Nicholas Henry (Harry*) Ainsworth
M, #4526, b. 2 May 1884, d. 28 May 1967
| Occupation* | Nicholas Henry (Harry*) Ainsworth was a Farmer, Shearer. |
| Residence* | He lived; Robinson St, Northam. |
| Note* | Lincoln Bradley visited them, his daughter (Gwen) remembers her father saying that they had a lovely garden.
Ref (Bev Moore)
Nicholas Henry arrived in Western Australia, aged 17. He cleared and worked the Ainsworth farm called, "Hillview," later sold to Edwards.
He moved to "Fernleigh" at York until 1950 thence to Northam - Robinson Street, where he died.
This move was precipitated by son Brian's need for High School. |
Julia Ann* Ainsworth
F, #4527, b. 23 August 1886, d. 18 December 1983
Citations
- [S65] Burial Records, Cemeteries 2000.
Thomas William James Ainsworth 
M, #4528, b. 12 September 1886, d. 14 June 1916
|  Thomas William Ainsworth |
| Note* | Engaged to Rose McGay but broke it off before he went to war. |
| Occupation* | Thomas William James Ainsworth was a Flour Miller on 20 August 1915 at Narrogin, Western Australia.1 |
| Milit-Beg* | He began military service on 20 August 1915 at Narrogin, Western Australia, Private, 3702, 11th Battalion.1  |
Citations
- [S156] UNSW AIF WWI, online www.aif.adfa.edu.au/aif.
- [S54] CWGC, online www.cwgc.org.
Claud Ainsworth
M, #4529, b. 1 May 1888, d. 15 May 1888
Citations
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
Harrison Claude* Ainsworth
M, #4530, b. 21 June 1890, d. 13 December 1974
|  Harrison C Ainsworth |
|  |
| Birth* | Harrison Claude* Ainsworth was born on 21 June 1890 at Heywood, VictoriaG; reg: 23970. |
| He was the son of Thomas William Ainsworth and Eliza Nichols. |
| Marriage* | Harrison Claude* Ainsworth married Lillian Myrne Miller, daughter of Josiah Hunt Miller and Caroline Anne Carlton, on 3 October 1922 at Perth, Western AustraliaG; The West - 21/10/1922 page 1
AINSWORTH -MILLER.--On October 3, at Trinity Congregational Church. Perth, by Rev G. A Williamson Legge, Harrison Claude (late AIF, 10th Regiment Light Horse), youngest son of the late T. W. and, Mrs. Ainsworth, Perth. to Lilian Myrne, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J H. Miller, West Leederville. Present address, 102 Second avenue, Inglewood.1 |
| Marriage* | Harrison Claude* Ainsworth married Eva Mary Searle, daughter of William Searle and Mary Margaret Maher, on 30 October 1937 at Narrogin, Western Australia. |
| Death* | Harrison Claude* Ainsworth died on 13 December 1974 at Perth, Western AustraliaG, at age 84. |
| Burial* | He was buried at Fremantle, Western AustraliaG. |
| Occupation | Harrison Claude* Ainsworth was a Grocer on 17 October 1914 at Heywood, VictoriaG.2 |
| Milit-Beg* | He began military service on 17 October 1914 at Heywood, VictoriaG, 360, Lieutenant, 10th Light Horse (enlisted at QMS, promoted to Lieutenant.)2 |
| Milit-Beg | He began military service on 19 April 1942 at Wagin, Western Australia, Lieutenant, W74174, Army VDC.3 |
| Occupation* | He was a Accountant, Grocery Store Manager. |
| Residence* | He lived on 6 December 1953 at Mount Lawley, Western AustraliaG; 132 Joel Terrace.4 |
Citations
- [S89] The West, 26/2/2004, 50, Online 21/10/1922 page 1.
- [S156] UNSW AIF WWI, online www.aif.adfa.edu.au/aif.
- [S63] WW2 Nominal Roll, online nominal_rolls.dva.gov.au.
- [S75] Baptisms, UC Baptisms.
