Trove Tuesday: remembering the Fall of Singapore

Today is the 80th anniversary of what came to be known as the Fall of Singapore. On 15 February 1942, 130,000 British-led forces surrendered the island to the Imperial Japanese Army. 15,000 8th Division Australian soldiers were taken prisoner; half of these were killed, starved, abandoned to disease, or worked to death by their captors.

Front page of The Age 17 Feb 1942 from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/19384337

Singapore in its possession, the Japanese Army continued its advance, and a few weeks later, on 9 March, my grandfather’s cousin John de Crespigny (1908-1995) became a prisoner of war with the surrender on 8 March of all Allied forces on Java.

John Chauncy Champion de Crespigny, then 31, had volunteered for military service on 29 February 1940. At the time of his enlistment he was employed as an advertising manager. He lived with his mother in Caulfield. de Crespigny had trained as a cadet and had had the rank of lieutenant in the officer reserve. He was first posted to Syria, where he served as a lieutenant. In May 1941 he was promoted to captain and in February 1942 to temporary major.

photos taken on enlistment from National Archives of Australia B883, VX253 CHAMPION DE CRESPIGNY JOHN CHAUNCY : Service Number – VX253 : Date of birth – 25 Aug 1908 : Place of birth – MELBOURNE VIC : Place of enlistment – SOUTH MELBOURNE VIC : Next of Kin – CHAMPION DE CRESPIGNY BARBARA https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6231381

On 1 February 1942 John de Crespigny sailed from Suez on the SS Orcades with his unit, a Guard Battalion of the 7th Division, now re-deployed for the defence of Java. They disembarked at Batavia 18 February. A few weeks later the island fell to the Japanese and the battalion was ordered to capitulate. He became one of 2736 2nd AIF prisoners of the Japanese on Java.

He was first interned in the Dutch Army barracks at the No 12 Bandoeng camp, West Java. A fellow prisoner was Lieutenant Colonel Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, who later achieved a high reputation for his selfless dedication to the welfare of the suffering troops.

John de Crespigny was reported missing and there were reports he had been killed. In September he was reported to be a prisoner of war:

Maj John C. Champion de Crespigny reported missing is believed to be a prisoner of war in Java. He is the younger son of Mrs Champion de Crespigny of Balaclava rd. E St Kilda, and the late Phillp Champion de Crespigny, AIF, killed on active service in 1918. Maj de Crespigny was educated at Camberwell Grammar School. Before enlisting he was advertising manager at Ronaldson Bros and Tippett, Ballarat, and was an officer in the 8th Battalion. He and his elder brother Lieut Philip de Crespigny, embarked for the Middle East early in 1940.
(SERVICE CASUALTIES (1942, September 1). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11993260)

In November 1942, 1000 Australian prisoners, including Dunlop and de Crespigny, were moved to a camp at Makasura, Batavia where they shared quarters with British prisoners.

In the camp John de Crespigny worked with his fellow officers to keep morale up and the inmates busy. John taught art classes and lectured on various aspects of advertising. He helped produce hand-drawn posters advertising camp activities. The camp magazine, ‘Mark Time‘, was produced and illustrated under his guidance.

One of the copies of Mark Time with a cartoon of John de Crespigny from the collection held by the Anzac memorial (NSW). Flight Lieutenant Sid Scales of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, was a gifted caricaturist and illustrated the covers of the camp magazine ‘Mark Time’ with cartoons of the senior officers.

Early in 1943, many Australian prisoners, including Dunlop and de Crespigny, were moved to Singapore and from there to the Konyu-Hintok Area near the Burma-Siam border. Those below officer rank were forced to work on the construction of the infamous 260-mile railway linking Thailand and Burma.

The Hintok-Tampi trestle bridge located ninety kilometres south of Kinsayok. This was one of the bridges built to complete the Thailand-Burma railway for use by Japanese military forces during the Second World War. Construction was carried out by Allied prisoners of war including many Australians under supervision by Japanese engineers. The height of the bridge at this spot was 100 feet and rough scrub timber from the surrounding area was used in the bridge construction. Image from the Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C47450

Following the Japanese surrender in September 1945, John de Crespigny was ‘recovered from the Japanese at Siam.’ He sailed for Melbourne via Singapore on 17 October 1945 and was discharged as an Honorary Major in December. On his return, he provided a sworn statement to the inter-Allied team investigating Japanese war crimes.

In 1997, twenty-four POW camp posters from Bandoeng and Makasura, numerous copies of ‘Mark Time’, John de Crespigny’s wartime diaries, and many pieces that had been penned and drawn for the planned souvenir Memorial Book were donated to the New South Wales Anzac Memorial by one of his step-sons.

Some of the posters in the collection of John de Crespigny now held by the Anzac memorial (NSW)

Further reading:

• Anzac memorial (NSW) The John Chauncy Champion de Crespigny Collection: an online ehibition https://www.anzacmemorial.nsw.gov.au/event/john-chauncy-champion-de-crespigny-collection
  • Biography of John Chauncy Champion de Crespigny https://www.anzacmemorial.nsw.gov.au/major-john-chauncy-champion-de-crespigny-1908-1995

Related posts

• Sepia Saturday 192 : John Chauncy Champion de Crespigny (1908 – 1995)
• Trove Tuesday: Mother’s Day 1943
• E is for Exile

Wikitree: John Chauncy Champion de Crespigny (1908 – 1995)

Remembering my paternal grandfather on his birthday

My paternal grandfather, Richard Geoffrey Champion de Crespigny, oldest son of Constantine Trent Champion De Crespigny (1882-1952) and Beatrix Champion de Crespigny née Hughes (1884 -1943), was born in Glenthompson, Victoria, on 16 June 1907. He died in Adelaide, South Australia, on 12 February 1966. Today is the 113th anniversary of his birthday.

