Issue 26: January-February 2015

FIND OUT MORE ON PAGE 70

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WIN! 1 OF 10 FRANCIS GREENWAY BOOKS

SUMMER READING SPECIAL

Our chat with Thomas Keneally

A convict diarist Genetics and genealogy

WAR

AT SEA

Tracking the Gallipoli campaign of Australia’s submarine, AE2

Trace your­ family TIPS AND TRICKS for reading ancestors’ wills

Must-search

9 771838 504008

Printed on responsibly sourced paper

NOV–DEC JAN-FEB 2015 2014 $9.95 NZ$10.95

ISSN 1838-5044

02

WWI resources

from Australia and Europe

The forgotten explorer

from Burke and Wills’ heroic expedition

keepsakes

australians and the great war

Contents ISSUE 26, JAN-FEB 2015

On the cover 13

Cup of tea with... Christine Kenneally We chat to the award-winning journalist and author about genealogy, genetics and the insights shared in her latest book

28 Searching for your soldier

Uncover your Anzac’s story with our round-up of World War I projects from Australia, New Zealand and Europe

56 66

30 Where there’s a will...

Get the most out of your ancestors’ last testament with our must-read guide to wills 36 The silent Anzac

Read about the tragedy of the long-overlooked Aussie submarine AE2, which sank near the Gallipoli coast in 1915

42 46

42

An officer or a gentleman Did you know that some World War I soldiers voted ‘No’ to conscription in 1916–17? Explore the divisive issue of conscription

46

An unforgiving land

Burke and Wills’ ill-fated expedition claimed the lives of several still-overlooked explorers.

We look at the tragic demise of Ludwig Becker

56 Flappers to Vietnam

Aussie icon Tom Keneally chats to Inside History about his latest book — and shares a tip or two on how to bring history to life on the page

36

66

The convict diaries We review the latest book from NLA Publishing on the remarkable one-of-a-kind 1840s diary penned by convict John Ward

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2015 |

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Contents your family 26

What’s new online?

With countless new resources appearing each month, find your missing ancestors with our guide to the latest free records online

50

Picture perfect Read the story of a successful Melbourne photographer and businesswoman, and the famous faces snapped at her studios

your history 54

Inside History supports Trove Find out how you can help bring a newspaper to Trove through our Pozible campaign

travel 60

Southern dramas Explore the legendary Great Ocean Road and its fascinating maritime history

regulars 6

Editor’s letter

10

Postie’s here!

Your thoughts, your say

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Bob’s your uncle Network with other researchers and break down those genealogy brick walls

16

Ask our experts Shauna Hicks delves into the mystery of a reader’s well-connected ancestor

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History now Great events you won’t want to miss

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History apps The latest apps built for historians, from family trees to historic maps

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On the book shelf What we’re reading right now

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One picture…1,000 memories A tale of how a World War II soldier found success as a prominent Newcastle architect

special offer

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We’re giving away $500 worth of books!

Subscribe or renew to Inside History for your chance to win one of 10 copies of the new Francis Greenway biography

74 60 50

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our family

PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia EDITOR Cassie Mercer cass@insidehistory.com.au DESIGNER Alison Williams alison@insidehistory.com.au EDITORIAL ASSISTANT AND FEATURES WRITER Sarah Trevor sarah@insidehistory.com.au EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Jean Bedford Jenny Cowen Alison Elliott Madeleine Er Linda Funnell Dr Stephen Gapps John Hayman Shauna Hicks Pristine Ong Claire Paterson Melissa Rimac Robyne Young PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS See page 71 or subscribe online at www.insidehistory.com.au DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS For iPad, find us on Apple Newsstand For Android and PC, find us at zinio.com

COVER IMAGE Our gorgeous covergirl Fay was photographed on her honeymoon on Lord Howe Island in 1955.

WARNING Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers should be aware that this magazine contains names and images of people who have passed away.

Inside History (ISSN 1838–5044) is published six times a year by Inside History (ABN 13 353 848 961) PO Box 406 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia.

Views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright 2014 by Cassie Mercer and Inside History. All rights reserved.