Rosa Maud* Ainsworth
F, #4531, b. 22 January 1893, d. 1 January 1992
Isabel Bertha (Belle*) Ainsworth
F, #4532, b. 21 July 1895, d. 25 May 1993
| Occupation* | Isabel Bertha (Belle*) Ainsworth was a Teacher. |
| Note* | Memoirs of Isabel Bertha Lester-Smith nee Ainsworth
These are the memoirs of Isabel Bertha Lester-Smith nee Ainsworth born July 21st 1895, the youngest of eight children born to Eliza and Thomas Ainsworth at Drumborg near Heywood in the western district of Victoria. Two of the children died in their infancy leaving a family of six - three sons and three daughters. My early childhood was rather uneventful but I had a happy and secure home life. My father leased a small farm. There was not much income but the soil was very fertile so we grew most of our own food. My father had two brothers and a sister who all lived in the same area and had fairly large families. There were several other families in the area who were related but not so closely.There were two families of Moores and one by the name of Bradley. They were also on my father's side of the family and their children were much the same age as our family. They all attended the same one teacher school as they became school age. So over the number of years most of the children on the roll would be related. There were other families in the area but their children would be in the minority. My mother came from Ballarat and found it hard at first the adapt to country life. We were all born at home without a doctor and with only the help of a neighbour to act as mid-wife. Her first born - a daughter - May died at the age of eighteen months from the convulsions during teething and the nearest doctor more than twenty miles away. This was a traumatic experience for my mother and left a scar which never quite faded away. A few years later a son died soon after birth. This later became a family of six. My father did not have the money to make the farm more productive but he was a first class shearer. So he was often away from home during the season shearing on some of the big stations. Some were a distance away and on one occasion he went as far away as Port Augusta. When my eldest brother Harry was old enough he learned to shear at home and under his father's guidance also became a good shearer and they worked together in the shearing sheds. That was in the days of blade shearing. My brother Clause was a great tease so I learnt early in life to stick up for myself. My brother Tom used to take my part if he was there at the time but most times he would be working on the farm. The boys set rabbit traps as rabbits were numerous and the skins provided them with pocket money. As a small child I was a bit of a tomboy and liked to climb trees - mostly wattles as they grew close by. A nice tasty gum grew on these trees which we used to enjoy. When I first started school I thought it would be rather good but when I had to keep on learning I did not think it quite so good. I walked to school with my sister Maude and we had to go a fair distance. My brother Claude was also going to school but being older than us he used to go on his own or with some the boys of his own age whom he would meet on the way. My eldest sister Anne did well at school and was a beautiful writer. She was often commended by the teacher for her neat work. She would have like to further her education but this was not possible. She had left school before I started and with a household of eight she would have been a good help in the home. Our nearest town was five miles away. It was called Heywood and was only a small country town but there were several shops where we could purchase most of our needs in the way of grocery, clothing etc. A much larger and very important town called Portland was twenty five miles away and as these were the horse and buggy days our trips there were few and far between. My parents always went there too for the Xmas shopping and some mysterious parcels would be rolled up and put away. We seldom got toys or dolls for the girls but mostly something useful like clothing. Some of the shearing money would be spent then. For a few days before Xmas a lot of extra cooking was done and special cakes wee made as well as the usual Xmas cakes. This would tide us over Boxing Day as that was a special day too. A big picnic was held on that day and most of the people in the district would attend. Races were held for the children and usually our family won in the various age groups. A collection used to be held among the menfolk and the money would be divided up among the winners of the various sporting events. I suppose we were all pretty good runners as we had plenty of practice running part if the way to school and home again not because we had to but because we enjoyed it. Time moved on in much the same manner till my eldest brother Harry was reaching manhood and had experience in most aspects of farming as it was in those days. My father must have wished that he and Harry could purchase some land and make a farm of their own but with limited capital that was not possible in any area they knew of in Victoria. My father subscribed to a paper called the Weekly Times and that paper is still in existence after all those years and I can remember seeing the paper in the house but I was too young then to read it. My father saw a notice in the Weekly Times where a big acreage of land in the Williams district of WA was to be thrown open for selection. The terms were so good that my father must have thought it would be a good opportunity to purchase some land. I suppose the government of the day made the terms attractive in order to open up the country. When the move was suggested to my mother she did not like the idea at al as it would mean breaking up the home and leaving so many of her relatives and friends in Drumborg and Ballarat, Western Australia must have seemed a long way away in those days. I was seven years of age at this time. Finally the decision was made to move to Western Australia - a bold move indeed with nothing definite to go to and eight of us all to keep. A farewell was held in the