Geoff’s father was in private medical practice in Glenthompson from 1906 having previously worked for several years in Melbourne hospitals after graduation. In 1909 he took up the position of Superintendant of the Adelaide Hospital and the family moved to Adelaide. Geoff’s sister Nancy was born in Adelaide in 1910.

Frank Beggs and Geoff de Crespigny St Marnocks 1908

Geoff de Crespigny , miniature portrait by his aunt Olive A Chatfield

Geoff de Crespigny with his mother Beatrix about 1912

Geoff attended the Queen’s School, North Adelaide where he won prizes in 1918 and in 1919. He later attended Geelong Church of England Grammar School and is listed as a prizewinner there in 1920. In 1921 he won a form prize and a prize for music. He was again a form prize winner in 1923 and also a prize for music.

Geoff went on to study medicine at Melbourne University and in 1927 he was awarded a Full Blue for rowing. He rowed for the University of Melbourne in the inter-varsity boat race in 1927, 28 and 29.

The Trinity College crew in 1929.  Geoff is number 7

We have two trophy oars as mementoes of my grandfather’s rowing career; one from Trinity College and the other from Melbourne University.

In 1933 Geoff married Kathleen Cudmore. They had one son, Rafe.

WEDDING LINKS ADELAIDE MEDICAL FAMILIES (1933, June 10). The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 – 1954), p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58626507

A copy of the newspaper image

Geoff with Rafe at Rafe’s christening

In 1939 Geoff enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and served in the Middle East and New Guinea rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. His extended period of nine months in Tobruk, earned the nickname of `The old man of Tobruk’.

• 

  For the first

• 

For the first part of the war Geoff kept a diary.

Geoff with Rafe and Antonia (Mrs Tone) the dachshund about 1947

After graduating from Melbourne University in 1930 Geoff was a resident medical officer at the Adelaide Hospital from 1931 and then undertook postgraduate studies in England in 1932. On his return to Adelaide he took up general practice. He specialised in paediatrics and was on the Honorary Staff of the Adelaide Childrens’ Hospital from 1936. He was admitted to the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 1938 and made a Fellow in 1953. He gave up private practice in 1960 to take on the role of Medical Director of the Mothers’ and Babies’ Health Association. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1960 and in that year he was President of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Medical Association.

my grandparents Kathleen and Geoff in 1960

In December 1965 he suddenly became ill and died less than two months later on 12 February 1966 of a brain tumour.

Related posts

• Miniature portrait of Geoff de Crespigny by Olive A Chatfield
• Sepia Saturday 193 : Richard Geoffrey Champion de Crespigny
• T is for Tobruk
• Remembering my grandfather at Tobruk
• Kathleen Cudmore: a Memoir

A masked ball

In April 1919 the Adelaide weekly ‘Critic‘ claimed that because of the chaos Spanish flu had caused nothing could be planned.

Further down the page there was a discussion of plans for a Victory Ball to be held two months off, on 5 June, with a dance for juveniles on the following night. The proceeds were to be in aid of the Cheer-Up Society, an organisation for the aid and comfort of Australian soldiers passing through Adelaide. My great grandmother Mrs A.M. Cudmore, who was on the executive committee, keenly supported this effort on behalf of returned men.

At the Sign of Four O’ (1919, April 16). Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924), p. 29. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212480508

At first it was planned to hold the Ball in the Exhibition Building on North Terrace, but this was being used as an isolation hospital for influenza patients.

Though a Peace Ball was cancelled in Sydney because of the influenza outbreak, Adelaide’s Victory Ball went ahead at the Adelaide Town Hall.

On the afternoon of the ball Mrs Cudmore supervised a rehearsal for debutantes.

GENERAL NEWS. (1919, June 4). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), p. 6. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5654323

Frock worn by the Mayoress (Mrs. C. R. J. Glover)  FEMININE VANITIES (1919, June 7). The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 – 1954), p. 9. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63761531

Depicted in the sketch … is the elegant gown worn by the Mayoress at Government House on the occasion of Admiral Viscount Jellicoe’s visit, also at the Victory Ball on Thursday. This frock is composed of supple black satin, with an overdress of tulle, weighted by steel and gold embroidery. The corsage permits a peep of gold tissue between the less diaphonous fabrics with what is at hand. A short length of widish insertion, rather open and bold in design, can be turned to endless account.

In July 1919 there was another ball, the University Ball. This time Mrs Arthur Cudmore had the job of supervising sixty-four debutantes carrying posies tied with ribbons in University colours.

1919 Adelaide: Guests attending a ball (not specified), possibly for debutantes in a hall decorated with garlands of flowers in Adelaide. Image retrieved from the State Library of South Australia PRG-280-1-29-65 and subsequently colorised using the MyHeritage photo colorizing tool.

 

The influenza epidemic, it seems, had little effect on Adelaide social life.

A recent ABC News article recalls the 1919 Adelaide quarantine camp.

