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, […]
Tag: World War One
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 […]
Did I tell you about the time?
‘Did I Tell You About The Time?’ The Great War Story of Herbert Godber ‘Of thine unspoken word thou art master; Thy spoken word is master of thee.’ (Eastern saying, quoted by H.A. Godber in his grand-daughter Sharon Godber’s autograph book, 1966) On 4 October 1919, Herbert Alfred Godber of Diamond Creek married Ivy Muriel […]
To War and Back
George John Smith was born at home in Panton Hill on the 23rd May 1884, and his birth was registered at Queenstown, Victoria. He was the 6th child of Edwin and Louisa Smith. George went to school at Panton Hill, as did his ten brothers and sisters. When George left school, after completing the 8th […]
Nurse Gallagher
“at home to her friends” The Mildura Cultivator published this notice on the 13th October, 1915. “Miss Bessie Gallagher will be at home to her friends tomorrow afternoon.” To us this seems a quaint remnant of an era when ladies would go visiting in the afternoons to exchange news and cement friendships. But in the […]
Last Survivor of the 14th Battalion
Maurice Gerald “Gerry” Hevey, one of the last surviving members of Jacka’s Mob – the 14th Battalion, Ist A.I.F. and pioneer archer passed away in Ivanhoe, Victoria on Tuesday 21 June 1994. He was aged 95 years. As a young man Gerry had been very keen to join the fight. “I, like many others, went […]
A Local Diamond Creek Boy
Friday, 24 April, 2015 was a beautiful sunny day, the wind a little chilly, but the view from the paddock of Sutherland Homes in Diamond Creek was beautiful and peaceful, the soft rolling hills of Plenty, and the view looking towards the Kinglake Ranges was breath taking. It was to be a memorable day; the […]
Memories of a military hospital patient
From Heidelberg Historian No. 154 February 1993 newsletter of the Heidelberg Historical Society The following memories were written by George M. Mollison of Ivanhoe in December 1968, relating to his experiences at the Macleod Military Hospital in World War I. I knew Heidelberg in the early 1910’s where we used to drill in the Militia […]
Not Forgotten
The Bell Boys of Kangaroo Ground – WW1 By Gayle Thwaites As a parent how does one sign a piece of paper authorizing the government to allow their son to be part of the AIF, how does one hand over a life to be used as a tool to fight somebody else’s war. I don’t […]