Do Papers Maketh The Man ?

Currently I am in the process of scanning some of my father’s documents. Humans are a strange bunch of contradictions like an untidy, unwieldy parcel tied up in brown paper and string.  One thing to one person and something completely different to another.
I feel quite uncomfortable at times as if I am pulling back a curtain and looking at something intensely private, something not meant for my prying eyes.  But then what do we do with the flotsam and jetsam we collect throughout our lifetime.

Do I put in the rubbish, burn it, rip it up so no one will ever see the words on the page? Or do I conserve it and share with my children so that we may all understand better the man we called Dad and Pa.

I have taken the plunge and scanned some items and I will share them here so the grandchildren and great grandchildren can see them.

These are from Dads school days.  He attended Rosamund Road Primary School in Footscray and then Footscray Technical School pre and post war – we will start with the Tech School;

This is the information booklet. Dad was studying Electrical Engineering before  signing up join the RAAF as a Radar Operator.  He wanted to be a pilot but he did not have the fine  motor skills required.

His handwriting  is visible in pencil at the bottom of the right hand page.  He was working out what courses he had completed and what lay ahead.

Dad married in 1947 post war and went back  to Tech and completed his Diploma.  He acquired a government funded traineeship and went to work at Department of Defence in Maribyrnong and when he retired in the mid 1980s he was General Manager Defence.  He was a member of the Australian Society of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers and also  The Association of Professional Engineers Australia.

There was another side to my dad a softer, loving man who adored the woman he married right up to the time when he sometimes forgot who she was.   He wrote this poem for her early in their time together. Two things never changed with Dad his writing and his love for Mum. I can read the words and hear his voice;  the poem is called PATRICIA.

He was a kind , loving gentle man- he is missed everyday by those who love him and the world is now a different place without his physical presence.  Norm Norse 1925-2015

 

 

 

 

A Letter to Bonnie

What is it that drives us to connect with those who have passed long before we were born?

This is a case in point. The last couple of days have been chasing around – up and down rabbit holes  trying to find new information where once there were roadblocks.  This morning Ancestry showed the inevitable number of leaf symbols on names indicating links to other information around your family history.  Most  of the time these are not helpful as so many people cut and paste from other trees without due diligence and like a chinese whisper they contain a mere scintilla of truth.  Dorothy  or Dorothea Miriam Elliman  is one such relative on my family tree.  She was also known nas Bonnie according to the memorial notice.

A diminutive entry, she was my mother’s  elder sister who died five years before my mum was born.  This month on the 2nd of December was the 98th Anniversary of her death. My mother was an only child and so am I – so why was there a cluster of  leaves against her name? There are times when I become overly protective of the leaves on my family tree and wonder why a particular person would be of any interest to any one  except to me.

My mother told me a story, that in itself is a statement.  Mum used to elaborate on the truth. I never knew what was fact and what was fantasy.  She spun quite a story about Dorothea, according to mum and mostly in her words;

One day in the early 1980s there was a knock on the front door.  The door was opened to reveal a well turned man and a woman with official papers.  How did mum know they had official papers? sorry I digress.  The couple showed mum their identification and paperwork, they were from the Federal Police. First mum thought something had happened to my father, he worked for Department of Defence (DOD)   but no  they asked her if she knew a Dorothy Elliman and provided a date of birth. Now this is where I begin to wonder about the veracity of the story.  I have searched for years for Dorothea’s birth records and have come to the conclusion that her birth was not registered, due to the circumstances at the time.  Oops sorry there I go again.  Mum replied she did know the name and it was her sister’s name. She was then asked about her sisters whereabouts or how she could be contacted.  Mum dutifully replied, her sister had died before she was born some five years later.  She added she could tell them where she was buried, in Fawkner Cemetery. Mum was then advised that a passport had been issued in Dorothy’s name and there was reason to suspect criminal activity.  The couple thanked Mum for her time and apologised if they had caused and distress and the poof they disappeared never to be heard from again.