15,000 people died in Australia from the 1918-19 pandemic out of a population of 5 million. 40 per cent of Australia’s population was infected by the influenza but its subsequent death rate of 2.7 per cent per 1,000 members of the population was the lowest recorded of any country during the pandemic. Worldwide 50 to 100 million people died. The first Australian case was recorded in January 1919 in Melbourne,
Victoria. The virus spread to New South Wales and South Australia, with these States closing their borders to limit the spread of the virus.

Travellers from South Australia to Melbourne were not allowed to return home to South Australia. Quarantine was offered in association with soldiers who were being quarantined on Kangaroo Island and in two other camps. Eventually several hundred travellers from Adelaide were allowed to travel back to Adelaide on heavily guarded trains having signed declarations that they had taken every precaution not to be exposed. A quarantine camp was set up on Jubilee Oval next to the Torrens River. There were 100 military tents and more accommodation was set up in the adjacent Machinery Hall. About 640 people who had been visiting Victoria and elsewhere were quarantined at the site.

It was said that many people quarantined at Jubilee Oval treated the experience as an extended holiday and, cleared of the infection, were reluctant to leave.

1919 View of the Quarantine Camp, Jubilee Oval, Adelaide Photograph retrieved from State Library of South Australia PRG 1638/2/67

Young men at the Quarantine Camp, Jubilee Oval [PRG 1638/2/68]

Woman at Quarantine Camp [PRG 1638/2/80]

 

Below the well-advertised cheerfulness, however, was an ugly truth. The Spanish flu was extremely dangerous. In South Australia 540 people died of the flu, the equivalent in today’s population of 15,000. No Australians have yet died of COVID-19.

Exhibition Building, North Terrace, Adelaide about 1900. The Jubilee Exhibition Building was just north of the camp and was turned into an isolation hospital.  [State Library South Australia image B 1606] (The building was demolished in 1962)

 

Source

• How Did the 1919 Spanish Flu Isolation Camp Become a Party? Malcolm Sutton- ABC Radio Adelaide – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-14/when-quarantine-during-the-spanish-flu-pandemic-became-a-party/11958724

Trove Tuesday: 1905 Bushfire precautions

Daniel Henry Cashel Cudmore (1844 – 1913) was my 3rd great uncle, one of the sons of my 3rd great grandparents Daniel Michael Paul Cudmore and Mary Cudmore née  Nihill. Like his father and brothers he was a pastoralist, settling stations on the Darling River above Wentworth, New South Wales.

At least one obituary of D.H. Cudmore mentioned that he was an authority on fighting bush-fires.

In 1905 D.H. Cudmore published his advice on bush-fire precautions.

BUSH-FIRES. (1905, January 14). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), p. 10. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25371805

The technology we now have to fight fires has not made preparation less important nor has it provided a magic bullet to quell fires.

DEATH OF MR. D. H. CUDMORE. (1914, January 3). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 6. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15468590

Mr Daniel Cudmore, probably an enlargement from a carte de visite image. Approximately 1870. Retrieved from the State Library of South Australia [ image B 72282]

Further reading

• A. Howell, ‘Cudmore, Daniel Henry (Dan) (1844–1913)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cudmore-daniel-henry-dan-270/text9913, published first in hardcopy 1981

Related post

• • Fires at Batemans Bay

 

Trove Tuesday: A Patriotic Family – the Butcher family of Bridgetown WA

In my post for Remembrance Day yesterday I listed only our closest relatives, up to first cousins. We also had many second cousins who fought in the war. In one family, named Butcher, six sons enlisted. Against the odds, all six returned to Australia.

ILLUSTRATED SECTION (1916, July 14). Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 – 1954), p. 23. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37438960

 

I do not know if my great grandfather’s family, the Cudmores, knew the Butcher family. Before 1900 they lived at Wentworth, New South Wales, close to their Cudmore cousins, and the families may have been in contact, but around the turn of the century the Butchers moved to Bridgetown, Western Australia. (Recently I discovered that I share DNA with two descendants of Rachel Butcher née Gunn, the cousin of my great great grandmother Margaret Cudmore née Budge.)

Rachel Butcher née Gunn (1853 – 1937) was born in Wick, Caithness. In 1863, when she was ten years old, Rachel Gunn arrived in South Australia with her family on the “Ocean Chief”. Three more children were born to the Gunns in South Australia including a son named William Cudmore, whose second given name seems to indicate that the Gunns had, or wished for, a connection with their wealthy Cudmore relatives.

In 1869 at Wentworth, New South Wales, Rachel’s father William Gunn was kicked by a horse and died. It appears that the Gunn family had moved to Wentworth shortly before.

At Wentworth in 1875 Rachel Gunn married George Butcher (1852 – 1928). Between 1876 and 1898 they had ten children, all born in Wentworth.

The Butcher family moved to Bridgetown, Western Australia, in the early 1900s. In 1905 a son died there.

Frank Gunn Butcher, born 1886, enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 19 October 1914. He was 28 years old, unmarried, and his occupation was orchardist. He had been apprenticed to a blacksmith.

Robert Rae Gunn Butcher, born 1891, enlisted in the AIF on 15 June 1915. He was 23 years old, unmarried, and gave his occupation as horse trainer.

Kennewell Gardiner Gunn Butcher, born 1895, enlisted 26 July 1915. He was 19 years old, unmarried, and gave his occupation as farmer.

George Henry Butcher, born 1881, enlisted in the AIF on 30 August 1915. He was 34 years old, a timber worker, married, no children.

