World War Two soldiers with a connection to Vervale

This post looks at the men who served in the Second World War (WW2) who have  a connection to Vervale. Vervale is a small town on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp between Cora Lynn and Iona. I grew up there on a potato farm, but even I will admit that calling Vervale a small town makes it sound so much grander than what it really is, which is a collection of paddocks. 

The World War Two Nominal Roll, see here, list fourteen men who have  a connection to Vervale, either through place of birth or residence on enlistment. Some of the World War Two records have been digitised by the National Archives of Australia, www.naa.gov.au

Burnett, John Thomas  (VX44163).  John enlisted in the Army in July 1940 and was discharged in October 1945. He was born in Garfield on December 28, 1916 and was the son of Thomas and Laura (nee Wheildon) Burnett. They are listed in the 1942 Electoral Roll, along with his brother Edgar, at Catani Road, Vervale. Catani Road is Pitt Road, the continuation of 13 Mile Road. The two boys are listed as labourers and Thomas as a Dairyman.  

John Thomas Burnett

National Archives of Australia

Second Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947

Costain, Colin Ramsey (V367934). Colin was born at Inverleigh on January 18, 1890. He enlisted in the Army in March 1942 and was discharged September 1945. His next of kin was his wife Edith (nee Jenkins). Colin was a farmer and they lived at Vervale. Colin's first wife Jessie, the mother of his two sons Ian and Ewen, died in December 1929.  His WW2 record has not been digitised, so we don't have his photograph. Colin had also served in the First World War (SN 12267), having enlisted in July 1915. He Returned to Australia April 5, 1919.

Damon, John William Frederick (VX1471, V367967). John was born June 21, 1917  in Glen Iris to Henry and Mary (nee Bath) Damon. He enlisted twice in the Army and served from November 1939 to March 1940, then March 1942 to November 1943. His next of kin was his father, Henry, of Walker's Road, Vervale. John's WW2 record has not yet been digitised. In 1946, Mr Damon wrote a letter to the Shire of Berwick complaining about the state of Walker's Road, which had not had any maintenance since 1930, well before the War.

Mr Damon's letter to the Shire of Berwick complaining about his road.

Dandenong Journal, October 23, 1946 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/214796083

Davies, Albert Maldon (V506952, VX148225). Albert was born on February 12, 1916. The Nominal Roll says he was born in Vervale and enlisted in February 1944. His service record says he enlisted in March 1942 and he was born in Vervale and on other pages his place of birth is listed as Nagambie. He was discharged in May 1945. His next of kin was his mother Evelyn and she lived at Vervale. Albert's occupation was listed as 'building's labourer.'

Albert Maldon Davies

National Archives of Australia

Second Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947

Evans, Rupert Buller  (VX23604, VX58804). Rupert was born December 26, 1901 at Whittlesea. He enlisted twice from June 1940 to March 1941, then from July 1941. Rupert was a Prisoner of War and died from illness on March 14, 1945 in Borneo. Rupert and his wife Pearl and family lived at Vervale.

Rupert Evan's death notice

The Argus November 10, 1945 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12152318/632637

Rupert Buller Evans

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1709438

Folks, Eric Baden (VX 58158, V7362)  Eric was born in Boonie Doon. He enlisted in July 1940 and was discharged July 1941 and then enlisted again June 1941 and was discharged January 1943. I don't understand why he enlisted twice or why there is a discrepancy with the dates, however in July 1940 he put his birth date as May 25, 1900 and he said he was 40 and in June 1941 his date of birth was May 25, 1902 and he said he was 39 and a half. Eric was a farmer from Vervale and his next of kin was his wife, Eveline.

Eric Baden Folks

National Archives of Australia

Second Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947

Green, William Alexis (VX104338, V42090).  William was born on June 26, 1897 at St James, and was a farmer at Vervale when he enlisted in July 1942. He was discharged in June 1943. He had also joined the Australian Military Force in 1921 and served for a number of years. His next of kin was his wife,  Margaret. 'Billy' Green was a handy footballer as well as being inventive, as this article, below, attests. William's WW2 record has not been digitised, so we don't have his photograph.

William Green's invention

Weekly Times, October 17, 1931 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225741909

Land, Arthur Frederick Charles (VX25317). Arthur was born on October 29, 1905 in England. He enlisted June 1940. Arthur died in Ambon, Dutch East Indies of  illness on March 15, 1945. What was his connection to Vervale? The Nominal Roll has his locality on enlistment as Vervale. Arthur's WW2 record has not been digitsied, so we don't have his photograph and nor do we know his occupation at the time. Arthur's latest entry in the Electoral Roll was 1937 when he and his wife Kathleen were living in Cobden Street, Kew and his occupation was an agent, which seems an unlikely occupation for a chap who lived in rural Vervale. Kathleen is listed in the 1943 Electoral Roll at 12 Gordon Avenue, Kew, so I am wondering if the Vervale location in the Nominal Rolls is a mistake. We will find out when his record has been digitised.

Lennox, Keith (VX9720) Keith was born in Vervale on May 3, 1915. He enlisted in December 1939 and was discharged in August 1945. The Electoral Roll list his address as Cottonwood, Catani and his occupation as labourer.  Catani is just south of Vervale. Keith was the son of Robert and Eleanor (nee Forsyth) Lennox. His next of kin was his wife, Joyce, whom he married in 1942. Keith's WW2 record has not been digitised, so we don't have his photograph.

Keith Lennox's send-off.

Dandenong Journal, February 7, 1940 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/216059623

Miller, Lindsay Francis (V285310). Lindsay was born in Yarram on June 20, 1922. He enlisted in Garfield in October 1941 and was discharged July 1944.
Miller, Stanley (VX41895). Stanley was born on March 20, 1911 also in Yarram. Stanley served from June 1940 until May 1943.
The boys were the sons of James Alfred Miller and his wife Maria May Wilson. In the 1949 Electoral Roll Lindsay and Stanley were both listed as farmers from Vervale; their parents address is 'Little Yannathan Drain, Iona'. Neither of the Miller brother's WW2 records have been digitised.