local hall and many relatives and friends attended. A sum of money was given as a parting gift which would be made good use of in the days that followed. The only way to travel to Fremantle in those days was by boat so our passages were booked on a boat called the Buninyong. Most of our furniture was packed up and for a charge was also taken on the boat with us. After leaving Drumborg we spent a few days in Ballarat travelling there by train. We must have been divied up among our relatives there. I remember staying with my grandmother and an aunt who lived with her. They had a white cockatoo that could talk and say almost anything. I also remember being taken to see Eureka Stockade. We then went to Melbourne and spent a few days sight seeing there and we all stayed at a coffee palace. After living in the country we were a bit over awed by the city of Melbourne which was a big place even in those days. It was the month of January 1902 when we boarded the boat for Fremantle. We must have thought it was a great adventure but we were all together as a family and as far as I was concerned that was the main thing. We travelled first class. The second class was called steerage. My father was rather proud of his family and thought if we travelled steerage we might have to mix with a rather rough class of people. As it was the first class passengers had their own deck, separate dining room and facilities. My mother and three girls occupied two cabins and my father and the three boys occupied two cabins in the men's section. The voyage was uneventful as far as Adelaide. We went ashore for a few hours landing at Port Adelaide and travelling a short journey by train to the city of Adelaide. My elders considered it a clean and well laid out city. We then resumed our voyage, making friends among the other passengers and joining in any games that were organised. All went well until we struck a storm in the Bight. It happened at night which made it all the more frightening. We were all sea sick as the sea was very rough and there were no stabilisers on the boats in those days. Luckily the storm did not last long and we reached calmer waters. I can remember seeing the dolphins leaping out of the water. In those days most of the boats called at Albany and I can remember quite clearly walking alone the long jetty and then in to the town. We were only there for a few hours and I can't remember much about the town. We moved on then to the last stage if our journey to Fremantle and the first thing I remember about it was the sand. My mother's sister (our aunt Ada) and her husband (Uncle George) Angwin met us at the boat and after our luggage had been collected we all travelled by train to Perth. My aunt and Uncle had three children so we were quite a party. So we arrived in Perth - all eight of us strangers in a strange land. We stayed at a coffee palace not far from the station in Wellington Street but we only stayed there one night as it was rather second rate. Other accommodation was found until a suitable house was found and our furniture brought up from Fremantle. I suppose it was carted by horse drawn lorry in those days. The house was in Bourke Street Leederville and strangely enough quite close to the house where a special friend had lived for more than fifty years. My sister Maude and I went to the Leederville school but only for a short time. My parents and older members if the family soon realised they would not find work in the city so we moved to the town of Northam which was and still is the heart of a rich farming area. We rented a house n Peel terrace not far from the river and soon made friends with two families who lived close by. This friendship lasted for many years and was a great comfort to my mother who was missing her relatives and friends she had left behind in Victoria. heir names were Addicoats who had a young family and Powells who had one small boy. My sister Maude and I went to school in Northam but our brother Claude who was not quite fourteen years of age did not go to school any more and found work as an office boy. He was the smartest one in the family and had a wonderful memory. He went to night school to improve his education and was always fond of reading and study. My father and Harry soon found seasonal work on the farms especially at shearing time. My brother Tom found work at a flour mill and my sister Anne found a position as a lady's companion to a Miss Chrissie Dempster - a member of one of the oldest farming families In Western Australia. They had a nice home and a prosperous farm in the outskirts of Northam. Some Months passed and then my father received word from the government to join a survey team at Narrogin to select land in the Williams area that had been thrown open for selection. My mother was entitled to a certain acreage, Also my eldest brother Harry who had probably made application too as he would have been over twenty on years of age by that time. Some of the land was granted free in order to open up the country and the balance was on conditional purchase or HP as it was called and when the three lots were put together it made a sizeable holding of about a thousand acres. The land my father chose was eight miles from Williams and the frontage was adjoining the Albany Highway. The country was all virgin bush with some parts more heavily timbered than others. The soil was best where the jam trees grew and the white gum country was considered hungry white gum. The selection had a mixture of both and in between timber as well. In parts a small poison plant grew which was called York road poison and in the spring of the year it would kill any stock that ate it. So that had to be eradicated after the property had been divided into paddocks and fenced. All this took time and money. My father and Harry moved down to the property and lived in a tent for a short time after choosing a site for a future house. They cleared enough ground for a house paddock and then built a camp of two timber frame rooms and the site was about a quarter of a mile up from Albany Highway on a rise. They worked hard but it was