Horace Butcher, born 1883, enlisted 20 November 1915. He was 32 years old (he said he was 35) and married. His occupation was labourer.

Ruben Murray Gunn Butcher, born 1888, enlisted 20 January 1916. He was 27 years old, married and living in Melbourne. His occupation was driver.

All six men were sent overseas. All returned to Australia.

Robert Rae Gunn served with the 2nd Field Company Engineers. He was gassed in January 1918 and returned to Australia on 17 June 1918. In January 1918 he was awarded the Military Medal.

PERSONAL. (1918, June 29). South Western Times (Bunbury, WA : 1917 – 1929), p. 5. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article210426837

George served with the 28th battalion. He returned to Australia 28 July 1918. He was recorded as suffering from a debility, trench fever (a fairly serious infection, transmitted by lice).

Ruben served with the 3rd Tunnelling Company and returned to Australia 19 April 1919. When he was discharged from the AIF in Melbourne he was stated to be unfit but is disability was not stated.

Horace also served with the 3rd Tunnelling Company and returned to Australia 19 April 1919. In the course of his service he was promoted to sergeant. He does not appear to have been wounded or hospitalised during the war.

Frank served with the Australian Army Medical Corps 7th sanitary section. He returned to Australia 3 July 1919.

Kennewell Butcher returned to Australia 10 July 2019. He served with the 10th Light Horse.

While five of the brothers lived to the 1950s and 60s, George died in 1923 at the relatively young age of 42.

George was buried at Karrakatta cemetery. I have recently learned that his headstone was removed from the gravesite in April 2006; the headstone apparently did not survive. Karrakatta have a “renewal” program, described on the cemetery’s website as “the redevelopment of existing cemetery burial areas to accommodate new gravesites and memorial locations.” George’s grave has been redeveloped.

I am very appreciative that the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board provided me with a photograph of George Butcher’s headstone taken prior to redevelopment.

Karrakatta Cemetery record information for George Henry Gunn Butcher

 

On Remembrance Day 2011 a friend visited the gravesite and laid a poppy and sent me a photo

The grave site of George Butcher Remembrance Day 2019 – we have not forgotten

George is now remembered with a bronze plaque in the Western Australia Garden of Remembrance is situated adjacent to Perth War Cemetery in Smythe Road, Nedlands. A staff member kindly sent me an image of the plaque.

 

George’s parents are buried in the Wesleyan section, at EA grave 594. The ashes of two of the brothers, Robert and Kennewell were placed at the family grave. The headstone commemorates only George and Rachel. This area is scheduled for redevelopment but I have been advised that this grave has been designated an Official War Grave and will remain.

The grave of George and Rachel Butcher Karrakatta Cemetery Wesleyan Area or Denomination EA Section 0594 Photographed 11 November 2019

Frank was cremated and his ashes were scattered at Karrakatta. Horace was cremated. His ashes are at Karrakatta Lawn 5, Wall 10, position 121. Reuben was also cremated. His remains are in the crematorium Rose Gardens, Wall O position 333.

Links to First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers

• B2455, BUTCHER F G Butcher Frank Gunn : SERN 607 : POB Wentworth NSW : POE Bridgetown WA : NOK F Butcher G
• B2455, BUTCHER R R G Butcher Robert Rae Gunn : SERN 2580 : POB Wentworth NSW : POE Blackboy Hill WA : NOK F Butcher George
• B2455, BUTCHER K G G Butcher Kennewell Gardiner Gunn : SERN 1749 : POB Wentworth NSW : POE Blackboy Hill WA : NOK F Butcher George
• B2455, BUTCHER G H G Butcher George Henry Gunn : SERN 935 : POB Wentworth NSW : POE Blackboy Hill WA : NOK W Butcher Annie
• B2455, BUTCHER H Butcher Horace : SERN 936 : POB Wentworth NSW : POE Perth WA : NOK W Butcher Mary
• B2455, BUTCHER R M G Butcher Ruben Murray Gunn : SERN 2440 : POB Wentworth NSW : POE Melbourne VIC : NOK W Butcher Ellen

 

A memorial window in Glenelg

Some time ago, idly browsing digitised newspapers on Trove, I noticed a reference to a stained-glass memorial window at St Peter’s Church Glenelg in memory of my great great grandparents James Francis Cudmore (1837 – 1912) and Margaret Cudmore née Budge (1845 – 1912).

Last week, in Adelaide for a short holiday, we drove to Glenelg and had a look.

The West Window – the left hand light is in memory of James Francis Cudmore and his wife Margaret who both died in 1912. It shows the Raising of the Widow’s Son.

CONCERNING PEOPLE. (1915, August 16). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59413619

The left light (panel) of the window, unveiled in August 1915, depicts the story of Jesus raising the son of the widow of Nain from the dead. The episode is recorded in the Gospel of  Luke 7:11–17. Nain was a small village, a day’s walk from Nazareth.

11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a
dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

The subject of the west window is Jesus’ triumph over death. It has three lights, depicting His three resurrection miracles. The others show the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the raising of Lazarus.

The church of St Peter’s at Glenelg is on land set aside by Colonel Light in 1839. The first church of St Peter’s was built in 1852. In 1880 the first church was demolished to make way for a larger structure. Its foundation stone was laid 18 January 1881, with the new building consecrated 19 May 1883.