Well you have to admit it isn’t a bad yarn – but is it true?  Back to my original point, why is someone in New Zealand interested in Dorothea?  Good question.  I have penned a message through Ancestry and will wait for a reply. I have searched her files no connection  and either she has not done a DNA test or we are not related as there is no DNA match.   In the  meantime I decided to try once more for a birth notice or registration.  No birth data – I am conceding due to the circumstances, her birth  was not registered as she was 17 weeks old when she died.

A search of Trove, however  gave up a notice of death in 1922 and some memorial notices in 1923

The address provided in the notice of 1922 is 129 Leveson street North Melbourne. My great grandparents home.  Family Notices (1922, December 23). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), p. 1. Retrieved December 28, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205052775

Family Notices (1923, December 22). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved December 28, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206246044

A search of the Victorian BDM was equally frustrating as for some reason it was really picky about information entered.  The search facility is nowhere near as robust as it was prior to the upgrade earlier this year.   The following is  a copy of Dorothea’s death certificate showing death as a result of toxicosis and infectious colitis.  She died in the children’s hospital in Melbourne and if the family stories are true her mother, my grandmother, never saw her or held her, as she was in a coma for months after the birth with childbed fever.

Childbed or Puerperal fever: Fever due to an infection after childbirth, usually of the placental site within the uterus. If the infection involves the bloodstream, it constitutes puerperal sepsis.  We know now that Puerperal Fever is caused by a bacterial infection and this could have been passed on to the baby unwittingly causing her premature death.

A sad but not uncommon story.  We will never know the answers to so many questions that impacted on my mother as she always felt second best to Dorothea  and unwanted. Perhaps my grandmother was so damaged by the birth, her illness and death of her child that something inside her  prevented her from being a loving mother. Perhaps it was a fear that if she loved this child she would lose her as well.  All suppositions and we will never know the answers  – but at least Dorothea Miriam Elliman is not forgotten and her memory lives on.   Good night Bonnie …..

VINCENT JAMES HARDIMAN – A lost soul

Another gem from the archives. Not getting a great deal of scanning done as each item sends me off down another rabbit hole. This certificate was my grand uncles. he died at an early age born 1893/29921 died 1940/12058.  There is a family whisper  he committed suicide. However this would have been catastrophic for the family as they were devout practising catholics  and would mean he would have been buried in consecrated soil.  His father although elderly was an ex policeman and also a well respected member of the Catholic Community in Victoria. An assumption could be that pressure was applied   not to have the words suicide or death by own hand on the death certificate.

This one is a doozy the certificate is clearly dated 1908, therefore he would have been 15 when this was awarded, and 47 when he died.

He was in care when he died. My mother loved her uncle dearly, and was very protective of his memory. She was born in 1927 and she always claimed he died of a brain explosion? aneurysm. But not so, his inquest documents show he died from undernourishment and pneumonia – probably as a result of his inability, his family’s or the systems inability to care for someone who could not cope with mainstream life. Apparently he was fluent in French, German, Mandarin and Japanese

A little more digging on Trove unearthed further information;

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY. (1918, November 7). Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (National : 1901 – 1973), p. 2128. Retrieved December 27, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232462782

Victoria.
Extension of Probation.—Freida Murray Buckingham, Female Sorter, General Division, for six months from 1st June, 1918. (400.)
Grant of Sick Leave.—Vincent James Hardiman, Clerk,  Class V., Clerical Division, from 1st August, 1918, to 10th September, 1918, without pay; Elizabeth Evelyn Hueston, Assis
tant, General Division, from 14th May, 1918, to 13th June, 1918, on half pay, from 14th June, 1918, to 30th June, 1918, on third pay, and from 1st July, 1918, to 16th July, 1918, on half pay. (This notification cancels that relating to grant of sick leave to Elizabeth Evelyn Hueston appearing on page 1707 of Gazette of 15th August, 1918.) (399.)
W. A. WATT, Treasurer.

AND

MILITARY FORCES OF THE COMMONWEALTH. (1911, July 8). Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (National : 1901 – 1973), p. 1657. Retrieved December 27, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232513992 

Vincent James Hardiman is listed as a Senior Cadet to be made up provisionally to Lieutenant on 1 July 1911

A Methodist Missionary?