some time before the farm became productive. In Northam we moved to a better house in East Northam and Maude and I had a good distance to walk to school or to the shops. In those days there were no supermarkets and everything was delivered. Wages were low and we had to pay rent. With my father and Harry building up the farm my mother sometimes found it difficult to make ends meet. Now the Bradley family come into the picture. They had come to the West before us and taken up land at Osborne Park where they established a market garden. As time went by they opened two shops at different times. One was in Rokeby road In Subiaco and the other in Hay street also in Subiaco and they employed girls to work in them. Fruit, vegetables, cool drink etc were sold. Lizzie Bradley was our aunt and Lincoln Bradley was our uncle. They had two daughters Eva and Lil who were about the same age as Maude and me and a son Robert was born in later years. Aunt Lizzie wrote to see if Anne would care to come to Perth to help in one of the shops. As it happened Anne was living at home at the time as Miss Chrissie Dempster had passed on as she was up in years. Anne was well thought of in the Dempster household. So she was pleased to go and work in one of the Bradley shops and had a happy relationship there. Time passed and my mother thought she would like to move into a larger house and take in a few paying guests. A large house became available and it had two separate entrances, two passages, and six bedrooms. There was a large dining room, a kitchen and a small porch and a long front verandah. There were two toilets but only one bathroom. No septic system in those days. Three of the bedrooms were required for our own use and the other three were for paying guests. It was a rather old house called "Netherby". So we moved in and soon had some paying guests. Some were what we would today call white collar workers and some blue collar workers. During the seven years we were there some of the men were transferred to other positions and others took their places. It was a busy life and we all had to do our bit. My mother employed a young woman to help her as there were usually about six paying guests. After a time Anne came home and helped with the work. About this time we purchased a new piano. This was quite an investment for us in those days as it was on time payment. The total cost was $84. As time went on my father's health began to fail and he was not able to do much work on the farm, So e came home to Northam and while he was able did gardening and odd jobs around the house. In the early stages my mother took him to a specialist in Perth but he could not diagnose the trouble. She then took him to a doctor in Northam who said it was a blood condition and said it could have been caused form some substance in the well water he had been drinking on the farm. His condition gradually deteriorated and a few days before Xmas in the year 1907 he passed away. This was a sad time for us all and especially for my mother. She used to say it helped to keep busy and she did not have as much time to think but of course the grief was always with her, but time eases all things. My father would have been forty eight years of age on Boxing Day and I was twelve years old at the time. My sister Maude left school at the end of this school year and after the holidays started work as an apprentice dressmaker and earned the princely sum of 2/6 per week for the first few months. The dressmaker's name was Florence Sanderson. She was a middle aged English spinster and later became a friend of the family. My school days were going alone quite happily. There was quite a good library at the school and we were encouraged to read. I did not need much encouragement as reading was our main pastime on most evenings. It was also a big help in spelling and all the English subjects. At this stage in my education we had a new head master at the Northam school. He was very strict and we had to work and pay attention when he was about. But he got results. Towards the end of the year 1909 the Methodist Ladies College at Claremont was offering three scholarships for girls of my age and those chosen would receive free tuition for one year. Another girl and I were asked by our teachers to sit for the examination and much to our surprise and according to the result we were both successful. The other girls did not accept the offer as she had a position lined up and had decided to leave school. I did not want to go wither and if the choice had been left to me would have preferred to continue with the Northam school and not have to go away from home. My teachers were very keen for me to go and my class teacher called to see my mother and pointed out how beneficial it would be for me to go. So in February of the year 1910 I started at the MLC in Claremont. It cost a few pounds to fir me out in clothes and books but the money was forthcoming and my brothers helped out where they could. I stayed with my Aunty Ada and Uncle George who were living with their family in Subiaco and I caught the train from Subiaco to Claremont each day. There would be other girls on the train and we would walk together from the Claremont station to the college which was a fair walk. The school life there was very different from what I had been used to in Northam and it took me a while to adapt. I had to learn French and was never very good at it but I managed to core with the other subjects. From the window of the classroom I was in we had a lovely view of the river. In the month of July of this year my eldest sister Anne was married to Chris Jessup a son of a well known and respected Northam family. They had been engaged for about eighteen months. It was a very nice wedding and miss Sanderson (mentioned earlier) made all the frocks including the bride's frock and going away outfit. My sister Maude was a great help to her at this time as she was progressing well with the dressmaking. We all had new outfits and Maude did a lot of finishing off at home. It was quite a big wedding as Chris was one of a bid family and had lots of other