Sherwell, Benjamin Alex (V285314).  Benjamin was born at Tempy on April 11, 1922.  He was living at Vervale when he enlisted in October 1941 at Garfield and was discharged in November 1945. His next of kin was Robert Sherwell. In the 1937 and 1942 Electoral Rolls Robert George Sherwell has his address listed as 'off 13 Mile Road', Garfield.  Benjamin's WW2 record is another one that has not yet been digitised.

Stewart, James Gilbert (V42247). James was born in Vervale on October 17, 1918 and enlisted at Garfield in August 1940.
Stewart, John (V100332). John was also born in Vervale on June 3, 1915 and enlisted in Leongatha in May 1941.
For some reason the Nominal Roll does not list either of the brother's discharge dates and their WW2 records have not been digitised. The 1942 Electoral Roll lists John at Catani Road, Vervale and James at Vervale. They are both farmers. Their next of kin when they enlisted was their father, Laurance Mouat Stewart. His address in the 1942 Electoral Roll was 13 Mile Road, Vervale, which as we know is also known as Catani Road and Pitt Road.

Mr Laurance Stewart's death notice, listing his family of five girls and five boys. His funeral was held at the Presbyterian Church at Iona.

The Argus October 16, 1956 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84391851

Another version of this post, which I wrote and researched, has appeared on my work blog Casey Cardinia Commemorates: Our War Years and other places.

Farm Hedges

Hedges have traditionally been used in the country to delineate property boundaries and as wind breaks. In this region, Cypress trees have been planted for this purpose and it is quite usual to see rows of old cypress trees along the road sides. However 100 years or so after the cypress trees were first planted they begin to look very straggly, have a tendency to blow over on high wind days and in recent times they have also suffered from Cypress canker and row after row of the trees have died. On the Koo Wee Rup Swamp it was thought that this canker took hold after the February 2011 floods. So due to these circumstances many old cypress trees have been removed.

This is my grandmother's farm on Murray Road at Cora Lynn, c. 1957. 

A good illustration of cypress trees used as wind breaks.

Image: Jim Rouse

This is an aerial of Brentwood farm at Berwick, taken sometime before 1988. Another illustration of the use of cypress hedges as wind breaks. Brentwood was on Berwick Clyde Road, located near what is now the southern part of Bemersyde Drive. You can still see some of the Brentwood cypress trees in the Brentwood Park housing estate, especially lining Chirnside Walk.

Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries

These are other cypress trees on Murray Road, in the process of being removed - they are at the ugly, straggly stage. Photo was taken June 2013.

Image: Heather Arnold

Another type of hedge that was planted in the area was English Hawthorn or Whitethorn (C. monogyna). You can still see some of these remnant hedges at Caldermeade,  along Ballarto Road near Cardinia and near the Catani township amongst other places.

The Cardinia Shire Heritage Study (1) has this to say about the hedges -  In Cardinia Shire, hedges were used extensively from the late nineteenth century onward as an efficient form of fencing, particularly on the large pastoral estates in the southern parts of the Shire around Koo Wee Rup. Windrows of trees were also planted, chiefly Monterey Cypresses or Pines to protect stock and crops. These trees and hedges also had an aesthetic value that added a picturesque quality to the landscape and consequently 'bear witness to the immigrants' desire to have familiar surroundings in this strange new land'  

Usually planted in straight lines along the edges of paddocks and along boundaries, they closely followed the north-south and east-west lines marked out by the allotment surveyors and hence emphasised the grid layout imposed by the Government survey upon the landscape. 

The most common hedging plant used in Cardinia Shire was English Hawthorn or Whitethorn (C. monogyna), one of a number of different plant varieties used throughout Victoria in the nineteenth century. One of the earliest hawthorn hedges in the former Cranbourne Shire was established in 1882 at Caldermeade near Lang Lang (Gunson, 1968) (2).

This last reference is to Niel Gunson, The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (3). The hedge referred to was planted by Alexander McMillan (1825 - 1897). Alexander was the fifth son of Archibald McMillan (1789-1863). Alexander purchased the Caldermeade property in May 1881, when the property was put up for sale after the death of Archibald's widow, Katherine. At the time the property consisted of over 3,000 acres.  Alexander kept the property in excellent condition and planted the hawthorn hedgerows around 1882. There are still some of these hedges along parts of Caldermeade Road and the South Gippsland Highway.

The Cardinia hedges along Ballarto Road are likely to be associated with the ownership of land by the Patterson family in the nineteenth century according to the Heritage Study (4).  You can see these hedges from the Cardinia township to Pound Road. Alexander Patterson (1813 - 1896)  had acquired the St Germains run of nine square miles (5, 760 acres) in 1848. Some of the St Germains property, facing Ballarto Road was sold off after 1906 (5). You can read Mr Patterson's obituary in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of December 30, 1896, here.

We will now look at the Catani hedges. The Heritage Study (6) has this to say about these hedges - This series of Hawthorn Hedges surround almost the whole boundary of the property that is bounded by Caldermeade, Heads, Taplins and  Walshes roads immediately to the south of Catani township.

The exact date of the Hawthorn hedges at Catani is not known, however, it appears that they may have been associated with the farm established by James Smethurst, a farmer of Yannathan, in the late 1880s. Smethurst obtained the Crown Grant for Crown Allotment 21D, Parish of Yallock in July 1888. CA 21D is the land now bordered by Caldermeade, Heads, Walshes and Taplins roads. 

Smethurst did not own the property for long. A small portion of land at the corner of Caldermeade and Heads roads was sold to William Scott in 1889, while the balance was sold in 1891 to James Greaves, a butcher from Dandenong . James sold to William Henry Greaves, a farmer, in 1899. He owned the property until 1933. In 1932, the north-east corner was sold to the Presbyterian Church of Victoria as the site of the Catani Presbyterian Church.

The Hawthorn Hedges as they exist today therefore appear to correspond with the boundaries of the land as selected by Smethurst in 1888 so may have been planted by him as a condition of the Grant. Alternatively they could have been planted by Greaves after 1891 (7).