This document belonged to my paternal grandmother Dorothea Isobel Bennett – Morse.

She was born on 15th July 1902 and died 01 December 1983.  She was the only daughter of Nellie Batts and Henry Bennett.  There were four brothers  Thomas Henry Phillip aka Nunk 1903-1979), Roger Keith 1906-1944, and the twins  William James born & died 1914 and Jack Webster .  She was 12 when the twins were born.   

Born at Jim Crow Creek in the Hepburn Campbells Creek area she lived in the area until moving with her family to Mildura where her father worked as a labourer and then blockmanager.  Henry  lived the remainder of his life in Mildura, however Dorothea  or Dorothy as she became known returned to Campbells Creek where she met and married her husband Percy Morse.

She was a remarkable,kind and gentle woman of strong convictions. I never heard her swear or raise her voice or say anything bad about anyone.  When pressed about someone she did not like she would smile and say nothing.  I never remember her attending church except for  the usual baptisms, weddings and funerals.  Her beliefs were transferred to her children. My Aunt Jean her eldest child  was a compassionate and kind woman like her mother and embraced the Anglican faith.  My father Norman was raised Methodist, he rarely spoke about religion and would say he was a agnostic.  My Uncle Neil well he was the baby and very different. Loverable, a charmer, a rouge and at times a conman; and although he caused my Nan a heap of tears I think she always had a soft spot for her baby boy.  I don’t remember her ever having a drink even a shandy and she was a wonderful cook and the best ever grandmother any one could ask for.  She never espoused her religion to any one although I grew up knowing she was what was called in those days a Primitive Methodist, she was private about her faith.

THE HISTORY OF THE PRIMITIVE METHODISTS

The 19th century working class movement known as Primitive Methodism, originated in the Potteries, where an open air ‘camp’ meeting was held at Mow Cop in 1807, igniting a passion for the love of God which quickly spread across the Midlands. By the end of the century there were over 200,000 members.

Industrial revolution

In the context of the growing democratisation and sense of dislocation caused by the Industrial Revolution, it appealed primarily to miners and mill hands, farm labourers, and workers in developing factory towns. In rural areas, Primitive Methodists often came into conflict with the Squire and Anglican clergy, who saw them as a threat to the established order.

A people’s movement

Hugh Bourne and William Clowes are credited as the founders, but it was a people’s movement, with a network of local societies and travelling preachers.  Some were great characters, such as Eleazor Hathorn, a one legged veteran of the Napoleonic wars, and John Oxtoby, known as ‘Praying Johnny’.  Women had an important role, like Sarah Kirkland, who at the age of 21 went to Nottingham, and preached to a huge crowd in a disused factory in Broad Marsh.

Self worth

Primitive Methodism gave people a sense of self-worth and a desire for self-improvement. Chapels provided education and an opportunity to develop skills in public speaking and leadership. It also provided an alternative way of life, based on moral values, which helped raise families out of poverty.

Social justice

The conviction that God’s love was for all, led to a concern for social justice, and many Primitive Methodists became involved in politics, as trade unionist leaders, Chartists, and later as Labour MPs. George Edwards, who championed the cause of farm labourers in Norfolk, is typical of the early trade union leaders who developed their passion and leadership skills through the Primitive Methodist Chapels.  Started his working life at the age of six, he was illiterate until he found faith and embarked on a journey of self-education, as he recounts in From Crow Scaring to Parliament.

Persecution

Thomas Russell, known as ‘the Apostle of Berkshire’, was even imprisoned for his faith.  Sent to Berkshire in 1829, he faced violent opposition, and burst a blood vessel preaching in the open air, trying to be heard above the noise. People were afraid to invite him to hold services in their homes because they faced threats of loss of work and eviction. His perseverance eventually paid off, and Berkshire became one of the strongholds of Primitive Methodism.

What’s in a name?