relatives. But again the money was forthcoming and the boys helped out wherever they could. Chris was a fireman with the railway at the time and was then stationed at Midland Junction so Anne and Chris lived there for a time. Chris was often away from home for a night or two when his work took him on long trips. Anne had never stayed alone at night so I was asked to stay with them for the rest of the year. I had a good home with them and used to catch a train from Midland before eight o'clock every school day and travel to Claremont then do the return journey after school. It made a fairly long day but I rather enjoyed the travelling. I finished my education at the MLC at the end of that year and returned home to Northam. I was then 15 ½ years of age. Up to this time I had not had any formal music lessons so in the new year I started and also learnt theory (as it was then called) and liked that part of it very much and as time went on I sat for a couple of examinations and managed to get good marks each time - one of them with honours. I also went to night school one night every week to further my studies in English subjects as I enjoyed that kind of study. I helped with the work at home as my mother still had paying guests. Sometimes we had outside help as well. During this period my brother Claude went to work in Wagin in a grocery store which was a promotion and offered better wages. We all missed him very much. Sometime later my brother Tom who had been working at the flour mill in Northam was offered a position in the Narrogin flour mill. So another member of the family left home but it was a promotion for him. We missed his cheery smile and wry sense of humour. In June of the year 1911 a daughter was born to Anne and Chris. They were delighted and we were very pleased also. She was born in Northam and they called her Joy. Anne stayed with us for a short time before and after Joy was born. Then they returned to Northam. After a few months Chris was transferred back to Northam. They built their own home and so began a family life of their own. A few months after my seventeenth birthday read in the paper that teachers were required by the Education Department to teach in small country schools. Those interested would be required to pass an entrance examination for admission to a teacher training college at Claremont. Candidates were required not to be less than 17 ½ years of age at the end of December of that year. SoI sat for the examination and was successful and entered the training college at the end of January in the year 1913. There were about 25 students in the group mostly girls about the same age as myself and about eight were men students. The course was only of six months duration and covered all subjects including music. It was a crash course alright and what we could not absorb then we picked up later when we were out teaching and had some experience. There was a one-teacher school adjoining the grounds of the college with a few children in each grade (or class) as they were then called up to grade six. Towards the end of the course a few students would be chosen to go over to this school and observe how the teacher in charge managed all the classes. Then each student in turn would be appointed to take over the school for a certain time while one of the senior lecturers from the college would be writing a report on your performance. The report was called a "criticism". I suppose it was a good word as it pointed out the weaknesses as well as the good points and in that way we improved. Towards the end of June of that year we had our final examination and were than able to apply for a position in a one teacher school in the country areas. If we had a preference for any particular school or area we could state it in our application and it would be considered but of course was not always possible. I had heard that there was to be a vacancy at the Wongamine school about fourteen miles out of Northam. I thought it would be a good thing to apply for that school then I would be able to get home some times on Saturday as that was the busy shopping day in those days. My application was successful and on July 1 st I was in charge of a small school and not eighteen years of age until the 21st of that month. It was a sobering experience. I was fortunate in having a nice place to stay with a couple who had a nice home and no children. The woman had been a teacher at the same school some years before and married a farmer. Their name was Smith. She came originally from New Zealand and was a very refined person - a good housekeeper and a good cook. In taking over a school I found there was a lot to learn that was not covered in the short course I had taken at the training colleges. Most of it had to come from experience. My chief problem was making up or working out a workable time table combining and grouping classes to the best advantage. It was a case of trial and error for a while. Things worked out pretty well while I was there and I often got to Northam on a Saturday. So people in the area were friendly and O made friends with a couple of girls about my own age. They had finished their education at the convent in Northam and had learnt music and were able to play for the dances. Sometimes I would spend a weekend at their place. About once a month a dance would be held in the Wongamine hall which was also used as a school. Church services were held there and the hall was used as a general meeting place. Cricket gear and tennis gear was also stored in a room at the rear of the hall adjoining the supper room. This mad a lot of extra work on Friday afternoons as the desks had to be moved to the end of the ha;; and as much teaching material as possible locked away in the cupboard. During the winter months football was played nearby and a room at the rear of the hall used as a change room. It was very awkward and inconvenient having to use the hall as the school. But I just had to do the best I could. I had never been to a dance till I went to Wongamine and the only dance I knew was a waltz but soon learned the other steps with