DISTRIBUTED BY Gordon and Gotch Australia PRINTED BY Ligare Pty Ltd 138 Bonds Road Riverwood NSW 2210

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2015 |

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editor’s letter

Summer has come around yet again. Whether you like to spend the long, hot, lazy days on a steamy beach like our gorgeous cover girl, or sheltered from the heat with a good book in tow...

...this season is all about relaxing and recharging for the year ahead. We at Inside History happen to think it’s also the ideal time for getting around to the stories and research avenues that we might have had to put aside at the busier times of year! To that noble end, we’ve assembled a range of family history guides and cheat sheets. Flick to page 30 for our must-read guide on wills, complete with tips and tricks from the experts at State Records NSW. Plus, we round up some great World War I projects from around Europe, as well as those closer to home, on page 28 for you to search.

As we move into the second year of the World War I centenary, it’s time to look at the untold stories surrounding that world-changing conflict. We trace the campaign of Australian submarine AE2 around Gallipoli — and the fateful yet often overlooked contribution it made. Read more on page 36. Plus, we explore the untold stories of the servicemen who opposed conscription, and the impact of the debate on Australian society, on page 42.

For all the history bookworms out there, we’ve got a treat in store for you: our bumper summer reading special! Meet the iconic Tom Keneally on page 56, and delve into the story of the sole convict diarist on page 66. Plus, see our picks of the summer’s top history reads on page 68.

And there’s so much more in our first issue for 2015. We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and the pages beyond. Happy reading!

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Latest news from the history and genie world

Above A relaxing afternoon at Perth’s Stirling Gardens, 1921. Below Congestion on Barrack Street Bridge, c.1920s; Swimmers pose before Crawley Baths Chute, 1924.

Images courtesy City of Perth History Centre.

Voices of World War II Perth A new oral history project by the City of Perth History Centre brings the voices of Perth’s World War II era residents online to a modern, global audience.

Voices of WWII Perth shares the wartime recollections of those who lived through the Second World War. Erstwhile schoolchildren, city workers, business owners, servicemen and women alike share their memories of daily life in 1940s-era Perth.

The recordings cover a range of topics, from rationing and air raid routines to Armistice Day, and even romantic rivalries between American and Australian soldiers. They provide an interesting crosssection of experiences on the home front during World War II. Recorded between 1999 and 2012, the oral histories have been transcribed and uploaded online with the help of volunteers.

To listen, follow the Perth History Centre’s SoundCloud account. The blog contains audio excerpts as well as related multimedia material like newspaper articles and images.

MORE community.perth.wa.gov.au/historycentre

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News from NSW Registry of BDMs Searching for an ancestor with links to New South Wales?

The state’s Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages now updates its Family History Search records daily, meaning you can enter a new date range every day.

If you’ve been waiting a while to get your hands on more recent BDM certificates still under wraps, consider your countdown officially on!

MORE bdm.nsw.gov.au

Become a Weather Detective 1903. These logbooks include naval and merchant ships that traversed Australian waters, as well as the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The logbooks’ survival is thanks to the visionary Queensland meteorologist Clement Wragge, who collected them in the late 1800s. Nicknamed ‘Inclement’ Wragge for his rainfall forecasts, Wragge recognised that weather observations could be used to help forecast the path of tropical cyclones.

Building on his work, today’s Weather Detective volunteers — numbering more than 10,000 — decipher the observations handwritten by ship captains.

The resulting data will be added to a global database called Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth (ACRE). ACRE hopes to create a full history of the planet’s climate dating back to 1850, which will be used to study long-term weather patterns and improve forecasting models. The database is freely available to access online.

Christa Pudmenzky, from the University of Southern Queensland, says the project will continue until the transcription is complete, possibly in four months’ time or more.

“We are always very appreciative to have new volunteers to take part in the transcribing of historical weather observation,” Christa says.

To get involved in this exciting project where history meets science, simply register on the website, watch the Weather Detective tutorial and begin transcribing.

MORE weatherdetective.net.au



Volunteer citizen scientists all around Australia are currently hard at work studying historic weather patterns as part of a crowd-sourcing project called Weather Detective.

