By Jim Allen Not many people would be aware of two brothers who were possibly one of the greatest influences on the development of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The connection to the Eltham Shire is that one brother Ellis Charles Wackett, (1901 – 1984) is buried in Kangaroo Ground Cemetery. His nickname to […]
Tag: ANZACs
Rozell’s Last Journey
by Lilian Kwiatkowski Australia December 1916 On the other side of the world, another name was added to the list of lost Australian sons who would not be coming home. Rozell Newton Stevens was one of those boys. Christmas lunch at 119 Melbourne Road, Williamstown was a sad affair. Around the table, someone was missing. […]
Hurstbridge Lads
This postcard size studio portrait (cropped here) of Hurstbridge locals Stanley and Allan Verso was sent home to their family in March 1918. Both brothers had worked as orchardists on the family property Versdale in Boyd’s Road before enlisting in 1916. Both survived the war and were awarded the Victory Medal, the British War Medal […]
Arthur Albert Meekcoms: a survivor of his great adventures
By Liz Pidgeon For many young men, especially early in the war, enlistment was seen as the opportunity for a grand adventure. For Arthur Meekcoms, his journey of a lifetime came when he had earlier decided to migrate to Australia. Arthur was among 150,000 state assisted settlers who arrived in Australia between 1906 and the […]
Trooper Albert Thomas Day
Trooper Albert Thomas Day by Bev Day No.600 Trooper Albert Thomas Day, 9th Light Horse Regiment Albert (Bert) Thomas Day was born on April 14th 1869 in Camperdown in the Western District of Victoria. He was the seventh child of Alexander and Beata Day who had migrated to Australia from Wiltshire, England in the 1850s. […]
Gunner Arthur Hubert Day
Gunner Arthur Hubert Day by Bev Day No. 34336, Gunner Arthur Hubert Day, 3rd Division, Australian Imperial Forces Arthur Hubert, known as Hubert or Hugh, was the elder son of Arthur Joseph (Art) Day and Annie Jordan Cope. His father was the eighth child of Alexander Day and Beata Stratton, and was born at “Chocolyn”, […]
My Dad – George Stanley McCrohan
by John Stanley McCrohan My father was born George Stanley McCrohan on 15 January, 1894 and lived with his parents, 7 brothers and 5 sisters at 77 Arthur Street, Fairfield. At the age of 19, on 13 July,1915, Dad enlisted in the Army at Fairfield. On 18 November,1915, as Gunner G S McCrohan 6376, 10th Battery, […]
The Orford Brothers
by Doug Orford Frederick John Orford Frederick John Orford was born in Eltham 1889 and attended Dalton Street and Research Schools. Headmaster Cole cared for him after his mother died. He enlisted for active service on 9.7.1915 and left on 8.2.1916 and disembarked at Marseilles on 27.5.1916. He joined the 24th Battalion on 6.7.1916 and […]
William O’Day
First Published on Facebook Nillumbik Shire Council – Nillumbik Chronicles #17, 7 November 2014 In the lead up to Remembrance Day, let’s take time to remember a young man from Panton Hill, a labourer who enlisted in February 1916. Private William John O’ Day stood only 5’4” tall, had blue eyes and had a scar […]
Glenroy Military Hospital – nurse Alice Prichard
Portrait of Miss A. M. Prichard RRC, matron of 42nd British General Hospital which was one of the four hospitals at Salonika staffed by the AIF. (Image Courtesy AWM. Image A01891) Alice Prichard hailed from the north of Victoria and had been the Matron of Mildura Hospital prior to enlistment. Her sister Florence also served […]