FRIDAY FUNNY: I'm My Own Grandpa...
ENJOY!!! Cheers, Catherine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYlJH81dSiw&feature=em-share_video_user
The Saxon boys – by Harold Shipston
Cousin Harold Shipston has been doing an amazing job of researching and recording information about the Saxon boys of Euroa. They were the grandsons of our common ancestor, Isabella Pike – Harrison – Garrett (nee Beaton). Isabella was my ggg grandmother and she was Harold’s gg grandmother.
Harold writes so well and I was thrilled when he agreed to write a guest post for my blog and I’m hoping he will do many more, especially some of the poetry he has written.
Over to Harold …………………
Kerryn has kindly let me tell the story of The Saxon boys she has mentioned here.
They are listed here with many others of our Family’s that served and in some cases died in the Great War to end all wars. The Four Saxon boys each worked in a Newspaper Two of the boys had bought just prior to the commencement of WW1.
William Saxon( Shinner) and Thomas Abraham Saxon acquired the “Violet Town Sentinel” and went to work to build their Newspaper business and increase sales. They employed their younger brother Herbert Saxon (Bertie) as a type setter. In time, they purchased the Newspaper “ The Euroa Advertiser” and commenced to improve this papers circulation. Joseph Stanley Saxon (Joe) had just commenced some work here when war broke in Europe.
Now the boys were sent to fight and their loved paper was left behind leaving their father to oversee its operation and the original owner of their first Paper, “ Violet town Sentinel” being employed to run it.
Each of the boys, now soldiers, Wrote back to their father who printed their letters in their Newspaper. Each letter told of life in the trenches and on the battlefields. When printed , these letters soon became known throughout the district as “Letters From Our Boys”. In time many of the Euroa boys wrote, and had printed, their letters. Euroa thrived on their information and many a parent got to hear of their own sons and how they fared in battle.
Saxon Brothers
L-R Joseph, Bertie and Thomas
As with many of our Family’s Boys, Joe and Bertie did not return. They lay with their mates, in graves on foreign shores. Their brothers returned home, both with life threatening injuries.
But all had recorded their time and lives on the battlefields and those of their Cousins and townsmen.
On their return, William and Thomas spent time in convalescence and eventually returned to their Newspaper. They both married and had children. One of these children is Tim Saxon, his father Thomas had taken the time to have all the original prints of “Letters From Our Boys” cut from each edition of the paper they were printed in, they were rolled into small reels and stored in a briefcase since 1919. They were passed onto Tim for the safe keeping of his fathers, and Uncle’s times.
Tim is my father’s cousin, and for many years I was not aware of my history, until, like Kerryn, I began my search, and eventually that search led me to Tim. He is now 90 and we have become great mates, he has told me many stories of family and our history and he gave me the briefcase passed to him by his father.
In this case I have found other interesting pieces on Morgan and Saxon family. And this too we can share.
Private Edward James King (Edmund James AhKing)
Born Edmund James AhKing in 1889 at Wirrumbirchip, (now known as Birchip) Victoria, Australia.
The seventh of eleven children (fourth son) of Thomas AhKing and Euphemia Mason.
He married Caroline nee Penny in 1911. They had no children
Private Edward James King, of Warracknabeal, Vic enlisted in the 22nd Battalion on 1 March 1915 and was killed in action on 5 August 1916 at Pozieres in France.
Studio portrait of 1155 Private (Pte) Edward James King
Private George Forsyth
My contribution to the 2013 Trans Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challengeby the Auckland Libraries’ Kintalk Whānau Kōrero: family history blog
On his attestation paper George stated he was born in the Parish of Pitsligo near Fraserburgh, Scotland.
He was 25 years and 3 month of age, single and gave his occupation as labourer.
George’s parents were John Gill Forsyth and Jane nee Birnie of Hillfoot, Cortes, Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. (pictured above)
John Gill Forsyth was the younger brother of my great great grandfather Robert Forsyth who settled in Kaiapoi, New Zealand.
Thanks to Sandra Playle on the Australian genealogy facebook page I learnt that George enlisted at Charter’s Towers in Queenlsand.
His mother states on the Honour Roll form that he was 18 years of age when he came to Australia.
George was living in Friezland, via Cloncurry.His younger brother, Robert, had also enlisted but he was with the Gordon Highlanders in Scotland.
One question George was asked on his enlistment in Australia was “had he ever been rejected as unfit for His Majesty’s Service and if so for what reason?”
His reply …. Yes, defective teeth.George was 5 foot 7 and a half inches tall. He weighed 136 pounds, chest measurement 36 inches. Complexion fair, eyes blue, hair colour dark brown and his religious denomination was Presbyterian.The attesting officer who signed his enlistment form was Fred Johnson.
20 – 4 – 1916 Embarked at Sydney per H.M.T “Hawkes Bay”
27 – 5 – 1916 From 12th training Btn, allotted to 47th Battalion at Tel-el-kebir
2 – 6 – 1916 From H. T “Caledonia” proceeded to join B.E.F at Alexandria
9 – 6 – 1916 Disembarked at Marseilles.