A joint initiative of the University of Southern Queensland and ABC Science, Weather Detective aims to improve future climate modelling by building a more detailed and accurate picture of the country’s climatic history.

Citizen scientists transcribe weather observations from the logbooks of ship captains who sailed around Australasia between 1882 and

Tour the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship the non-profit City of Adelaide Preservation Trust, anticipates that the general public will soon be able to venture onboard and inside.

“Tours inside the ship are a couple of months away as we set up proper walkways inside,” he says. Watch this space!

MORE cityofadelaide.org.au



For the first time, members of the general public will soon be able to tour the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship.

Built in 1864, the City of Adelaide is the elder of the world’s two remaining clippers. It is estimated that approximately a quarter of a million Australians have an ancestor who was once a passenger aboard the clipper.

Currently undergoing restoration work at Port Adelaide, the City of Adelaide has opened her decks to tours by corporate supporters as a means of raising funds for the ship’s restoration. At present, tours for the general public are conducted on the barge outside the ship. Peter Christopher, Director of

Meteorologist Clement Wragge, c.1901. Courtesy State Library of Queensland, ID 161210.

The City of Adelaide at Port Augusta, c.1880.

Courtesy State Library of South Australia, ID B7752.

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2015 |

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your family

Ask our experts

Here, our resident experts answer your queries. This issue, Shauna Hicks examines a reader’s mysterious, well-connected ancestor.

“A bit of a lad”

I’m hoping you can assist in our search for Wilfred Frank Travers, my husband’s great grandfather. According to our information, he was born in 1831 in England. We are unable to find him on birth or marriage records.

He appears to have been a bit of a lad, as on his children’s birth and death certificates he is noted variously as born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Huntingdonshire. He does not appear on any English censuses.

We have been unable to confirm his arrival in Australia but think that it could have been in 1851 on the General Hewitt where there is a Mr Travers listed who seems to fit.

Wilfred was the manager of the Melbourne Omnibus Company in 1868-1877 and the Sydney Tramways and Omnibus Company in 1877-1880. He had very highprofile friends including mayors and councillors in Melbourne and Sydney

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and socialised with them at sporting events and balls. He even assisted former Governor of New South Wales Sir John Young with his ‘expert bowling’!

His wife, Matilda Margaret Webster, arrived in Melbourne on the Norfolk in July 1869, marrying Wilfred three months later. They went on to have Arthur Bertie and Frank Wilfred, as well as several other children who sadly died very young.

Another passenger on the same ship was Richard Travers, gold seeker, aged 35. We are unsure if he was travelling with her or if it was a coincidence. We don’t know whether he was related to Wilfred, but we do not think this is Wilfred.

Also travelling on the Norfolk was Arthur Allnutt, aged 24, later a neighbour of Wilfred and Matilda, and noted as informant on some of the children’s death certificates.

Wilfred left his wife and two small boys in Northcote, Victoria when he came to Sydney in 1877. It appears he never went back. He died in 1893 in Dawes Point. His status was noted as single, no children and his age around 50 when he was actually 62.

— Meryl Dodds, Speers Point, NSW

Right Wilfred’s son Arthur Travers and family, c.1912-14.

Far right Matilda Travers, c.1864.

Courtesy Meryl Dodds.

A

I find the best way to relook at a query is to build a timeline, which allows you to easily see any gaps, overlays or conflicting information. There are a number of areas that might be worth following up.

Firstly, I question the arrival on the General Hewitt. How do you explain the time gap between 1851 and 1869 when he married Matilda? Would he wait 18 years to marry? Look at Wilfred’s arrival again. Could he have come from another port in Australia or New Zealand, perhaps at a later date?

Could he have arrived with a wife and family?

In the Genealogical Society of Victoria’s online database Genealogical Name Index or GIN (only available to members or at their Melbourne research room, gsv.org.au/research/members) I found many ‘Travers’ or ‘Mr Travers’ on passenger lists to Melbourne prior to the assumed 1869 marriage.

Some of these other references may also be ‘Gentlemen’ as no name or initial is given. Check the Remember to passenger lists to see any search given other details that might name and confirm or rule out that it surname variants. is the right Mr Travers.

