President’s Report : Tony O’Shea (President).
The ADHS Inc Museum & Archives has been in recess from mid-December until 1st Wednesday in February, as has been the case in recent years. However, we have had a few “Special Openings” during that time to assist visitors from afar.
On 1st January we had a descendant of the Daly family who lives in Queensland, who wanted to visit Daly’s Cottage, and was delighted to find it still in such good condition.
On 25th January we had a descendant of William Hogg who lives in USA, and who wanted to check out information he had about his ancestor who lived in Avoca in the 1860s and 70s. He had copies of the will and probate, etc., but needed our help in interpreting the significance of various parts of it. William Hogg had been a miner, shoemaker and fishmonger, and lived in what later became our late member and Research Officer Jan Burnett’s residence. Amongst his assets was listed “50 pairs of unfinished wooden clogs”!
Several hours at the Courthouse that day earned $100 for the Society.
Our Target for the 2nd round of the Digitisation Project has been Reached! Thank You
ADHS NEEDS YOUR VOTE:
Last year the committee was delighted to learn from the Avoca Community Bank that our SCANPRO project to purchase a scanner to preserve the historical records was nominated, along with 4 other finalists, in their 20FOR20 Community Giveaway.
If successful this will ensure that our vast collection will be protected for years to come and will be accessible via the DIGITAL WORLD with the touch of a finger.
We now need support from our members and the community to VOTE for OUR SCAN PRO project on Friday 22nd Feb 2019. All you need to do is attend the Avoca Community Bank 20th Birthday Carnivale, collect your voting token and place it in the Historical Society’s BOX.
In the lead up to the 22nd Feb, and VOTING DAY, ADHS is going to feature articles from the Avoca Mail And Pyrenees District Advertiser to highlight the importance or preserving and protecting our vast collect of historical records, newspapers etc. See P 2
Here are No 2 & 3 in the series of possible extracts from the Avoca Mail & Pyrenees District Advertiser..
Note the Dates of the issues 7th, & 21st January 1864 —155 Years Ago! We trust you enjoy the read and make sure you ‘Save the Date’ for the Avoca Community Bank’s 20th Birthday ‘Street Carnivale’ Friday 22nd Feb 2019. The FREE event will be held in the Cambridge St Walkway, Chinese Garden and along Dundas St commencing at 5;30pm.
There will be lots of activities for the children including water slides, magicians, bubble blowers, mega jumping castles, live music in the Chinese Garden and a vast array of food trucks to satisfy your appetite.
Come along and join in the bank’s celebrations, collect our voting token and place it in the ADHS Box so we can purchase a ScanPro scanner to protect & preserve our historical records, photographs and newspaper such as the “Avoca Mail and Pyrenees District Advertiser” You must be present at the Carnivale to vote for your preferred project.
In anticipation, thank you for your support.
History Room at the Avoca Railway Station: following the refurbishment of the heritage listed Avoca Railway Station as an arts and gardens precinct, the historical society now has a room to display historical items and present themes during the year. During February we have featured the articles from the Avoca Mail to promote our SCANPRO project so we can secure your vote to earn the Giveaway dollars from the Avoca Community Bendigo Bank to purchase a new scanner.
Call into Gallery 127, Friday to Monday (11am to 4pm), take a tour of the historic station and enjoy viewing the wonderful artwork on display in Gallery 127
(Extract from Avoca Mail, Tuesday 19 November, 1878, page 2)
NEW CHURCH OF ENGLAND, ELMHURST
One of the best evidences of the material prosperity of the colony, and of the faith which its inhabitants have in its future, is that supplied by the erection of substantial and permanent buildings as places of worship in every little centre where a population gathers together. It may be understood that the people who undertake to raise such buildings are satisfied with their prospects in life, that they find them sufficient for the supply of all necessaries and comforts, and that they are determined to settle down and enjoy them. Following this resolve comes, as a matter of course, the erection of such buildings as schoolhouses and churches, and the permanency of them will be in accordance with the permanency as well as the prosperity of the population. In this county (sic) the schoolhouse is now provided by the State, while the church has to be provided by the people, and if in this manner we have somewhat reversed the example set by older civilisers in the world’s history, we believe that the change is for the better in view of our peculiar circumstances in respect to these matters. The plan adopted has also the merit of proving the people’s attachment to religion, and their desire to have their children instructed in the faith which they received from their fathers in many a distant home, and judging by the places of worship erected in every little town it appears certain that state-aid and compulsion are not required for religion in the colony, although they may be for education. Amongst the most recent evidence of progress in the direction indicated is the building of the new Church of England at Elmhurst, the foundation stone of which was laid by Mrs Williamson of De Cameron Station, on Thursday last, and the proceedings in connection with which we have now to describe.