The architect of the 1881 building was Edmund Wright, who also designed the Adelaide Town Hall in 1863, the Adelaide Post Office in 1866, and the South Australian Parliament House in 1874. He also worked on Paringa Hall, a house built for James Francis Cudmore between 1880 and 1882 at Somerton, South Australia, a few kilometres south of St Peter’s Church.

The first record I have found in the digitised newspapers of the Cudmore involvement with St Peter’s was a report in the Adelaide Evening Journal of 1 February 1883: “We understand that a liberal offer has been made by Mr. J. F. Cudmore (in addition to previous gifts) to have the internal plastering of the building [St Peter’s Church, Glenelg] executed at his expense.” The report of the consecration of the new building in May 1883 included a mention that J.F. Cudmore was on the building committee.

In July 1883 the South Australian Register reported “Two very handsome gas standards, about eight feet high and containing seven lights, have been presented to the Church by Mrs. J. F. Cudmore. The lower part of each is nicely designed and supports a spiral brass standard carrying an elegant crown of jets. These additions to the Church are very handsome indeed, and with the memorial window enhance the effect of the interior arrangements, which are in themselves in thorough good taste.”

In the evening of 27 December 1883 and on the following day a bazaar in aid of the church was held. The Advertiser reported :

The stalls, four in number, exclusive of a Christmas tree and the inevitable bran pie, were very nicely arranged under the management of Mr. J. F. Cudmore, and were covered with articles of use or ornament. The ladies who presided were Mesdames Cudmore and Winnall at one, the Misses Bonnin at another, Mesdames Simms and Ferguson at the third ; and Mrs. West and the Misses Phillipson at the fourth. The Christmas tree was under the supervision of Mrs. Fisher, and the bran pie under that of the Misses Young, whilst Mrs. Douglas managed the refreshment stall. A considerable number of visitors were present during the evening, and the stalls were very well patronised …

So it appears that my great great grandparents did not merely attend St Peter’s Church. They were active members of the congregation.

In July 1889, Mrs Cudmore was helping with the annual social and an associated sale of goods. In October 1891 Mrs J.F. Cudmore was in charge of a Fancy stall when the ladies of St Peter’s Church held a Jumble Sale to wipe off the debt of the Church mission-room.

There was a large attendance at a dramatic and musical entertainment in August 1893 at St Peter’s schoolroom. Among the performers Miss Rosa Cudmore was reported as making a very pretty page boy and there was a piano duet by the Misses Cudmore. James Francis and Margaret Cudmore had 13 children including 7 daughters, 2 of whom died young. Rosa was born 1879 and about 14 years old in 1893. Her two older sisters were Violet born 1872 and Dorothea born 1876 and perhaps they were the pianists.

At the 1894 annual strawberry fete in aid of St Peter’s Church there was a good trade reported at the refreshment stall conducted by Mrs R. Smith, the Mayoress, and Mrs Cudmore, assisted by a large number of young ladies.

In 1896 Mrs J.F. Cudmore was on the committee to raise funds to renovate the schoolhouse. At a fundraising ball Mrs Cudmore was in the first set of lancers with Mr W. Bickford. [William Bickford 1841 – 1916 was the father of Reginald Bickford 1880 – 1945 who married Rosa Cudmore in 1910.]

In 1899 Mr J. F. Cudmore was reported as being on the committee to organise additions to the church.

In 1904 Mrs J.F. Cudmore was one of five seatholders selected to act in conjunction with the trustees and the Bishop of Adelaide to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the Rev. Canon Green.

In 1907 Alexandrina Budge Cudmore (1882 – 1942), fifth daughter of James and Margaret, married Hugh Crawford at St Peter’s Church Glenelg. In 1910 Rosa Cudmore (1879 – 1954) married Reginald Bickford at St Peter’s and later the same year Dan Cudmore (1881 – 1966) married Kathleen Pile at the same church. The following year in 1911 Mary Paringa Cudmore (1887 – 1952), their youngest daughter, married Arthur Toll at St Peter’s.

Both James Francis Cudmore and his wife Margaret died in 1912 within 5 months of each other. In 1913, in accordance with the wishes of the late Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Cudmore, of “Paringa Hall,” a copy of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” was presented to St. Peter’s Church, Glenelg. The painting is by an Italian artist, Giovanni Grinaschi [Grignaschi]  (1839 – 1905) who seems to have produced a number of versions of this copy. The Cudmores are said to have bought the painting from the artist in Milan in 1890.

“Last Supper” painting

The painting is still hanging in the church accompanied by a plaque inscribed “To the Glory of God and loving memory of JAMES FRANCIS CUDMORE of Paringa Hall, Glenelg, who died 17th August 1912 and MARGARET his wife, who died 1st December 1912”.