James Smethurst who owned the land may have been James Smethurst Snr or James Smethurst Jnr - hard to tell from the Cranbourne Shire Rate Books as they  both own lots of land and it does not seem to specifically mention CA 21D, however he is listed on the Yallock Parish, as owning that allotment.

Yallock Parish Plan showing J. Smethurt's properties inculding CA 21D.

James Smethurst (1822-1905) and his wife Sarah (nee Hulton 1846 - 1907) arrived in area at Cranbourne in the late 1850s and had land at Yannathan and Cranbourne. James Smethurst Jnr (1846 - 1909) and his wife Eliza (nee Stanlake 1856-1909) also had  land at Yannathan as did  his brother John Henry Smethurst (1849 - 1898). John and his wife Annie (nee Redfern 1853 - 1925) had the property Glen Avis at Yannathan and was also a Cranbourne Shire Councillor (8). 

The Hawthorn hedges in Catani that are of heritage significance.  The township of Catani is at the top left, the road on the left is Walshe's Road, at the bottom is Head's Road, on the right is Caldermeade and at the top is Taplins Road.  The little square at the top of the marked roads is the Catani Presbyterian Church (now a  Community Church) as referred to in the Heritage Study description. This photo is from the Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review  Volume 2: Key Findings & Recommendations  Revised Report  May 2011 undertaken by Context Heritage Consultants.

This is the hawthorn hedge in Taplin's Road at Catani. The old cypress trees are part of the Catani Recreation Reserve. (April 2018)

Image: Heather Arnold

Walshes Road hawthorn hedge, looking back towards Head's Road. The pile of trees on the right are felled cypress trees. (April 2018)

Image: Heather Arnold

Red hawthorn berries - Catani (April 2018)

Image: Heather Arnold

Caldermeade Road hedges at Catani (April 2018)

Image: Heather Arnold

The Heritage Study (9) also lists a hawthorn hedge on Linehams Road at Catani and, when I first wrote this in 2018, there was a hawthorn hedge at Clyde, from around Patterson Road, down to the old railway line. This has now gone, due to development. 

The Heritage Study (10) quotes this passage from Early Days of Berwick (10) Mr Walton, father of Mrs G.W Robinson, introduced the hawthorn hedge one of the charms of North Narre Warren into the district. He taught the art of thorn setting or layering, as practiced in England which by the interlacing of the upper and lower branches hedges were rendered cattle and sheep proof.  Mr Walton was Thomas Walton, who wife his wife Eliza,  arrived in the Narre Warren area in 1852 and built Holly Green (located where Fountain Gate Shopping Centre is today). The Waltons left the area in 1877 and  Sidney Webb purchased Holly Green in 1880. It was their daughter, Eliza Mary Walton, who married George Washington Robinson in 1867. Robinson was the Shire of Berwick Engineer from 1876 to 1890.

This is the Holly Green property in 1900 - the property has a post and rail fence facing what is now the Princes Highway, but the other boundary fences could still be Mr Walton's hedges.

Footnotes
(1) Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review 2008 - Volume 5: Stage B Individual places, Draft June 2008, Context P/L., p. 57 of 304.
(2) Ibid
(3) Gunson, Niel The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire (Cheshire, 1968), p. 128.
(4) Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review 2008, op. cit., p. 16 of 304.
(5) Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review 2008, op. cit., p. 15 of 304.
(6) Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review Volume 3: Heritage Place & Precinct Citations Revised Report May 2011, Context P/L., p. 226.
(7) Ibid
(8) Early Settlers of the Casey Cardinia Region (Narre Warren & District Family History Group, 2010) 
(9) Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review 2008, op. cit., p. 41 of 304.
(10) Cardinia Local Heritage Study Review 2008, op. cit., p. 16 of 304.
(11) Early days of Berwick and its surrounding districts of Beaconsfield, Upper Beaconsfield, Harkaway, Narre Warren and Narre Warren North. 3rd edition, 1979, p. 98.


A version of this post, which I wrote and researched, has appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to Our Past and the Koo Wee Rup Blackfish newsletter.

Robert Preston and Lyall & Son Produce Merchants

 I recently acquired this postcard which I was interested in because it was addressed to Mr R. Preston, Koo Wee Rup from Lyall and Sons Produce Merchants, Victoria Market. It is dated June 10, 1909. I love the fact that they sent a postcard to tell Mr Preston that his order had been dispatched, these days we would get an email or text, so that's the 'olden days' version of tracking, which Australia Post offers. The delivery would have been sent to the Koo Wee Rup Railway Station.  

The postcard reads - June 10 '09 -Sent your order today - 7 oats - seed - 

can't read the rest, is it 2 bags - 1 flour?

The Prestons had arrived in Koo Wee Rup in 1905 and had a farm on the South Gippsland Highway, in the vicinity of Preston Road which is named for the family.  The family consisted of Robert and Martha (nee Dick) and their children - Jim, Jack, Henry, Jessie, Maggie and Bob. Robert died December 19, 1930, aged 81 and  Martha died August 31, 1937 at the age of 88 (1).  They are buried at the Pakenham Cemetery.

The Koo Wee Rup Sun, December 24, 1930 published this obituary of Robert Preston -
It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Mr Robert Preston, which took place on Friday last at his residence at Kooweerup. The deceased, who was 81 years of age, was very highly esteemed, being the possessor of a fine character and a disposition which made friends of all with whom he associated. Almost two months ago the deceased was driving home in a jinker, and when he arrived at the gate entrance to his property the animal plunged and he was thrown to the ground and sustained a broken leg. He was taken to the local Memorial Hospital, but his advanced age, coupled with the fact that he had not enjoyed the best of health for some time were factors which operated against his recovery. He expressed a desire to be taken home, and on Friday last his request was acceded to, but several hours later he passed "beyond these voices to where there is peace." The deceased was born in Scotland, and as a young man with a wife and family of four children he came out to Australia and took up work on the sugar plantations in Queensland. Later he came to Victoria and took up farming pursuits on land on which the township of Carrum is built. About 22 years ago he came to Kooweerup and bought land on the Main Coast Road. Deceased leaves a widow and six children - James, John, Harry, Robert, Mrs C. Child and Mrs F. Mummery - to whom general sympathy is extended in their irreparable loss. The remains were interred in the Pakenham Cemetery on Saturday afternoon, and there was a large attendance at the graveside to pay their last sad respect.

