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.

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

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.

The young Sergeant Young

Sergeant Alfred Thomas Young, courtesy of Liz Clarke.

Alfred Thomas Young, born in Moonee Ponds, was the son of a well-known local businessman and Essendon Councillor, A E Young. Aged 21, he was with the first volunteers who enlisted at the first Essendon Rifles Drill Hall.  He embarked as a Corporal with the first convoy of troops, and landed at Gallipoli on 25 April in the second wave of boats with the 7th Infantry Battalion.  Five days later he was promoted to Sergeant.

A severe wound to his arm took him off Gallipoli initially to Malta and later to England recover.  He rejoined his battalion in May 1916.  Rod Martin, in another well-told account goes on to describe what happened to Sergeant Young and the 7th Battalion as they became approached Pozieres.  You can read that account here.

A Wartime Wedding, 1914

Bill Tytler & Lillian Andrewartha's wedding,  21/11/1914.  Left to right: Hilary Watson, Stanley Tytler,  Ina Tytler,  Bill Tytler (seated),  Richard Andrewartha, Lillian Andrewartha, Fred White, Nellie Andrewartha.    Courtesy of Heather Tytler.

In December 1914 Australian troops had already departed in two large convoys, and British troops were fighting in France.  The debacle at Gallipoli was still months away.  This pretty wedding was not overshadowed by imminent departures.  The situation changed dramatically after the Australian public became aware of the devastating losses in Gallipoli.  A groomsman, Richard Andrewartha, a law clerk from Newmarket, enlisted as a private on 26 July 1915.  His brother-in-law Stanley Tytler, a salesman of McCracken St, Kensington, enlisted a few days before the first anniversary of the Landings at Gallipoli in 1916.

Stanley served in the 22 Infantry Battalion, and returned from the war as a Sergeant with a Military Medal.  Richard served with the 8 Infantry Battalion, and returned as a Lieutenant with a Military Cross, and twice Mentioned in Despatches.

Snapshots of the Home Front: the Mountain family and the Essendon Red Cross

This photo shows the ballroom at Federal Government House, Melbourne, turned over to Red Cross sorting and packing of goods to send to men in the trenches, hospitals, training camps and prisoner of war camps.  Not only 'comforts', but essential items of clothing like underpants, socks, pyjamas and more.  It was a vast operation to keep the army in the field taken on by volunteers.

Just who were the volunteers who kept this huge supply operation going?  Marilyn Kenny has made a study of one family's role in the Red Cross.  The Mountain family of Essendon made a huge commitment to help prosecute the war, from William John Mountain, the father, who also served as the Mayor of Essendon, his wife, Julia Mountain, who became a joint secretary of the Red Cross for the duration of the war, their  three daughters, Hilda, Marjorie and Doris, who served on various patriotic committees, to their son, William John Mountain junior who joined the AIF.

Although the Mountains, as leading figures in the local community, were perhaps not typical of the general population, their prominent position produced ample newspaper reporting to be able to produce a detailed study of their war activities.  You can read Marilyn's excellent account here:
Snapshots from the Home Front: the Mountain family and the Essendon Red Cross.