Yallock World War One Honor Boards

There are two Yallock Honour Rolls. One is at the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society. It has 29 names on it. The other one, with 52 names and photographs is at the Lang Lang R.S.L.  I do not know why there are two Boards - perhaps one was in the Hall and the other in the School or maybe one went missing and new one was made and then the original  was re-discovered later?

Yallock Honor Board, unveiled July 24, 1918, now at the Lang Lang R.S.L.

Image courtesy of the Narre Warren & District Family History Group's website,

Casey Cardinia Remembers http://www.caseycardiniaremembers.org.au/

There is an article in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of July 31, 1918 about the unveiling of the Honour Roll on Wednesday, July 24 1918 by the Hon A. Downward, M.L.A. The Board is described as this specimen is a particularly fine one and contains the honored names and photographs of 57 local boys. The date of enlistment is also given. The Board is of Australian blackwood and is the work of Mr. W.J Tiller of Little Collins Street, Melbourne.  This is presumably the Board now held at Lang Lang, although it has 52 names and not the 57 mentioned in the article (and surely there weren't three Yallock Honour Boards!) You can access the article about the Honour Board unveiling here

The Yallock Honor Board, which is now at the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society

Image: Heather Arnold

What follows is a list of the soldiers taken from the Honour Board at the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society and the Koo Wee Rup Sun article - I have only seen a photo of the Lang Lang Board, so I assume that all the names on the Board are listed in the article. The information below also contains the Soldier's  fate (i.e. when they Returned to Australia after active service or when they were Killed in Action) and their Service Number (SN) so you can look up their full service record on the National Archives website (www.naa.gov.au).  

The names on the Yallock Honor Board which was unveiled July 24, 1918.

Koo Wee Rup Sun July 31, 1918 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127198107

When I talk about the Honour Board, I am referring to the one held at the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society; when I talk about the Koo Wee Rup Sun article I am referring to the one published July 31, 1918 (the names are above, see full article here).  I have also used an article called Families at Yallock written by H.J. Boxshall, which was published in the book The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire by Niel Gunson (Cheshire, 1968). It is transcribed, here.

William Angus

Australian War Memorial. Photograph DA10801

Angus, William (SN 2101)   William Angus enlisted on July 22, 1915, at the age of 26. He was a labourer. William was Killed in Action in France on August 26, 1916.  His next of kin was listed as his aunt, Mrs A. Yeaman of Wonthaggi. Annie Yeaman is in the Electoral Roll at Yallock in  1903 and Mr Boxshall says that a J.Yeaman, who was an Engine Driver, lived on Fincks Road, so I believe that this William's Yallock connection.

This is Ann Yeaman's notice of Probate for William's will. 

Powlett Express April 27, 1917. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page14974879

Bateson, Archibald Clarence (SN 4735) Arch was born in Yallock and he joined the Navy on April 23, 1915 when he was 16. He remained in the Navy until April 1924. Arch is the brother of George, below.
Bateson, George (SN 1307) George was born in New Zealand and he enlisted on November 10, 1914 at the age of 21. He was a labourer. George Returned to Australia on December 30, 1918.
The boys were the sons of Elias and Mary (nee Rideout) Bateson, of Yannathan. Mr Boxshall writes that Mr Elias Bateson was a member of the first School Committee and donated land for the Methodist Church. The Bateson brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Boxshall, Albert Victor (SN 3481)  Bert enlisted on July 7, 1915 at the age of 29. He was a  Tram Conductor. He Returned to Australia on May 8, 1919.   Bert was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Mills) Boxshall, who moved to Yallock in 1895.Thomas' obituary from the Lang Lang Guardian appears below. Bert is also the brother of Henry John Boxshall who wrote the Families at Yallock paper. Bert is also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Thomas Boxshall's obituary 

Lang Lang Guardian October 17, 1917. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page13334125

John Casey

Australian War Memorial  Photograph DA11799

Casey, George Henry (SN 2603) Known as Harry, he enlisted on July 16, 1915 aged 28. He was born in Drouin and was a teamster. Harry Returned to Australia on April 13, 1919.

Casey, John Alfred (SN 2593) John enlisted on July 13, 1915, three days before his brother George. He was a 20 year old farmer, born in Lang Lang. John was Killed in Action in France on August 23, 1918.
Casey, Victor (SN 57423) Victor was born in Lang Lang and was 18 years old and a farmer when he enlisted on January 5, 1918. Victor Returned to Australia on July 17, 1919. 

George, John and Victor were the sons of George and Lydia (nee Gardner) Casey of Yannathan. The Casey brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Coates, Benjamin Wilson (SN Depot) Benjamin enlisted on October 5, 1918 and was discharged on Christmas Eve 1918 as the war had ended. He was a 21 year farmer from Yallock.

Coates, Lawrence (SN 2623a) Lawrence enlisted on July 19, 1915. He was a 21 year old farm labourer. Lawrence was Killed in Action in France on August 18, 1916.
Benjamin and Lawrence were the sons of Lawrence and Mary Jane (nee Wilson) Coates of Yallock. The Coates brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Death notice of Lawrence Coates.

The Argus September 23, 1916  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1614050

Collyer, John Clements Leslie (SN 1018) Known as Les, he enlisted September 15, 1914 at the age of 19. He suffered a number of wounds including a bullet wound to the left hip and he Returned to Australia on March 11, 1916 and was discharged on medical grounds.
Collyer, Russell Stanley. Russell was born July 3, 1899 and joined the Royal Australian Navy on  February 23, 1915.  He was discharged on November 7, 1925.

Les and Russell were the sons of  Eli and Francis (nee Potter) Collyer of Yallock.

Russell wrote a letter to his parents about travelling from Melbourne to London 

and it was published in the Lang Lang Guardian on June 21, 1916.

Read the full letter here http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119513703

Crespin, Frederick Legassick (SN 26791) Fred was 42 and a widower with four children when he enlisted on March 18, 1916. According to Mr Boxshall, Fred was a share farmer at Quamby for  a few years prior to 1914...he was an accomplished organist and piano player....and a good cricketer and captained the local Eleven during his stay at Yallock....on his return from the War he was unable to take up farming again owing to failing health and was given employment in the Land's Office in Melbourne. Fred Returned to Australia on August 24, 1918.

Davies, D  The Honor Roll lists a D. Davies and the Koo Wee Rup Sun article lists a D. Davis. This is possibly Douglas James Davies (SN  1524) who enlisted on March 21, 1916 aged 20. He was  a Farmer.  He was living in Rossiter Road in Koo Wee Rup at the time, with his mother, Ellen, who was his next of kin. Douglas Returned to Australia on June 12, 1919.

De Forest, Gilbert (51347) Gilbert was a 32 year old farmer from Monomeith when he enlisted on December 27, 1917. His next of kin was his wife, Margaret.  He Returned to Australia on June 19, 1919.   Gilbert is incorrectly listed in the Koo Wee Rup Sun list as G.D. Forrest. 

John De Little.

Australian War Memorial  Photograph P07179.001

De Little, John Cyril (SN 220) John enlisted on July 17, 1915 aged 23. He was  a farmer and his next of kin was his father Edward Vernon de Little of Koo Wee Rup. John was Killed in Action in France on October 10, 1916 , a day after being shot by a sniper.  John is incorrectly listed in the Koo Wee Rup Sun article as J.D. Little. 

Report of John De Little's death

Lang Lang Guardian December 13, 1916  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119514147

 

Donaldson, Norman Stanley ( SN 84)  Norman enlisted on August 18, 1914 aged 22.  He was living in Elsternwick and his father, John Walter Donaldson, was his next of kin. Norman Returned to Australia on July 12, 1919. What was his Yallock connection? He was the son of John Walter and Mary Jane (nee Waring) Donaldson and a Mary J. Donaldson owned land at Yallock according to the Cranbourne Shire Rate Books in the early 1910s. There is a report in the Lang Lang Guardian of June 24, 1914 about Mrs Donaldson selling her Finck's Road property (see here). Norman is also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Cranbourne Shire Rate Books, 1912.

The Rate Books also show a Walter R Donaldson owning land at Yallock. Mr Boxshall refers to a W. Donaldson, a brick layer in his article.  This is, I believe, Walter Rehm Donaldson who is in the Electoral Roll at Koo Wee Rup in 1914. His wife, Leah Agnes (nee Robinson) is listed at Yallock. Not sure how or if these families are connected.

Bill Finck.

Image: Courtesy of Valerie Slade, his daughter.

Finck, Lewis William (Louis Wilhelm, known as Bill)  (SN 339)  Listed as W. Finck on the Honour Roll. Bill enlisted on July 10, 1915 aged 22. He Returned to Australia on April 13, 1919. Bill was the son of Louis Wilhelm and Elizabeth Mary (nee Killeen) Finck of Yallock.  Finck's Road is named after the family. Bill was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here. He married Gwendoline Harriet Stronach on March 8, 1927 at the Oakleigh Church of England and they had nine children.