The Koo Wee Rup Sun also published an obituary for Mrs Preston on September 2, 1937

Martha Preston's obituary

Koo Wee Rup Sun September 2, 1937

This is the front of the postcard with a colourised photograph of Lyall & Son Produce Store.

Robert Lyall was listed as a Produce Merchant at 308 Sydney Road, Brunswick in the 1900 Sands & McDougall Directory and by 1905 the business had become  Lyall & Son, Produce Merchants and was located at the Victoria Market (2).   Robert Lyall died at the age of 80 on July 12, 1943. His short obituary in The Argus said that he was associated with the grain trade in Melbourne for the past half century. He had also been Secretary of the Church of Christ, Swanston Street for fifty years. In Mr Lyall's death notice his wife was listed as Lillias, he was the father of three daughters Eadie, Elsie and Winifred and one son Harry, the '& Son' of Lyall & Son (3). Harry was elected to the Melbourne City Council in November 1937 and was still on the Council in 1955 (4). 

I thought that Lyall & Son may have been connected to William Lyall of Harewood, at Koo Wee Rup and who was part of the influential partnership of early land owners, Mickle, Bakewell and Lyall, but although they may have been related, he was not a direct descendant. Robert's death notice lists his parents as Henry and Eleanor Lyall. 

How would Robert Preston of Koo Wee Rup have heard of Robert Lyall & Son, Produce Merchant of the Victoria Market? It was more than likely through an advertisement in the Lang Lang Guardian, perhaps even this very advertisement reproduced below, which came from the June 2, 1909 edition. The business advertised in the Lang Lang Guardian and its successor the Koo Wee Rup Sun up to 1924.

Is this the advertisement that prompted Mr Robert Preston to patronise the business Lyall & Son?

Lang Lang Guardian, June 2, 1909.

Footnotes:
(1) Death notices for Robert and Martha Preston were in The Argus December 20, 1930 and The Age September 1, 1937. Both notices list their six children.
(2) Sands & McDougall Directories have been digitised by the State Library of Victoria, access them here https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/popular-digitised-collections
(3) Robert Lyall's death notices were published in The Argus July 13, 1943. His obituary was in The Argus on the same day, see here.
(4) The Herald November 9 1937 and The Argus, August 26, 1955.

Nancie and Kathleen Kinsella - extraordinary nurses

This post is a tribute to the extraordinary Nursing careers of Nancie and Kathleen Kinsella, who grew at Cora Lynn.

On February 14, 1942 the steam ship Vyner Brooke was bombed by the Japanese and sank in the Banka Strait.  On the boat, were sixty five Australian nurses and over 100 civilians who had been evacuated from Singapore three days before the fall of Malaya. Twelve nurses drowned, thirty one nurses survived the sinking and became prisoners of war, with eight dying in captivity. Another twenty-two survived and were washed ashore on Radji Beach on Banka Island where they joined a number of civilians and service men from other sunken vessels. Japanese troops bayoneted the men to death and marched the women into the water where they were machine gunned to death. The only survivors at Radji Beach were Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and a British soldier. Sister Bullwinkel was later taken prisoner, and joined the other nurses in captivity. Only 24 nurses survived the War, including Vivian Bullwinkel and Betty Jeffrey, the author of the book, White Coolies. Another survivor was Sister Wilma Oram, who married Alan Young in 1947. The Youngs lived on a dairy farm at Cardinia (1).

One of the nurses who did not survive the sinking of the Vyner Brooke was Sister Kathleen Kinsella. Sister Kinsella was the daughter of Michael James Kinsella (1858-1919) and Susan (nee Lockens 1857-1930) of Cora Lynn. Michael Kinsella had selected 60 acres of land on the north side of the Main Drain at Cora Lynn in 1900 and the family moved there in 1905. Kathleen was born on March 18, 1904 at South Yarra and she started school at Koo Wee Rup North (or Five Mile). In 1912 Kathleen, along with brother Norman and sister Nancie, switched to Cora Lynn State School, where she stayed until 1918 (2).

Sister Kathleen Kinsella's enlistment photograph.

Australian War Memorial collection P02783.024

After leaving school, Kathleen trained as a nurse and was working at the Heidelberg Military Hospital when she joined the Army on August 4 in 1941. She was assigned to the 2/13th Australian General Hospital, the 2/4th Casualty Clearing Station unit. The 13th Australian General Hospital left Melbourne on September 2, 1941 and arrived in Singapore on September 15. In November it relocated to Malaya. As the fighting in the area increased, the casualties grew and by December the hospital had 945 beds in operation and was acting as a Casualty Clearing Station. It was the most forward surgical unit in the army’s medical organisation. As the Japanese advanced the Hospital had to withdraw to Singapore where by the end of January 1942 it had established a 700 bed hospital. The medical staff had to cope with bombings and blackouts but eventually it was too dangerous to operate and the nurses were evacuated on three ships, the last to leave being the Vyner Brooke on February 12 (3).  

Kathleen had three brothers, Daniel Lockens (1894-1983), Norman Francis (1895-1959) and Arthur Ernest (1898-1974) and, as we said, one sister, Nancie May (1900-1967). According to Michael Kinsella’s will the three sons inherited farms from their father which they worked together. Dan was also a Councillor for the Shire of Berwick from 1928 to 1954 and Shire President on a number of occasions (4).  Kathleen and her sister Nancie both went into nursing. 

Nancie had left Australia before the War and when the War broke out she enlisted in the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service. This service was started in 1902 by Queen Alexandra and provided nurses for military hospitals and in 1949 it became a Corps of the British Army and renamed Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (5).

