Not Just Hamilton’s Soldiers

February 4, 2016February 21, 2017 / Merron Riddiford / 3 Comments

One of the features of Western District Families is Hamilton’s WW1 now with sixty-six profiles of enlisted men with Hamilton links.

‘HAMILTON BOYS’ c 30 April 1915. Photo Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial. Image no. DAOD1060 https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/DAOD1060/

I’ve set a target, possibly an over ambitious one, of 100 profiles by Anzac Day but I’ll give it a go. There are some good stories about Hamilton nurses that I would like to share before 25 April 2016 too. But first something I’ve noticed…well it’s one of many things I’ve observed during the course of my research, but let’s start with memorials…well, one of the things I’ve noticed about memorials…

If you visit the Hamilton War Memorial and look at the names, you could be excused for thinking those men listed lived in Hamilton for a significant part of their lives or, at the very least, were born there. But that’s not the case, they were from all over with a few men having only a fleeting connection with Hamilton.

Some of the men had fathers who moved often with work. Clifford Williams, who was unlikely to have even visited Hamilton, was a son of a teacher while William Thompson was the son of a railway worker who often moved his family. Both are on the Hamilton War Memorial (below). Others went to Hamilton as adults for work and were only there a short time before enlisting, such as Edwin Smith who arrived in Hamilton around 1913 to work at the Union Bank. Reginald Briant was born in Hampshire, England and spent a few years in Melbourne before working for the Hamilton Electric Supply Company before his enlistment.

When searching for a family member on memorials and honour boards, clues from Electoral Rolls, Trove newspapers and the solider’s Attestation papers can help you find them. Even if your soldier’s family just “passed through” a particular town, it’s worth following up. Soldiers were often memorialised in several towns. As well as the Hamilton War Memorial, Clifford Williams and Percy Osborne had trees planted along Bacchus Marsh’s Avenue Honour. And don’t overlook workplaces and churches. Percy Osborne has a memorial window at Hamilton’s Christ Church Cathedral (below) and is on the Union Bank Honour Roll in Melbourne.

MEMORIAL WINDOW FOR PERCY OSBORNE BEAUMONT, HAMILTON CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL.

MEMORIAL WINDOW FOR PERCY BEAUMONT OSBORNE, HAMILTON CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL.

If you are wondering if Hamilton commemorated your WW1 soldier’s service, all Hamilton’s outdoor WW1 War Memorials including names are at Hamilton’s WW1. Eventually, I will add Hamilton’s honour boards. The Victorian War Heritage Inventory is a useful resource for locating memorials across Victoria. You can search by the name or a place.

A quick reminder…to delve into the daily events of Hamilton 100 years ago, “like” the Hamilton WW1 Facebook page. Along with new profiles, six days a week I post an article from the Hamilton Spectator from 100 years before. It’s been interesting to read how Hamilton, just like other towns, continued on while so many were away fighting and how the subject of war managed to creep into most aspects of daily life.

The names of the sixty-six soldiers profiled at Hamilton’s WW1 are below. I’ve included their place of birth and other towns they had connections to. Most never returned to Australia. For some of those who did, life was never the same. Lest We Forget.

AUSTIN, Glenister Burton Hamilton

AUSTIN, William John Hamilton, Adelaide

BARR, Gordon Hotspur, Strathkellar, Warrnambool

BRAKE, William Horsham, Hamilton, Mont Albert

BRIANT, Reginald Stuart Hampshire (ENG), East Melbourne, Hamilton.

BURGESS, Ebenezer Benalla, Mildura, Numurkah, Wonthaggi, Stratford

CAMERON, Archibald Douglas Branxholme, Hamilton

CAMERON, Sidney Joseph Hamilton

CAMERON, Thomas Waddell Port Fairy, Hamilton, Kyabram

COULTER, Robert James Hamilton

DAVIES, Albert Hamilton

DAVIES, Stanley Walton Hamilton, Lubeck

DOUGLAS, Claude Campbell Telford Euroa, Hamilton

DUNN, Daniel Joseph Heidelberg, Carlton

ELDER, Frank Reginald Charlton, Jurek, Hamilton

FENTON, John Wilfred Hamilton

FOLEY, Cornelius Thomas Coleraine, Hamilton

GIBSON. Sydney Walter Moe, Casterton, Hamilton, Bendigo

HARRIS, Leslie Duncan Fremantle (WA), Hamilton, Coleraine

HENTY, Edward Ellis Portland, Hamilton

HERILHY, George Joseph David Balmoral, Hamilton

HERRMANN, Bernard Hamilton, Hochkirch (Tarrington)