Franklin,  Leslie (SN 878)  I am not one hundred per cent sure who this is - there were five  Leslie Franklins who enlisted, three are from New South Wales; the other Victorian one was Killed in Action and we know that 'our' Les survived the War, so by eliminating those four, it just leaves this Leslie - but I have not as yet found a connection to the area. He possibly worked locally or had lived there with his parents when they were alive as his next of kin was listed as his grandfather, John Franklin of Yea.  Les enlisted on March 24, 1915 aged 19. He was born in Yea, he was a labourer. Whilst he was overseas he married Margaret McKay in Scotland on May 24, 1919. He Returned to Australia on November 7, 1919. 

Robert Harker

Australian War Memorial. Photograph DA10833

Harker, George Ernest (SN 3840) George enlisted on December 6, 1915 aged 21. George was awarded the Military Medal and he Returned to Australia on April 13, 1919. George was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here.
Harker, Robert Herd (SN 345) Robert enlisted on July 19, 1915 at the age of 28 and was Killed in Action in France, one year later, on July 20 1916.
Harker, William Thomas (SN 16235) William enlisted at the age of 34 in January 1916 and was discharged as medically unfit in February 1917, he then enlisted again on July 2, 1917, served overseas and Returned to Australia on May 6, 1919.
The boys are the sons of Thomas and Catherine (nee Griffiths) Harker of Yallock. William had been born in Quorn in South Australia, his brothers were born in Dandenong. George and Robert are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Hatty, David Samuel (SN 279) Known as Sam, enlisted at the age of 22 on August 25, 1914. He served overseas and Returned to Australia on March 8, 1917 and was medically discharged as he suffered from chronic rheumatism.
Hatty, George Frederick (SN 66) George enlisted March 27, 1916 at the age of 21. George was Killed in Action in Belgium on October 12, 1917.
Hatty, Thomas Alfred ( SN 5607) Thomas enlisted on November 25, 1914 when he was 24. He Returned to Australia on February 19, 1919. Thomas was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here.
The Hatty boys were the sons of William and Jessie Augusta (nee Brown) Hatty and the family was living in Timboon when they enlisted. According to the Electoral Rolls they had previously lived in Yallock for a number of years. Thomas and David are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board and George is also listed on the Heath Hill State School Honor Board.

Henry, Robert (SN 344) Robert enlisted on July 8, 1915 at the age of  19. His next of kin was his father, William Henry of  Grassmere, Yallock. Robert was reported missing in July 1916 and had been captured by the Germans. He was released when the War ended, repatriated to England and Returned to Australia on March 2, 1919. Robert was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here.

Izzard, Horace Valentine (SN 373) Horace enlisted on February 22, 1915, aged one month off 28 years of age. He was a farm labourer. He Returned to Australia on March 9, 1919.
Izzard, Ralph Charles (SN 2636) Ralph, a labourer, enlisted on June 9, 1915 aged 22. He served overseas and Returned to Australia on November 12, 1916 and was discharged in February 1917 as medically unfit, it mentioned in his record that he suffered from rheumatism. 

Horace and Ralph were the sons of Charles and Mary (nee Cant) Izzard of Yallock. Mr Boxshall writes that Charles was a saddler and the Secretary of the first Yallock Progress Association. The Izzard brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Jones, John Owen (SN 2674) John enlisted on August 2, 1915 at the age of  26, he was a miner and his next of kin was his mother, Marian, of Campbell Street in Wonthaggi. He suffered a severe gun shot wound to the right thigh in  France on April 24, 1918 and Returned to Australia on December 24, 1918 and was medically discharged in June 1919. I believe that this is the correct record even though John's record does not directly link him to Yallock. There is a J. Jones listed in the Koo Wee Rup Sun article and Mr Boxshall writes that Mr J. Jones was a saddler by trade and had land in Hall Road. The 1909 Electoral Rolls show a John William Jones, Marian Jones and Maud Jones at Yallock and an article in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of August 24, 1911 (see here) says that Mr W. Jones has sold his farm at Yallock and intends settling in Wonthaggi. Based on all that I believe that we have the correct J. Jones.  J. Jones is also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board. 

Joseph, J This man is listed on the Yallock Honour Board and on the Yannathan Honor Board as J. Josephs. The only J. Joseph listed is from New South Wales. There is a Joseph Josephs on the Electoral Roll at Yannathan in 1909, his occupation is a labourer. This is possibly the man on the Honor Boards or some connection. There are two J. Josephs that I can find enlisted who are from Victoria.
Josephs, James Rolfe (Lieutenant). James enlisted on May 24, 1915. He was a clerk, 24 years old and his next of kin was his father, James, who lived in Prahran. James Returned to Australia May 10, 1918 and was discharged on medical grounds (otitis media).
Josephs, Joseph Isaac (SN 3824) Joseph was 27 when he enlisted on July 13, 1915, so would have been around 21 in 1909 and thus old enough to be on the Electoral Roll. His parents were dead and his next of kin Clara Letitia Cutts of Ringwood. Joseph was discharged on medical grounds, due to rhuematism on December 3, 1917 having Returned to Australia on August 25 of the same year. I believe the man on the Yannathan and Yallock Honor Boards is this Joseph Isaac Josephs. As a matter of interest, Clara was a school teacher and in 1918 she married Joseph Isaac Josephs. I was hoping they had a long and happy marriage together, however she died in 1918, that's very sad.

Kenny, Harry Phillip (SN Depot)  Harry enlisted on June 29, 1915 aged 29. He was born in Yallock and his next of kin was his father, Harry Kenny, of Nar Nar Goon. Harry was discharged on October 9, 1915 as medically unfit due to the loss of the index finger on the right hand. A report in his record said the finger  accident happened around October 1914 in Poowong when it was cut off by an axe. Harry was recommended for Home Services. 

Leeson, Alfred Ernest (SN 485) Alfred was 22 when he enlisted on November 1, 1915. He Returned to Australia on March 16, 1919.

Leeson, Arthur Leslie (SN 4797) Arthur enlisted on July 13, 1915 at the age of 28. He Returned to Australia on May 29, 1919.
Leeson, Claude Albert (SN 3103) Claude enlisted on October 5, 1916 aged 18 years old. He Died of Wounds (a gun shot wound to the skull) in Belgium on October 18, 1917.
The Leeson boys were the sons of Arthur and Mary (nee Kalmbach) Leeson of Yannathan; Arthur had already died at the time of their enlistment. Both Alfred and Arthur were granted Soldier Settlement farms, you can read Alf's file here and Arthur's file, here. They were all born locally - Alf in Clyde, Claude in Caldermeade and Arthur's birth place is listed as Monham Heath, but I believe this is actually Monomeith. The Koo Wee Rup Sun list has an R. Leeson - this is possibly a mistake, as they don't list Arthur. The Leeson brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Light, Alfred Percy (SN 5042) Alf was a 29 year old butter maker when he enlisted on January 27, 1916. He Returned to Australia on December 4, 1918.
Light, Norman Edward  (SN 1958) Norman was 26 when he enlisted on March 15, 1916.He was a farmer. He suffered a gun shot wound to his right leg, whilst fighting in France, and it fractured his tibia. He Returned to Australia on March 16, 1918 and was medically discharged in the November. Norman was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here.
Light, Thomas Reuben (SN 1959) Thomas enlisted the same day as his brother, Norman. He was 27 and eleven months old, a farmer, and was discharged as being medically unfit on July 3, 1916.
Alf, Norman, and Thomas were the sons of Thomas and Maria (nee Ingram) Light. When Alf enlisted in January 1916 the family address was Tarwin Lower; when Norman and Thomas enlisted 2 months later the family had shifted to Yallock. 

Lineham, William James (SN 2711)  William enlisted on July 19 1915 aged 20.  His next of kin were his parents, Benjamin and Eliza (nee Knott) Lineham of Yannathan. He was born in Clyde.  William Returned to Australia on April 13, 1919. William was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file, here, on the Battle to Farm website. William is also listed on on the Yannathan Honor Board and I have more information about him on that post.

McGhee, Gordon General (SN 22949) Gordon enlisted on October 27, 1915, he was a 23 year old labourer. Gordon Returned to Australia May 12, 1919. He was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here. Gordon is listed in the Koo Wee Rup Sun article as Rawdon M'Gee - not sure where the Rawdon name came from, but he on the Honour Board as G. McGhee.
McGhee, Donald Malachi (SN 3416) enlisted, on June 24, 1915. He was a 19 year old railway porter and he was Killed in Action in France on July 19, 1916. Donald is listed in the Koo Wee Rup Sun article as Malachi M'Gee. 
The boys were the sons of John and Margaret (nee Johnston) McGhee; they were living at 61 Bridge Street, Northcote when their sons enlisted. Donald was born in Heath Hill. Gordon was born in Lang Lang, according to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages Index or Warragul according to his enlistment papers. Their brother, David Johnston McGhee, was living at Yallock in 1914 according to the Electoral Rolls. The brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board and Gordon is also listed on the Heath Hill State School Honor Board.  