The 47th Battalion was raised in Egypt on the 24th of February 1916. About half its new recruits were Gallipoli veterans and the rest were fresh reinforcements from Australia, the majority being recruits from Queensland and Tasmania.
Arriving in France on 9 June 1916, the 47th entered the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 3 July. It participated in its first major battle at Pozières. Initially, the battalion provided working parties during the 2nd Division’s attack on 4 August, and then, with its own division, defended the ground that had been captured. The 47th endured two stints in the heavily-contested trenches of Pozières
Transcript of Battalion war diary:
5 – 8 – 1916 Battalion moved from Tara Hill and took up position near Pozières as reserves to front line.
7 – 8 – 1916 at 6.30 am received message to reinforce front line occupied by 48th Battn. despatched C Coy at 6.40am. Three platoons returned at 7.15 am and the other remaining.
At 2.30 pm commenced relief of front line occupied by 48th Battn. Relief was completed by 4.30 pm. A and D companies occupying front line. O, G, I and B Coy in close supports in Tramway Trench.
One platton of C Coy which reinforced the 48th Battalion at 6.40 am was sent back to join up with remainder of C Coy at Sunken Road. C Coy remained in support.
The relief of the 48th Battalion was carried out under a heavy bombardment by the enemy and considerable casualties were inflicted on the Battalion.
On the 9th of August 1916 Private George Forsyth was killed in action at Pozières, although his sister, Jean Butcher of Taupo, New Zealand had received notification of his death on dates in both August and November 1916. She wrote to the war minister In Nov 1917.
On his war service record it states that he is buried “500 yards N.E. of Pozières”.
Underneath are location co ordinates 57D SE X5A R35C Martinpuich.
I am told the coordinates may be taken so they can go back and retrieve the body for burial.
Sometimes the bodies cannot be found and that is when the soldier’s name and details are put on the memorials. I’ve yet to work out if George’s body was found for burial.
Martinpuich village is about a mile north-west of High Wood,and like the wood was captured on September the 15th, 1916.
It is ironic that troops of the 15th (Scottish) Division took the village.
Military historian Matt Smith of http://www.australianwargraves.org says “Martinpuich is the village NE of Pozieres. The name refers to the trench map, not where he was buried. George would have been killed and buried on the old German Line OG1 and OG2, probably attacking the Windmill site. It is the site of the current 2nd Australian Division memorial.”
George’s name is included on the Villers-Bretonneux memorial at Somme, France.
Private William John Pike Morgan
William enlisted on the 20th of September 1914 and his rank on enlistment was bugler.
His unit embarked from Melbourne on the transport A38 Ulysses on 22nd of December 1914.
He was the holder of three Military Medals and was killed in action at Lone Pine, Gallipoli on the 8th of August 1915 – he was 18 years and 3 months old.
Lone Pine memorial details can be seen at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission websiteWilliam is commemorated at 6 Lone Pine memorial Panel 42His Panel number at the Australian War Memorial is 73Willie was the second eldest of eleven children and lived at McGuinness Street, Euroa with his mother and father Thomas Fitzherbert II and Sarah (nee McNay). He attended Euroa State School before joining the Victoria Railways in Seymour, Victoria. He belonged to the 10th Unit Volunteer Cadet Corps both Jnr and Snr.Williams younger brother, Private Benjamin Robert Morgan, was killed in WW2.
Source of Information: AWM 145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army.
Ada May Hulme
Ada May Hulme was born on the 10th of May 1884 to parents Joseph Hulme and Anna Dorothea Bartsh. Ada married William Thomas Morgan in 1905. Their daughter Daisy Marion was my maternal grandmother.
Ada and Bill Morgan (known to me through my Mum as Grandma and Grandad Morgan) had 5 children and 17 grandchildren.
Grandma Morgan died at Wangaratta, Victoria, at the age of 80, on the 22nd of April 1965. Grandad had pre-deceased her by 15 years.
Daisy Marion Morgan (1908 – 1998)
My much loved maternal grandmother, Daisy Marion Morgan was born on the 10th of August 1908 at Moyhu in North East Victoria.
Daisy was the second daughter of William Thomas Morgan and Ada May nee Hulme.
Her eldest sister, Clarice May, was born 23rd September 1905 also at Moyhu. After Daisy came Ellen “Mavis” who was born on the 29th of October 1910 and Lila Elaine born 23 Feb 1913.
Then finally a boy came along, Herbert William Morgan was born on the 21st of October 1926. Grandma and Granddad Morgan must have thought they were never going to have a boy as all the girls had boys nicknames!
Clarice was known as “Tod”. Daisy was known as “Billy”
Ellen “Mavis” was known as “Bobby” and Lila was known as “Johnny”.
I only ever heard Nanna’s sisters referred to as Aunty Tod, Aunty Bobby and Aunty Johnny.
Daisy married my grandfather, Archibald William Finlay Fleming, on the 8th of October 1932 at “Willow Bank”, her parents home at Moyhu.
They had 4 children the third being my Mum, Amelia Joan (1937-2012)
Daisy and Archie were married for 45 devoted years. Archie departed this life in 1977 and Daisy passed away on the 2nd of December 1998 at the good age of 90 years.
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