For ‘Wilfred Frank As for Wilfred’s Travers’, search marriage to Matilda, why Wilfred, Frank, can’t it be located in the and Fred, Travis BDM indexes? What is the and Traves, significance of the date of plus initials. marriage on their children’s birth certificates? Why

SHAUNA’S TIP

did they marry so soon after Matilda arrived in 1869?

How did they meet? It may be a coincidence that there was a Richard Travers on the same ship as Matilda, but it could be worthwhile to trace Richard. He may have been a relation of Wilfred’s and that might explain how Matilda and Wilfred met and supposedly married so soon after her arrival in 1869.

Also in GIN there was a reference to Wilford/ Wilfred in Richmond Rate Books for 1872 and 1874.

His occupation is given as Manager, Omnibus Company and Clerk respectively and in both instances he is the occupier. Both entries were for a five-room house in Bridge Road.

Given Wilfred’s circle of friends and occupation you would have expected some tribute upon his death or his inclusion in the many Men of the Times type publications popular at the time. Is there a tombstone and who were the undertakers? Who paid for the funeral? Follow up on the undertakers’ records.

Sometimes they include information not on the death certificate. The marriage certificate is a key document and its absence suggests some as yet undetermined mystery. Good luck.  ✻ Shauna Hicks is the director of Shauna Hicks History Enterprises. Visit shaunahicks.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more tips at facebook.com/insidehistorymagazine

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Preserve Rescue Announce Discover Learn Share

Collaborate Network Volunteer Remember

WEBSITE JUST LAUNCHED

Linking your great war commemoration project to the world Are you a historian, genealogist, society member, librarian, archivist, publisher or curator planning a project for the centenary of World War One?

Register your project on WorldWarOneLink, a database listing all commemoration projects in Australia. WorldWarOneLink offers the opportunity to collaborate, network, volunteer and most importantly, remember your Great War ancestors.

VISIT www.worldwaronelink.com.au CALL US ON 02

9590 9600

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/ww1link FOLLOW US ON TWITTER twitter.com/WW1link

mobile genie

HISTORYapps Though hardly hallowed by the passing of time, these apps harness the latest technology to help you link with the past in informative and interesting ways. Madeleine Er and Claire Paterson roadtest four of the latest to see how they fare.

Blinkist

Free (with in-app purchases to download books); iOS and Android Blinklist is an app that summarises non-fiction books into about 10-15 pages, giving you insight as to whether you want to read the whole thing.

However, the “historical” books tend to be more theoretical, assessing the potential impacts on the future that an historical event could have, rather than a comprehensive examination of an event or person.

In fact, the majority of the books available aren’t history focused, but mostly business, productivity, and selfmotivation. There is potential for Blinkist to expand their history category to feature biographies and historical events, but it’s not quite there yet!

FamilySearch Tree Free; iOS and Android

Designed as a companion to the Family Search website, this app allows you to create your family tree to carry with you on your mobile or tablet.

To use this app, you must create an account with FamilySearch, which will automatically put your information into the beginning of your tree. From here you can include photographs of your ancestors, type in personal anecdotes and even add voice recordings of relatives.

Your family tree expands as you add information, but there is also a choice to convert your tree into different kinds of charts that you can download as PDFs.

MV Tours: Walk Through History

History: Maps Of The World

Discover Melbourne’s heritage through the three walking tours provided in this Museum Victoria app. Explore Sportswood’s industrial heritage, the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, plus Melbourne’s famous ‘golden mile’.

Each tour includes photographs from the museum’s collection and narration by the museum staff. The GPS-enabled map will lead you from site to site and stop you getting lost. This app would be a great addition to exploring the city, whether you are a tourist or local.

Handy hint: download your tour before you set out to save on your phone’s data.

For fans of cartography, this app offers a myriad of vintage maps from multiple continents and historical periods.

Over 200 maps are provided with the option of purchasing more through the App Store.

The maps themselves are high quality images.

Zooming in and out makes it easy to uncover the intricacies of each one. You can add your preferred maps to a list of favourites, print a copy of your map or email your finds to a friend.