McPhee, Charles Carey (SN 422) Charles was a Methodist Home Missionary and he enlisted at the age of 29 on May 10, 1916. He was reported missing in France in April 1918 and became a 'Prisoner of War in German hands'. He was released after the War and Returned to Australia on February 10, 1919. Charles has been stationed at the Methodist Mission at Yallock before his appointment.

Charles McPhee enlists

Lang Lang Guardian February 23, 1916  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page13333765

O'Donnell, D According to the list in the Koo Wee Rup Sun there was a D. O'Donnell who served in the War. This was likely to be a brother of Joseph and Michael (see below) as there is correspondence from Joseph, dated March 1918, in Michael's file asking about the whereabouts of Michael as they had lost touch as 'we had parted for about five years' and it also mentions 'my youngest brother' who was serving in France. I haven't worked out who he is.
O'Donnell, Joseph Daniel (SN 3602) Joseph enlisted on September 17, 1915 aged 25. His next of kin was his father, M. O'Donnell of Koo Wee Rup and he was also born in Koo-Wee-Rup. He Returned to Australia on September 26, 1917 and had 'severe corns on the sole of the left foot'. Joseph was listed as Michael's next of kin, after he returned home because their father 'could not be traced'. Joseph was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here.
O'Donnell, Michael Alexander (SN 730) Michael enlisted at the age of 25 on November 27, 1914.He was born in Ballarat. He had a colourful military history with a range of disciplinary issues. He received a gun shot wound to his shoulder, suffered a fractured skull and Died of Wounds on July 17 1918. Michael was living in Sydney when he enlisted but his next of kin was his father, Michael James O'Donnell of Yannathan. Michael's will, in his Attestation file at the National Archives has the family's address as Yallock.

The O'Donnell brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Michael O'Donnell's Will

National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920

Pretty, Albert George (SN 6944)  Albert enlisted on March 9, 1917 at the age of 23. His next of kin was his father, Frederick Matthew Pretty of Yallock. He was promoted to a Lieutenant. Albert was a Military Clerk who served in England and France. When you read all the military records you realise what a massive administrative task it must have been to keep all the records up to date. Albert Returned to Australia on October 30, 1919. There is a W. Pretty listed on the Honour Roll, but I believe this is a mistake as I can't find any other Prettys with a local connection apart from Albert.

Rietschel, Arthur William John
Rietschel, Percy George Oscar
Mr Boxshall has O.W Reitchel living at Fincks Road - he was a bricklayer; the Honour Roll has A. Reitschel and P. Reitschel and the 1914 Electoral Roll has Arthur and Percy Rietschel listed at Wonthaggi, so that's three different spellings on the surname. Arthur (b. 1888) and Percy (b. 1889) are the sons of Otto William and Helen (nee O'Neil) Rietschel, I think that's the correct spelling. Helen is in the Electoral Roll at Yallock in 1905 and 1906 and then I can't find her and I believe Otto died in 1901. This is what I had found out about Arthur and Percy, but I couldn't find any trace of their enlistment until once again, Lynne Bradley from the Narre Warren & District Family History Group discovered the answer. It turns out that Helen (also known as Ellen) remarried in 1903 to William James Jones and the boys enlisted as Arthur Jones and Percy Jones. Perhaps it was because there was so much anti-German feeling at the time, they wanted to hide a German sounding name. 

Arthur (SN 2673) enlisted on July 28, 1915 aged 27, occupation wheeler, next of kin was his mother Ellen Jones of Hicksborough, Wonthaggi. Arthur Returned to Australia on January 8, 1919. 

Percy (SN 1403) enlisted a day later than his brother, on July 29. He was 26 years old and also a wheeler, Ellen was also his next of kin. Percy served overseas and then Returned to Australia on January 31, 1918 and was discharged on medical grounds on May 28, 1918 suffering from 'myalgia and muscular atrophy'

The Rietschel brothers are  also listed on the Yannthan Honor Board.

Ridgway, Mark (SN 449) Mark was born in Lang Lang and he was a 23 year old Butter maker when he enlisted on February 11, 1915. His next of kin was his father, William Ridgway of Hazeldean, Lang Lang. In the 1914 Electoral Roll, he was living in Yannathan. Mark received  a gun shot wound to his knee and his tibia and fibula were fractured. He Returned to Australia on September 9, 1916 and was medically discharged on March 30, 1917. Mark is also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Sanders, Robert Oliver  (SN 13170)  Robert enlisted on August 7, 1916 at the age of 23 years, 11 months. His occupation was chauffeur, and as might be expected, he joined the Auxiliary Mechanical Transport Company. His address at enlistment was Monomeith and he was born in London and his next of kin was his father, who lived in England.  Robert was demobilized in England on October 31, 1919. There is an R. Saunders listed in the Koo Wee Rup Sun article, but I can't locate anyone of that name with a local connection, so I believe it should have been R. Sanders. 

Savage, Leslie Hardwick (SN 50459)  Leslie was 24 when he enlisted on December 14, 1917.He Returned to Australia on January 19, 1919.  He was born at Poowong and his next of kin was his father, Francis Savage of Yallock.  

A report from the Lang Lang Guardian of March 23, 1918 about the farewell give to Les Savage and Victor Casey at the Yallock Hall. It was actually Victor Casey (SN 57423) not G. Casey who enlisted at this time.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page13334217

Scharf, Alfred (SN 962) Alfred was a 26 year old carpenter when he enlisted on January 18, 1915. Alfred was Killed in Action in France on August 24, 1916.
Scharf, Richard Albert (SN 7961) Richard was 19, a shop fitter and he enlisted on July 13, 1915. He Died of Wounds received whilst fighting in France on May 1, 1917.
Alfred and Richard were the sons of Henry and Liselle (nee Fritz) Scharf.  Mr Boxshall writes that Henry Scharf was a carpenter and had left Germany to escape militarism. The family had lived on Finck's Road at Yallock, although they were in St Kilda Road, Elsternwick when the boys enlisted. The Scharf brothers are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Scott, Bert
Scott, Ray 

Bert and Ray, who both died in the War, are listed on the Honour Roll and in the Koo Wee Rup Sun article. I just can't find them on any list. I assume they are brothers - I have an Albert Scott (SN 3257) and a Herbert Scott (7561) both with a connection to Ensay and the sons of William and Kathleen (nee Leonard) Scott, but their next of kin was their sister, Mrs Ruby Murrell of Ensay, it may be them, but I can find no connection to the Yallock area. They were both Killed in Action in France, Albert on July 29, 1916 and Herbert on June 8, 1918.There are four soldiers with the surname Scott who have Raymond as a first or middle name and there are 98 soldiers with a surname of Scott who have Albert, Bert, Herbert or Robert as a first or middle name but none have any obvious connection to Yallock. Any help appreciated.

Sherriff, Alfred (SN 2994) Alf enlisted on May 23, 1916 at the age of 36. He was a farmer from Lang Lang, born in Berwick,  and his next of kin was his wife, Sarah Janet Sherriff (nee Richardson)  He Returned to Australia on January 2, 1919 and was discharged from the Army as medically unfit in March 1919 due to Rheumatism and Functional Dyspepsia. The 1917 Electoral Roll lists Alf and Sarah at Yannathan, so I presume that was the Yallock connection.

Smith, Bert.   Bert is listed on the Honour Roll as having died in the War. There are about 90 Albert, Bert, Herbert and Robert Smiths who died during the War and I can't find any obvious connection to the area. There is also a B. Smith on the Cora Lynn War Memorial and I believe it may be the same person - Smith, Berth.  (SN 1436)  His first name was also listed as Bert, Bertie and Beith in some documents but I believe that Berth is correct. He was Killed in Action May 9 or May 10 in 1915 at Gallipoli.  Berth enlisted at Tynong on September 21, 1914. at the age of 19.  The Attesting Officer was William Carney, Shire of Berwick President, so that proves he was in the local area, so he may have worked at Yallock as well. His occupation was listed as a labourer. He was born at Rochford, near Kyneton and that is where his father lived. Any ideas as to who this is, I would love to hear from you.