Of course, on such an important occasion, the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood kept strict holiday. Business was suspended, and both children and adults appeared early on the scene in holiday attire. The presence of numerous visitors from the surrounding localities who had come to witness the proceedings, also gave an air of holiday-making to the occasion.
About half-past eleven o’clock the inspiring strains of the Eversley brass band were heard, and the players were complimented upon the proficiency to which they have attained in the use of their several instruments, and also upon the harmonious manner in which they performed. The children of the State school then assembled, every child being well dressed, rosy and healthy looking, and their faces beaming with expectancy, while a majority of them also carried bright-coloured flags of various sizes and designs, which gave a lively aspect to the scene. The teachers soon took them under their guidance, and had them formed into procession, when, headed by the band, a start was made for the works. On arrival here it was found that great care had been taken by the contractor to clear and fence in the ground and erect a platform for the use of the speakers and others who had been invited to take part in the ceremony, and the preparations thus made were found to add greatly to the comfort of those present, and no doubt add also to the success of the event.
Everything being in readiness, Mr James Wise, the secretary of the church committee, deposited the usual parcel of records, etc., in the receptacle prepared in the stone for the purpose. These consisted of a list of the names of persons who had subscribed to the funds of the building, the local newspapers, and a few of the current coins of the realm. The stone was then raised by blocks and tackling, and held suspended until set by Mrs Williamson. The Rev. J. Hormand, Church of England minister of Ararat, gave out a hymn, which was sung with good effect by all present, after which the rev. gentleman delivered an eloquent address on subjects suggested by the proceedings. The Rev. J. Kirkwood, of the Presbyterian Church, Avoca, afterwards offered a very appropriate prayer, and an address was delivered by Mr Colin Campbell. The Secretary, Mr James Wise, presented Mrs Williamson with a very handsome silver trowel, and the ceremony of laying the foundation stone was then performed by the lady named, with all the customary formalities. The announcement that the stone was “well and truly laid” was received by those present with three hearty cheers, and the formal part of the proceedings then terminated.
After this an adjournment was at once made to the cricket ground, where booths had been erected and an excellent spread provided. There was also a bazaar, well supplied with goods of a useful and ornamental character, toys, and thousand nondescript articles which seem to find an existence only at a bazaar. Here the belles of Elmhurst drove a busy trade for the time being, and by their persuasive powers succeeded in raising a very respectable sum as an addition to the church funds. The children and young people generally also engaged in several kinds of games, and it is not too much to say that all present thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
The committee deserve great praise for the excellent manner in which all the arrangements were carried out, and their best reward will be in the fact that everyone was pleased and that the affair besides being well conducted was also a financial success.
The church, we understand, will be a creditable one when finished, and the erection of it has been entrusted to Messrs Skellett, contractors, who have a first-class reputation for the manner in which they perform their work.
(This news item was contributed by a member of the ADHS Inc., Jane Williamson, a descendant of the lady who laid the foundation stone.)
Pyrenees Shire Australia Day Awards were hosted by the Moonambel Events Inc and were held at the Moonambel Recreation Reserve. Considering rather warm conditions, the event was well attended and there were lots of activities for families to share. The Pyrenees Historic Vehicle Club was joined by other local historic vehicle enthusiasts from the district to create an impressive display of cars, and trucks including a Blitz.
The Australia Day Ambassador was well known opera singer Emily Burns and she presented a refreshing address for the gathering and Jill Hunter delivered an interesting speech on the early history of Moonambel.
CEO Jim Nolan announced the recipients of the Australia Day Awards with the Citizen of the Year going to Local Moonambel resident Keith Hunter and Young Citizen went to Beaufort resident Rohan Gerrard. The Pyrenees Leadership Award went to the Chandler family at Cave Hill Creek,
The Community Event of the Year went to the Uniting Church 150th celebrations so congratulations must go to the Hunter duo Keith and Jill for their continued support of their community.
Francis James Lindsay – 1894-1958 – Great War Hero
~ Story contributed by Peter O’Halloran, a member of Avoca & District Historical Society The start of this story appeared in our last edition—289, October 2018. I have restarted the story in June 2017.
