Rebecca Campbell of Gosford who owned the Wyoming Hotel for a time. Reid was one of 10 children (six boys/four girls). Two of his brothers, Irvine Fleming ('Flem ') and Henry Albert, lost their lives in World War I.
DOD
THE FIRST LOCAL BOER WAR VOLUNTEER... ... was Herbert Ogden who took an active part in a fight at Zeerust, where he helped capture a Boer spy (he was also the youngest man in the Gosford contingent). - The Gosjord Times, Oct 1900. 12 1
PERHAPS 'WRITE' IS MIGHT...
... prior to World War I, fewer than ~0 books a year that were publ~shed in England dealt with military science. In Germany, almost 700 bookS a year were being published on the subject.
ODD
THE SEVEN SONS OF... ...Mr and Mrs James Henrr Kay of Cary Street, Wyoming, served in ·World War IT- and all returned safely! · James Henry Kay served in the 2/lst Field Recovery Unit, Royal Australian Engineers, 9th Division; Roy (the first of the brothers to enlist) was initially with the ~/17th Battalion ·and_ served at Tobruk; John ~athias (Ned) Kay was assigned to ·the 52nd Anti-aircraft Searchlight Unit and served in Dutch New Guinea; Raymond Robert was in the merchant navy and served on the Queen Mary; William Edward was a petty officer in the RAN; Albert Ernest was with the 53rd Anti-aircraft Searchlight Unit and served in New G.uinea; and Kelvin Kbtneth was a · sergeant in the RAAF and served as an air crew wireless operator. Ther~ were also fo~r sisters.
ODD
THE FIRST ARMISTICE DAY OBSERVANCE... ... in Australia wa.s over a day late in being observed due to the difference in time and slow cable news services: The armistice which ended hostilities in World War I was signed at llam on Monday, November 11, 1918; that was 9pm.Australian Eastern Standard Time. But the news did not reach Australia, by cable, in ti~e for the morning newspapers of November 12.
DOD
'NINE BROTHERS KILLED' ... ...was. the title of an article carried in the June 13, 1918 issue of The Gosford Times. _ . · The article stated... The military record of Staff Sergeant William Penton Payne, who resides with his wife and three children at 123 Darlington Road, Darlington, constitutes an amazing romance and is a thrilling example to Australia. The returned soldier ·is one of a family of. I I sons, and only · himse?f and one other have survived the ravages of war. Five brothers. were killed early in the struggle in the great Mons retreat, 9ne passed the great divide at Bullecourt, and yet another went west elsewhere in France. Two others were killed. in the Boer War. Sergeant Payne's only living brother had a leg shot offat Mons. The father of this family offighters is still on active '!li litary duty,. at the age of 18, being a lieutenant-colonel in charge of Risley Rifle Range in England.
DO D
'MISSING BELIEVED. KILLED' ...
. . .. .is the listing given to a total of 82,921 Commonwealth service personnel (including 3,241 · Australians) in the European theatre of operations betweeri 1939 and 1945.
DOD l-22
ACCORDING TO ... ... research material in the August 1995 i~su~ of HISTORY, there are 4,855 Australian service 路 personnel buried in 794 cemeteries in 32 countries. ODD
WAR TROPHIES ... ... are mentioned many times in this book, especially when路 they were placed at various memorials, clubs, etc but almost nothing is written as to what became of these 'prizes'. This is because they were put in place with much fanfare but, over the decades, were removed with little or no public involvement. . Most were simply cut into scrap though one field piece is noteworthy for t~e fact it wasn't cut up but is being used to call attention to a scrap recycling centr.e on the Pacific Highway at Lisarow. Painted an attention-getting blue, the gun formerly held pride of place at the Davistown RSL War Memorial. lt:is interesting to note an article in the Sydney Morning Herald some years after the end of World War I stated the Australian War Museum Committee had distributed to the.states and Commonwealth territory the following number o( captured weapons: 461 guns, 442 trench mortars and 4,358 machine guns.
DOD
LUCKY THIRTEEN... ...wQuld surely apply to a news item in The Go~ord Times of November 15, 1917 which stated: A soldier, writing from the front, says he enlisted on the 13th of January last year, sailed on 13th June, landed in Egypt on 13th August, saile{ijrom Egypt on 13th November, and landed in England on 31st (1 3 backwards) December. He lejrjor France on 13th February this year, and was 13 days in 路the trenches before he was wounded After being three months in hospital he was sent back to the firing line and re-entered the trenches on 13th June last. Talk about 13!
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·1n terms :or the number of Jives lost, relative to· the ground gained, the actions of the First
World War 'make. dismal reading. In the first two hours of the battle of Loos we lost more nien th·a n were lost by all the servi~es. togethe.r in the whole of D-Day 1944. On the first day of the Somine offensive the British Army suffered 57,000 causali~ies - the biggest loss·ever suffered by any army in a single day. And yet, as one historian has put it, to see the ground gaine.d one needs a magnifying glass an.d large-scale map.. . - Norman F: DiXon, On the Psychology ofMi~itary Incompetence? 1976 ·:....
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Esther Paul, wife of Dr J. H. Paul was almost hidden by paper roses when she drove her husband's Renault in the 1915 Australia路 Day procession through路 Gosford in support of thf! war effort. The role of 'Brittania ' was played by Miss Marion McCabe. Mrs Paul was the first . Gosford woman to hold a drivers licence. Information Preparing to participate in the Gosford A ustralia Day courtesy of Gwen Dundon. photo courteSy of Gwen 1915 procession are Fred Ash and Fred Cox ofAsh & Cox Edmondson. Real Estate Agents. Photo courtesy ofGwen Edmondson.
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we h~ve'ju'st bee~ i~·rough~ tbough:i~\vas sho~ thri}.~gb
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Tbe.w ar Witb.t en:or, _iS 1 compared\vith the war-we would have to face liext. time •. "' .,·.~ ~: .?':-.: ..;~~. ' ': •··• .. . ' .. . ·'· .: .. . ' ·.. -. . . '-·:· . -_-: "'.... ·· .· ,· -~·· " .. _, . .,... Woodrbw Wilson; .1919, in JorufDo$ }>$sos;Mr W#s(?.n~ War_, 1963 :·:
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BOER WAR ( 1899-1902)...The total number of dead for all nations taking part in the conflict were 19,596. · A total of 6,863 were kiUed in action, enteric fever claimed 7,807 and other diseases 4,926. Australia ·dispatched a to.tal of 16,175 officers and o~her ranks (along with 16,314 horses). There were 38 officers and 480 other ranks .killed among a total of 1,400 casualities; most of · which died from disease and illness rather than combat. Six soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross. According to official records and newspaper reports of the time, the Legge family of Wood port (Erina) held the Empire record with siX: brothers serving at the front at the same time. When the 'colonials' were reviewed by Queen Victoria, the New South Wales men were first. Sergeant W . Gwennap Legge of the 1st Australian Light Horse was called out first and presented to the ·q ueen. He subsequently received a letter dated, Windsor Castle, November 28, 1900 which read: Sir Arthur Bigge is commanded by the. Queen to send to Sergeant Legge a framed portrait of her Majesty, which the Queen desires him to take to his father as a gift from her Majesty in recogt?ition of the fact that he has six sons who have all been serving their Queen and Empire in South Africa: The Queen heartily congratulates Mr Legge upon his proud possession of these sokfier sons. Following Sergeant Legge's return to Aus~ralia in March of 1901, a large crowd gathered at the Gosford School of Arts hall on Saturday, March 9 to welcome not only him but also one of his brothers, Private H. Percy Legge of the NSW Army Medical Corps. In attendance were the mayor, Aid M. Ward and Mrs J ames Henry Legge (unfortunately, Mr Legge senior was too ill to attend), Rev. J. King-Brown, Mr Charles Peck, Mr W. Mcintyre and Aid Moroney. · Mr. Ward noted in his speech that, not only did the Legge family hold the record of six sons serving at the front, Sergeant Legge was the first Australian soldier to be present to the (by then) late queen. · · 'As Mr Legge senior was unable to attend the welcoming home ceremony, it was decided the · Queen's portrait would be presented to him at his home. According to a newspaper report of the event ..•Following the various speeches, Sgt Legge, on behalf of his brother and himself, suitably acknowledged the ·welcome· extended to them and gave some interesting anecdotes of his experiences in South Africa, recounting a strange coincidence in· . all six brothers meeting in Bloemfontein, where one subsequently succumbed to enteric fever. The newspaper article went on to report... Cheers having been given for the Legge family and the Australians at the·front, a party of residents drove to Woodport, where the presentation was made ·in the presence of a number of leading townsmen. Mr Legge, who was apparently ~ery weak, wquld pr/rsist in standing to return thanks. He said that he received the Queen's present as an individual Australian, but he felt that the honor was intended to be a recognition of the loyalty of the Australian States. · The eldest son, Captain (la~er Lieut-General) J ames Gordon. Legge, was the co~manding officer of the NSW Infantry contingent in South Africa being awarded the Queen's. Medal with four clasps and the King's Medal with two clasps. ·
ODD ·W ORLD WAR I (1914-1918)...A ustralia lost nearly 60,000 men.