the music to go with them. There was no shortage of partners as girls were usually in short supply. Tennis was played on Sunday afternoons when there was no football or cricket. I had a fair walk to and from school each day in all weather but the walk was probably good for me. During this time my brother Claude who was working in Wagin must have been thinking g it was time our mother had an easier life and after boarding for some time thought he would like to build a home in Wagin. In those days there was a Workers Home Board similar to our building societies. It was a neat brick house with a large dining room with a villa front, two bedrooms and a passage right through ad a roomy kitchen with built in cupboards. It also had a large back verandah and an enclosed side verandah which was used as a sleep out. The bathroom was at the end of the back verandah. There was also a front verandah merging into the side verandah. Claude had it all nicely furnished complete with floor coverings. The hearth in front of the open fireplace in the dining room was nicely tiled So my mother found a buyer for the contents of 'Netherby' keeping back anything she valued including the piano and she received a certain amount for the 'goodwill'. It would not be very much in those days. Then she and my sister Maude moved into he new home in Wagin and soon settled in. Maude was pretty good at sewing by this time and made the curtains. She worked for a short time with a dressmaker there but was then offered a better position in a stationer's shop and remained there for some time. They soon made friends with people in Wagin. Wagin was not a very big place and Claude knew a lot of people through working in a shop and through the Methodist Church. Everything was working out nicely until war broke out in August 1914. But of this more anon. I must get back to my school days. After being at Wongamine for just over a year I was sent to another school for six months to relieve another teacher who was going to the Teacher Training college to do the same course as I had done. I was given a 'send off' at the Wongamine hall 9come school). There was a big crowd and some speeches were made - sounded rather flattering. The name of the school was Elashgin and I had to go by train from Northam to a place called Korrelocking which was situated on the Dowerin-Merredin loop line which had been built not long before to open up new farming land. It sounded like the end of the earth to me but Anne, Chris (who had a few days off) and Joy who was just a little girl then- came on the train with me as far a Korrelocking. Then I was met by the person with whom I was to stay. I was very glad to have their company on the train then they continued their journey to Merredin and then back to Northam. Those were still the horse and buggy days so I was driven a few miles to my new destination. The people with whom I stayed were middle aged with two married sons. One was married and did most of the farm work. The other one was a missionary in one of the Samoan Islands. They were rather religious and made me as comfortable as they could. All the families around were new settlers and had to learn about farming the hard way. I had not been there long when I had my nineteenth birthday. I did not tell anyone and seemed a long way from anywhere. The school was some distance from where I was boarding but I mostly was driven with the children from another family and sometimes I walked. The school was fairly new and it was a change from teaching in a hall. Dancing was the only form of entertainment and were often held in the Korrelocking hall and sometimes at Wyalkatchem which was further. As at Wongamine there was not shortage of partners, girls being even scarcer in those parts. All meeting including church services were held at the school and the people were very hospitable. In August of that year World War 1 broke out and in the months that followed quite a number of young men joined up some of them never to return. The area and many other areas was stricken by drought and it was a severe blow as many of the settlers had put in their first crops but there were no spring rains and the crops just withered and died. Somehow they battled through with government assistance where necessary. As mentioned earlier my appointment at this school was in a relieving capacity for six months and before Xmas I received notice of an appointment to a school some miles out of Kellerberrin and the place was called Daadenning Creek (details of this later). A few months after the outbreak of was my brother Claude enlisted in the 10th Light Horse regiment and went into training at the Claremont show grounds. I spent the Xmas holidays in Wagin with my mother and sister Maude and during this time Claude came home on leave before departing for Egypt where the men would receive further training and become acclimatised ready for the desert warfare which lay ahead. They were camped a few miles out of Cairo which Claude thought was a very dirty place. But the area had its compensations as there were lots of interesting places to see not the least of which sere the famous pyramids and the troops also saw how agriculture was carried out along the banks of the Nile. Claude said the methods carried out then were just as primitive as in the bible days but I guess they use more modern methods today. After their period of training in Egypt the regiment was sent to Gallipoli where they fought as foot soldiers during that campaign and what happened there is history. (continued under her Husband's Notes.) |
Citations
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
Eleanor Blanche (Nell*) Richards
F, #4533, b. 18 January 1897, d. 5 May 1975
Citations
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
Christopher George Jessup
M, #4534, b. 25 December 1881, d. 9 December 1962
|  Jessup House |
| Occupation* | Christopher George Jessup was a Railway Engine Driver. |
| Address* | As of 8 December 1962, Christopher George Jessup lived at Northam, Western AustraliaG; 46 Broome Tce.1 |
Citations
- [S65] Burial Records, Cemeteries 2000.