Looking towards the altar with the “Last Supper” on the left

Sources

• CHURCH INTELLIGENCE. (1915, August 16). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), p. 10. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5477742 
• Simpson, Janet and Anglican Parish of Glenelg Images of faith : the stained glass windows of St Peter’s Church, Glenelg, South Australia. St Peter’s Church, Glenelg, S. Aust, 2011.
• Sullivan, Christine, ‘Wright, Edmund William’, Architecture Museum, University of South Australia, 2008, Architects of South Australia: http://www.architectsdatabase.unisa.edu.au/arch_full.asp?Arch_ID=17
• Latest News. (1883, February 1). Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 – 1912), p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197781409 
• ST. PETER’S CHURCH, GLENELG. (1883, May 21). The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA : 1867 – 1922), p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article208338203 
• ST. PETER’S CHURCH, GLENELG. (1883, July 23). South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 – 1900), p. 5. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43467252 
• The Advertiser FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1883, (1883, December 28). The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 – 1889), p. 5. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33775450 
• CHURCH INTELLIGENCE. (1889, July 12). The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA : 1867 – 1922), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article208310241 
• CHURCH INTELLIGENCE. (1891, October 12). The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA : 1867 – 1922), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article208575114 
• ENTERTAINMENT AT GLENELG. (1893, August 4). Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 – 1912), p. 4 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198429934 
• Religious news (1894, November 26). Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 – 1912), p. 2 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202826585 
• ST. PETER’S DAYSCHOOL, GLENELG. (1896, August 26). South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 – 1900), p. 7. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54832376 
• RELIGIOUS. (1899, August 10). South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 – 1900), p. 6. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54584505
• ST. PETER’S CHURCH, GLENELG. (1899, December 22). Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 – 1912), p. 3 (ONE O’CLOCK EDITION). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207936083 
• CHURCH INTELLIGENCE. (1904, August 12). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), p. 7. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4996208
• Weddings. (1907, July 3). Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924), p. 21. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article211417925
• Family Notices (1910, November 19). Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 – 1931), p. 5. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164711514
• PERSONAL NEWS. (1910, December 24). The Capricornian (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1875 – 1929), p. 36. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68890257
• PERSONAL NEWS. (1911, July 11). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), p. 6. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article53214208
• CHURCH NOTES. (1913, February 8). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), p. 7. Retrieved November 5, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5370367
• Visual Arts Data Service:  National Inventory of Continental European Paintings ( on-line inventory of all the 22,000 pre-1900 Continental European oil paintings in the UK’s public collections) copy of “Last Supper” in Huddersfield Art Gallery https://vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=86573 and another copy in Paisley Museum and Art Galleries https://vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=85151

Trove Tuesday: Cornish memorial and Ballarat pioneer

Last month, when we visited the St Erth Methodist Church in Cornwall, I noticed that one of the plaques on the wall was a memorial to Francis Tuckfield erected by James Oddie and Benjamin Bonney, passengers on the Larpent in 1849.

A similar plaque was unveiled in the Yarra Street Methodist Church, Geelong in 1906.

A MURAL TABLET. (1906, March 20). Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 – 1929), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article149169675

 

The plaque was to honour Reverend Francis Tuckfield (1808 – 1865) and his wife, Sarah Tuckfield nee Gilbart (1808 – 1854), who threw their house open to passengers from the Larpent who had been afflicted by fever.

Francis Tuckfield, portrait in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia

Sarah Tuckfield, portrait in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia

 

The Larpent had arrived in Geelong on 28 June 1849. Among the passengers was James Oddie (1824 – 1911) with his wife and child. The Larpent’s emigrants had been selected by the Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang, a promoter of emigration. During the voyage many passengers became ill with what was thought to be typhoid. Sadly both Oddie’s wife and child died.

James Oddie was among the earliest gold miners arriving at the newly opened Ballarat diggings in August 1851. He became very rich and was later a great philanthropist. He founded the Art Gallery of Ballarat. His portrait hangs there.

James Oddie’s obituary in the Geelong Advertiser of 4 March 1911 stated that Oddie had instituted an annual reunion of passengers of the Larpent and their descendants to meet at Mack’s Hotel, Geelong.

Trove Tuesday: 35 years ago

It is disconcerting to see personal experiences fading into the historical past.

Yesterday, 18 February, was my wedding anniversary; Greg and I have been married for 35 years.

My memories, of course, are of the church, the bells, the gown and so forth, while the historical fact is now an item in the National Library’s digitised collection of Australian newspapers (most cease at 1956, but the Canberra Times, where our wedding news was reported, has been digitised up to 1995).

(1984, February 19). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995), p. 18 (SUNDAY EDITION). Retrieved February 19, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article116390954

In the newspaper wedding photograph I am wearing a Honiton lace veil that my grandmother wore at her wedding and was worn by various ladies of the Cavenagh-Mainwaring family. My English cousins kindly sent it to Australia for me to continue the tradition.

Greg and I on our wedding day with our attendants Greg’s nieces Cassandra and Jodie and my cousin Vanessa

Me on my wedding day with the veil

my grandmother Kathleen Cudmore on her wedding day 10 June 1933

Yesterday, 35 years later, Greg and I had lunch with friends and spent an enjoyable afternoon at the National Gallery of Victoria. These events will not reach the newspapers, though perhaps this blog might help to make them discoverable, a (very little) part of history.

Greg at the National Gallery of Victoria on our wedding anniversary

Trove Tuesday: Arrival of Francis and Sarah Tuckfield

One of my husband Greg’s fourth great aunts was a Cornishwoman, Sarah Tuckfield née Gilbart  (1808-1854).

Sarah and her twin sister Thomasine were born on 22 July 1808 at St Erth, a sand and clay mining town about 5 km from St Ives. They were the seventh and eighth children of John Gilbart (1761-1837) and Elizabeth Gilbart née Huthnance (1774-1847).

John Gilbart was manager of a copper rolling mill at St Erth. He had been a member of the first Copperhouse Methodist Society (Copperhouse was a foundry and its associated district in east Hayle), and in 1783 he had founded the St Erth Methodist Class, the local Wesleyan group meeting.