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T he final total of' allied cas.ualities was put at 6,211,834 killed - a million more than all the men, women and children in Australia .at that time. 127
To try and comprehend just what a mass of humanity six million plus is, it _m ight help to read an excerpt from an American newspaper in 1919. The article stated, in part.. Let us visualise a march of the British dead At daybreak they start 20 abreast. Until sundown they march. .. and the next day, and the "next. For ten days the British dead pass in review past a given point...For-11 more days the French deadpass down... For the Russians it would require the dqylight offive weeks more. Two months and a half would be required for the Allied dead to pass a given point. The enemy dead: would require more than six weeks. The British Empire, with its fighting force of approximately 8,000,000 men, contributed 12 per cent of its total pQpulation - a greater percentage than any other of the allies. Germany's army of 10,000,000 represented 12.5 per cent of its population at that time._ A total of 48, ~00 , 000 men were engaged in fighting with total casualities exceeding 20,000,000 and the death toll more than 8,000,000. · In Australia a total of 416,808. troops enlisted (one third of all males aged between 1-8 and 44). Of these, 330,000 were sent overseas with 226,073 being killed or wounded. The Australian Army, including the Australian Flying Corps, suff~red nearly 60,000 deaths with a further 170 dyirig during naval service. These figures include those who died from wounds or illness ·up to March 31, 1921, when the Australian Imperial Force officially disbanded. In France alone, more than 10,000 :Australians' remains have never been found or identified. Two thirds of the Australian troops were wounded one or in ore times and some were wounded up to seven times, the highest percentage of the armed forces of the British Empire. · Over the co~rse of World War I the AIF suffered a 68.5 per c~nt casualty rate, compared with Britian's 52.5 per cent. Those Aust~alians of(icially listed as 'killed', 'died'- _o r ' missing' totaled 59,258.
o·oo World War II (1 939-1945)... Tota1 enlistment for the Australian Army, Navy and RAAF was 826,900. Of this number, the army suffered nearly 19,000 battle deaths to June 30, 1947, when the Second AIF disbanded. RAAF records list more than 11,500 aircrew killed (including 4,496 killed in air accidents), and 266 ground battle deaths. The navy lists 2,170 deaths. Many thousands more service personnel were wounded. The V'ctoria Cross was awarded 20 times.
.
ODD
... Korea (1950-1953) ...(339 killed). DOD
... Malayan Emergency... (36 killed). ODD
... Indonesian Confrontation... (l5 killed). 000
Vietnam (1962-1972)•.. In terms of time, Vietnam was Australia's longest involvement in a conflict. Approximately 50,000 Australians served there of which 15,000 were National Servicemen. There were more than 3,900 casualities with 496 killed. The Victoria Cross was awarded four times. FOOTNOTE: In all the wars, conflicts, etc in which Australia has been involved, approximately 100,000' members of the defence forces have been killed or have died -on active service. FOOTNOTE: The above information was compiled from the SYDNEY SUN newspaper issue of July 30, 1971 and AUSTRLIAN DEFENCE 1/ERITAGE by Frank Doak.
128
~uprtme
.
sarrifirt 路
.
129
.
EXPLANATION The following pages contain the alphabetical listings of those individuals, from the Central Coast, who lost their life in the various conflicts in which Australia has .been involved. Every effort has been made to ensure no individu~l was omitted though only time will tell if this has been the case. As well, all information found concerning those named has been included to assist in the tracing of each serviceman listed. Located to the left of each name may be found a series of numbers (though not in all cases). These numbers represent the memorials and/or honour rolls on which that. individual's name appears. The location numbers are to be found in the alphabetical listing at the beginning of 路 each section. 路 For those interested in conducting further research on those war dead listed (especially from World War I) the following address may be of assistance:
Australian Archives National Office World War I Personnel Records Service PO Box 117 MITCHELL, A.C.T. 2911 Ph: (06) 2093 428 Fax:(06) 241 7711 e-mail:ww1prs@aa.gov.au Of course, there are also the excellent research facilities of Gosford City Library's Local Studies section and the research centre at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra which is open to the public.
130
13()~12
WA12 .
I
LOCATION
NAME
REGTL. NO .
RANK
UNIT
2 2 2
LEGGE, Franklyn Harcourt MAYO, Sidney Selwyn M0RRAY, John Rowan
268 1812 72
Corporal Trooper Private
1st NSW Mtd Rifles 2nd NSW Mtd Rifles Imperial Bushmen
.. NUMBER
HOME . Erina (Woodport) Gosford 路 Wamberal
DATE& CAUSE OF DEATH 20/05/01 11/03/02 01/11/00
* * *
* Though local newspaper reports stated Corporal Legge and Private Murray were killed in action and no cause of death was given for Trooper Mayo, the offical casualty lists in the Sydney Morning Herald stated each as having 'died of fever' (possibly enteric fever - a type of typhoid}. This was not uncommon as the ratio . of those perishing from illness and disease as opposed to combat deaths was nearly three to one.. . . . 路 路
. ~
W()l!LU WAll I LOCATION NUMBER 39,40,43,53,54 35 47 18 12 45 46 12,36 1,3 , 10,20 35 6 1,3,10,12,18,21 28 28
'6
12,32,53
12,28 40,54 I ,3,40,41 ,43,54 47 1,3,23 1,3,23
NAME ACKLAND, Elson Robert AKERS, Charles Alfred ALEXANDER, A. ALLEN, Frederic!<: James ALLEN, Percy Bartholomew ANDERSON, William Andrew ATKINS, Arthur Shoobridge BAILEY, Albert Lyall BAILEY, Cecil Henry BALE, Harry BANKS, Arthur Thomas ·BARNES; Reginald Frederick BA TEUP, John BAYLISS, E. 0 . BEAN, Albert. Henry BEATTIE, A. BEATTIE, R. BELLIA, Francis BENTLEY, H: BENTLEY, Lionel Samuel BLACK, Frank Edward . BLACKWELL, J. 'BOHRINGER, Henry Edward BOTH, Lewis Thomas MM BOYD, William · BRADLEY, Jock BROWN, Harold Henry BUCKLEY, John Joseph BUCKTON,Richard George BURNS, Ralph Whitely BUSHELL, Archie Ernest CAIN, Sydney Alexander CAMPBELL, Henry Albert CAMPBELL, Irvine Fleming
'RANK
UNIT 4th Battalion 35th Battalion
4728 1908 . 701 2763 6947 6 1237 5331 1314 2531
Private Lance Corporal Signalman Private Private Private Corporal Private Private Private Prjvate Private Private
53rd Battalion 1st Battalion 3rd Battalion 40th Battalion 15th Battalion 13th Battalion. 8th Battalion 56th Battalion ·, 49th Battalion 34th Battalion
5986
Private
13th Battalion
7209
Private .