On returning to duty at the end of June 1917, Frank re-joined his unit now stationed in France where the Allies were engaging the Germans in some very heavy offensives in the determined push from Ypres towards Passchendale. Somewhere in the middle is Broodseinde Ridge where Frank’s valiant endeavours earned him the award of the Military Medal. The following press report from a first-hand witness that appeared in the Daily Mail dated 17th October, 1917 gives some indication of the shocking conditions faced by the Australian and Allied troops:
SWAMP OF DEATH AND PAIN
Every inch we gained in Friday’s battle is worth a mile as common distance is reckoned. Some troops went forward 1,700 yards or even more, fighting all the way; and when their relic came back some part of that heroic journey no enemy dared follow them, so foul and cruel was their track.
They left behind them a Golgotha, a no man’s land, a dead man’s land. Five or six miles separate our troops from any place where you can step firm, where you can find any place in the swamp. It is a nightmare journey to traverse it , in spite of the ceaseless labour of pioneers.
Our soldiers coming out of this swamp of death and pain maintain incredible serenity. If we could advance so far in such conditions we could go anywhere in fine weather. We were nowhere beaten by the enemy, though more defensive wire was left round shell-holes and pill boxes and fewer machine gunners knocked out than in any recent attack. We were beaten by the rain that began to fall in torrents at midnight before the attack, so they all say and feel, and so it was.
One of them, still full of humour, said he considered Friday an unlucky day for him. “you see,” he argued, “I was first hit in the shoulder by a machine gun bullet, and as I stumbled was hit in the foot, and as I lay another hit me in the foot and another hit me in the side. Decidedly, Friday is an unlucky day.” It was a terrible day for wounded men, and alternate advance and retreat now always leave a wide, indeterminable no man’s land from which escape to the mercy of either side is hard. But the best is being done, and the immortal eroism of the stretcher bearers was backed by both the daring and skilful work of doctors at advance dressing stations and ambulance drivers a little further back..
Australian War Memorial image E01200
The trouble was how to find people or places. Wounded men, runners, contact officers, and even whole platoons had amazing journeys among shells and bullets searching for dressing station headquarters, objective or what not, and, as we know, even Germans on the pure defensive had similar trouble and their units were inextricably confused. It was all due, as one of them said, to the sump, or morass. All that can be said of the battle is that we are a little higher up the slope than we were and a little further along the crest road to Passchendale. How we succeeded in capturing 700 prisoners is one of the marvels of the day. A marvel too, is the pile of German machine guns. They are some small concrete proof of the superhuman efforts of our infantry. If the world has supermen they were the men who waded forward up to their hips astride the Ravelbeck and stormed concrete and iron with flesh and blood. They were at least the peers of the men who fought “upon their stumps” at Chevy Chase.
Today the artillery fire has died down, the sun bright, though the cold west wind threatens showers.
Wikipedia describes the actual battle at Broodseinde Ridge as follows:
The Battle of Broodseinde Ridge now commenced a few kilometres south of Passchendaele. The Australian 4th and 5th Divisions were replaced by the Australian 1st and 2nd Divisions which were also joined by the Australian 3rd Division as well as a New Zealand division. It was the first time that 4 Anzac divisions had fought together. Twelve divisions would attack on a 12 kilometre front, the 4 Anzac Divisions Australian 1st, 2nd and 3rd facing Broodseinde ridge and the New Zealand division facing Abraham heights.
The attack commenced at 6am October 4, 1917 after rain commenced falling the day before. Coincidentally, the Germans planned an attack for exactly the same time. At 5.20am the German artillery opened up and then at 6am the Australian artillery started, both in preparation for impending attacks. After both troops emerged from their trenches to commence attacking to their surprise they found the enemy doing exactly the same. The Australians managed to recover from the shock quicker than their opponents as the Australian machine gunners opened up and cut the German lines to pieces. The Germans broke and the Australians managed to capture the ridge. The New Zealanders also secured Abraham Heights.
Australian War Memorial image E03864
The triumph at Broodseinde presented the Allied High Command with an opportunity, perhaps in the upcoming spring, of breaking the German hold. The German tactic of immediate counter attacks had proved ineffective since the British never pushed beyond the range of their guns. In all the fighting in the 3rd Battle of Ypres, in and around Passchendaele the 3 Australian divisions lost 6,500 men which represented 20% of its operational strength. It is believed that the Germans lost 25,000 men and 5,000 prisoners. The German High Command officially recorded October 4, 1917 as a “Black Day”. Fresh German troops were put in the line opposite the Anzac troops on October 5 despite Haig’s attempts to break the German lines. Wanting to push his advantage Field Marshall Haig committed the Australian 2nd Division to an attack on Keiburg Spur on October 9, 1917 over wet ground. The Australian 2nd Division formed the flank for an attack by the British 66th Division. The Australian 2nd Division controlled a front of about 800 metres. To the north, the French and British 5th armies couldn’t hold gained ground. The Australian 2nd Division ( of I Anzac Corps ) drove to Keiburg but being unsupported was driven back. On the strength of reports from the 9th of October the High Command believed that enough ground had to be gained to justify the next attempt to seize and pass Passchendaele on October 12, 1917.