Lillian Myrne Miller
F, #4535, b. 1892, d. 21 December 1935
|  Myrne Miller |
| Birth* | Lillian Myrne Miller was born in 1892 at Warracknabeal, Victoria.1 |
| She was the daughter of Josiah Hunt Miller and Caroline Anne Carlton.1 |
| Marriage* | Lillian Myrne Miller married Harrison Claude* Ainsworth, son of Thomas William Ainsworth and Eliza Nichols, on 3 October 1922 at Perth, Western AustraliaG; The West - 21/10/1922 page 1
AINSWORTH -MILLER.--On October 3, at Trinity Congregational Church. Perth, by Rev G. A Williamson Legge, Harrison Claude (late AIF, 10th Regiment Light Horse), youngest son of the late T. W. and, Mrs. Ainsworth, Perth. to Lilian Myrne, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J H. Miller, West Leederville. Present address, 102 Second avenue, Inglewood.2 |
| Death* | Lillian Myrne Miller died on 21 December 1935 at Katanning, Western Australia. |
| Burial* | She was buried at Wagin, Western Australia. |
Citations
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
- [S89] The West, 26/2/2004, 50, Online 21/10/1922 page 1.
Eva Mary Searle
F, #4536, b. 6 September 1904, d. 3 May 1990
Cyril Edwin Turville
M, #4537, b. 27 April 1896, d. 6 October 1989
|  Cyril Edwin Turville |
| |
| Occupation* | Cyril Edwin Turville was a Accountant. |
| Note* | He was born at Fremanttle in I896, and educated at Scotch College. He is a son of Mr. C. C. Turvilte, of Peppermint Grove. At an early age Mr. Turville took up secretarial and accountancy work, and for14 years was engaged in this capacity at Wagin, during which period he was also audior for the Wagin District Hospital Board, Foundation member of the Wiluna Municipal Council. In 1933 he was appointed secretaryand accountant to the Wiluna Co-operative Society Ltd., where he interested himself in civic affairs, being elected a member of the Wiluna Road Boad. Was also a member of t he Wiluna Repertory Society, and was appointed to his present oflice in 1936.
His clubs are the Masonic and several sporting bodies and associations, and his recreations are repertory work, bowls and yachting .
(from Men of WA.)3 |
Citations
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
- [S389] Trove, online trove.nla.gov.au, WEDDING BELLS (1923, April 20). The Southern Argus and Wagin-Arthur Express (Perth, WA : 1905 - 1924), p. 3. Retrieved August 19, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206569516
- [S384] HC Radford, Men of Western Australia.
Jabez Carl Lester-Smith MM
M, #4538, b. circa 1880, d. 2 November 1966
| Occupation | Jabez Carl Lester-Smith MM was a Surveyor's Chainman on 26 January 1916 at Perth, Western AustraliaG.3 |
| Milit-Beg* | He began military service on 26 January 1916 at Perth, Western AustraliaG, 845, Private, 44th Battalion, D Company.3 |
| Honours* | He was awarded the Military Medal on 4 June 1917 at St Yves, France, 'At ST. YVES on the 4th June, 1917, during the removal of the Gas Cylinders, Private Jabez LESTER SMITH, under heavy artillery fire, showed great devotion to duty and determination in assisting in the complete removal of the whole of the Cylinders from the front line. Working in the open he carried Cylinders again and again openly exposed to the enemy's fire. By this cool consistent action he set a fine example to his fellow workers, helping them to carry on until this most difficult task was complete.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 189, Date: 8 November 1917.3 |
| Occupation* | He was a Farmer, Pingelly. |
| Note* | Completion of Belle's Memoirs (see Isabel Ainsworth Notes)
They were not there for the landing which was so disastrous but the whole campaign was a disaster and many thousands of young Australian and New Zealand lives were lost hence the name 'Anzac'. While there Claude was admitted to hospital with enteritis and while he was there the evacuation of Gallipoli took place. It was a marvellous piece of strategy which deceived the Turks and the troops got safely away with scarcely any casualties. After a period of retraining and sorting out the 10th Light Horse regiment started their desert campaign. Claude had recovered from his attack of enteritis and left with the regiment. The rest of the soldiers were sent to fight in France. Now I will resume my narrative as a teacher at the Daadenning Creek school. The school itself was much the same as other small schools in those times - just the barest necessities. The children were mostly from hard working parents struggling to get established on their farms and discipline was no problem. The accommodation I had was rather rough to say the least of it. The house consisted of a timber frame with corrugated iron roof and the walls consisted of super bags white washed and stretched over the frame. The inside was divided into several small rooms with earth floors and a few mats here and there. I occupied one of these rooms and was made as comfortable as possible and the bed linen were clean. The meals were passable except for the bread, which was home made, dark and doughy. My lunches consisted mostly of this bread which I could not eat. I used to envy the children their lunches when I walked around at lunchtime. The weekends were the worst as there was no where to go and nothing to do. There was a church service once a month which was held in the school room. Most of those who attended were parents of the children. It was there I met a fairly young couple with no children who had a nice home in a well established farm and several times I was invited to spend the weekend with then. They were refined educated people so it was a real treat. The woman came from Scotland originally where her father had been a sea captain. Her husband came from one of the Channel islands so they were interesting people to talk to. Rather a contrast to where I was living. Their family consisted of a man and wife both of whim had been married before and had a family and started another family. So it was a case of your family and my family and our family but they were not al home at the same time. Some3times there would be a fight - real fist-I-cuffs - fighting over the children But they did their best for me under the circumstances.