1st Battalion
.REGTL. NO. 6216 2516
1779 528
. 649 425 3.122 6954 . 5343 2,526 385 2082
Private Private
18th Battalion LH/6th Regiment
Private
NZ Forces •
Private
4th ~attalion
Private Private Private Private · Sergeant-Major Private Private Captain
20th Battalion 53rd Battalion . 4th Battalion 45th Battalion 36th Battalion · 2nd Battalion 1st Pioneers 2nd Battalion
HOME
Gosford Kulnura Wyee District · Gosford Hawkesbury Erina Wyong District St Albans Hawkesbury Y arrainalong ' Matcham Wyong District Wyee District W oy W oy Peninsula Wamberal Tuggerah Tuggerah Tuggerah Wyong District Gosford Woy Woy Peninsula TumbiJJmbi Gosford Wyong Creek · Terrigal Hawkesbury Gosford Tuggerah Mangrove Mountain Mangrove Mountain Hawkesbury Wyoming Wyoming
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
KIA KIA
06/0~/17
13/10/17
· DOlL DOW KIA KIA DOW DOW KIA KIA KIA KIA
25110/18 11108/15 12110117 . 04/10/ 17 10/07117 07/05/15 27/08/1 5 0 1/11/16 02/04/1 7 08/06117
KIA
ll/04/ 17
KIA
17/04/ 18
DOW DOlL
28/08/15 26112115
KIA KIA KIA DOlL KIA KIA KIA
12/ 11/18 18/09/18 05/05/ 17 01111/15 04/ 10/1 7 01 /09/ 18 04/10/17 07/08/ 16 11/06117 10/07115 09/ 1111 7 02/06/ 15
KIA DOW KIA DOW
WUl?L[) WAI:? I LOCATION NUMBER 6 1,3, 11,22,25,27 . 40,43 31 · 28 11,25,27 26 1,23 6,14,15,48 6,14,15,48 1,3 12,28,31 11,22,25,27 12,28,31 1, 1,3 28 47 11,22,25,27 12 12,33 12,31
1,3 11,22,25,27 1,3
12,31
NAME CAREY, W. J. CATO, Vincent Arthur CHURCH, Chester Cecil CLARKE, Arthur James CLOUTEN, Leslie COLLINGS, H. J. COMPTON, Clarence Henry CONNELLY, E . COULL, Sydney Archibald COX, Edward King Standish COX, Miles Standish CRAGG, William CRANE, Hector Phillip CRANE, Phillip Patrick CRANE, Robert George CRAWFORD, Reginald E. CUNNINGHAM, James CURTIS, Arthur Prior DENNEY, Henry Robert DENTON, Arthur Oliver DENVER, Ralph DICKENSON, Jack M. DIXON, David William DUNCAN, Peter T. DWYER, Thomas EATHER, Roland James EGAN, Joseph John ELEY, Samual Thomas EVANS, John Arthur EVANS, Walter FAGAN, Patrick Joseph FARR., D. FARRELL, James Arthur
REGTL. NO.
RANK
UNIT
23 635 1888A 2421
Private Sergeant Private Private
2nd Battalion 30th Battalion 35th Battalion 35th Battalion
1011
Sergeant
LW5th Regiment
2151 · 164 165 2824 2339 ·7224 2810 2292 6298 . 1326 5001 . 531 . 12104 4705 2646 6729 2411 1435 3513 1337
Private Private Private Private
13 tl). Battalion 4th Battalion 4th Battalion 33rd Battalion 55th Battalion 35th Battalion 4th MG Battalion 13th Battalion lstFAB 13th Battalion 15th FCE 2nd Pioneers 9th Field Ambulance A. I. F . 17th Batt(llion 56th Battalion 1st Battalion 45th Battalion 4th Pioneers 14th MG Battalion 2nd Battalion
1192
Private
20th Battalion
6990
Private
4th Battalion
Private Private Private Private Private Private Lance Corporal Private Private Sergeant Driver • Corporal Private Private Private Privat~
HOME Woy Woy Peninsula Ourimbah Mangrove Mountain Wyong Tuggerah Ourimbah Green Point Ourimbah Narara Wagstaffe Wagstaffe Gosford Tuggerah Ourimbah Tuggerah · Warnervale Gosford Narara Tuggerah Jilliby Hawkesbury Ourimbah Wyong Wyong District . Dooralong Hawkesbury Gosford Narara Ourimbah Hawkesbury · Narara Wyong
CAUSE OF DEATii
DATE OF DEATH
KIA KIA · KIA DOW
02/05/15 20/07/17 12/10/17 05/04/.18
KIA
3-4/09/17
KIA DOlL DOlL KIA DOW DOW KIA KIA · KIA DOW DOW KIA KIA
29/08/17 13/12/14 16/12/14 12/10/17 16/03/17 25/10/17 11/04/17 18/09/18 17/08/16 22/10/17 30/10/17 05/05/17 12/12/17
KIA' KIA KIA KIA KIA KIA DOW
08/08/18 02/04/17 03/10/17 07/06/17 06/08/16 18/05/17 01/03/17
KIA
21/12/16
DOW
18/04/18
W()12LU WA12 I LOCATION NUMBER
NAME
FARRELL, John FARRELL, Michael FERNANCE, Darcy Lyle FISHBURN, W. (Fishenden) MID FLEMING, George Ray 45 FOWLER, Lawrie Joseph (D'Arcy) 6,15 FOUNTAIN, Raymond George MID 1,3 ·· FRENCH, Thomas Richard 1,3 FREWIN, Victor Joseph . FROST; Clive Harris 9,14,15 . 1 ' GALLOWAY, Johri GARDINER, W. T. B. (Thomas) 1,3 47 GARTON, Samual 1,3 GELL; Francis 6,14,1 5 GERAGHtY, WilliamJoseph 11,18,22,25,27 . GIBSON, Frederick Crowdy MM 12,36,37,39,40,54 GIBSON, Norman Johri GOLDSMITH, Frank Henry 1,3 GOLDSMITH, Raymond Leslie 12,22 GOODWIN, Victor Lindsay 39,40,41 ,43,54 GREY, Herbert Edward 12 HALL, Andrew Robert HALL, CeciL 12 HALL, William 1 HAMMOND, Alfred James 3 HAMMOND, H, A, HARDING, Gilbert 12,31,33 39,40,4 1,43,53,54 HARRIS, William Lindley C. 1,3 HASTINGS, William George 1-IAYW ARD, Ernest 11 ,22,25,26,27 ,3 i HENRY, James William 11 ,22,25,26,27 ,3 1 HENRY, John 1-IIGGS, T: HITCHCOCK, Francis Henry 1,3 1, 10, I 8,21 1,10,18,21 45
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
UNIT
HOME
Private Private Gunner . Corporal Private Private ·Sergeant Private Lieutenant Private Private Private Private Private Corporal Private Private Corporal Private Private Private Private Private · Private Corporal