Some maps include links to Wikipedia listings, allowing you to find out more about the historical context in which the map was made.

Free; iOS and Android

Free; iOS

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your family

Searching for

soldier

your

As we move into the second year of the World War I centenary, the number of Great War related projects continues to grow. Here, Sarah Trevor spotlights three fascinating online projects that may help in your search for your Anzac.

BEYOND 1914

The University of Sydney’s Beyond 1914 is an interactive website profiling the biographies and service information of all students, staff and alumni from the University who served abroad during the Great War. The site was developed from information provided to the University between 1915 and 1938 by more than 2000 former staff, graduates and their families. This was first published in 1939 as the Book of Remembrance.

Now, this wealth of material has been digitised and made searchable along with some 27,000 scanned photographs and documents linked to relevant individuals, including war service records, diaries, letters, postcards and more. Search by name, qualification (or topic of study), military rank, award, cause of death, date of death, or the campaign in which they served.

Visit beyond1914.sydney.edu.au

THE IRISH ANZACS DATABASE

The University of New South Wales Global Irish Study Centre recently launched the Irish Anzacs Database, which aims to produce a comprehensive record of every Irish-born soldier or nurse who served in the AIF during World War One. The database is the result of an in-depth research project that identified almost 6000 Irish-born enlistments from the National

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Archives of Australia’s service records, as well as the AWM’s Roll of Honour and Red Cross documents. Further sources and information will follow. Hosted by the University’s FASS Repository (repository.arts.unsw.edu.au), the site allows you to filter results by birthplace county, town, enlistment date, record type, enlistment type and date, religion, award, and even their fate.

Visit irish.arts.unsw.edu.au/research/ projects/irish-anzacs-project

WWI LINK

Last but not least, Inside History’s own contribution to the commemoration effort is WWI Link, an online register of World War One related research projects. A not-for-profit site funded thanks to the Your Community Heritage Program, WWI Link site allows contributors to share information and resources, source volunteers for their projects, and promote their work to the world.

The site profiles dozens of projects from national institutions, family history societies, and individual researchers alike, ranging from books, exhibitions, artworks and performances, conferences, websites, events and more. Browse by state, region, date or type of project — or register a World War One centenary project of your own!  Visit worldwaronelink.com.au

Image The University of Sydney’s Memorial Carillon auguration on Anzac Day, 1928. Courtesy University of Sydney Archives, ID G3_224_0071_1.

MORE WAR RESOURCES Of course, Australia isn’t the only nation eagerly exploring its World War One history.

Here are some of our favourite international resources.

Europeana 1914-1918

This incredible digital archive pools together a wealth of World War One resources from all over Europe, including 400,000 pieces of material from various countries’ national library collections, over 650 hours of film material, and more.

Visit europeana1914-1918.eu/en

Step Short

The town of Folkestone, England, was a major port of departure for millions of British and Commonwealth troops bound for the Western Front. Before departing, an estimated 42,000 of these soldiers signed visitors’ books in the Folkestone Harbour Station Canteen, now digitised as the ‘Mole Café’ books. Access to the books is free but a membership must be bought to search.

Visit books.stepshort.co.uk

British Pathé

We’re big fans of this fantastic video collection: British Pathé boasts some 90,000 historic clips, including ‘WW1 — The Definitive Collection’. In

fact, 33 films on the site come under the topic of ‘Australians / New Zealanders / Anzacs’.

Visit britishpathe.com/workspaces/page/ww1the-definitive-collection

The European Library

If your World War I ancestors served on behalf of a European nation besides England, this is the historic newspaper site for you. It features some 10 million pages of historic newspapers dating between 1618 and 2014, assembled via Europeana Newspapers. Note, though, most aren’t in English!

Visit theeuropeanlibrary.org/tel4/newspapers

Cenotaph Database

The Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Cenotaph Database allows you to search for details of the lives and military service of New Zealand servicemen and women from the 19th century onwards — the two world wars included.

Visit muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/ cenotaph/locations.aspx

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2015 | 29

Left A poster issued prior to the passing of the conscription legislation in England in 1916. Courtesy State Library of Victoria, ID H33861/3.