Stephens, James Bennett (SN 2367)  James enlisted at the age of 21 on August 7, 1916. His occupation was Drover. His next of kin was his father, Francis Stephens of Yallock. James was Killed in Action in Belgium on October 4, 1917. James is also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Ware, Charles William Francis (SN 3285a) Charles enlisted at the age of 23 on July 27, 1915. He was employed on the Railways and had been born at Nyora. He suffered a severe gun shot wound to his right buttock and Returned to Australia on March 17, 1917 and was discharged for medical reasons on July 9, 1917. His next of kin was his mother Mrs Christina Wilson Ware who lived at Kongwak.   His father was Charles Joseph Ware. Charles is also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

Charles was welcomed home at a function in Yallock held on July 12 1917 at the Public Hall and he sent the letter above to the Lang Lang Guardian thanking the residents for the home coming. 

Lang Lang Guardian July 25, 1917  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119514561

Wright, John William (SN 646) John enlisted on September 24, 1914 aged 21. He was a farmer and born in Yannathan.  John Returned to Australia on October 26, 1918.

Wright, Marmaduke George 'Duke' (SN 703) Duke was born in Koo Wee Rup and he enlisted on February 23, 1916 aged 20, he was also a farmer. Duke Returned to Australia on January 25, 1919. he was granted a Soldier Settlement farm, you can read his file on the Battle to Farm website, here.

The brothers were the sons of  George and Isabella Wright, who lived in Hall Road, Yallock, although the 1909 Electoral Roll has their address as Yannathan. When the boys enlisted they put their mother as their next of kin and her address was Shepparton East.   John and Duke are also listed on the Yannathan Honor Board.

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

The history of Yallock - Part 3 by H.J. Boxshall

The following account of the history of Yallock was written by Henry John Boxshall (1880 - 1968) a pioneer Yallock resident.  The history was written in March 1957 for the pupils at the Yallock School and was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of July 3 1968.  This is part 3 and you can read part 1 here and part 2 here.

The history of Yallock - Part 3 by H.J. Boxshall
Mr. H. J. Boxshall concludes his interesting series of articles on the early history of the Yallock area.
In starting this article Mr. Boxshall goes on with his section of local residents of the early period. He mentions a former member of Parliament named Tetherly, who at one time represented Ballarat in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and who had a block on the Yallock Creek bank. He had put up his tent and had started to clear some of the land for a garden but after a few weeks the creek flooded and washed him out. He gathered up his belongings and left, never to return.

On the next block Mr. T. Pretty also built a home right on the creek bank and when flooding occurred the water was soon running through the house. Mr. Pretty and his family had to wade knee deep through the flood to take refuge with a more fortunate neighbour. By midnight on the same day the house was half submerged and later M. Pretty took only a short time to move his home to higher ground.

Another sufferer from the flood was Mr. Taylor, who built himself a wattle and daub hut close to the creek. The water rose so fast that Mr. Taylor, who was an elderly man had just sufficient time to get onto the roof of his home where he remained all night until rescued the following day by Mr Ware. The rescue was carried out by Mr. Ware who rode his horse a powerful draught through the flood and then did the return journey to higher land with Mr. Taylor as a passenger. This experience was enough for Mr. Taylor, who elected to depart and not to return.

Mr. David Gray then took over the blocks vacated by Taylor and Tetherly and later bought Mr. Petty's farm. After World War 1 he sold the place to the Repatriation Commission. Mr. H. V. Izzard (late A.I.F.) lived there for some years but owing to ill health, he had to leave and go on to a small farm at Hallam Valley. Mr. L. W. Finck, junior also a former serviceman now owns the property.

I would like to record here the name of Mr. Fred Crespin who was a share farmer on "Quamby" for a few years prior to 1914. He enlisted soon after the outbreak of the war. Mr. Crespin was an accomplished organist and piano player. During his residence at Yallock he was organist at St. Saviours Church of England and was also in great demand as a pianist at local dances. He was also a good cricketer and captained the local eleven during his stay at Yallock. On his return from the war he was unable to take up farming again owing to failing health and was given employment in the Land's Office at Melbourne. He died soon after taking up the position and his passing was greatly regretted all who knew him.

ENTERTAINMENT BEFORE THE HALL WAS BUILT
Before the hall was built the people held their parties and dances at different houses and in Mr. D. Ware's barn, although the space was a bit restricted at times, these gatherings were greatly enjoyed. One of our earliest and well known settlers, Mr. Arthur Cox who was a good violinist and one of the two local lads with accordians who were always on hand to provide music.

A few years after the hall was built, it was enlarged and later in 1914, the big hall was built. The contractors were Mr. F. Simmill and Mr. J. C. Hatty. After the war a supper room was added as a Soldiers' Memorial and to house the Honour Roll.

Mr. L. W. Finck senior was secretary of the Hall Committee. He was a very efficient secretary and the fine honour roll was due greatly to his efforts. A few years after the close of the war, the hall was sold to the residents of Bayles. The supper room was retained and is now the Yallock Hall. The honour roll was unveiled in the school in 1925 by the Hon. A. Downard, M.L.A. before a large gathering of residents. Mr. W. S. Nance was the teacher in charge at the time and Mr. H. Boxshall, secretary of the school committee. Councillor Geo. Burhop and W. T. Sage attended.

SUPPLIES HARD TO GET
For some time the settlers had some difficulty in getting supplies, the nearest store was at Yannathan, owned by Mr. W. Nelson. At Kooweerup North (Five Mile) was a store run by the Government for the convenience of the settlers in that area. Mr. W. Stuart had a store at the canal bridges. Mr. John Denham had a store and blacksmith's shop on the Kooweerup-Bayles road.

BREAD BY PACK HORSE
Bread was first brought into Yallock by packhorse, the baker being Mr. J. Foster of Lang Lang. Mr. Henry Woodman had a butchers business on Chairman's property, which he rented for some time. Later he had a business and slaughter yards where the township of Bayles now stands. The first butcher to deliver meat to settler's homes was Mr. Thompson of Heath Hill and the butcher on the cart, Mr. Tony Ridgway had a most difficult job, owing to the lack of any sort of road in most places. Many settlers walked long distances to meet him as he could not get anywhere near some of the homes.

Mr. A. Flintoff of Lang Lang was another butcher to deliver meat at Yallock in those early days. At this time the price of meat was very cheap, a hindquarter of heavy mutton could be bought for three shillings and six pence. Many housewives found it necessary to bake their own bread and flour was also relatively cheap at 200 lbs in a sack for ten shillings.

THEY MUST HAVE BEEN "SUPER MEN"
One of the hardest and most difficult undertakings in connection with the draining of the Swamp country must have been that of making the first surveys and the men doing the work must have been "Super Men". The survey camp was on the creek bank near the residence of Mr. Andrews and the head surveyor was a man named Livingstone.

The men had to walk long distances ever boggy country and it was no minor task. In the winter time they would leave camp in the early morning darkness and arrive back home at their base in the evening, long after sunset. They had to walk because it was impossible to get a horse anywhere near where they were working.

ROADS A LONG TIME COMING
It was some years before the tracks along the banks of the drains became anything like good roads and even the coast road or Southern Highway was bad in places. The road from Tooradin to the inlets near Harewood Mains was a heavy sandy track and was very hard going for both the horses and bullock teams which used it. The carrier who moved the household goods and furniture of the Boxshall family from Fitzroy, took two days to reach Bourkes stockyards and not liking the corduroy across Lyall's Swamp, decided to camp for the night as his two horses were very tired. He finished the trip in the morning, unloaded and started back to Melbourne after lunch. It had been a four day job and he was paid £2.10.

CARLOS (sic) CATANI
Mr. Carlos Catani, the Surveyor General of Victoria, who was responsible for the work on draining the Kooweerup Swamp was considered to have done a good job on what was a very difficult undertaking. Mr. Catani was well known to most of the men employed on the drain work. No matter how far away or how small the drain, he would insist on having a look at it to see how the work was progressing. He got to know many of the men by name and would sit on the bank of the drain and have his lunch with them. These trips meant long rides on horseback and often longer distances on foot, but it was all in a day's work for Mr. Catani.

TIMES WERE HARD
In order to give the younger generation an idea of what the country was like at Yallock while the drain works were being carried out, I would like to record the following incident. A party of the workers were travelling home along the No. 6 drain about two miles east of Abel's corner where they stopped to help one of the settlers pull out a cow bogged in the drain, one of the men suffered a severe strain and was in great pain and unable to walk. His mates procured a couple of ti-tree poles and improvised a stretcher out of coats and an old sack. One of the party hurried ahead to get a horse and cart to meet the men and take the injured man to his home. The nearest the horse and cart could get to the No. 6 drain was on the school road, near where Mr. T. Light now lives. At this spot the injured man was transferred to the cart and then taken to his home. He had been carried on the improvised stretcher for a distance of two and a half miles.