3rd Battalion 26th Battalion 4th FAB 56th Battalion 3rd Battalion 13th Battalion 18th Battalion 30th Battalion 18th Battalion 7th LH Brigade 17th Battalion 7th LH Brigade 20th Battalion 1st Battalion I st Battalion 13th Battalion 56th Battalion 1st Battalion 3rd Battalion 45th Battalion 18th Battalion 13 th Battalion 4th Battalion 18th Battalion 54th Battalion
Wamberal Wamberal St Albans WoyWoy St Albans Wyong Woy Woy Gosford Gosford Kin cumber Gosford Gosford Hawkesbury Gosford Woy Woy . Ourimbah Yarramalong Wyoming Wyong Hawkesbury Kulnura Dooralong Dooralong Gosford Sorriersby
DOW KIA KIA KIA DOW KIA KIA DOW KIA DOlL · DOlL DOW KIA KIA DOW. KIA KIA KIA DOW KIA DOW KIA DOW KIA KIA
07/05/1 7 29/10/17 29/09117 17/04118 28/05115 24/08/1 5 09/10/17 16/09117 15/04/18 01112/18 04/10/15 03/09/15 03/0511 7 08/05/ 17 23/08/18 08/08/18 03/04117 03/10/17 . 01108115 07/06/1 7 . 21/06/16 29/08/16 06/05/17 15111116 15 .05.17
5583 3165 1145
Private Lance Corporal 2nd Lieutenant Private Private Private
3rd Battalion 20th Battalion 1 1th Battalion 18th Battalion · 48th Battalion 54th Battalion
DOW DOW KIA . DOW DOW KIA
15/08/18 19/04/1 7 22-25/07/16 15/03/1 7 14/10/17 15/05/17
584
Private
20th Battalion
Kanwal Kulnura Gosford Wyee Ourimbah Ourimbah Narara Gosford
DOl
26/07/15
REGTL. NO. 4468 3485 32005 3039 720 1943 54 2644 . 2333 . 554 222 5341 6009 3056 5378 3803 3334 1537 2907 1543 1352 2649 4136 3554 7356 4355
RANK
W()~LU WA~ LOCATION NUMBER 12 40,41 ,43,54 35 1,3 1 3 12,33 ,52 12 44
15 9,14, 15 31 1,3,40,43 ,54 . 40,41 ,43 ,54 44 6 1,3, 10,18,20,21 26 1,3 32 1,10 12 46 12,33 26
NAME
HOBBS, Ronald Stanley (Roy) MC HODGE(S?), William H. HUNTLEY, Clive Nielson Reynolds JAMIESON, William JARVIS, Edgar JENKINS, Richard Lewis Hay Blake JOHNSON, John Stobert JOHNSON, P. M. JONES, William KELLE, Leonard Jean KELLY, Herbert KILPATRICK, Albert George LACKIE, William Chalmers LANDAMAN, Albert Edward MM LANSDOWNE, Charles J. LANSDOWNE, Sidney Ernest J. LEES, F. LE GRAY, Richard Hubert LOVE, Clifford Ver~on ·. LYALL, James MACKLEY, Tom MM MARTIN, A. A. MARTIN, Cyril Henry MASON, H. MATH(I?)ESON, Frederick Hugh MAYO, Richard Stanley MCENERY, Thom.as Henry MC KENNA, Vic;tor Herman MCKENZIE; John MCLEAN, Allan MC MANUS, Ernest Alexander MC MILLAN, Robert· Bruce MENZIES, C. MILLER, Robert .
REGTL. NO. 1547 1969 . 2601 5118
1542 6360 2205 3260A 4654 3850A 6330 421 1704 2492
I
RANK
UNIT
HOME
Lieutenant Private Lieutenant Private Private Major Private
36th Battalion 17th Battalion 1st FCE 1st Battalion 34th Battalion 20th Battalion 3rd Battalion
Gosford Tumbi Umbi Gosford Mangrove Mountain Wyee District Gosford Gosford Gosford Jilliby Wyong Spencer Gosford
Private Private Private Lieutenant Private Sergeant Private · Lance Corporal Private Private Private Private Private
3355
Private
352 162 1302 4605 6145 3193 2428
Sergeant Corporal Corporal Private Private Lance Corporal Private Lance Corporal
453
Sergeant
1st Battalion 20th Battalion 33rd Battalion 45th Battalion 5th Pioneers 31st Batialion 19th Battalion 17th Battalion 2nd Battalion 1st Battalion 1st Battalion 53rd Battalion . 3rd Battalion 3rd Battalion 4th Battalion 45th Battalion 20th Battalion 53rd Battalion 18th Battalion 4th Battalion
Narara WoyWoy Kincumber Tuggerah Mount Penang Mangrove Mountain Narara Spencer Woy Woy Peninsula Matcham Ourimbah Gosford . Oosford Wyong Creek Erina . Wyong District · · Wisemans Ferry Warnervale . Narara Ourimbah WoyWoy
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
DOW . KIA DOW DOW KIA KIA DOW
05/04/18 27/07/16 . 08/05/15 17/04/18 01/10/17 11/12/15 ~ 22/06/17
KIA KIA KIA KIA KIA KIA KIA
17/09/15 06-1 1/08/15 20/09/17 12/10/17 24/02/ 17 14/09/17 27/09/17 12/04/18
DOl KIA KIA KIA
16/12/16 24/12/16 04/10/17 05-08/05/17
DOW
08/08/16
KIA KIA KIA KIA
24/07/16 23/08/ 18 27/05/15 08/08/16
DOW KIA
09/08/18 06/01/17 05/10/ 17
. DOW
23/08/18
WU~LU WA~ LOCATION NUMBER 1,3 1 11 ,22,25,27 6,14,15 12 11 ,22,25,27
6,15 12 1,23 1 1,3 28 6 6,14,15 12,32 42 42 39,40141,43 ,54 11 ,22,25,27 12,33 1,40,41 ,43,54 1 1,3 .
12,31 12,31
NAME .
MOIR, Charles Norman MORRIS, Cecil William MURPHINE, Oscar Dinley MURPHY, Andrew .Arthur MURRAY, Harold MURRAY, Henry Edward NANCARROW, Claude Eugene NEILL, A. NESBITT, Alfred Dunleavy NUNN, George A. ORMISTON, John Horace O'ROURKE, Alexan4er O'TOOLE, Austin Stanley O'TOOLE, Percival C. PAGE, Thomas Aiwyn PARSONS, Albert George P ARSONSON, Cecil Claude PEAK, E. J. . PEEL, Harry PEMBERTON, Bertie · PEMBERTON, Percy PEMBERTON, Roy Torrens Michael PENN, Mayson PERKINS, William John PHILLIPS, Roy Alexander PINKSTONE, Victor John PLACE, . Edward Henry PORRITT, Alexander MM POTTER, Walter Ernest . PRESTON, C. C. RANDALL, Kenneth George REDGATE, William Henry
I
REGTL. NO.