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AN OFFICER or a gentleman The 1916 and 1917 conscription referenda divided Australian society and shaped attitudes towards the Great War. Rebecca Lush examines the personal letters and diaries of servicemen stationed overseas to see how they really felt about the debate raging on the home front.

T

he call to enlist for the Great War in 1914 was greeted with much enthusiasm. Men were recruited en masse and sent to the main battlefields of Gallipoli and the Western Front.

By 1916, however, this initial enthusiasm to enlist was beginning to fade. News from abroad on the horror of trench warfare was one factor that forced many men to rethink their decision to go to war.

Those who remained behind were under constant pressure to join the Australian Imperial Forces.

It was in this context that Prime Minister William Hughes held the first conscription plebiscite on October 28 1916. Although commonly referred to as the conscription referenda, they proposed no changes to the Constitution. The term plebiscite is, therefore, more accurate. Military training in Australia was compulsory for men aged 18 to 60 years. Overseas service, however, was not.

The question posed to the public was: “Are you in favour of the Government having, in this grave emergency, the same compulsory powers over citizens in regard to requiring their military service, for the term of this War, outside the Commonwealth, as it now has in regard to military service within the Commonwealth?”

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According to the figures provided by the National Archives of Australia, the first plebiscite was defeated by only 72,476 votes. Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia led the ‘no’ campaign. Dissatisfied with the response, the federal government launched another plebiscite one year later on 20 December 1917, once again encouraging the public to introduce conscription into the armed forces. This time the margin for the ‘no’ vote was much greater at 166,588.

There was a range of reasons why individuals were in favour of, or opposed to, conscription.

Religious, political, social and personal factors all contributed to the various campaigns. For example, Roman Catholics were more likely to vote ‘no’ in the plebiscites. Workers, especially trade union members, were also more often opposed to conscription. Those who supported conscription were likely to be from the upper and middle classes.

The campaigns for the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ votes were extremely public and divisive. Badges, leaflets and posters decorated capital cities projecting images of grandeur in war and, on the other hand, of loss and destruction. Some wore badges supporting conscription, examples of which can now be found in the Queensland Museum and Melbourne

As a captain, Armitage would have overseen Museum. The Melbourne Museum also has in its many soldiers and his belief in a soldiers’ welfare archives a leaflet titled “The Blood Vote”. This greatly influenced his conscription vote. Having leaflet uses emotive language such as ‘box of more men join the military to replace those who blood’ to argue that a vote for conscription was were lost was one way that Armitage believed a vote against humanity. support could be given to the remaining soldiers.

Historically, much research has been done on Armitage argued that conscription should have the conscription plebiscites. Falling In by John been in place from the beginning. No man should Barrett (Hale & Ironmonger, 1979) delves into have been able to avoid enlistment. He believed conscription issues in the early stages of World that the men who volunteered to enlist had been War I. Other works, notably FB Smith’s The made to look like fools, despite risking their lives Conscription Plebiscites in Australia (Victorian for their country. He lashed out at men back in Historical Association, 1965), focus more on the Australia, terming them “shirkers” (cowards). two plebiscites and the divide they caused in Armitage equated the winning ‘no’ vote back home Australian society and politics. with a great Australian failure to recognise the What might be surprising to some is that magnitude of the war. He called Prime Minister Australians on the home front were not the only Hughes an ‘oil-tongued Devil’ for allowing ones who were allowed to vote. Servicemen fighting Australians the right to vote in a plebiscite without overseas in every major war zone were also given knowing the full extent of the war situation. the opportunity. In 1916 and 1917, Australians were Armitage was clearly not alone in voting yes told that servicemen overwhelmingly supported as the ‘yes’ vote overseas marginally won in conscription. Results were often falsified and it both 1916 and 1917. Lieutenant Colonel GR was not until much later that the official figures Short, a New South Welshman, from the servicemen plebiscites were wrote many diary entries from the released. In Queensland, official Results were Somme in 1916. In November he results were not published until wrote on how concerned he was that 1936 in The Courier Mail. What they often falsified... the plebiscite at home had failed. He revealed was that the margin between believed that without conscription, the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ votes not only shrunk Australians were between 1916 and 1917, but was, told that servicemen the need for more men to share the burden on the Western Front would initially, very small (in 1916, 72,399 supported go unfulfilled. for and 58,894 against; 103,789 for Similarly Sergeant Major and 92,910 against in 1917). conscription” Norman Ellsworth wrote from Searching through the numerous England, 1917, of how his ‘blood boiled’ when letters in the Australian War Memorial can begin he read the plebiscite had failed. Anyone who to shed light on the personal lives of the men who voted no, according to Ellsworth, was a traitor to fought and voted. Whereas their religious, political the country. Common themes of responsibility, and social backgrounds would have somewhat burden-sharing and cowardice ran throughout influenced their standing on conscription, the the letters of those in higher ranks. letters and diary entries that they wrote show There were, however, a wide range of other, more insightful motives. These writings by servicemen who voted ‘no’ who were able to servicemen on conscription reveal the faces and explain their decision through their diaries lives of the men behind the numbers. and letters. None of the letters were censored.