TOM BELL WAS THE MAN TO PULL YOU OUT OF TROUBLE
A man whose name will be remembered by early settlers at Yallock and surrounding districts was Mr. Tom Bell, who lived on the farm now occupied by Hogden Brothers on the Bayles to Kooweerup road. With a dentist hard to get, Mr. Bell was the answer when a person had a troublesome molar. Although not a recognised dentist, Tom had a deftness in his operation for the removal of a tooth. The patient was seated in an ordinary chair, clamped in position by one of Tom's big young son's arms and was ready for the removal job.

Mr. Bell would then produce his forceps from an inner coat pocket, fasten on to the tooth and have it out in a twinkling of an eye. It was all done in cold blood, no anaesthetic or any pain killer of any kind. A person suffering with an aching tooth reckoned that the temporary pain of the extraction was worth putting up with for the relief obtained afterwards. After the tooth was out, the mouth would be washed out with warm salty water. I have never heard of anyone suffering with after effects or Mr. Bell meeting up with any tooth he could not deal with. He is remembered by many old settlers for the relief he gave them in the early days of hardship.

CRICKET CLUB FORMED
A cricket club was formed at Yallock in 1898 although there wasn't an association on the Swamp at this time. Matches were played against teams at Yannathan, Tooradin, Nyora, Longwarry and Monomeith.

FIRST FOOTBALL MATCH
The first football game was played in 1895 on "Quamby" where the first cricket pitch was later laid down. Central umpires were J. O'Brien for the first half of the game and Mr. Desmon took the second half. Rafferty's rules and hard bumps were endured but good humour prevailed. A return match took place at Kooweerup soon after on land where the Kooweerup hall now stands. I do not recollect which side won either game. After World War 1 the Yallock interest in cricket and football shifted to Bayles in the 1920's.

During World War 1 a very active branch of the Red Cross Society was formed and large sums of money were raised for funds. One notable effort was a Queen Carnival in which Lang Lang, Kooweerup, Yannathan and Yallock took part. After a fancy dress procession through the town, the Lang Lang Queen was declared the winner with well over £1,000. Yallock was a close second being only a few pounds behind. Nearly £3,000 resulted from the effort. Miss Myra Leeson was the Yallock Queen.

Not many of those first comers to Yallock lived to reap any benefits from their labours and hardships. All have now passed away and the present generation owe a debt to those men who by their hard toil and endurance paved the way to make Yallock prosperous and the high producing district it has become.
FINIS

This is part 3 of Henry Boxshall's history of Yallock. You can read  part 1 here and part 2 here.

The history of Yallock - Part 2 by H.J. Boxshall

The following account of the history of Yallock was written by Henry John Boxshall (1880 - 1968) a pioneer Yallock resident.  The history was written in March 1957 for the pupils at the Yallock School and was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of June 26 1968.  This is part 2 and you can read part 1 here and part 3 here.

The history of Yallock - Part 2 by H.J. Boxshall
Mr H.J. Boxshall continues his article of the early history of the Yallock area. He mentions some of the landowners and some of the troubles they encountered. At the end of the article last week, Mr. Boxshall was talking about some of the churches in early history.

A short while after the building of St. Saviour's church at Yallock, a Methodist church was erected on Mr. Bateson's property, and this was done by voluntary labour. Mr. T. Pretty did almost all the work on both churches, refusing, any payment for his labour.

METHODIST CHURCH BUILT AT YALLOCK
The Methodist church was well attended in the years prior to the outbreak of World War One. After the war many of the supporters of the church left the district and the church was later moved into Kooweerup.

Methodists to preach at Yallock were Mr. Upton, Mr. Sherlock, Mr. G. Shinkfield, Mr. Val Trigg and Mr. C. C. McPhee, the latter was a very popular minister and was a prominent member of both the cricket and football teams. He enlisted in the war and on his return had to resign from the Ministry due to some throat affliction. There were others who preached there whose names I cannot recall.

The first Church of England organist was Miss Alice Cox who later married Mr. Fred Simmel. Mrs. Simmel was present at the service held at St. Saviour's in November 1955 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the church. She died the following year in her 82nd year.

EARLY SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS
Early Sunday school teachers whose names I recall were Mrs. J. Jones, Miss Ridgway and Miss Collyer. Miss E. Games was superintendent of St Saviour’s Sunday School for many years, assisted by Miss B. Boxshall who succeeded Miss Games when she left the district to live in Melbourne. Miss Games was also the organist at the church for many years, one of my sons Mr. O. Boxshall now holds the position.

I would like to pay a tribute to the memory of Mrs. Jones, whose name is mentioned above. Mrs. Jones was the wife of one of our earliest arrivals at Yallock. She was a qualified midwife and was always ready and willing to go to the help of anyone who was ill or in trouble, any hour of the night, wet or fine - she was truly a Christian woman. After leaving Yallock, she conducted a private hospital at Wonthaggi, where she passed away, when well over 80 years of age.

GATES BLOCKED THE ROADS
When the early settlers arrived here they found all roads leading to this area blocked by gates.To get on to the Monomeith Road, three gates had to be opened. There was a gate near the No. 5 drain bank leading into "Quamby" Andrew Lyall's property; another into Monomeith Park and then another had to be opened to get on to the road at Bourke's stockyards. A gate across the No. 5 bank or Creamery Road, as it is sometimes called, blocked the road to Kooweerup and the way out to Yannathan was also blocked. It was sometime before the landowners responsible, fenced their land to give the settlers free access to their blocks.

There was no bridge over the Yallock Creek, where the present one is located and the settlers filled the creek bed with ti-tree so as to make a ford to enable them to get across to Kooweerup.The river could only be crossed when the Creek was low and when the river rose too high, Kooweerup could only be reached via Monomeith and the highway.

An old creek bed in "Quamby" had to have about five chains of corduroy laid to enable traffic to get to the Monomeith Road. The work was done by the settlers, who organised working bees. Works of this sort had to be done by the settlers themselves as it was useless to ask for assistance from the Government and this area was called "No man's land" as far as adjoining Shires were concerned.It was some time in the late nineties that the Cranbourne Shire took over and valued the area. Mr. A. Facey, the Shire Engineer was the valuator.

THEY LOST A DAY'S PAY TO GET THEIR WAGES
I would like to record here another inconvenience men on the drain work had to contend with. No matter where they were working they had to travel to Kooweerup to pick up their fortnightly pay.The pay office was at W. Stuart's store, situated by the canal bridges. (The house still stands there and must be one of the oldest, if not the oldest building in Kooweerup township).

The Paymaster was Mr. Clowser, assisted by Mr. J. O'Brien, (one of the overseers of the drain work and who at one time became one of the largest land owners at Yallock). Picking up your pay nearly always meant losing a day's pay, because as the work advanced it took the men further away from Kooweerup, where the drain work was started. Long tramps over very rough tracks, that a horse could not travel had to be undertaken.

On entering the office to receive your pay you would find alongside the Paymaster the local butcher, baker, storekeeper etc. with their fortnightly accounts and after these accounts were settled the wage-earner had what was left, which was at times very little.

The story is told of one hardy old pioneer who was walking slowly away over the canal bridge and was hailed by one of his work-mates. "What is the matter Tom? You don't look too happy this morning". "Happy", said Tom, "and what do I have to be happy about? I just picked up my pay and look what I have left". He disclosed a few coppers in the palm of his hand and with that, tossed them into the waters of the canal and dejectedly walked on.

THE EARLY SETTLERS
The following are the names of the first commers to Yallock—
Starting at the corner of Finck's Road -  the No. 5 Road, corner block was occupied by W. Donaldson, bricklayer then A. Renfrew, furniture salesman; H. Treeby, labourer; then my father T. Boxshall, landscape gardener. Mr. Boxshall was for a period of 14 years foreman of the Exhibition Gardens, Carlton and had laid out a large area of those particular gardens.

An elder brother of mine, A. Boxshall, engine driver, Victorian Railways was next. Then followed H. Scharf, carpenter. He had left Germany to escape militarism. His two sons later enlisted in World War 1 and were both killed in France. W. Chance was next followed by O. W. Reitchel, bricklayer and on the corner block at the hall road was M. O. Donald, mail contractor and stud master. The last four allotments mentioned are now occupied by Mr. George Peck.

The block now owned by Mr. Deppeler was occupied by E. Rossiter; the 60 acres now owned by Mr. Still belongs to the Lyall family; on the corner block, now F. Stephens, was Mr. Simmil, blacksmith; Mr J. Jones was first on the block now owned by Mr F. Ashby. Then followed Mr Arthur Orford, labourer, and his house was burnt down during the 1898 bushfires. The owner left the district shortly after.

The first on the block opposite the hall and now belonging to the Bailey family were Mr. Kroschell, Mr. Glowasky, whose son was later a very well known member of the Victorian Police Force. Mr. Chas Woodman owned these allotments for some years.

