The First World War provides us with many rich and varied stories, but rarely do these little scenarios spread across three conflicts. For the White family of Northcote, the curtain opens with an article in the Northcote Leader, 18 August, 1900 : “My husband is out on active service in South Africa and I won’t […]
Tag: Boer War
Brunswick Boer War Memorial and honour roll
Researched and Written by Cheryl Griffin. ‘Our regiment has been completely capsized.’[i] With these words, Lieutenant Fred Stebbins of Brunswick summed up the disaster that befell the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles (5VMR) at Wilmansrust on the evening of 12 June 1901, a disaster that was to bring home the reality of the war in […]
Colonel William Braithwaite
William Braithwaite was born in Northallerton (the name of his later home at the corner of High Street and Murray Road in Preston), Yorkshire in 1853 and came to Australia on the “Royal Family” with his parents in 1863. His father William established a tannery in Murray Road in 1867 and William junior was trained […]
The Shire of Heidelberg : Boer War Volunteers
Given the total number of Victorians that volunteered and were accepted for the Boer War was only around 3,600, the enlistments from Heidelberg Shire were not great (volunteering and being accepted were two different things – most of the contingents raised had far more men offer their services than could actually be fitted into the restricted number of places available. There […]
The Shires of Whittlesea and Epping : Boer War Volunteers
Given the total number of Victorians that volunteered and were accepted for the Boer War was only around 3,600, the enlistments from the-then Epping and Whittlesea Shires was not great (volunteering and being accepted were two different things – most of the contingents raised had far more men offer their services than could actually be fitted into the restricted numbers available. There is far less […]
Shire of Eltham : Boer War Volunteers
The Boer War Given the total number of Victorians that volunteered and were accepted for the Boer War was only around 3,600, the enlistments from the Shire of Eltham was not great – volunteering and being accepted were two different things, most of the contingents raised had far more men offer their services than can actually fitted into the restricted […]
Darebin’s Boer War
The Preston Contingent ”Three Musketeers” in the persons of Messrs Chas. Patterson, Steve Prowse and Fred Michell – all Preston boys – called at this office in a high state of jubilation on Thursday, having been picked the day before to go with the Victorian contingent and fight for the liberties of their fellow Britishers […]
Brunswick boer war memorial
Origins The impetus for a Boer War memorial in Brunswick was the death of Private Stanley John Barnard on 12 June, 1901. Barnard, a tram conductor in civilian life from North Brunswick, was killed in action at Wilmansrust while serving with the Fifth Victorian Mounted Rifles. In the months following Barnard’s death, the Brunswick Council […]