Nancie Kinsella nursed in the Middle East, was in Normandy where she looked after D-Day casualties and also nursed the 1,700 survivors of the Belsen Concentration camp. At Belsen, the nurses had to de-louse and clean the captives and the wards as well as provide treatment for all manner of diseases such as dysentery, tuberculosis, typhoid, typhus, diphtheria, heart and kidney problems as well as starvation (6).  Nancie was awarded a Member of the British Empire Medal (M.B.E) in the Military Division, in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe. 

Sister Nancie Kinsella's appointment as a Member of the British Empire Medal in the

  London Gazette

Supplement to the London Gazette, March 29, 1945 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37004/supplement/1706/data.pdf

She was also mentioned in Despatches for the same service and was awarded the Associate Royal Red Cross medal, which is awarded to nurses for acts of bravery or exceptional devotion to duty. 

Sister Nancie Kinsella's appointment to an Associate of the Royal Red Cross.

Supplement to the London Gazette January 2, 1950  https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38797/supplement/31/data.pdf

 It appears that Nancie remained in the Service and completed her time in the Reserve of Officers in 1955, according to this notification, below, from the London Gazette

Sister Nancie Kinsella joins the Nursing Corps Reserve

Supplement to the London Gazette April 26, 1955 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/40460/supplement/2410/data.pdf

The first matron of the Peter McCallum Clinic, Cora McNeill (standing) with  

Nancie Kinsella, the second matron in 1956.

https://www.facebook.com/PeterMacCallumCancerCentre/photos/a.999872470191922/1233209400191560/

Nancie relinquished her Commission in the Royal Army Nursing Corps Reserve on April 20, 1956 (7), but by then she had already returned to Melbourne, where in January 1956, she took up the role of Matron at the  Peter McCallum Clinic in Melbourne (8). She was still in this position in December 1962 (9) and is remembered at the Hospital by the 'Nancie Kinsella Patient Library.’ Nancie died on May 22, 1967 (10). 

Sister  Kinsella's appointment as Matron

The Age, December 23, 1955

Footnotes

(1) The information about the Vyner Brook is from the Australian War Memorial site, https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/nurse_survivors

Mrs Young is the subject of  a biography -  A Woman’s War: the exceptional life of Wilma Oram Young, AM by Barbara Angell (New Holland, 2005)
(2) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Shire of Berwick Rate Books; Cora Lynn State School rolls.
(3) Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U57200
(4) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; the will is available on line at the Public Records Office of Victoria.

(5) Information about Nancie's War service comes from various articles - The Age, July 5, 1944, see here; The Dandenong Journal, December 19, 1945, see here;  The Argus, January 29, 1946, see here; The Herald, November 22 1946, see here; Weekly Times, September 10, 1952, see here
(6)  Free Thought, December 2, 1951, see here.

(7) London Gazette April 20, 1956   https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/40758/supplement/2322

(8) The Age, December 23, 1955.

(9) The Age, December 1, 1962.

(10) The Age, May 23, 1967

Other versions of this post, which I wrote and researched, appear on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past and have also appeared in the Koo Wee Rup Blackfish and the Garfield Spectator.

Cora Lynn First World War Memorial

The Cora Lynn War Memorial was unveiled on Wednesday, February 22 1922. It was reported on in the Pakenham Gazette of March 10, 1922  and the report is transcribed, below.

The Pakenham Gazette report of the unveiling of the Memorial at Cora Lynn.

Pakenham Gazette, March 10, 1922, p. 3

The unveiling of the memorial and machine gun took place on Wednesday, 22nd inst. Despite the showers which fell so incessantly during the afternoon, there was a very large attendance of people.

The President of the Memorial Committee (Mr Anderson) briefly outlined the cost of the stone etc., to which he said the people of Cora Lynn donated most generously. He then called on Cr Groves, M.L.A., to perform the unveiling ceremony, after which all present adjourned to the Hall.

Cr Groves congratulated Lieut. Ray Jeffers on gaining such distinction during war service. He also extended his sympathy to the parents of those soldiers who fell in the war.

Lieut. R. Jeffers spoke on behalf of the returned soldiers and thanked the people of Cora Lynn for the very fine stone they had erected. He said it would be a lasting momento, not so much for the returned soldiers but in honour of the boys who had not returned.

Cr Walsh, in moving a vote of thanks to Mr Groves, said it gave them great pleasure to have Mr Groves with them that day. Anytime the people of Cora Lynn asked Mr Groves to come along he always came most willingly. Mr Groves is a most energetic member and no doubt he attends to the interest of the farmer with the greatest assiduity.

I do not know what happened to the machine gun, but the War Memorial is still there. It was originally next to the Cora Lynn Hall, but was relocated onto the drain bank between the 1934 and 1937 floods. 

Cora Lynn Hall and War Memorial, December 1934. 

Photographer: E. Boord. 

Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/768357

The Cora Lynn War Memorial can be seen in this photo on the drain bank, taken in the October 1937 flood. The Hall is the building on the top left; on the other side of the Nine Mile Road is the old E.S. & A Bank, then Dillion's store, then a house. 

The Cheese Factory, is over the drain, on the right of the photo. 

The Australasian October 23, 1937 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141810942

There are nineteen names on the memorial for soldiers from the First World War. If you are interested in finding out more about their military service, you can look up their full service record at the National Archives of Australia, https://www.naa.gov.au/. At the bottom of this post are three men with a Cora Lynn connection, but who are not honoured on the War Memorial. SN = Service Number.

Cora Lynn War Memorial.

Image: Heather Arnold taken January 2014.

Cora Lynn War Memorial.

Image: Heather Arnold taken January 2014.

Clarkin, William (SN 1522). William was the fifth child of John and Elizabeth (nee Moore) Clarkin. They had eight children - John (1886), Mary (1887-1888), James (1889), Catherine (1891), William 1894), Margaret (1896), Mary (1899) and Ada (1902). John died in 1902, aged 55, leaving Mrs Clarkin with a young family to look after and in June 1903 a concert and ball was held at the Iona Hall and £6 was raised for her. (1)  William enlisted at Tynong on December 7, 1914 at the age of 21; his next of kin was his eldest brother, John Clarkin of Garfield. William fought at Gallipoli where he was shot in the chest and bayonetted in the leg. He recovered and was serving in France when he was officially  reported as missing in August 1916 but had actually died of wounds as a Prisoner of War at Caudrey in Germany on August 26, 1916.  William is also listed on the Bunyip War Memorial and on the Iona Honour Board.