One of the earliest settlers was Mr. F. P. Stephens, farmer, who donated the land for the Church of England. His son now resides on the property and next to him, Mr. Priestly snr. Mr. E. Batson followed him and lived on the property some years. Mr. Batson was a member of the first School Committee, he donated the land for Methodist Church. The Ashby family now own the farm. Mr. Geo. Wright, builder lived on the corner block, later owned by Mr. C. Brazil.

Names I recall further east and on McKay's Road are G. Richardson, Geo. Casey, J. McKay, J. Orchard, B. Lineham, W Cadee, L. Coates, J. Ieckleson, T. O'Shea and W. Cameron. The land for the hall was given by Mr. Fred Simmill.

Next on O'Briens Road was T. Harker, now owned by Stephens and Thompson; Mr J. McGee was next and this property is now occupied by Mr. F. Lineham. Mr. W. Harker owned the block at the corner of O'Briens Road and No. 6 Road. Also on the same road lived Mr. J. T. O'Brien, a local Cranbourne Shire Councillor for many years. He was a former overseer on the drain works. Mr. James Stevens, a sailor, was next. This farm was later owned by Mr. A. Dalyrimple, a member of the school committee for a number of years. After his departure it was taken over by Mr. Horace Barr (A.I.F.). Mr. W. Fechner now owns it.

The first to live on the block now owned by Mr. W.Thomas was Mr. A. T. (Dick) Priestley, son of Mr. Priestly mentioned previously in this article. Mr. Priestly later had a store in Lang Lang and a farm at Yannathan. Next to Priestly's was Mr. E. Powis who kept a boarding house at Dandenong. His son H. Powis lived on the block. He was a well known footballer with Dandenong and had previously played with Essendon in the League. He was also a member of the local football and cricket clubs.

Early commers who did not stay long were Chas.Williams and a man named Rogers. The latter was the first on to the block lived on by the Gudgin family for years. Mr. Gudgin  senior was followed by his son William and then his grandson Harold. The property is now owned by Mr. Geo. Light. On the school road and close to the school was Mr. C. J. Izzard, saddler, who donated the ground to the school. Mr. Izzard was the first Yallock Progress Association secretary.

Robert Fountain was the original settler on the  block now owned by Mr. Light, next was Mr. D. Ware, Mr. E. Collyer, one of the school's earliest committeemen.

Others associated with this road were W. Hatty, Senior; Mr. Savage, D.Cahill and S. Flewin, Mr. W. Hatty Junior, Mrs. W. Brown. Mr. D. Abel now owns a number of these blocks. Mr. W. A. Cox lived for a while on one of the blocks now owned by Mr. A. M. Bethune.

The first to live on the block now occupied by Mr. T. Light was Charles Ware, a former road contractor. On the next block was Thomas Kirwin, farm labourer and next Mr. A. J. Cox, bootmaker, Mr. J. C. Hatty was first on the block now occupied by Mrs. Humphrey. Mr. Wise (late A.I.F.) also lived there for some years.

Early settlers on the No. 6 or Catani Road were Mr. F. O'Neill, E. Giggins, W. R. Donaldson, V. Blythe. The latter was an ex-serviceman and was for some years president of the local branch of the V.D.A.

On Finck's Road adjoining Donaldson's were J. Yeaman, engine driver; next B. J. Cox, father of George who now lives there. H. Reid was next, and he left his house when it was destroyed by fire. On the Finck's Road and No. 6 Road where Mr Kane lives was W. Nichol and later Chas. Woodman. The block over the road was first owned by W. Scanlon. Mr. L. W. Finck senior was next. He was secretary of school committee for any many years and also secretary of the hall committee.

This is part 2 of Henry Boxshall's history of Yallock. You can read  part 1 here and part 3 here.

The history of Yallock - Part 1 - by H.J. Boxshall

The following account of the history of Yallock was written by Henry John Boxshall (1880 - 1968) a pioneer Yallock resident.  The history was written in March 1957 for the pupils at the Yallock School and was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of June 19, 1968.  This is part 1 and you can read part 2  here and part 3 here.

The history of Yallock - Part 1 - by H.J. Boxshall
This portion of the Kooweerup Swamp was made available for selection in the latter part of the year 1894. Many of the first settlers came from Macedon where a village settlement was formed in 1893, the land there was not suitable for closer settlement and the settlers were removed to Yallock. Permits to occupy twenty acres were issued to the settlers and they were required to pay fifteen shillings per twenty acres per annum for the first three years, then a lease was given for twenty years. After the expiration of that time and, provided all payments and conditions had been complied with, a Title to the land was given.

After much agitation by the local Progress Association of which the late Mr. C. J. Izzard was Secretary, and who with the great assistance of the then Member for Mornington, the Hon. Alfred Downard, M.L.A., Parliament agreed to forego all interest on the half yearly payments, otherwise it is doubtful if the settlement would have survived. Mr. Downard was a good friend and a big help to the settlers and was always ready to do what he could to obtain any concessions for the settlers who had to fight so hard to get on.

In those early days of settlement living conditions were bad and the settlers had to endure onsiderable hardships, it was hard on the men, very few of whom had any experience of farming life and knew nothing of stock management. Most of them were used to city life, many being capable tradesmen but owing to the big depression of the early 1890's had lost their savings and unemployment was rife. The Government of the day instituted the Village Settlement Scheme to get as many of the unemployed out of Melbourne as possible.

HOUSING WAS POOR
When the head of the family went on his allotment a tent was put up and then a shelter of sorts was erected, not many could be called houses. Many were merely bag humpies and the families lived in these make-shift places until more substantial wattle and daub were built. Life was hard for the wives and children of those early settlers most of whom were town bred and used to the amenities of city life.

In the summer months water was scarce and had to be carted, and in many cases carried long distances. In the winter, water was at times too plentiful as families living near the creek found to their cost. In the summer when water was when water was scarce, the weekly wash was done down at the creek, where firewood and water was plentiful.

One of the worst hardships the settlers had to endure was the lack of medical attention, the nearest doctor was at Dandenong and the nearest telephone was at Monomeith Railway Station. If a doctor was urgently needed, as in a case of life or death, it had to be the latter. There were two cases here at Yallock where the mothers of two large families died because medical help could not be obtained in time. In both cases all the doctor could do was to give a certificate of death.

Another big drawback was the lack of a school. The children had to go either to Yannathan or McKenzies School, the latter being situated on the corner of Bethunes Road opposite Hodgen Brothers' farm on Kooweerup Road. The teacher's name was Mrs. McKenzie. This school was later moved to Kooweerup. Mrs. McKenzie was the first teacher. Most of the Yallock children attended the Yannathan school and, as that school was outside the three miles limit, it was inevitable that the attendances were a long way from 100%. This was not to be wondered at as the children often had to wade through water to reach the school and to sit wet footed all day. In summer they had to traverse snake infested paddocks and were expert snake killers.

The settlers lost no time in agitating for a school and a meeting was arranged to meet an inspector who was sent up by the Education Department to discuss the matter with the parents. As there was a big attendance of children of school age, over 40 being present, the inspector could see the need of a school and promised to send a teacher along as soon as a suitable building was available and a place for the teacher to board could be found.

About this time the settlers saw the need of a hall for a meeting place, recreation, etc. A hall was built and rented to the Education Department to hold the school, which was started in 1899. Mrs. Agnes Curtin was the first teacher and boarded with Mrs. James Stevens. She was a very capable teacher and stayed two years. She was followed by Miss Ellis, who did not stay long. Then Mr. F. Oldfield took charge sometime late in 1902. He was a splendid teacher and a hard worker for the general good of the Yallock people. He taught at Yallock for about 12 or 13 years, the longest term of any Yallock teacher. He was a fine man and was greatly respected by both scholars and parents. He was the first to teach in the new school, opened in 1912. Miss Doris Savage was first Sewing Mistress in the new school, Miss M. Cox having held that position when the school was held in the hall. Miss Savage was followed by Miss V. Games. Miss B. Boxshall (my daughter) was the last to hold that position at the Yallock School. The school residence was built in 1921 and the first teacher to occupy the house was Mr. George Coughlan.

Most of the early settlers found employment excavating the drains. The' earth was dug out and loaded on to barrows and wheeled out on planks. The drain banks were later formed into roads. The work was hard and often men had to work waist deep in water. The settler was allowed to earn £5 on the drain work and then required to do improvements on his block to the value of £5, when he would be given a ticket to go back to the drain work and earn another £5. This drain work was not very regular as time went on, as the money granted for the work would be used up and the work would be held up until more money was made available.