HIND, William Arthur Mooroopna, Hamilton, Heyfield

ILES, Cyril Thomas Brackley Hamilton, Windsor

JAFFRAY, Alfred John Hamilton

KINGHORN, Walter Rodney Byaduk

KIRKWOOD, Willliam John Clyde Hamilton, Colac, Port Fairy

KNIGHT, James Alfred Hamilton, Malvern

LANCE, George Basil Casterton, Hamilton

LEWIS, Arthur Harold Hamilton, St. Arnaud, Heywood

LIEBE, Sydney August Hamilton

LINDSAY, Charles Henry Heywood, Ballarat, Wallacedale, Hamilton

McPHEE, Norman Edward Hamilton

MORISON, John Archibald McFarlane Hamilton, Maroona

MULLANE, Leslie Alexander Branxholme, Wallacedale, Hamilton

NIDDRIE, Stanley Roy Hamilton

NIVEN, William David Harrow, Merino Downs, Hamilton

NORMAN, William Leslie Hamilton, Warracknabeal

OSBORNE, Percy Beaumont Bacchus Marsh, Maryborough, Hamilton, Ballarat

PORTER, George Richard Hamilton

PORTER, Norman Leslie James Hamilton, Wallacedale, Broken Hill, Tasmania

RHOOK, Archibald Alfred Tyrendarra, Hamilton

RHOOK, Henry Joseph William Hamilton, Beaufort

RICHIE, George Katunga, Willaura, Hamilton

RIGBY, Frederick Roland Angus Coleraine, Hamilton

SALTER, Herbert Ernest Naracoorte, Dunkeld, Hamilton

SCOTT, Alexander William Portland, Hamilton, Donald

SHARROCK, Charles Terang, Mt. Napier, Penshurst

SHAW, Ivan Thomas Coleraine, Hamilton

SHEEHAN, Albert Edward Macarthur, Hamilton

SMITH, Edwin Richardson Mooroopna, Shepparton, Morwell, Kyabram, Hamilton

STAGOLL, Robert Leslie Hamilton

STEVENSON, Alexander John Hamilton, Portland

STEVENSON, Edgar Richmond Hamilton, Portland

STEWART, Charles Herbert Byaduk, Hamilton, Western Australia

THOMPSON, William Norton Horsham, Ararat, Hamilton, Hopetoun

TREDREA, Francis Stanley Hamilton, Stawell

TRIGGER, Samuel Wilfred Macarthur, Hamilton, Murray Bridge (SA)

UNDERWOOD, Arthur Bell Percy Dunkeld, Bendigo, Hamilton

WATERS, William Henry Edenhope, Hamilton

WESTGARTH, Horace Leonard Hamilton

WHITE, John Francis Raymond Hamilton, Cosgrave

WILLIAMS, Clifford Davis Tarnagulla, Bacchus Marsh, Melbourne

WILLIAMS, Lancelot Hamilton Hamilton

WOMERSLEY. Edgar Dunkeld

YOUNG, Clarence Everard Hamilton

**Postscript – Since writing this post, I have added a further forty stories of Hamilton’s enlisted men. You can read them at Hamilton’s WW1

Passing of the Pioneers

October 31, 2014February 11, 2021 / Merron Riddiford / 1 Comment

Most of the pioneer obituaries found in the newspapers are for men which is unfortunate because we are always searching for more information about our female ancestors. For the month of October, the obituaries for pioneering women outnumber the men. And great pioneers they were, making great contributions within their communities and all living to very old age. But none lived longer than Margaret Walker (nee Brown) of Hamilton. Passing away in 1939, Margaret reached the age of 104 and remained healthy almost to the end.

Mark NICHOLSON: Died 27 October 1889 at Warrnambool. Mark Nicholson was born in Gloucestershire in 1818 and arrived at Port Phillip in 1840. Rather than practice his profession of law, Mark chose to run cattle at various stations across the colony. In 1848, Governor LaTrobe selected him to act as a Justice of the Peace at Warrnambool and in 1853 he was elected as the Warrnambool and Belfast (Port Fairy) representative in the Victorian Legislative Council. In the following years, Mark spent time in England but returned to Warrnambool to settle in 1873. A full biography of Mark Nicholson is available at the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

John BEST: Died 9 October 1907 at Portland. John Best was born in Ireland in 1835 and arrived at Portland in 1857 aboard General Hewitt. He travelled with his parents William and Letitia Best and his six siblings. The family settled at Heywood and John took up work as a carrier. Later he built bridges and roads for the local Shire. He purchased a farm at nearby Mt. Clay and he remained there until his death. He left a widow and seven children.