Francis Tuckfield (1808-1865) was a miner and fisherman, who at the age of 18 was convinced by the truths of  Methodist nonconformism. He became an active local preacher and in 1835, at the age of 27, was accepted as a candidate for the Ministry. He received two years training at the Wesleyan Theological Institution in Hoxton in London. On the completion of his studies Tuckfield was selected to be a missionary to the Aboriginals of the Port Phillip District (later became the colony of Victoria, Australia).

On 13 October 1837, less than a month before his departure, Sarah Gilbart and Francis Tuckfield were married at St Erth. They were then both 29 years old.

SHIP NEWS (1838, March 20). The Austral-Asiatic Review, Tasmanian and Australian Advertiser (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1837 – 1844), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232476273

In March 1838 after a long sea voyage Francis and Sarah Tuckfield landed in Hobart, Tasmania. In July the Tuckfields crossed Bass Strait to Melbourne on board the Adelaide. Sarah’s first child, a daughter, was born at Geelong on 12 August 1838.

Tuckfield made several exploratory trips about the Port Philip district looking for a suitable place to establish a mission station. (He is said to have employed William Buckley as a translator on these journeys. Buckley was an escaped convict who for a time had lived with Aboriginals. He had since been pardoned and given a job as a government interpreter.)

In 1839 he chose a site near Birregurra, 10 km east of Colac. Governor Gipps granted the mission 640 acres, a square mile.

The Birregurra experiment, however, was rapidly deemed a failure by the Victorian Government. In 1848 it was abandoned, and in 1850 the mission grazing licence was cancelled.

 

SATURDAY MORNING, JULY 1. (1848, July 1). Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1847 – 1851), p. 2 (MORNING). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91457661

 

Francis Tuckfield was afterwards appointed to a succession of churches, first in Victoria and later in New South Wales. On 6 June 1854 Sarah died at the age of 45 in West Maitland, New South Wales. She and Francis had eight children.

 

Family Notices (1854, June 7). The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 – 1893), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article690022

 

In 1857 Francis remarried, to Mary Stevens (1823-1886). Eight years later, in 1865, he died at Portland, Victoria.

Portraits of Francis and Sarah Tuckfield are held by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

Francis Tuckfield, portrait in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia

Sarah Tuckfield, portrait in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia

With only the bare facts of her life to draw on, it is very difficult to form an impression of Sarah Tuckfield the person. A history of the Birregurra mission portrays her as a dutiful daughter, devout Methodist, and devoted and capable wife and mother:

Sarah shared not only her father’s love of music and deep Christian conviction, but also his generous strength of character. She was a practical girl, who made an excellent teacher in the Sunday School, and was thoroughly trained in the housewifely arts by her mother. She also took an interest in the sick and incapacitated people in St Earth, who loved her for her kind ways and skills in nursing.

Le Griffon, Heather and Orton, Joseph Campfires at the cross : an account of the Bunting Dale Aboriginal Mission 1839-1951 at Birregurra, near Colac, Victoria : with a biography of Francis Tuckfield. Australian Scholarly Publishing, North Melbourne, Vic, 2006. page 18.

But this – no doubt well-meant – encomium gets us no further. ‘Love of music’ to a Methodist meant hymn-singing; ‘deep Christian conviction’ covers everything from humble faith to pharisaical self-righteousness; ‘generous strength of character’ sounds suspiciously like stubbornness; ‘thoroughly trained in the housewifely arts’ might mean a drudge; and her kind ways with the sick and infirm makes her look like the village Lady Bountiful.

Sarah’s marriage at the age of 29 to a penniless Methodist preacher and her willingness to endure the hardships of missionary life on the far side of the world seem rather noble and self-sacrificing, but these were the usages of the times. She was getting no younger, and her prospects, probably never great, were shrinking. Wives followed their husbands, and she perhaps found some satisfaction in being able to help with his missionary endeavours.

Sometimes, of course, images delineate character better than words. The National Portrait Gallery painting of Sarah Tuckfield conveys a certain measure of self-assurance and sense of purpose, especially when her image is viewed with that of her husband. The artist has drawn them with much the same mouth, giving her an air of steadfastness and strength of will; he looks feminine and ineffectual. He looks coyly at the viewer; she stares beyond, into the future.

We’re left wondering. Could it be that it was Sarah who turned the Cornish miner into the Methodist preacher, urged him to attend the Hoxton Institution, encouraged him to emigrate, and supported him in his mission?

Sources

• C. A. McCallum, ‘Tuckfield, Francis (1808–1865)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/tuckfield-francis-2747/text3887, published first in hardcopy 1967, accessed online 5 June 2018.
• Le Griffon, Heather and Orton, Joseph Campfires at the cross : an account of the Bunting Dale Aboriginal Mission 1839-1951 at Birregurra, near Colac, Victoria : with a biography of Francis Tuckfield. Australian Scholarly Publishing, North Melbourne, Vic, 2006.
• Wikipedia contributors. (2017, December 13). Gulidjan. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:27, June 5, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gulidjan&oldid=815258681
• “St.Erth Methodist Church.” St Erth Parish Council, St Erth Parish Council, 31 Aug. 2013, sterth-pc.gov.uk/st-erth-methodist-church/.
• “St. Erth Methodist Church.” About Us – St. Erth Methodist Church, St. Erth Methodist Church, www.sterthmethodists.co.uk/aboutus.htm.