Flooding also caused interruptions. The water would come down and wash planks and barrows away. Many of these would be found later lodged in the ti-tree along the creek (most of the settlers owned a Government barrow). Owing to the irregularity of the drain work, and the farms being a long way from self-supporting, many of the settlers left their wives and families to carry on with the farm work and took jobs of draining, clearing and picking up (cleaning up after burning off) in Gippsland forest country, others who could see no chance of making a living from such small holdings left their blocks and sought field and new pastures. The vacated blocks were allotted (in some cases by ballot) to the remaining settlers, who were now allowed to increase their holdings to the value of £250 (approximately 50 acres) thus holdings were increased as time went on, by the settlers selling out to neighbours. So many families leaving the district and Bayles Township getting a school was the cause of reducing the attendance at the Yallock School from over 40 to its present low number.

It was some time before it was possible to make a living from the land owing to the difficulty of clearing and preparing for ploughing and grassing down. After the first light ti-tree scrub stumps were cleared the land settled, and large ti-tree stumps showed through. After these were dealt with there were large patches of gum tree stumps known as "Cat-Heads", and it was some years before all the stumps were dealt with. Fences made of the stumps were a common sight: the stumps were also handy for enclosing cow yards and pig pens. These stumps were eventually used up as firewood when post and wire fences were erected. For some years the price of all farm products were very low. Cream delivered to Wood and Company Butter Factory at Lang Lang brought five pence per pound (Commercial butter), milk was delivered for three pence per gallon to Wood and Company Creamery, situated on Mr. R. Peck's property near the Yallock creek bridge, and other farm products were at equally low prices.

The nearest Post Office was at Monomeith Railway Station. After some months the Postal Department made up a loose bag for Yallock and the mail contractor, "Monomeith to Heath Hill" - Mr. John Ridgway, of Yannathan had to be met at Bourkes Stockyard three times a week to take delivery of the bag. The mail was looked after by the Boxshall family for ten years. For some time the mail was delivered daily to the school. Later a post office was granted and looked after
by Mr. R. Games. This office was closed some years ago, but the loose bag is still delivered at the same place now occupied by Mr. Deppeler.

The first religious service was held in Mr. T. Boxshall's house by the Presbyterian Minister Rev. Colin Robertson of Cranbourne. Services were also held at the home of Mr. W. Donaldson by Mr. Robertson and also the Anglican Clergyman Rev. A. A. Wiltshire who was the first Church of England Minister to hold a service at Yallock. At the time Yallock was in the Cranbourne Parish and Mr. Wiltshire had to travel long distances, on horseback, over rough and stumpy tracks. He would hold a service at Cardinia in the morning then on to Yallock for the afternoon service, then back to Cranbourne for the evening service. This meant a Sunday journey of over 40 miles but, Mr Wiltshire never failed and was always on time.

A meeting was held at Mr. Boxshall's house to go into the matter of building a Church, both Mr. Wiltshire and Mr. Robertson attended, it was seen that there were not sufficient followers of either or any denomination to support a Church so, it was suggested that a Union Church be built. Mr. Wiltshire was strongly opposed to a Union Church. On Mr. Izzard's suggestion it was decided to build a hall, services of different denominations could then hold there. Until the hall was built sometime about 1899, services were held in a small wattle and daub building, the roof being thatched with swamp reeds, this place was built by Mr H. Reid for a blacksmith's shop on Mr. Jones' property (now owned by Mr. F. Ashby). The venture was not a success and services were held there by different Protstant denominations until the hall was opened.

The building of St. Saviour's Church at Yallock was started in November, 1905, the first stump was put in by Mr. John Mickle, a local Shire Councillor, on the 15th of that month. The whole of the work of the building the Church was done voluntarily by Mr. Thomas Pretty, a carpenter who had a farm on the Yallock Creek. Mr. Wiltshire left Yallock before the Church was built. He was sent to the Euroa District, not long after taking charge there he met with a fatal accident. He was taking snaps with his camera on the rocks above a deep gorge when he slipped and fell to the rocks below, he was killed instantly. His passing was deeply regretted, he was highly respected and loved by all who knew him. It will give a better idea of the time of Mr. Wiltshire's ministry at Yallock when I tell you we were waiting at the hall before the service started, on his arrival and after greeting us Mr. Wiltshire said, "I have good news for you, before leaving Cranbourne this morning, word came through that the siege of Mafeking was ended and the Boers have been driven off."

A few months before the church was built the first Bishop of Gippsland, Bishop Pain arranged for an amalgamation of the Kooweerup and Lang Lang district. The Priest in charge was Rev. E. H. Smith. The Rev. Henry Lane was the last minister to come from Cranbourne to preach at Yallock. After leaving Cranbourne, Rev. Lane was made Chaplain of the Melbourne General Cemetery.

This is part 1 of Henry Boxshall's history of Yallock. You can read  part 2 here and part 3 here.

Henry James Boxshall (1880 - 1968) obituary from the Koo Wee Rup Sun

Henry Boxshall wrote a history of the early families at Yallock - you can read it here. I came across his obituary which was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of November 27, 1968. It is an interesting account of early Yallock, his life and the early life of the Boxshall family in Victoria. It is transcribed here.

Well Known Yallock Resident Passes
 A very highly respected resident and member of one of Yallock’s early  pioneering families, Mr Henry John Boxshall passed away at the Westernport Memorial Hospital, Koo Wee Rup on Saturday November 23 at the age of 88 years.
Confined to a wheel chair for several years, the late Mr Boxshall was, however in his usual health and good spirits till he became ill and was admitted to hospital just the day before he died.

TO AUSTRALIA BY SAILING SHIP
His grandfather, Mr James Boxshall was a landscape gardener in Dorset England, before migrating with his family to Australia with the Dendy Migrants, in the sailing ship, ‘The Earl of Durham’
On arrival in Victoria in 1842 they settled in Brighton and owned property there to the extent that Boxshall Street, Brighton was named after them.
Harry Boxshall’s father, Mr Thomas Boxshall married Miss Elizabeth Mills of Brighton on February 27th 1875 and they had a family of eight children.
For fourteen years Thomas Boxshall was the curator of the Exhibition Gardens, Carlton, and was responsible for the layout of a large area of those gardens.

Boxshall Street in Brighton - that's the Brighton Town Hall in the background. 

Photo: Isaac Hermann.

YALLOCK VILLAGE SETTLEMENT
In 1895, when the depression hit Melbourne and the Yallock Village Settlement was proclaimed, Thomas Boxshall was one of the many pioneers who left the city and purchased a Yallock Settlement block. Harry Boxshall at this time was a young lad of 14 years.
This property where the late Harry Boxshall resided is one of the few original properties that has not changed hands. Thomas Boxshall died at Yallock in September 1917 and was buried in the Brighton Cemetery.
For the past 73 years Harry Boxshall had been dairying, in conjunction with another property which he purchased later.
Harry was a member of the Brighton Historical Society and furnished much information to Mrs. Sambells*, secretary of the B.H.S about the early days of Brighton.

DOUBLE WEDDING AT YALLOCK
An event remembered in the district for many years was the marriage in 1905 of Harry Boxshall and Violet Izzard performed at a double wedding ceremony with Jim Hatty and Letitia Cox, both now deceased, but also of early Yallock families.
The marriage took place at the Yallock Hall, St Savour’s Church of England, Yallock, being built shortly after. The ceremony was followed by a grand reception and dance to which all the district was invited and helped to provide the repast.
Harry and Violet Boxshall raised a family of 3 sons, Oswald, Horace and Roland and one daughter, Beatrix, who with the exception of Horace (Moe) reside at Yallock.
Mrs Boxshall passed away in 1961.

YALLOCK CRICKET CLUB
The late Harry Boxshall was a foundation member and secretary of the first Yallock Cricket Club and was recognised as a champion back-stop in the district associations. He played in Yallock’s first match against Yannathan team in 1896.
He had a very retentive memory and could relate amusing anecdotes and interesting details about early matches.
Of special interest to him was the Yallock State School, of which he was correspondent for a period of 20 years.
An accomplished historian on the Yallock district, Harry Boxshall compiled a history of the school, district and personalities, which was recently published in this paper.
He was a regular guest at the Yallock school education days and this year enjoyed his day out at both the Yallock and Caldermeade schools’ open days.

To members of his family is extended the sympathy of the community in the passing of this respected gentleman.
A very large crowd of local identities gathered at St Savour’s Church of England, Yallock on Tuesday for the funeral service following which the cortege proceeded to the Lang Lang Cemetery.

* I think it is Sambells, I can't read the first letter of the surname in the newspaper report, as it is in the fold of the pages.

Families at Yallock by H.J. Boxshall

Families at Yallock this was written by H.J. Boxshall, it was published in The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire by Niel Gunson.  Families at Yallock was from Mr Boxshall's  work History of Yallock Village Settlement - it was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun over three weeks in June /July 1968 - they are transcribed here.