RANK
34779 160 2184 937 5415 7522 2366
Gunner Private Private Private Private · Private Private
2ndFAB 3rd Battalion 18th Battalion 20th Battalion 45th Battalion 1st Battalion . 36th Battalion
4498
19th Battalion
542 857 88
Private Private Private Private Private Private Private · Private Bugler
35th Battalion 56th Battalion 20th Battalion 36th Battalion 3rd Battalion 36th Battalion 2nd Battaliori,
3433 4891
Private Private
4th Pioneers 1st Pioneers
4506 744 966 7758 964 6369 2671 3395
Private Private Private Private Private Private Corporal Private
19th Battalion 19th Battalion 3rd Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion 26th Battalion 43rd Battalion 53rd Battalion
3251 2820
Private Private
2nd Battalion 4th Battalion
2372 3415 959
UNIT
HOME
Springfield Gosford Ourimbah WoyWoy The Entrance Ourimbah . Ourimbah Narara Gosford WoyWoy Wyong District Narara Narara Gosford · Gosford Point Clare Woy Woy Peninsula WoyWoy Wyong Creek Mangrove Mountain ··Mangrove Mountain Kulnura Point Clare Kanwal · Mangrove Mountain Narara Gosford WoyWoy Tuggerah Wyong District Tumbi Umbi
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
KIA KIA KIA DOl .KIA DOl KIA
14/03/18 07-12/0S/15 22/05/16 02/02/16 . 05/04/18 17/12/18 12/10/17
KIA
02/05/17 04/12/18 06/05/18 03/04/17 12/05/16 25/05/18 18/08/15 04/05/18 27/04/15
DOW KIA DOW DOW KIA . KIA DOW DOIL ·
04/08/16 03/02/19
KIA KIA DOW DOW KIA DOW DOW KIA
14/11/16 25/08/15 27/06/15 . 18/09/18 07-12/08/15 06/10/18 27/02/l7 19/07/16
KIA KIA
23/08/18 16/04/18
W()l2LU WAl? I LOCATION NUMBER
NAME
RICHARDSON, Victor John RILEY, Claude Ernest RITCHIE, Frank Herbert MM ROBERTS, John Henry ROBERTS, Richard Charles ROSE, Amos Thomas ROSS, H. v. · ROYDE, John Henry SCAYSBROOK, Michael Edward SCHUBERT, Phillip Stanley SEARLE, Victor SHERIDAN, Henry Richard SHERRATT, Wilfred James SINGLETON, Albert Victor SMITH, Aubrey E. 12,28,31 SMITH, H. E: 28,32 SMITH, Richard William SMITH, Walter 28 1, 11,22,23,25,26,27 SOHIER, Norman Henry SOWELL, Herbert Keith 3 ST AR.KEY, S. A. 40,43 ,54 STARKEY, Valentine Montgomery 40,42,54 STUART, Frederick 6,14,15 TARRANT, E. 28 TATE, Eric Austin 12 TAYLOR, John Paterson 6,15 THOMAS, Lewis MM THOMl'SON, P. 26 TISDALL, William TONKIN, Leslie George 6,15 TONKIN, Richard Calet 6, 15 TYNAN, Leslie David DCM 11 ,22,25,27 WALKER, Herbert Charles 11,22,25,27
12,32,53 1,3,10,21 6, 13,15,49 . 6,13,15,49 46 47 12 1, 19
REGTL. NO.
RANK
UNIT
4253 2138 3514 4870 5101 46327
Private Lance Corporal Private Private Private Private
~nd Battalion 35th Battalion 14th FAB 54th Battalion 18th Battalion Depot
2148 2211 1242 2439
Private Gunner Sergeant Private
34th Battalion 19th Battalion 34th Battalion 20th Battalion
6839 184
Private Private Lance Corporal
13th Battalion 34th Battalion
371 1826
6086 . 3990
CQMS · Private Private Lieutenant
2926 14921 4570
Private Private Private Sergeant Driver Lance Corporal
993 1646 445 2872 16475
Sergeant Private Private Private Private
3rd Battalion 4th Battalion 18th Battalion 4th Battalion 45th Battalion 20th Battalion AASC 38th Co AMD 3rd Battalion
!
19th Battalion 20th Battalion 13th Battalion 4th Battalion 6th FCE
HOME
Wyong Creek Wamberal Woy Woy Woy Woy Wisemans Ferry Hawkesbury Wyong District Gosford Gosford Wyong Gosford Wisemans Ferry Tuggerah Tuggerah Gosford Tuggerah Narara Gosford Mangrove Mountain . Mangrove Mountain Woy Woy Tuggerah Wyong District Point Clare Gosford Ouriinbah Hawkesbury WoyWoy WoyWoy Ourimbah Ourimbah
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
DOW KIA DOW DOW DOW DOl
24/07/16 ·27/06/18 08/08/ 18 15/02/18 04/03/17 • 13/08/16
KIA DOlL KIA KIA DOW DOlL KIA DOW
12/1 0/17 18/04/19 13/10/17 26/07/16
KIA .
03/11/18 11/04/17 12/10/ 17
KIA KIA
07/10/17 1917 13/07/15 03/05/17
KIA . KIA
08/05/17 07/06/17
KIA DOl KIA
09/10/17 21/11/18 18/09/18
DOW KIA KIA · KIA DOW
30/03/18 14/11/16 19/08/ 15 26/07/16 19/05/18
W()VLU WAV I LOCATION NUMBER 11,22,25,26,27 . 12,31,36,37
NAME
WALMSLEY, .Cecil Carrington WATERS, Edgar Roy WAUGH, Francis William 6 WEAVER, Gordon (or C.) WEEKS, George (orW. E.) WEEKS, Reginald Royal WEIR, James Stuart D . . 1,10,18,21 . WEISS, Erle Victor 1, 10,18,21 WEISS, Frederick Alfred 39,40,43 ,54 WHITEHEAD,_ Milo WHITPAINE, Cleveland 39,40,41,43 ,54 WILLIAMS; Harold Edwin WILLIAMS, Jack WILLIAMS, Roy. WILLIAMSON, Percy 23 WILLIS, George Samuel 40,41 WOODBURY, Sidney J. 44,54 . WOODBURY, Stephen Bernard 12,3 2,53 WOODBURY, William John · WOODS, George Richard 1,3,10,18,19 WRIGHT, Clarence Williaqt YATES, Alexander Thomas 11,22,25,26,27 YATES, Thomas Richard . 11,22,25,26,27,51 YOUNG, William CeCil
REGTL. NO.
RANK
1017 693A 2406
Private Private Private Trooper Corporal Private Private Bombardier Private Private . Private Lance Corporal Private Sergeant Private Private Driver .. Private Private Private Lance Corporal Private Private Private
6379 3400 2867 11147 · 3578 6096 275 973 3252 1846 5477 5894 285 2674 1125 6613 4354 1169 2243 2285
·. UNIT
20th Battalion 20th Battalion 36th Battalion 6th LH Brigade · 2nd Battalion 36th Battalion 4th Battalion 1st FAB 53th Battalion 2nd Battalion 25th Battalion . 2nd LH Brigade 53rdBattalion 45th Battalion 4th Battalion 18th Battalion · 2nd MG Battalion 37th Battalion 7th LH Brigade 13th Battalion 2nd Battalion 4th Battalion 3rd Battalion 20th Battalion
HOME
Ourimbah Yarramalong Jilliby WoyWoy MountPenang Gosford Gosford Erina Erina Mangrove Mountain . The Entrance Kulnura Wamervale Norahville Gosford Narara. Lower Mangrove Spencer Wyong Creek Hawkesbury Erina Ourimbah Otirimbah Ourimbah
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
KIA KIA
. 26/07/16 07/04/18 10/06/17
KIA KIA ' KIA' KIA KIA .. KIA KIA KIA KIA KIA DOlL KIA KIA KIA KIA KIA KIA DOW KIA DOW
09/04/17 07/05/18 26/07/16 09/08/18 19/07/16 09/04/17 29/07/16 05/11/17 26/09/17 10/06/17 31/10/18 03/10/18 16/04/18 31/07/17 19/10/15 01/05/18 23/07/16 02/05/15 06-12/08/15 15/08/16
ORDER OF BATTLE Australian Imperial Forces 1914-18 1st Division
2nd Division
路 5th Division
Jrd Division
4th Division 4th Brigade:
14th Brigade:
13th, 14th, 15th, 16th Battalions
Jrd, 54th, 55th, 56th Battalions
1st Brigade: .
5th Brigade:
9th Brigade:
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Battalions
17th, 18th, 19th, 20th Battalions
33rd, 34th, 35th, 36th Battalions
2nd Brigade:
6th Brigade:
lOth Brigade: .