William Clarkin, reported missing

Dandenong Advertiser, September 28, 1916 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/88660906

Doherty, Edward Francis (SN 1218) Listed as F. Doherty on the memorial and known as Frank. Frank enlisted on March 9, 1915 at the age of 26. Frank was Killed in Action on August 4, 1916. Edward is also listed on the Bunyip War Memorial.
Doherty, Louis Michael (SN 12392). Louis enlisted at the age of 21 on July 17, 1915. Louis returned to Australia in May 30, 1919. 

Frank, born at Miner's Rest,  and Louis, born at Bungaree,  were the sons of John and Bridget (nee Smith). John Doherty was a Veterinary Surgeon and they lived on Nine Mile Road, Tynong. Both of the men also had their occupation listed as farmers. Louis married Bessie Gertrude Wood in 1933 and in the 1930s and 1940s they were living in  Cargelligo and then Yendon in New South Wales. Frank and Louis  are also listed on the Bungaree Shire Honour Board, unveiled at the Shire Hall in April 1918 (2) and had a tree planted in their honour in the Tynong Memorial Grove. 

Report of the deaths of Frank Doherty and Jack Fitzgerald - Jack is on the Bunyip War Memorial.

Dandenong Advertiser, September 14, 1916  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88664360

Another report of Frank Doherty's death

Gordon, Egerton and Ballan Advertiser, September 15, 1916

 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129422941/13853850

Evans, Harry (SN 5589). Harry enlisted at Warragul in March 1916 at the age of 37. Harry was from Cora Lynn and his wife, Edith Minnie (nee Sunderland),  was listed as his next of kin. He embarked from Melbourne on September 25, 1916 on the HMAT Shropshire A9 and returned to Australia on December 31, 1916 having suffered continually from measles and pneumonia. He was discharged from the Army on February 12, 1917. After his return, Harry farmed on Minihan's Road in Cranbourne and then later at Bunyip.  Harry died on June 19, 1949, predeceasing Edith and their son Theo. (3)

Leslie Fritsch

 Photographer Darge Photographic Co. Australian War Memorial Image DASEY1179

Fritz, L –This is Leslie James Fritsch (4) (SN 2661).  

Leslie James Fritsch was born on June 25, 1896 at 31 Pridham Street, Prahran. He was the second child of Albert William Fritsch and Fannie Elizabeth Unwin who had married in October 1894, when he was 21 and she was 19. Their first son, Henry (Harry) Anton Fritsch was born in April 1895. It wasn’t a happy marriage and in 1899 Fannie applied  for a divorce on the grounds of his infidelity and violence towards her. 

By 1911, Albert was living in New Zealand, where he died at the age of 79 in 1953. Fannie, who was born in Warrnambool, moved back to her home town, married Joseph McKane and had another son, Allan Joseph McKane who was born in 1913. 

Harry and Leslie both served in World War One. Harry enlisted in August 1915 in C Company, 31st Infantry Battalion, he safely returned home and was discharged in July 1919. He had a long life and died in 1990, aged 95 in Queensland. 

Leslie (SN 2661) enlisted on July 19, 1915 in the 6th Reinforcements, 21st Battalion. He claimed he was 21 years old, he was actually only 19. Leslie embarked in October 1915, was admitted to Hospital in Egypt suffering from Diabetes in March 1916. He was invalided back to Australia in April and died at the Caulfield Military Hospital on July 16, 1916 from Diabetes.  He was buried the next day at Brighton Cemetery.

Leslie was living and working as a farm labourer at Cora Lynn at the time of his enlistment.  He was farewelled at a function at the local hall in September 1915 -  A most successful social and dance was held in Keast Hall on Monday evening last in honor of Mr. Fritsch, a young man who has enlisted for active service. Mr. Alf. Jeffers presided, and during the evening presented the young soldier with a gold medal. Mr. Fritsch responded with a splendid speech. (Bunyip Free Press September 30, 1915, see here)

Leslie clearly made an impact in the small community because he is listed on the War Memorial even though unfortunately his name is spelt incorrectly. Joseph McKane, Leslie’s step-father was buried with Leslie when he died in 1949; Fannie McKane died at the age of 82 in 1957 in Sydney, where she had been living with her son Allan. 

The farewell to Leslie Fritsch.

Bunyip Free Press September 30, 1915  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129630905

Holian, John Mildred (SN 16160) John, a farmer from Cora Lynn, enlisted at the age of 22 on December 13, 1915. He had been born in St James, the son of Patrick and Margaret (nee Gannon) Holian; they had five children - Katie (1889), Patrick (1891), John (1893), Leo (1897) and Vera (1900)  Patrick, Margaret and their family moved from St James to their farm at Cora Lynn in 1909. (5). John Returned to Australia February 7, 1919 and in 1922 he married Agnes Mary O'Neill, I believe he joined the Police Force after his war service.  He died in 1980, aged 86.

Huey, John Robert (SN 3168). John was born at Castlemaine and enlisted at Warragul at the age of 30 on November 24, 1916. His occupation was listed as a labourer and he lived at Cora Lynn at the time of enlistment. His next of kin was his friend, Mrs Mary Ann Jones of Carlton. John Returned to Australia on June 30, 1918 and was discharged on medical grounds in the October due to Debility, Bronchial catarrh and he had also suffered from paratyphoid and enteric fever. John died in Romsey on October 10,  1921, aged only 34.   