Henry John Boxshall was born on December 31, 1880 to Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Mills) Boxshall, they had seven other children. Thomas was the curator of the Exhibition Gardens in Carlton for fourteen years, and in 1895 the family moved to Yallock.  Thomas died in 1917 and Elizabeth in 1925, they are both buried at the Brighton Cemetery.  Thomas' father James Boxshall, was a Dendy migrant and he and his family had come to Victoria on the Earl of Durham in 1842 and settled at Brighton. Boxshall Street in Brighton is named after the family. You can read Thomas' obituary in the Brighton Southern Cross of January 9, 1904, here. In 1905, Henry married Violet Izzard, from another pioneering Yallock family. They had three children who died as infants, Clifford, Daphne and Donald and three sons, Oswald, Horace and Roland and one daughter, Beatrix, who all lived to adulthood.  Violet was born in November 1880 and died in September 1960. Henry remained at Yallock until his death on November 24, 1968. He and Violet are buried at Lang Lang. Most of this information comes from Henry's obituary in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of November 27, 1968. It is transcribed, here.

The following is Mr Boxshall's account, which I transcribed from The Good Country: Cranbourne Shire. I haven't altered the punctuation but I have separated the text into paragraphs, to make it a bit easier to read.

 Families at Yallock by H.J. Boxshall

The following are the names of the firstcomers to settle on their blocks at Yallock, starting at the corner of Finck’s Road - the No. 5 Road; when known, former occupations are given in brackets. The corner block was occupied by W. Donaldson (bricklayer) them A. Renfrew (furniture salesman) H. Treeby (labourer) J. Treeby (farm labourer) were next, then my father T. Boxshall (landscape gardener). Mr Boxshall was for 14 years foreman of the Exhibition Gardens, Carlton, and had laid out a large area of those gardens, an elder brother of mine A. Boxshall (engine driver Vict. Rlys) was next. H Scharf (carpenter) came next. Mr Scharf had left Germany to escape militarism, two of his sons enlisted in World War 1 and both were killed in France. W. Chance was on the next block and next to him O.W. Reitchel (bricklayer) on the corner block at the Hall Road was M.O Donald (mail contractor and studmaster), the last four allotments mentioned are now occupied by Mr Geo. Peck.

The block now owned by Mr Deppeler was occupied by E. Rossiter, the 60 acres now owned by Mr Still belonged to the Lyall family, on the corner block now F. Stephens’ was Mr Simmill (blacksmith). Mr J. Jones was first on the block now owned by Mr F. Ashby. Mr Jones was a saddler by trade, next to Jones was Arthur Orford (labourer) his house was burned down during the bushfires of 1897, he then left the district.

The first on the block opposite the Hall and now belonging to the Bailey family were Mr Kroschell, Mr Glowasky whose son was later a well known member of the Victorian Police Force. Mr Chas Woodman owned these two allotments for some years. One of the earliest settlers was Mr F.P Stephens (farmer) he donated land for the Church of England, his son Mr F. Stephens now resides on the property, next was Mr Priestly, Senior. Mr E. Bateson followed him and lived on the property some years. Mr Bateson was a member of the first School Committee, he donated land for the Methodist Church, the Ashby family now own that farm, Mr Geo Wright (builder) lived on the corner block owned by Mr C. Brazil - names I recall further east and on McKays Road are G. Richardson, Geo. Casey, J. McKay, J. Orchard. B. Lineham, W. Cadee, L. Coates, J. Teckleson, T. O’Shea and W. Cameron.

The land for the hall was given by Mr Fred. Simmill who owned that block, next on O’Brien’s Road was T. Harker, now owned by Stephens and Thompson, Mr J. McGhee was next, Mr F. Lineham occupies that property now. Mr W. Harker owned the block at the corner of O’Brien’s Road and No. 6 road, also on O’Brien’s Road lived Mr J.T. O’Brien, a local Cranbourne Shire Councillor for many years, he was a former overseer on the drain works. Mr James Stevens (a Sailor) was next, this farm was afterwards owned by Mr A. Dalyrimple, a School Committee man for some years, after his departure it was taken over by Mr Horace Barr (A.I.F.) Mr W. Fechner now owns it.

The first to live on the block now owned by Mr W. Thomas was Mr A.T. (Dick) Priestly, son of Mr Priestly mentioned before. Mr Priestly afterwards had a general store in Lang Lang and a farm at Yannathan, next to Priestly’s was Mr E. Powis who kept a boarding house at Dandenong, his son H. Powis lived on the block, he was a well known footballer at Dandenong and at one time played for Essendon League, he was also a member of the local cricket and football clubs. On the outbreak of the Boer War he enlisted, was a member of the Fifth Contingent and served in S. Africa, when World War 1 started he again enlisted and saw service abroad.

Early comers who did not stay long were Chas. Williams and a man named Rodgers, the latter was the first on the block lived on for years by the Gudgin family. Salisbury was the name of the man who took over from Rogers, then came the Gudgin family. Mr Gudgin Sen. Was followed by his son William and then his grandson Harold, this property is now owned by Mr Geo. Light. On the School Road, close to the School was Mr C.J. Izzard (saddler) who donated the ground for the school. Mr Izzard was Secretary of the first Yallock Progress Association. Where Mr Light now lives was Robert Fountain, on the next block was Mr D. Ware, Mr E. Collyer, one of our earliest School Committee men, followed Mr Ware, that block is now owned by Mr W. Fechner, on the block now occupied by Mr Fechner was Mr W. Hatty Sen., others to live on that block were Mr Savage, D. Cahill and S. Flewin, Mr W. Hatty Jun. was on the next allotment, the corner block was first owned by Mrs Brown, Mr D. Abel now owns those blocks, Mr W.A. Cox lived for a while on one of those blocks now owned by Mr A.M Bethune.

The first to live on the block now occupied by Mr T. Light was Charles Ware a former road contractor, on the next block was Thomas Kirwin (farm labourer) and next was Mr A. J. Cox (Bootmaker). Mr J. C Hatty was first on the block now where Mrs. Humphrey lives. Mr Wise (late A.I.F) also loved there for some years. Early settlers on the No.6 or Catani Road were: Mr F. O’Neil, E. Giggins, W.R. Donaldson, V. Blythe (Mr Blythe was an ex-serviceman and was for some years president of the local branch of the V.D.A.)

On Finck’s Road adjoining Donaldson’s were: J. Yeaman (Engine Driver) next B.J. Cox, father of George Cox who now lives there. On the next allotment was H. Reid who left his block when his house was destroyed by fire. On the Finck’s and No. 6 Roads where Mr E. Kane lives was W. Nichol’s and later Chas. Woodman, the block across the road was first owned by W. Scanlon. Mr L. W. Finck Sen., was next. Mr Finck was Secretary for the School Committee for many years and also Secretary for the Hall Committee.

A former member of Parliament names Tetherly, who at one time represented Ballarat in Victorian Legislative Assembly, had a block on the Yallock creek bank, there he put up  a tent and started to clear some of the land for a garden, he had only put in  a few weeks work when the creek flooded over and washed him out, he gathered up his belongings and left, never to return. Next to Tetherly’s  Mr T. Pretty built a home right on the creek bank, when the creek flooded the water was soon running through the house and Mr Pretty and his family had to wade knee-deep through the flood and take refuge with a more fortunate neighbour, by midnight the house was half submerged, after the flood subsided Mr Pretty lost no time in moving his house to higher ground. Another sufferer from that flood was a Mr Taylor who built himself a wattle and daub hut close to the creek, the water rose too fast for Mr Taylor, an elderly man, to get out and he managed to get on to the roof of his shack where he remained all night, he was rescued early next morning by Mr. C. Ware, who rode his horse, a powerful draught, through the flood to the hut and brought Taylor to dry land, that experience was enough for Mr Taylor, he also departed never to return. Mr David Gray then took over the blocks vacated by Taylor and Tetherly and later he bought Mr Petty’s farm, after World War 1 he sold the place to the Repatriation Commission. Mr H.V. Izzard (late A.I.F.) lived there for some years, when owing to illhealth, he had to leave and go on to a small farm at Hallam Valley. Mr L.W. Finck Junr, also a former serviceman now owns that property.

I would like to record here the name of Fred Crispin who was a share farmer on ‘Quamby’ for a few years prior to 1914. He enlisted soon after the outbreak of the war. Mr Crespin was an accomplished organist and piano player. During his residence at Yallock he was Organist at St Saviour’s Church of England and was also in great demand as a pianist at local dances. Mr Crespin was also a good cricketer and captained the local Eleven during his stay at Yallock, on his return from war he was unable to take up farming again owing to failing health and was given employment in the Lands’ Office at Melbourne, he died soon after taking that position, his passing was greatly regretted by all who knew him.