5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Battalions
21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th Battalions
37th, 38th, 39th, 40th Battalions
45th, 46th, 47th, 48th Battalions
57th, 58th, 59th, 60th Battalions
3rd Brigade:路
7th Brigade:
11th Brigade:
13th Brigade:
8th Brigade:
25th, 26th, 27th, 28th Battalions
41st, 42nd,43rd, 44th Battalions
49th, 50th, 51st, 52nd Battalions
29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd Battalions
9th, lOth, 11th, 12th Battalions
12th Brigade: .
15th Brigade:
Each division had its own .field artillery, trench mortar battery, machine gun battalion, engineers battalion, pioneer battalion, signals, medical, veterinary and ordnance units, pay section, mounted troops, cyclist company, supply column and ammunition park.
Light Horse Brigades 1st Brigade 1st, 2nd, 3rd Regiments ,
2nd Brigade
3rd Brigade
4th Brigade
5th Brigade
5th, 6th, 7th Regiments
8th, 9th, 1Oth Regiments
4th, 11th, 12th Regiments
14th, 15th Regiments
. The Light Horse had their own machine gun squadrons, field ambulances and veterinary sections.
Australian Corp Units Artillery, heavy artillery, heavy trench mortar battery, tunnelling companies, railway operating companies, mechanical transport companies . .
Camel Corps with supporting units. Source: The Australian Army at War 1899-1975 - ISBN: 0 85045 418 2
WUl!LU WAl! II REGTL. NO.
LOCATION NUMBER
NAME
35 1
ALABASTER, Henry ALEXANDER, Edward D . ALEXANDER, T. ALLEN, Llewelyn ARCHIBALD,. W. G. BABEKUHL, J. BARRADEtL, G. E. BAS SAN, Trevor William BEAVEN, C. (or G.) A. BEA YEN, Geoffrey Herbert · · BERRY, L. BIGGS, R. A. BOND,F . BOYD, S. BOYD, S. E. BRACK, D. N. (or D. M .) BRYANT, Ronald Owen BURNS, D. · BURNS, William E. BURRASTON, John Clarence BUTLER, Albert F. CAlL, Walter B. CALCOTT, N. A. CASTELLI; J. W. CHEYNE, George James CREWS, Harry W. CROCKER, Robert A. CROUDACE, J.D. CROWTHER, Allister Dalton CROWTHER, F. CURWOOD,J. DAVIS, James DAVIS, R. R.
l ,2i 1,24 6,14 12,30 40,54 11 6,14 35 12,30 1 1,24 1 I 12,30 . 6,14 1,13 16 1,13 . 6,14 6,14 I 12 30 14 12,30
Rae
RANK
UNIT
HOME
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF . DEATH
KIA KIA DOW KIA
29/10/42 Ol/06/45 26/04/41 20/04/43 .
Wyee District Gosford Mangrove· Mountain NX29344 NX132924 NX1878 411985 NX72115 NX2ll08
N6799 . NX22770 NX51719 402725
Sergeant Private Trooper Sergeant Pilot/Officer Private Lance Corporal Gunner
Private Private Private Sergeant Private Flight Officer
NX50799 . NX57555 429846 VX65455 NX68077 411007
NX3550
Lance Corporal Private · Private Flight Sergeant Private Private . ·oBS Sp Private Private Lance Corporal
7th LH Brigade 2nd MG Battalion Wamberal 3/10 Calv. Command · Narara 2nd Infantry Battalion 2 Squadron Woy Woy Peninsula Mangrove Mountain 20th InfantryBattalion Peats Ridge 3 Anti-Tank Regiment Ourimbah Woy Woy Peninsula Wyee District 1st Infantry Battalion Wyong District 1st Pioneer Battalion Wyong Creek AAMC 2/Hl Fld Amb Gosford 102 Squadron Narara Gosford . Gosford RAAF . Wyong AASC Woy Woy Peninsula 12th Field Command . Springfield Wagstaff 3 Anti-Tank Regiment Springfield 463 Squadron . Woy Woy Peninsula Woy Woy Peninsula 27th Infantry Brigade · . AASClst Res Mt Cpy Gosford Wyong 460 Squadron . Wyong District RAAF Woy Woy Peninsula Tuggerawong 1st Field Cpy RAE Tuggerawong
POW/DOlL KIA
22/06/43 27/07/42
DOlL DOlL KIA
08/08/41 . 17/05/45 08/11/4 I
KIA KIA
29/01/45 06/07/40
POW/DOlL
28/12/43
. KIA KIA
01/11/42 22/12/44
POW/LAS DOlL KIA
13/09/44 15/10/41 14/09/42
. KIA
W()VLU WAV II LOCATION NUMBER
NAME
REGTL. NO.
RANK
34 12,30 36
DENNISS, Fred DEWHURST,C. DEWHURST, G ..T. (Tini) DIXON, David William DONNELLY, Richard DOWNING, Edward James 路 DREW. C. H. A. DUBOIS, Evariste Pierre DUFFY,. G. E. ELWELL, Ronald FERNANCE, N . ~ A . J.
NX26664
Private
1,13 12,30 1, 13 . 1 12,30 12,30,36 6,14 12,30 1,13 1, 13 13 1,5, 14 1,11,24,25 1 1 1, 11,21,25 5
12,30 1,16 . 12,30
FITZELL, G. FOWLER, Jack R. H FRANCIS, Edmund Victor FRAZER, Lancelot Janies FRY, A. S. J (Alan?) FULLER, S. R. GALLARD, Alan L. GALLARD, L. 1. GATES, Brian Metcalfe GILLESPIE, Morgan Sanders GILLESPIE, Tom Morgan GOLDSMITH, Ray GOSSIP, Arthur Bennett GREEN, W. N. GREY, Frank GUY, Frank Edward HAMIL TON, Peter Hale HANSCOMBE, Donald Edwin HARRAOINE, Edward MM HART, Alan E.
NX168962 NX4705 Nl50682 NX59797 402982 NX7207.85 71382 . NX124508 NX92691
Private Private Private Private Private Flight Sergeant Corporal L.A. C. and Private
NX42343 NX71882 420653 NX67987
Private Corporal Flight Sergeant Private Warrant Officer
NX377l4 14827 NX59824 NX50824
Private L.A. C. Signalman Private
411262 .