Also known as ‘Ranters’, for their enthusiastic preaching, ‘Primitive’ Methodists were so called because they wanted a return to an earlier, purer form of Methodism, as founded by John Wesley, based on the early church. In 1932 Primitive Methodists joined with Wesleyan and United Methodists to form the Methodist Church, which continues to promote faith and justice in contemporary society.  https://www.myprimitivemethodists.org.uk/content/subjects-2/primitive-methodist-history/what-is-primitive-methodism

The Bridge at Parit Sulong 1942

This is an article reproduced  from the West Australian  22/01/2012

My grand uncle William Campbell was one of the men massacred at Parit Sulong.  He left a widow at home in Australia  who never came to terms with the manner of his death and a young boy who grew up not knowing his father.  They did not know the full details,  and the information was sealed under the secrecy act.  Was there an active coverup?

pub 2004

This January 2020, will be the 78th Anniversary   Rest in Peace Uncle Bill .

Drains reveal war massacre secret

ROD MORAN The West Australian

Sunday, 22 January 2012 4:24PM

 

Today marks the 70th anniversary of a massacre of Australian prisoners at the Malayan village of Parit Sulong during World War II.

It is an atrocity that was lost to public consciousness for many decades. The publication in 2005 of The Bridge at Parit Sulong: An Investigation of Mass Murder, based on research by Sydney historian Lynette Silver, retrieved it from the mists of history.

Not only were the appalling events brought to public awareness again, but Silver also solved an enduring mystery underlying the atrocity.

Although Japanese general Nishimura Takuma, who ordered the killings, was hanged for war crimes – one of only two survivors of the massacre, Lt Ben Hackney, supplied a deposition against him – no traces of the victims’ remains were found.

Troops of the Australian Imperial Forces captured at Parit Sulong on January 22, 1942, were involved in the fierce battle around the town of Muar.

It was part of a desperate fighting retreat by Allied forces during the Malayan campaign.

Though depleted and greatly outnumbered by 10,000 Japanese Imperial Guards, the Allied forces – of about 4000 Australians, with a small Indian Army group – inflicted heavy casualties on them. However, pushed back to the hamlet of Parit Sulong, the Australians were surrounded.

No relief would be forthcoming. Refusing to surrender, Lt-Col Charles Anderson, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his role in the fighting, gave the order – every man for himself.

It was hoped at least some of the troops would make it through the jungle swamps back to Allied lines. But 110 badly wounded Australians and 35 Indian soldiers had to be left behind in trucks at the bridge.

It was expected they would receive Red Cross protection.

Instead, the Japanese forced them out of the vehicles, tied them together, bayoneted and machine-gunned them. Petrol was poured over the dead and dying men and they were set on fire.

“Post-war, not a single trace of any of these victims was found,” Silver said.

“As the Japanese claimed they had been cremated, no further investigation in regard to the remains was undertaken.”

Knowing it was impossible to cremate the bodies to ash, Silver was puzzled by the contradictory stories she encountered about the fate of the remains as she researched the history of the battle.

In addition to the cremation story, there was testimony that charred bodies were disposed of in a mass grave. Others said the victims were thrown in the river.

To complicate matters, survivor Lt Hackney saw no sign at all of the battle or massacre when he passed through the village after recapture.

Then, in 2003, in an upgrading of the Parit Sulong bridge, human bones were found.

Later, an Australian-Malaysian archaeological examination of the site was done through the Department of Defence’s Unrecovered War Casualties Unit.

However, this only deepened the mystery. Despite three weeks of sifting tonnes of dirt, no trace of the massacre was found.

“Indeed, the most remarkable feature of the excavation was there was nothing to indicate the area had been subjected to fierce fighting, or that large numbers of Allied troops and civilians had been killed there,” Silver said.

“Malaysian archaeologist Dr Stephen Chia remarked that he had never excavated a site with such potential that had yielded not a single archaeological find of any significance.”

Silver finally solved the puzzle. The drains (or parits) in the area emptied at low tide. They made a perfect mass grave.

She was able to pinpoint that the “burial” had taken place on January 23. The bodies would have later washed out on the evening high tide.

“Any residual remains would soon be flushed by the monsoonal rain, which resulted in massive floods about two weeks later,” she said.