The attack at dawn on October 12, 1917 towards Passchendaele was made by the Australian 3rd and New Zealand Divisions. The 4th Australian division of I Anzac supported the advance on the right while British Divisions supported it on the left. Heavy rain was continuing to fall and the New Zealand Division was halted by Germans firing from pillboxes who, without British artillery, were firing with impunity. The Australian 3rd Division became bogged down in the mud of Ravebeek valley below Passchendaele, however a fragment of the division, 20 men mostly of the 38th Battalion, did reach the Passchendaele church at the edge of the town while some of the Australian 4th Division reached Keilberg. Both were forced to fall back being unsupported.
Australian War Memorial image E04513
The Australian 3rd Division suffered 3,199 casualties in the 24 hours of the battle, while the Australian 4th Division suffered 1,000. The New Zealand also suffered around 3,000 casualties in an action that achieved no valuable gains and only served to lift enemy spirits as they saw their attackers struggle.
The Canadians were brought in on October 18, 1917 to do in three stages what had been attempted by II Anzac in one. Between October 26 and November 10, 1917 the Canadians finally captured Passchendaele Heights. By November, 1917 the last Australian division had been withdrawn from Ypres. The third battle of Ypres had comprised eleven great attacks, five of which I or II Anzac had formed the spearhead, as did the Canadians for the final four.
The 5 Australians Infantry Divisions had fought in the line for eight weeks and suffered a total of 38,093 casualties. As a result of his heroic role during the Broodseinde Ridge offensive, Frank was mentioned in despatches and in recognition was awarded the Military Medal. A copy of the actual citation that came from the front, signed by his commanding officer, Brigadier General, J Paton is shown below. The handwritten piece at the beginning reads “In recent attack on Broodseinde Ridge, 4 October, 1917…”
Broodseinde shown with orange arrow
The Military Medal was established by King George V on 25 March 1916 and was awarded to other ranks including non-commissioned officers and warrant officers. It ranked below the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), which was also awarded to other ranks including non-commissioned officers and warrant officers.
When the medal was first introduced, it was unpopular among regular soldiers many of whom held the view that it had been introduced to save awarding too many DCMs. The old regular soldiers thought very little of the new decoration. Both the DCM and the MM attracted a gratuity and the decoration allowance of an extra sixpence a day to veterans with a disability pension. However, decoration allowance was only awarded once even if the recipient was awarded more than one gallantry award. The ratio in the First World War was approximately five MMs awarded for every DCM.
Following the rout of the Germans at Ypres Frank fell ill in November 1917 firstly with scabies, then tonsillitis and finally trench fever which was serious enough for him to be evacuated to England for treatment and recovery. Perhaps fortune favoured him by way of his afflictions as he would take no further part in the conflict. Initially, he was treated as an in-patient at the Royal Surrey County Hospital at Guildford. In April 1918 he was transferred to the Fargo Military Hospital at Larkhill on the Salisbury Plain. In May 1918, Frank was again on the move this time to the Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield House in London where he was now being treated for chronic pleurisy no doubt as a result of the frequent German gas attacks inflicted on the Allied troops.
Frank continued as unfit to return to active service and was transferred to other military hospitals at Parkhouse, Tidworth and Weymouth before his eventual departure for Australia on 18th October, 1918. His war record notes that when discharged he was still under care for pleurisy with effusion.
Just a word about trench fever, a highly infectious disease characterized by sudden onset with fever, headache, sore muscles, bones, and joints, and outbreaks of skin lesions on the chest and back. It is transmitted from one person to another by a body louse. There may be one period of fever, or the fever may recur several times at intervals of four to five days. Most persons recover within about two months but relapses are common. However, the disease can become chronic in about 5 percent of the cases. Treatment with chlortetracycline brings permanent relief of the symptoms, but the patient continues to carry the rickets bacteria and remains infectious for lice. First recognized in 1915, trench fever was a major medical problem during World War I. It reappeared in epidemic form among German troops on the Eastern front during World War II. The control of body lice is the chief means of prevention.
On his return to Australia it seems that Frank settled with his parents in Lillicur from where he set out to win the heart of Josephine Howell.