William SCOTT: Died 7 October 1909 at Wallan. William Scott arrived in Victoria for the gold rushes and settled in Camperdown around 1860. He took an active role in local politics, serving on the Hampden Shire Council. He was also secretary of the Camperdown P&A Society. There was barely an organisation around Camperdown that did not have William Scott on the committee. His obituary read,

In him has passed one of the rugged pioneers who came magnificently equipped physically, and with the indomitable energy and capacity for sustained effort responsible for the remarkable development that has marked the brief history of this country.

Williams remains were returned from Wallan by train and he was buried at the Camperdown Cemetery.

Euphemia McLEOD: Died 3 October 1914 at Purnim. Euphemia McLeod was born in Scotland around 1826 and travelled to Australia on the Edward Johnston around 1854. She eventually settled at Purnim with her husband George Crowe and she lived there for fifty years. Euphemia left three daughters and a son.

Ann Rebecca EAGAR: Died 12 October 1917 at Hamilton. Ann Eager was born in Devon, England around 1832 and sailed to Adelaide in the mid-1850s. It was there she married George Rowe and they made their way to Victoria, settling at Wickliffe. They remained there for around thirty years before taking up residence at Hamilton.

Only six months before her death, Ann and George had celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. An article appeared in the Ballarat Star of 14 April 14, 1917 reporting on the couple’s anniversary. It told of George’s work as a builder. He worked on several notable buildings in the district including the Coleraine Catholic Church and the Argyle Arms Hotel in Hamilton. During the war years, Ann supported the cause, knitting socks for soldiers and by the time of her wedding anniversary, she had knitted 120 pairs of socks. Ann and George had three sons and two daughters, twenty-eight grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren.

Margaret BROWN: Died October 1939 at Hamilton. Margaret Brown was a great Hamilton pioneer living until the grand age of 104. In her last years, her life was documented as she reached milestone birthdays. Margaret was born in Launceston in August 1835 with her parents having come from Scotland in 1830. The family sailed to Victoria around 1840 aboard the City of Sydney and in 1852 Margaret married Thomas Walker at Portland. During the mid-1860s, they settled at Hamilton where they remained. They had eight children, but two died as infants.

When Margaret was ninety-eight, she was given a walking stick but she had not used it by the time of her ninety-ninth birthday in 1934. That was also the year of the Portland Centenary and Margaret attended the town’s celebrations. During that year, she had also produced seventeen pieces of eyelet linen work. In 1935, Margaret’s 100th birthday celebration was held at the Hollywood Cafe in Hamilton with the Mayor of Hamilton, Cr. Stewart, in attendance. She also planted a commemorative tree for Victoria’s centenary celebrations. For her 101st birthday, twenty-five friends and family gathered at Margaret’s home at 5 Shakespeare Street. The highlight was a birthday cake with 101 candles. The next three birthdays were celebrated quietly at home. but Margaret continued in good health. That was until only weeks after her 104th birthday when Margaret became more fragile, eventually passing away in October. During her life, Margaret saw the reign of six British monarchs.

Margaret’s birthday articles 90th Birthday 99th Birthday 100th Birthday 101st Birthday 104th Birthday

Elizabeth SILVESTER: Died 7 October 1940 at Noorat. Elizabeth Silvester was born in England around 1852 and arrived in Cobden with her parents as a two-year-old. She ran a business in Cobden for fifty years and attended the Cobden Methodist Church. Married to William Gilham, Elizabeth left two sons at the time of her death, one of whom she lived with at Noorat for the last year of her life. She was buried in the Cobden Cemetery.

Robert Thomas SILVESTER: Died 7 October 1943 at Portland. Robert Silvester was born in Merino in 1862 but as a young man, he moved to Portland and trained as a solicitor. He worked in the partnership Lynne, Silvester, and Fielding before going into practice alone. From 1910-1920, Robert was president of the Portland Racing Club and was also president and captain of the Portland Golf Club. Robert was also a member of the Portland Bowling Club and the following link is for an obituary from the club – http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64386872

Catherine McCLURE: Died 29 October 1952 at Camperdown. Catherine McLure was born at Mepunga in 1866, the daughter of James and Eliza McLure, early pioneers of the Warrnambool district. In 1885, Catherine married Benjamin Jeffers at Warrnambool and they moved to Strathbogie. They later returned to the Western District and lived at Timboon, Kellambete, and finally, Chocolyn where they resided for forty years. Catherine enjoyed making toys with her five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren and telling stories of days past.