405407 NX135847 NX155847 422174 NX1664
Flight Officer Telegraphist Sergeant Sergeant and Private Flight Sergeant Lieutenant 路 Private
UNIT
HOME
20th Infantry Battalion The Entrance North Wyong District .2nd Infantry Battalion Yarramalong 17th Infantry Battalion Gosford 39th Infantry Battalion .W:Yong District AAMC 2/12 Fld Amb Gosford 路 269 Squadron Matcham 35th Infantry Battalion Gosford . 14 A' eft Repair Depot Wyong 33rd Infantry Battalion Y arramalong Woy Woy Peninsula The Entrance Wyong Gosford Gosford Brooklyn Gosford 30th Infantry Battalion Pearl Beach 3 Squadron . Narara 8th Division Signals Kine umber 8th Division ' Kincumber 3rd Infantry Battalion 463 Squadron Wamberal HMAS Perth Pearl Beach RAMF 200 Squadron 23rd Infantry Battalion Wyong District 13th Infantry Battalion 8th Division HQ 460 Squadron 3rd Infantry Battalion
106 Squadron Wagstaff 13th Infantry Battalion 18th Infantry Battalion Springfield
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
POW/DOlL
17/08/45
DOW KIA DOW KIA POWIEXC 路 KIA DOlL DOlL DROWNED
05/04!45 Prior to April '43
KIA POW/DOlL MIAO DOW
28/10/42 16/07/43 . 03/07/43 03/12/42
POW/DOlL KIA POW/LAS POW/LAS
26/09/44 18/12/42 12/09/44 12/09/44
KIA
DOl KIA
22/06/44 01/03/42 January 1943 . 07/01/43 03/05/45
KIA
04/12/44
KIA
27/01/42
06/12/42 15/02/42 29/01/43 . 09/02/46 . 09/09/43 09/07/44
W()12LI) WAI? II LOCATION NUMBER 36 1,24,50 1, 11 ,25 40,54 35 1,40,54 12,30 6,14 1,13 1,13
6,14 1 12.30 12,30 1 1,40,54 11,25 7 1 12,30,33 1
6,14 6,14 5,6,14
NAME
HARVEY, B. HAYNES, Ronald William HELLYER, F. A. HILL, Roy HILL, S. G. HODGES, D. HOLLIS, Bill HOLME, Gerald HUCKLE, Reginald Arthur HUMPHRIES, William HUNT, James Thomas INGRAM, R. C. JENKINS,.D. H. . JENNETT, Clyde H: JONES, D. H. JUDGE,·Charles William KEARNEY, J. KELSON, G. KERR, Ronald Hugh KESSICK, 0. (David?) . KESSICK, Jack LOVE, Jack T. LUKE, Cyril Spencer MARTIN, Raymond Barsley . MC GLASHAN, Arthur (Reg) MC PHAN, Robert Barr MC PHERSON, Cameron Charles MOORE, N. T : MOORE, Neville Stanley MORANTE, Frank .MULLIGAN, R. D. MUNDAY, Richard MURPHY, M. F.
REGTL. NO. NX52144 NX25392
NX29052 NX44465 62716 . NX29000 NX71526
NX87378
NX70225 412461 NX69988 NX59357 · 413788 430873 NX49870 74354
NX131428
RANK
UNIT
· HOME
'yarramalohg 18th Infantry Battalion Wyoming ·Lisarow 15th Field Regiment · Mangrove Mountain Sergeant Gosfoi:d RAAF Wyee District NZ Forces Gunner 15th Field Regiment Kulnura 20th Infantry Batalion · Wyong Sergeant Woy Woy .Peninsula 5th Aircraft Depot .· · Gosford LAC Acting Sergeant · 8th Division Signals Gosford 22nd Infantry Brigade Private Private The Entrance Woy Woy Peninsula Oosford · Private Gosford Corporal 12th Field Ambulance Wyong District British Merchant Navy Wyong District · AlB Terrigal Gosford . 2nd Infantry Battalion Peats Ridge Lieutenant Warrant Officer 43 Sqd Otirimbah 213 MAc · Hardys Bay Corporal AASC 1st Company Gosford Flight Sergeant · 460 Squadron. Warnervale Sergeant · 'Gosford 108 Squadron 19th Infantry Battalion Gosford Private 58th Radar Squadron . Gosford AC1 Woy Woy Peninsula Woy Woy Peninsula Flight Sergeant Royal·Navy 9th Infantry Battalion Pearl Beach Private Private Gurnier
.· CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
KIA · KIA
08/02/42 15/02/42
POW/DOW · POW/DOlL POW/DOlL .
20/05/41 05/09/43 24/03/44
DOlL · POW/DOlL DOW
16/09/44 24/04/44 11/02/42
17/07/44 POW · DROWNED
DOW KIA POW KIA KIA ·KIA
M!PD DOlL
KIA
09/11/45 · 15/01/41 OR 45
24/04/41 05/02/44 . 20/0.5/43 11/02/42 03/09/43 25/07/42 09/02/42 13/12/43
November 1942 27/12/42
WU~L() WA~ LOCATION NUMBER 6,14
1 12,30 6,14 .· 6,14 .
6,14 1 6, 14 13 6,14 1 1,40,54 1,13,38 12,30 34 1,40,54 14 1,21 30 i1 1,40,54 6,14 . 6,14
NAME
NEAL, D. 0. DSM NEIL, H. C. NEIL, J. F: NEILL, A. C.. (Aubrey) NICHOLLS, Roy F. NORMAN, R. E. O'CONNER, M. D. O' CONNER, R. 0 . PARKS, James N. PARKS, Les PARTRIDGE, Wilfred J. PATON, D. K. PETERS, Ken A.·(H. A.?) PICKETT, John POLLOCK; David A. . REEVES, George RICKETT, J. W. RIDING, Edward H. ROBINSON, A. C. ROBINSON, Arthur Wilmott ROBINSON, C. M. S. ROBINSON, C. W. . ROBINSON, Guildford Blackman . ROYSTON, Clifford RUSSELL, J . SAVAGE, Jack R. SCHMERIER-SCHMIDT, Victor G .. SEWELL, Ronald SHADLOW, J. H. SHORROCK, W.V. SIMPSON, Thomas Henry DFC SKENE, A. J. SNELLGROVE, (or Snelgrove), Frank
REGTL. NO.
NX91491 NX24931
NX59908 NX54065
NX45711 NX50022 NX69214 VX2328
411187 429018 NX49796 NX30968
N90781
II
RANK
UNIT
HOME
Sto P/0
RAN
Woy Woy Peninsula Gosford
Private Gunner Sergeant Sergeant Private Corporal ·
17th Infantry Battalion 15th Field Regiment Kulnura
Acting Corporal Sapper
AASC 27th Battalion AAMC 2/12 Fld Arnb RAAF
Kin cumber Wyong District .
DATE OF DEATH 04/03/42
KIA POW/DOlL
10/10/43 05/10/43
POW/DOlL KIA
06/10/43 14/05/43
· DOW
10/02/42
KIA DOlL LAS KIA KIA
. 21/11/42 13/10/42
KIA KIA KIA POW/DOlL LAS DOlL
30/10/44 14/05/43
Woy Woy Peninsula Woy Woy Peninsula
19th (or 14th) Battalion . 2/3rd Field Squadron
Woy Woy Peninsula 1st Infantry Battalion. Gosfoid RAECRE Work .Woy Woy Peninsula RAN Gosford . 12 Squadron Woy Woy Peninsula Gosford Flight Sergeant 354 Squadron Mangrove Mountain Private 2/12 Field Ambulance Somersby Private Gosford Private 18th infantry Battalion Wyong HMAS Sydney The Entrance Mangrove Mountain Wing Commander RAAF Woy Woy Peninsula Ldr Stocker RAN Erina Private Wyong District Wamberal · Lance Corporal 47th Infantry Battalion Mangrove Mountain Flight Officer Woy Woy Peninsula Woy Woy Peninsula Private Lieutenant AB Private Flight ·Sergeant
CAUSE OF DEATH
14/09/42
08/03/45 1941
27/11/42
KIA
04/09/43
WU12L[) WA12 II LOCATION NUMBER 11,25 1 46 5;6,14 12,30,33 12,30 12,29,30 29 12,30 6,14 . 1 6,14 6,14 l
1,13 . 1,13 1,13 4,6 . 12,30 1!',25 1,13 1
· NAME
SODON, D .. SOHIER,E. G. SOLLING, P. ST~ , J. .. STAPLES, Phillip Sterling STEINBECK, W. 1. TAYLOR, ColE. THOMPSON, Craig S. TRESSITER,•John N. TRIGG, E. Keith TRIGG, R. TYRIE, Robert Henry VAN GELDER, Frank VENESS, Daniel Edward WARE, F. R. WEBB, B. WEBB, W. WELLS, C. (Austin) WHITE, John Peterson WILKINSON, Alfred WILKINSON, T. WILLIAMS, R. S. DFC WINSTANLEY, 1. . WINTERFLOOD, A. A. (Joe) WOOD, Gordon WOODBRIDGE, E. (K. M.?) WOODBURY, W.