John Huey's death notice

The Argus, October 11, 1921 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4639293/415706

Jeffers, Raymond Alva (SN 6290). Ray was born at Strathbogie and enlisted at the age of 23 on May 25, 1916. He was a Cora Lynn farmer and the son of Alexander Jeffers, also a Cora Lynn farmer. Lieutenant Jeffers was awarded the Distinguished Conduct medal and the Military medal. He was in France until at least May 1919 and arrived home in Australia later that year. He married Gladys Lillian Gardiner in 1926; their son Gordon Jeffers farmed at Cora Lynn and their daughter, Wilma (Mrs Coleman) at Yannathan. After the War he moved to Dandenong and spent seventeen years (1946 - 1963) as a Councillor with the Dandenong Shire and City of Dandenong and was Shire President and Mayor. (6)  He died in 1963, aged 70. You can read an interview from 2015 in the Dandenong Journal with his his daughter, Mrs Wilma Coleman, here.

Farewell to Ray Jeffers and William Rigby

Dandenong Advertiser September 14, 1916 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88664360

Johnson, Charles Tudor (SN 588). Tudor, as he was known, was 19 when he enlisted on November 7, 1914. He was a farmer who lived at Cora Lynn and his next of kin was his mother, Fanny (nee Bickford) Johnson, also of Cora Lynn. Tudor had already attended Dookie Agricultural College when he enlisted, which he did at Enoggera in Brisbane. His father was Henry George Johnson who for some reason was not listed as the next of kin, as generally fathers are more likely to be the official next of kin than mothers. Tudor Returned to Australia on December 23, 1918 and married Emma Backhouse in 1923. In the 1930s and 1940s they lived in Barooga in New South Wales. Tudor rejoined the Army in  World War Two and served from August 1940 until November 1942. He died in 1963, aged 69. 

Kinsella, Bertram Michael (SN 3056) Bertram was a 29 year old farmer from Cora Lynn, when he enlisted on July 12, 1915. He was Killed in Action September 25, 1917.
Kinsella, Norman Francis (SN 920). Norman, who was also a Cora Lynn farmer, enlisted at the age of 19 on May 26, 1915. Norman returned to Australia after his overseas service on May 3, 1919. Bertram and Norman were half brothers, the sons of Michael Kinsella - Bertram from his first wife, Eliza Findlay (died 1890); and Norman by his second wife Susan Lockens. Norman married Lorna Grant in 1932 and they had two sons, Michael and Terrence. Norman died in 1959, aged 63. Bertram and Norman's sisters, Nancie and Kathleen both served as Nurses in World War Two, you can read about their extraordinary careers, here.

Milligan, Joseph Lewellen (SN 5376) Joseph was born in 1897 in Bunyip South (now called Iona) to James and Catherine (nee Hopkins) Milligan. He was the last of their ten children and the only one born locally. The others were - James (1875), Charles (1877), William (1880), Francis (1881), John (1883), Frederick (1885), Susan (1887), Catherine (1888), Thomas (1891) and then Joseph.  He enlisted at the age of 21 on March 8, 1916, his occupation was a farm hand, and his address was Cora Lynn. Joseph was Killed in Action on February 23, 1917. Joseph is also listed on the Bunyip War Memorial and the Iona Honour Board.  The Milligan family also lost two other sons in the war - William (SN 4547) Killed in Action July 19, 1916 and Francis (SN 1736) enlisted in Cootamundra, NSW and was Killed in Action on September 26, 1917. 

Murdoch, Arthur Charles (SN 2634). Arthur was born at Iona but was living in Brighton at the time of his enlistment on October 29, 1917. He was 19 years old and a motor driver. Arthur Returned to Australia August 22, 1919. Arthur was the oldest of the nine children of George Petrie Murdoch and his wife Emma Parker and he died in 1984, aged 85.  His father, George, established the Cora Lynn store in 1907 and owned it until 1922, you can read about this and the Murdoch family here. George also established the Bayles General Store in 1921 (see here). Arthur is also listed on the Iona Honour Board.

Pederson, Nils (SN 1249). Nils was born in Norway and was working as a farm labourer at Cora Lynn at the time of his enlistment on February 24, 1915. He was 21 years old and his next of kin was his father who lived in Norway. He was Killed in Action in France on September 1, 1918. In his will, dated July 13, 1917, he left everything to Miss Nellie Jeffers of Cora Lynn. Nellie was the sister of Ray Jeffers, above, so I wondered if he was working for the Jeffers. However, also in his file was a letter from Miss Corrie Anderson asking about her friend, Nils, so maybe he was working for the Andersons. Corrie later married Dan Kinsella, a brother of Bertram and Michael, above.

Corrie Anderson's letter about Nils Pedersen

National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920

Rigby, William Alexander (SN 2350). William was born in Georgetown in Tasmania in 1895 to Isaac William Rigby and his wife Mary Birch; he had three siblings Walter, Henry and May (7)  In 1912, the Electoral rolls show the family were living in Gardenvale, Victoria and Isaac was listed as a carpenter;  the next near they had moved to Mayfield, Murray Road, Cora Lynn. William, a farmer, enlisted on August 16, 1916 at the age of 21 and Returned to Australia on May 12, 1919. He married Mary Black in 1939 and died in 1942, aged 47.

William Rigby's death notice

The Age April 17, 1942 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205282400/19384749

Roper, Thornton Graham (SN 61922). Thornton was born in 1898  to James Alexander Roper and his wife Ellen Graham; his sister Eleanor was born in 1899 and his brother Eric in 1903 - they were all born in Walhalla. The family moved to Cora Lynn around 1910. Thornton enlisted on June 24, 1918, he was 20 years old and a  motor mechanic. Thornton did get sent overseas and Returned to Australia January 4, 1919. He married Anastasia Quirk in 1926 and they lived in Oakleigh, then Caulfield South. Thornton died in 1966, aged 68. The family is presumably the source of the name Ropers Lane, between Cora Lynn and Bayles; Ropers Lane was also part of  the boundary between the Shire of Berwick and Shire of Cranbourne.