Sister Minnie Goldstein

Looking at some paintings by Nora Heysen recently, I was delighted to discover that one was of a relative of mine, my second cousin twice removed, Minnie Sutherland Goldstein (1908-1984). She was my grandfather’s second cousin, one of the children of Selwyn Goldstein (1873-1917) and Minnie Waters Goldstein née Sutherland (1883-1952).

Minnie’s father Selwyn was a mining engineer, manager of the Mount Cattlin Copper Mining Company near Ravensthorpe, a couple of hundred kilometres west of Esperance in Western Australia. Minnie was born there on 13 August 1908.

On 13 October, with Minnie only two months old, the family moved to England, sailing on the Runic from Albany to Plymouth.

In 1909 the Goldsteins moved to Mexico where for two years Selwyn managed a large mine. They were forced to return to England, however, by the upheavals and danger of the Mexican Revolution.

On 9 November 1915 Selwyn Goldstein enlisted in the 173rd Company of the Royal Engineers. On 8 June 1917, during the Battle of Messines, where he had a part in blowing up the ridge the day before, he died of a gunshot wound, self-inflicted.

In 1922, Minnie’s mother and her four children – Minnie was then 13 – returned to Australia, where they settled in Perth.

THE DAUGHTER OF MRS. M W. GOLDSTEIN, OF WEST PERTH, MISS MINNIE GOLDSTEIN. from 17 March 1927. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 – 1954), p. 4  Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38002701

Digitised newspapers and other records held by the National Library give us glimpses of Minnie’s life. In November 1922 Minnie wrote to the Children’s Page of the Perth Daily News. In 1923 Minnie played lawn tennis for her school, but she lost the game. She was at school at St Mary’s Church of England Grammar in year V and won a prize for divinity; her sister Isobel was in the same year and won prizes for divinity and languages. In 1926 she was at many events including a party, a dance at the rowing club, the Children’s Hospital Ball.

By December 1926 Minnie was training as a nurse at the Perth Hospital. The social whirl seems to have continued, and Miss Minnie Goldstein was often mentioned in the society columns.

In 1930 Minnie became engaged to Jack Round-Turner. The marriage did not go ahead.

Minnie Goldstein enlisted in the Australian Army on 28 August 1942. In 1944 she was painted by the war artist Nora Heysen in Alexishafen, Papua New Guinea while working in the blood bank of 111 Australian Casualty Clearing Station.

Sister Minnie Sutherland Goldstein, WX32605, of the Australian Army Nursing Service working in the blood bank of 111 Australian Casualty Clearing Station, Alexishafen, New Guinea. She is working on medical equipment relating to blood bank services such as blood transfusions. She was painted by Nora Heysen, official war artist in 1944. The painting is in the collection of the Australian War Memorial ART23921

Map showing Alexishafen, 23 kilometres north of Madang on the north coast of Papua New Guinea

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Officers and members of the nursing service on the staff of the 111th Australian Casualty Clearing Station. Identified personnel include WFX32604 Sister M.S. Goldstein (8). From Australian War Memorial photograph 075085.

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Walking patients find humour in another patients getting a blood transfusion at the 111th Casualty Clearing Station. Identified personnel include:- WFX32605 Sister M. Goldstein (1) Australian War Memorial photograph 075083

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Sisters of the 111th Casualty Clearing Station enjoying a walk along the shores of the bay in the cool of the evening. Identified personnel include:- WFX32605 Sister M.S. GOLDSTEIN (7) Australian War memorial photograph 075087

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Sisters of the 111th Casualty Clearing Station outside their quarters. Identified personnel include:- WFX32605 Sister M.S. GOLDSTEIN (7) Australian War Memorial photograph 075086

 

Sister Goldstein was discharged from the Australian Army on 17 February 1947 with the rank of Lieutenant. Her posting at discharge was 2/1 Australian General Hospital.

Minnie returned to work as a sister at the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth.

In 1956 Minnie married Maxwell Percival Rose (1915-1973). Minnie died in Perth on 5 April 1984.

Related Posts

• P is for Poperinghe New Military Cemetery

Sources

• PROGRESSIVE RAVENSTHORPE. (1907, January 30). The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 – 1950), p. 3 (THIRD EDITION). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article83311792
• PHILLIPS RIVER FIELD. (1907, October 10). Kalgoorlie Miner (WA : 1895 – 1950), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90385275
• Runic shipping list retrieved through ancestry.com: Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.;Class: BT26; Piece: 347; Item: 97
• A LADY’S LETTER (1911, June 20). Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 – 1916), p. 11. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article33392744 gives an account of Minnie’s mother in Mexico entertaining, at their own invitation, the leader of the rebels and several of his followers at dinner.
• Euripedes outward passenger shipping list retrieved through ancestry.com, similarly the inwards list from State Records Office of Western Australia; Albany: Inward Passenger List from Overseas 1900-1932; Accession: 108; Item: 2; Roll: 17
• DIPS FROM MY LETTER BAG. (1922, November 18). The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 – 1950), p. 14. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article83156187
• Engagement: He’s Bought the Ring (1930, October 25). Mirror (Perth, WA : 1921 – 1956), p. 13. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article75492890 and The Social Whirl and Personal Pars on Prominent People (1930, October 19). Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 – 1954), p. 25. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58401391
• World War 2 nominal roll: Minnie Sutherland Goldstein
• Film of women’s work at 2/1 Australian General Hospital in Papua New Guinea 1945