Passing of the Pioneers

March 31, 2014June 15, 2020 / Merron Riddiford / Leave a comment

March Passing of the Pioneers shares obituaries of well-known residents of Hamilton, Heywood and Portland. They include the surveyor of Camperdown and yet another man who was at Blue Lake, Mt. Gambier the day Adam Lindsay Gordon took his famed leap.

Thomas BROOKS: Died 7 March 1888 at Hotspur. At the time of his death, Thomas Brooks was one of the oldest inhabitants of the Heywood district, having arrived in 1853. His death was a result of an accident after sixty-two-year-old Thomas delivered a coffin to Hotspur from Heywood for the funeral of Mr Fidler. After the funeral, he returned home, only to fall from his horse. He received head injuries, from which he died. A contract worker for the local shire, Thomas was known as an eccentric and was referred to as “Old Tom Brooks” For more information about Thomas see the South-West Victoria Pioneers website.

John THOMSON: Died 27 March 1894 at Melbourne. Anyone who lived in Hamilton and district prior to the late 1980s would know the name John Thomson as that was that name that adorned the front of one of Hamilton’s longest-running department stores John Thomson & Co of Gray Street, locally known simply as Thomsons. John Thomson arrived in Victoria from Scotland at a young age and was educated at Scotch College, Geelong, and the Hamilton Academy. He joined his uncle and brothers, Alexander and William in the store, first established as an Iron store in 1866, and later became a partner.

In 1877, John married Martha Bain Brake, He had a strong association with the Hamilton Presbyterian Church and when he died, aged forty-six, he was attending the Convention of the Presbyterian Fellowship Association in Melbourne. A diabetic, he fell sick over the weekend and died as a result.

Advertising. (1953, July 21). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 21. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23256981

Robert Dunbar SCOTT: Died 7 March 1898 at Surrey Hills. Robert Scott was born in Scotland and he and his wife arrived in Victoria around 1851. Robert was employed as a land surveyor, his first job to survey the western part of Port Phillip. He set up camp near what would become the town of Camperdown and set about laying out a new township. He named the first streets, including Manifold Street after the Manifold brothers. He selected land on the banks of Lake Gnotuk and established the property, Gnotuk Park.

LAKE GNOTUK. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/289329

Robert was a member of the local P&A Society and the Freemasons. In the late 1890s, he sold Gnotuk Park and let property at Craigieburn. He later moved to Melbourne establishing himself as a commission agent but lost money in the crash after the land boom. A further account of Robert Scott is on this link – A Link With The Past – Interview with David Scott.

Mercy ERRI: Died 26 March 1932 at Cobrico. Mercy Erri was born in England and arrived in Victoria with her parents in 1857. Her father started in business in Camperdown, one of the early pioneers of that town. Mercy trained as a nurse and was a Sunday School teacher. In her later years, she became an invalid, confined to her bed, but she continued to produce beautiful needlework, even with failing sight. Mercy was eighty-eight years old when she died. She never married.

James MOLLOY: Died 25 March 1937 at Portland. James Molloy arrived in Portland with his parents aboard the British Empire when he was eleven. He went to school at All Saints school in Portland and during those years spent time with William Dutton extracting oil from whale blubber. He was then employed by Edward Henty at Narrawong. His next job was for the Bell’s at Heywood, training racehorses, his greatest success winning the Great Western Steeplechase at Coleraine. Apparently, he was with Adam Lindsay Gordon on the day Gordon took his leap at Blue Lake, Mt Gambier. He later returned to Portland, working as a storeman and a waterside worker. James married Mary Beglen and they had three sons and two daughters.

David Edmund BATES: Died 5 March 1938 at Casterton. David Bates was born at Narracorte before moving to Casterton with his parents when six. He was educated at the Casterton school before becoming an apprentice draper with Mr Mills. David was an athlete and once ran second in the Stawell Gift. He took a great interest in the public affairs of Casterton and served as secretary on the Casterton Hospital board.

Eliza MOORE: Died 24 March 1939 at Colac. Eliza Moore was born in Ireland in 1854 and travelled to Victoria as a child aboard the Chance. Her parents settled at Port Fairy and later at Woodford. Eliza married Alexander Russell at Warrnambool and they farmed at Dennington. They then moved to Colac where they remained until Eliza’s death. In her younger years, Eliza was an excellent horsewoman and was devoted to the Church throughout her life.

Daniel FENTON: Died 17 March 1943 at Camperdown. Daniel Fenton was born in Camperdown in 1860 and was the first child baptised at the St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in the same year. He continued his association with the church for the duration of his life. Educated at Camperdown State School, he spent his entire working life as a dairy farmer. He married Mary Ann Shenfield of Cobden and five children were living at the time of Daniel’s death.