This blog is a companion to the Database of Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington

Monday, January 30, 2017

Tulloch Yuille and the Flemington Presbyterian Church

Flemington-Kensington Church News, courtesy of the Reverend Phillip Court.

In 1916 the Presbyterian Church in Norwood St, Flemington called Alexander Tulloch Yuille to serve their community.  He found them distressed by the destruction being wrought on the young men of their community, and he picked up a heavy load to minister until the war had ended and the living had returned.  One of the means he used to both comfort his parishioners and reach out to the absent part of his congregation was a tiny newsletter - the Flemington-Kensington Church News.  The tiny bound volume of newsletters pictured above was the only one to survive an arsonist's fire in later decades.   The newsletters were sent to the boys away at the war as well as to those at home, and in this way he supported the community in their sorrow.  You can read more about Tulloch Yuille's time in Flemington on the Empire Called website.

Essendon Ambulances for the War Effort


Marilyn Kenny has done a wonderful job of teasing out the story of the fundraising efforts by the local community to provide ambulances for the war effort.  The result was a rather mixed.  The ambulances were lost for a time until Maurice Blackburn drew the attention of the public to their whereabouts.  How embarrassing!  Read the full story of the Essendon Red Cross Ambulances.



Friday, January 27, 2017

WW1 Projects recognised in the Victorian Community History Awards, 2016

I completely forgot I was going to do a post on the WW1 projects which were recognised in the Victorian Community History Awards 2016 - so here they are:

We Remember: Honouring the Service and Sacrifice of Local Veterans and the Wangaratta Community During WW1.  This won the Multimedia Award. 

Westgarthtown and WW1, mentioned in an earlier post, received a Commendation in this category.


Home Front Ballarat WW1 won the Centenary of WW1 Award. 

The following entries received Commendations in that Award:

From the Top of the Hill, by Kevin Peoples.


The Game of Their Lives by Nick Richardson.


Sons of Williamstown: a Labour of Love   Hobson's Bay City Council



Arthur Kenny Avenue of Honour Re-creation, Child and Family Services, Ballarat Inc


Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Corporal Nash of the 29 Battalion


Coming back from a Christmas break, Rod Martin has leapt into 2017 with an outstanding account of the very hard fighting by the 29 Infantry Battalion by looking at  one of the originals of that Battalion, Bernard Nash, who was present during most of the fighting.  Nash answered the question:


He had begun training with the 29 Battalion by that date.   Go here for Rod Martin's story about Corporal Frederick Bernard Nash.