Captain Harold ‘Rollo’ Armitage enlisted The opinions of the soldiers were able to reach in the Australian military on 23 January 1915, Australia and their families and feed into the aged 20. At the time of enlistment, Armitage conscription debates back home. was a student at Adelaide University training to In August 1916, Driver Claude Ewart from become a teacher. He joined the 4th Australian Tasmania joined the Australian Imperial Force, Division, rose to the rank of captain and was aged 27. First Ewart was sent to Egypt for military sent to fight in Belgium and France. From these training where he joined the 10th Battery 4th locations he sent many letters home to his family Field Artillery Division. After time in training, and kept a personal diary. It is within this diary he was sent to the Somme just prior to the that his opinions on the conscription plebiscites second conscription plebiscite. The first time were found.

Ewart mentioned conscription was when he was On 5 November 1916, following the first travelling from his military training in Egypt to the plebiscite, Armitage opened his diary entry Western Front. He saw conscription as a great way with: ‘I am sorry to be an Australian since that ‘to make the slackers do their bit’, suggesting if [plebiscite] and now call myself a Britisher.’

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2015 |

43

he had voted the first time it would have been ‘yes’.

After one year on the frontline, this attitude had changed considerably. Ewart began to personalise the ‘enemy’, writing of finding a German soldier dead in the fields. To Ewart, this was not an unusual sight — ‘it is nothing to come across dead bodies.’ Death began to surround him and this, paired with horrific conditions in the trenches, spurred him to write: ‘I would not ask anyone to come over here and go through what I have in this last twelve months.’

The terrible conditions faced by servicemen on the Western Front appear to have been a major contributing factor to those voting no. Ernest Allen and his two brothers from Gin Gin further offer an insight into fighting conditions. Ernest, a former Queensland grazier, was stationed in France. In March 1917 he wrote home to his mother and younger brother, who was not sent to war, and conscription was among the many topics of conversation.

Overall, he was glad conscription had failed

as he did not want to see his friends sent over. In that same month, he had witnessed the death of a friend of his. Although detailed military issues were not allowed to be discussed, Ernest did mention the fact that he wished the war to be over and for no more men to be killed.

In the four letters witnessed, held in the Australian War Memorial, Ernest consistently mentioned the terrible fighting and living conditions. He particularly disliked the weather of both England and France, remarking on how miserable it made the troops.

One of Ernest’s brothers, Josiah, was similarly against conscription. His reasoning, however, was slightly different. His belief was that men had to voluntarily join the army to be efficient fighters. Forcing someone to fight overseas was counterintuitive and could prove harmful. The third brother from the Allen family was silent on the issue of conscription and did not write as many letters home to his family as Ernest or Josiah.

There is one final reason found as to why a

Above The Allen family of Gin Gin in Queensland, pictured in 1912. Serviceman Ernest Allen is standing in the back row, fourth from the left. Courtesy State Library of Queensland, ID 147787.

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serviceman may have voted ‘no’ in the conscription plebiscite.

A Queensland soldier, Jack, wrote home to his mother in 1917 from Perham Downs in England. Jack had been fighting on the Western Front, and after being injured, was sent to England to recover. He told his mother that Prime Minister Hughes had been lying about the numbers voting in favour of conscription and offered his reasons for voting no.