Scanlon, Joseph Bernard (SN 3452) Joseph enlisted on May 9, 1916. He was 21 years old and a labourer. He Returned to Australia on July 5, 1919. Joseph also served in the Second World War from June 1940 to May 1944. The World War Two Nominal roll states that he was born July 2, 1900, which only makes him 16 when he enlisted in the Great War, however the Index to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages have him listed as being born 1895, so it seems he knocked 5 years off his age in 1940!
Scanlon, Thomas (SN 505) Thomas was 21 when he enlisted on January 12, 1915. He was a farmer. Thomas was awarded the Military Medal. He Returned to Australia on April 5, 1919. They are also listed in some official records with the surname Scanlan. They were the sons of William and Ellen Scanlon of Cora Lynn,  one newspaper report in a local paper says they were from Scanlon's Drain, Cora Lynn.

Smith, Berth (SN 1436) His first name was also listed as Bert, Bertie and Beith in some documents.  He was Killed in Action May 9 or May 10 in 1915 at Gallipoli. I had a hard time finding who B. Smith actually was until I found out that Berth enlisted at Tynong on September 21, 1914, aged 19, his next of kin was his father, William Smith of Rochford.  His occupation was listed as a labourer. Berth was born at Rochford, near Kyneton, and between 1907 and 1909 attended Cora Lynn State School, having previously been at Inverleigh State School, so it appears the family moved around a bit. 

By 1914 William was, as we know, back in Rochford, but he later moved to 16 Orr Street, Carlton. In June 1920, Berth's aunt Sarah McDougall, also of 16 Orr Street, wrote a letter to the Army Base Records Office stating that both his parents were deceased and he had no surviving siblings and that she was his mother's oldest sister. Mrs McDougall (nee Adcock) had requested his war medals, but in the end they were given to  his uncle, William Adcock of Cora Lynn.  It is possible that  Berth was working with his uncle and that is why he was in Cora Lynn. The Electoral rolls have a William and Margaret Adcock at Koo Wee Rup, and that must be them. Mrs McDougall's letter also notes that his half-brother, William Angus (SN 2101) was also Killed in Action, in 1916.  He was the son of William and Elizabeth Angus (nee Adcock), born 1889 in Lancefield, but his next of kin was his aunt, Mrs Yeaman (nee Adcock) of Wonthaggi, and her address was later  C/O David Cole, Cora Lynn and later still  Bayles, via Koo Wee Rup. With all this information, I finally found Berth's birth record - he was born on December 19, 1895 at Rochford to Elizabeth Adcock, father unknown, but with the surname of Angus. Elizabeth married William Smith in 1898 and she died in 1912 aged 47.  There was much sadness in the family with the death of Berth and William's parents, but it seems that both the lads were well loved by their extended family.

Berth's death notice. The date of death differs from that in his service record.

The Age July 3, 1915 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/154995661/18592496

Death notice of Berth's half brother

The Age September 27, 1916 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article155160653

The names on the Cora Lynn War Memorial.

Image: Heather Arnold, taken January 2014.

There are other soldiers I have found with a Cora Lynn connection, who are not listed on the Memorial - 

Emmott, Robert Edmund (SN 1083) Robert was 19 when he enlisted on September 2, 1914. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs Emmott of Buena Vista, Red Hill. Robert was Killed in Action on April 15, 1918, sadly he was so close to surviving the War after three and a half years of service. Robert was born in Fairfield, in September 1896 to Joseph Samuel and Alphina (nee Gunther) Emmott. Joseph and Alphina are listed in the Electoral rolls at Koo Wee Rup from 1903 until 1914; Joseph died April 1914 and it appears that Alphina then moved to Red Hill. Robert is also listed as a pupil at the Cora Lynn State School in 1908 and 1909, having previously been at Frankston State School, which doesn't fit in with the information in the Electoral Rolls, but he may have been staying with a relative for his early days of schooling. Due to his attendance at the Cora Lynn School he was on the School's Honor Roll, unveiled in July 1918 (see here)

Death notice of Robert Emmott

The Argus, May 11, 1918 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1658720/399941

Faulkner, Samuel John (SN 72542 ) John enlisted on July 8, 1918. He was 31 years old, born in Traralgon, his occupation was traveller and his address was 22 Porter Street, Prahran and his next of kin was his father, Frederick, of Trafalgar. In spite of this I believe he is the J. Faulkner mentioned in the article, below, as the 1916 to 1918 Electoral rolls have a Samuel John Faulkner and Martha Rhodena Faulkner at Cora Lynn. They were not husband and wife, or brother and sister, I think they were cousins; Martha married William Buist Murdoch Greig in 1926.  John did not embark and was discharged due to the War ending. In 1921 he married Ivy Dearnley, and they lived in Orbost. John died in 1965, aged 76. 

Send off to John Faulkner and Thornton Roper

Pakenham Gazette October 11, 1918 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/92154316/8577418

Thomas, James Matthew (SN 6109). James was born in Bendigo and enlisted in Melbourne on March 18, 1916 but on the Nominal roll his address on enlistment was Cora Lynn and his occupation was labourer. His next of kin was his Guardian, Mrs Higgins of North Melbourne. He was 37 when he enlisted and he Returned to Australia on June 2 1919.

Sources - Service records, National Archives of Australia; Indexes to the Victorian Birth, Deaths and Marriages; the Tasmanian Archives; newspaper articles, Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial; Electoral Rolls on Ancestry; Shire of Berwick Rate Books; Cora Lynn State School roll.

Footnotes

(1) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, June 24, 1903, see here.

(2) Ballarat Star, April 9, 1918, see here.

(3) The Age, June 20, 1949, see here.

(4) Thank you to Lynne Bradley of the Narre Warren & District Family History Group   www.nwfhg.org.au for discovering the identity of L. Fritz. It's great that we can give him his proper identity.

(5) Benalla Standard, September 7, 1909, see here.

(6) https://seha.org.au/shire-presidents-mayors-and-councillors-of-the-shire-city-of-dandneong-the-shire-of-springvale-and-noble-park-and-the-city-of-springvale

(7) The Herald, October 3, 1924, see here.

A version of this story, which I wrote and researched,  appears on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Commemorates: Our War Years and it has also been published in the Koo Wee Rup Blackfish and Garfield Spectator.