REGTL. NO.
RANK
NX28616
Privat~
N286902 NX15443 NX108993 411408 424477 NX53269
Private .W~rant Officer 2
Corporal Sergeant Flight Sergeant Private
NX67416
Private
411620 NX59798
Flight Sergeant Gunner
. . 424497
411411 NX50764
Warrant Officer Private Lance Corporal Flight Lieutenant Private Private Sergeant-Pilot
UNIT
HOME
Gosford 19th Infantry Battalion Ourimbah · Gosford Wisemans Ferry Gosford · AASC BIPOD NSW 20th Infantry Battalion · Pearl Beach 12th Infantry Battalion . Wamervale RAAF · Wyo:ng District 17 Anti-Tank Btn · Tuggerah .Tuggerah AAMC2/11 Fld Amb Jilliby Woy Woy Peninsula 1652 Conversion Unit Gosford 17 Anti-Tank Btn Terrigal · Woy Woy Peninsula . WoyWoy Peninsula Gosford 227 Squadron Gosford Springfield Springfield 464 Squadron Patonga Wyong District AASC 2/12 Fld Amb Ourimbah RAAF Gosford Gosford
CAUSE OF . DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
. MIPD
11102/42 02/05/42
DOl POW/DOlL KIA
02/05/42 15/07/45 01/01/43
POW/LAS
01/07/42
DOW
06/05/45
DOl DOlL
25/05/43 28/03/42
MIAO MIAO
. 06/12/44 12/04/41
KIA
22/0.8/44
KIA KIA
14/05/43
ORDER OF BATTLE. Second Australian Imperial Forces 1939-45 路 6th Division
7th Division
8th Division
9th Division
16th Brigade:
18th Brigade:
22nd Brigade:
20th Brigade:
2/lst, 2/2nd, 2/3rd Battalions
2/9th, 2/lst, 2/12th Battalions
2/18th, 2/19th, 2/20th Battalions
2/13th, 2/15th, 2/17th Battalions
17th Brigade:
21st Brigade:
23rd Brigade: .
2/5th, 2/6th, 217th Battalions
2/14th, 2/16th, 2/2'lth Battalions
2/2lst, 2/22nd, 2/40th Battalions
19th Brigade:
25th Brigade:
27th Brigade:
. 2/4th, 2/8th, 2/llth Battalions
2/25th, 2/3lst, 2/33rd Battalions
2/26th, 2/29th, 2/30th Battalions
24th Brigade: 路 2/28th, 2/32nd, 2/43rd Battalions
.
Each divisio~ had its own cavalry (armour), artillery, ~ngineers, signals, service corps, medical corps and provost company.
Non-divisional units: Eight Independent Companies and ll Commando Squadrons.
I Australian Corps Troops: 2/lst, 2/2nd, 2/3rd, 2/4th Machine Gun Battalions 2/lst, 2/2nd, 2/3rd, 2/4th Pioneer Battalions
Source: The A ustralian Army at War 1899-1975 ~ ISBN: 0 85405 418 2
26th Brigade:
2/23rd, 2/24th, 2/48th Battalions
1\()12~ LOCATION NUMBER
NAME
5
LOWE, Lional Alexander
REGTL. NO. . 2/2563
RANK
UNIT
HOME
Private
3 Battalion RAR
Pearl Beach
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF' DEATH
KIA
30/1 0/50
VI~T~AM LOCATION NUMBER
NAME
REGTL. NO.
RANK
UNIT
HOME
LEES, Ronald V. LYONS, Peter J.
26182
Warrant Officer Private
AATT 2RAR
Kincumber Boys Home Gosford
CAUSE OF DEATH
DATE OF DEATH
KIA (sniper) KIA (mine)
10/01166 02/03/68
Ronald V. Lees was 37 at the time of his death in Quang Nam province. He was a former member of the Kincumber Boys Home and was living in Sydney at the time of his taking up military service. SOURCES: James McCleUand's 'Australians who have died on armed service', the special August 18, 1988 edition of The Australian newspaper and files at the research centre at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. ***** ***** ***** Peter J. Lyons, 23, from Gosford , was a postal officer and a member of the CMF before volunteering as a regular in January 1967. The rifleman private was killed by a mine in Phouc Th~
.
SOURCES: Australian Government records and the special August 18, 1988 edition of The Australian newspaper.
The only monuments to this war will be the dea(l, the maimed, the despairing路and the forlorn. - Letter from the International Voluntary路 Services Agency to President Lyndon Johnson, September 1969 '
Qf)fossar~ .of
.
ahhrrfriations 路 路
147
GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS AAMWS AASC AATT AIC 1 AlB AFC AGH AIF Amb AMD ANZAC AO ARAIA
ARIBA A/Sgt AWAS BCOF Bde BIPOD Btn Capt Cav CB
CMF CM G Cpl CQMS DCM
DFC Div DOl DOlL DOW DSC DSO Dvr
EXC
FAB FCE Fld Amb F/Licut F it Sgt F/0 GBE Gnr BMAS HQ lnf LAC L AS
Australian Army Medical Women' s Service L/Cpl Lance Corporal Australian Army Service Corps LB Light Horse Lieutenant Australian Army1'raining Team 'Lieut Knight Commander of the Order of the Aircraftsman First Class KBE British Empire . Ablebodied Se~rnan Knjght Commander of the Order of the Bath KCB Air Force Cross Knight Commander of the Order of St KCMG Australian General Hospital Michael & St George Australian Imperial Force Killed In Action KIA Ambulance Austral ian Mounted Division MC Military Cross Australian & New Zealand Army Corps MG Machine Gun Army Order MIA Missing In Action . Association of the Royal Australian lnstitute MIAO Missing In Air Operations of Architects MID Mentioned In Dispatches · Association of the Roy<d Institute of British Mja· Major Architects MM Military Medal Acting Sergeant M/PD Missing/Presumed Dead Australian Women's Army Service Mtd Mounted British Commonwealth Occupation Force MVO Member of the Royal Victorian Order N ·Enlisted in NSW Bombardier or Brigade Bulk Issue Petrol and Oil Depot NZ New Zealand Battalion NX Enlisted in NSW/Served overseas Captain Pnr Pioneer Cavalry P/0 Petty officer Companion of the Order of the Bath POW Prisoner Of War Citizen Military Forces ·.Pte Private Companion of the Order of St Michael & St Qld Queensland George RAAF Royal Australian Air Force Corporal RAE Royal Australian Engineers Company Quarter Master Sergeant RAF Royal Air Force Distinguished Conduct Medal RAMF Royal Australian Military Force Distinguished Flying Cross RAN Royal Australian Navy Division RAR Royal Australian Regiment RD Royal Naval Reserve Decoration Died Of Injuries Died Of Illness Reg Regiment Died Of Wounds Rep Dpt Repair Depot Distinguished Service Cross Res Mt Coy Reserve Mounted Company Distinguished Service Order RN Royal Navy Driver RSL Returned Services League RS&SILA Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial Executed 'Field Artillery Brigade League of Ausualia Field Company ·Engineers Sgt Sergeant Field Ambulance Sgt-M aj Sergea~t-Major Flight Lieutenant Sgt-Pilot Sergeant-Pilot Flight Sergeant Sigs Signals Flying .Officer Spr · Sapper Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Sqd Squadron British Empire S/Sgt Staff Sergeant Str Stoker Gunner His/Her Majesty' s Australian Ship Tpr Trooper Headquarters Trans Transportation Infantry VD - Volunteer Officers Decoration Leading Aircraftsman VX Enlisted in Victoria/Served overseas Lost At Sea
148