Meanwhile at home in Wagin they knew I was not very happy with the situation although I did not say much in my letters. About the middle of June they heard that a school a few miles out of Wagin was to become vacant at the end of the month. So I applied for a transfer to the Collanilling school. This was granted and a new life opened up for me. I had a fairly comfortable place to stay with a fairly elderly couple and a grown-up daughter. Their name was Painter and they were refined people and good cooks and housekeepers. There were also two married sons and two married daughters all with young families some of whom were of school age and all the families had farms in the same area. They were all good Methodist and had built their own church which was a nice brick building and a service was held there every Sunday. There were several other families in the district who were good churchgoer5s as well so the services were mostly well attended. For a time the church was used as a school room which was rather awkward and very cold in the winter time as there were no heaters then and I remember having some nasty chilblains. Every Friday afternoon the school had to be turned back to a church and vice versa on Monday mornings. But the bigger children were always helpful and in time a school room with an open fireplace was built close to the church. I was able to go home for a few hours on most Saturdays and sometimes through to Sundays as well. During this time the war was raging and many more lives were lost. Our brother Tom joined the infantry and after a short period of training he was drafted to the 11th Battalion and posted to France where the fiercest part of the war was taking place. After only a few months we received the sad news that he had been killed at the battle of Armentiers. It was a very sad time for us all and we were all greatly shocked. I think our mother felt it most of all. She took to her bed and could not be comforted and had no desire for food for some days. I took a couple of days off from school (notifying the Education Department afterwards). They replied that they regretted the cause which rendered my absence necessary. My brother Harry came over to Wagin from Tarwonga and my sister Anne came down from Northam so we were all together in our grief but it was a tearful reunion. Tom was engaged to be married to a lovely girl called Rose McGay who came from Narrogin. She also came down and it was very sad for her as well. But life had to go on although we all felt it would never be the same again. Harry sometimes felt that he should enlist but he was manpowered as he was producing food. Many thousands of dollars were raised in every town and district to raise money for the war effort mostly the Red Cross and similar organisations which all di a marvellous job. After more than four years of tragic war it was won and an armistice was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (November) Germany and her allies were well and truly beaten and our Australian soldiers had played a magnificent part in that victory. Claude was with the 10th Light Horse fighting the Turks mostly in Sinai and when the war was over they rode proudly into Damascus w2ith their leader Colonel Todd. It was several months before all the men could be returned to their homelands. It was a mammoth task. Claude went to England before returning home. He was there for three months and spent most of the time sight seeing in and around London as there was so much to see. There was great joy in the family when he finally arrived back in Wagin but tinged with a little sadness for the one who would not return.
|
Citations
- [S213] National Achives - WW1 Records, online www.naa.gov.au.
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
- [S156] UNSW AIF WWI, online www.aif.adfa.edu.au/aif.
Norman John Ainsworth
M, #4540, b. 30 October 1918, d. 23 March 1980
|  Norman J Ainworth |
| |
Citations
- [S63] WW2 Nominal Roll, online nominal_rolls.dva.gov.au.
Daniel Richards
M, #4541, b. 23 May 1870, d. 17 May 1920
Blanche Ann Lewis
F, #4542, b. April 1873, d. 19 November 1960
Citations
- [S360] OZ Burials, online www.ozburials.com, Williams Cemetery.
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
Alan Douglas Milne
M, #4545, b. 20 December 1892, d. 30 May 1969
Citations
- [S63] WW2 Nominal Roll, online nominal_rolls.dva.gov.au.
- [S156] UNSW AIF WWI, online www.aif.adfa.edu.au/aif.
Grace Florence* Collins
F, #4546, b. 29 September 1896, d. 2 September 1980
Basil William Williams1
M, #4547, b. 23 November 1927, d. 15 August 2003
Citations
- [S518] Elaine Green,Australind, WA.
Linda May Ainsworth
F, #4548, b. 8 October 1952, d. 30 September 2011
Citations
- [S62] MCB, online mcb.wa.gov.au.