The treatment of Australian soldiers in England was central to his letter as he complained that the men were not treated as humans. Lack of food, proper shelter from fire, and general living hardships were the main issues Jack had with his English counterparts in the recovery camp.

Unlike those who were in favour of conscription, those who voted ‘no’ were mainly foot soldiers of lower rank who were constantly fighting on the front. Themes of terrible conditions, fear of friends being sent over, and poor treatment of soldiers were more important to these soldiers than reinforcing the Western Front.

Found also within these personal letters are clues as to how opinions on conscription were expressed to others. One clue can be found in the diary entry from GR Short, dated 15 October, 1916. In this entry Short commented on how ‘the cooks’ chimneys are chalk-marked “NO”.’

This act of vandalism by a serviceman in the camp potentially sparked discussions on conscription and may have influenced how others voted. Other than this small excerpt there is nothing else mentioned by any servicemen in their letters or diaries to indicate any active campaigning on the plebiscites.

Above The diary in which Claude Ewart wrote while stationed at the Somme. Courtesy Museum Victoria Collection, ID 366102.

Some letters indicated that conscription was widely debated and discussed. Servicemen would talk about the outcome of the plebiscites with each other in the camps. Even months before the plebiscites were held, servicemen wrote that there was great discussion and some were even predicting the outcome of the vote in their camp.

The reasons behind voting ‘no’ were so strong for some who returned home before the end of the war that they joined anti-conscription leagues in time for the 1917 plebiscite. These organisations released their own pamphlets to the public providing a soldier’s perspective on conscription.

Generally speaking each letter contains, at most, three or four sentences on the conscription plebiscites. The fact they are included, however, shows how the debate was not isolated to Australia.

Servicemen overseas had the opportunity to vote and these opinions and beliefs were transported back to the home front, contributing to the battle of conscription and to the battle of conscience. 

Inside History | Jan-Feb 2015 |

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your family

1,000 memories One pictur e…

Pictured here against the pristine backdrop of Lord Howe Island in 1955, my grandfather Ray Wilson was enjoying his honeymoon far away from the bustle of industrial Newcastle, his hometown since his family’s emigration from Liverpool when he was just two years old.

Like many young men in Newcastle, Ray underwent a stint at the BHP Steelworks, presumably to fund a tertiary education, before enlisting in the air force early in 1944, aged 18. After the war, Ray studied architecture at the University of Sydney under a government scheme that saw the Commonwealth fund the tertiary education of returned servicemen.

Three years after this photo was taken, Ray became a founding partner of Newcastle architectural firm Wilson, Barnett & Suters. Their office was located in the heart of Newcastle’s historical CBD, in the Union Steam Ship Co. Building on Watt Street. Wilson, Barnett & Suters were the architects behind the iconic Civic Park Fountain, unveiled in 1966 opposite Newcastle’s Town Hall.

Ray himself designed and oversaw the construction of his family home in 1956, built among

dense bushland overlooking the beach in Dudley, a former mining suburb to the south of Newcastle. At the time, Dudley was only just experiencing a postwar boom in residential development and Ray and my grandmother were particularly isolated from the city centre a mere 13 kilometres away.

Ray travelled to Europe in the early 1950s and his sojourn to Denmark in particular seemed to leave a great impression on his taste in design.

He filled his home with furniture by Eames, Fred Lowen, Parker and Summertone — his taste for mid-century modernism that favoured simple yet functional architecture carried across to the homes he designed for Newcastle’s burgeoning suburbia.

To me, the effortless sophistication of this photograph reflects the skill of someone with a keen eye for design. Ray worked with the built environment, but gained a lot of satisfaction from its natural counterpart. He loved fishing, bushwalking, picnics and ocean swimming — an appreciation of nature that he unknowingly shares with his family today.

— Claire Paterson, Newtown, NSW

✻ Do you have a favourite image you’d like to share with our readers? We’d love to hear from you. Email a highquality scan and the history behind the picture to contribute@insidehistory.com.au and we’ll publish it here.

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