Category Archives: Military

The Wheeler Project.

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By Geraldine Lee. Originally published as GSQ Blog on 23 Oct 2016 One hundred years ago the world was engulfed in conflict. Men and women from every nation were conscripted or volunteered to fight when hostilities broke out in Europe in August 1914. Some 416,809 Australian men and women enlisted in the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army.  By the end of the war, over 60,000 Australians had been killed and 156,000 wounded, … Continue reading

Daily Life of a Railway Blacksmith. Reserves, Chooks, Work & Family.

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Twenty years ago, it was a surprise to learn of the existence of a diary written by my great-grandfather William White between 1894 – 1904. One of his grandsons, Alan kindly offered to loan the diary to me so that I could transcribe it and include this insight into their family life in my book on the White family. Many thanks for that Alan. In transcribing the diary which is notated on 146 pages of an ordinary exercise book with … Continue reading

The Extraordinary Life of Uncle Billy.

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Anzac Day approached and I started to reflect on my military ancestors. Last year I presented Uncle Jack’s story of his service at Gallipoli. This year I want to honour another uncle, who served in the First World war.  His, was an extraordinary life and the more I learn about him, the more I respect and admire him. Allow me to introduce you to William Wright, MM, alias Harold Harvey and affectionately known to the family as Uncle Billy. I … Continue reading

Finding my grandfather – William Leonard Tunny (Len) 1884-1942. Part 2.

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Readers may recall I introduced my grandfather Len in my story of 14 November, this is a continuation of Len’s tale after he returned from World War One. In 2014, I came across a website called Adopt a Digger, a centenary project to map returned soldiers from the Sunshine Coast area, particularly those who had taken up land at the Beerburrum Soldier Settlement.[1] Here I also discovered a photograph of my grandfather. It was taken at the camp in Enoggera … Continue reading

My Great Grandfather Alfred

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For some time now I’ve had a photo of a man in a military style uniform in my possession. It was passed to me by my mother when she moved house as she knew of my interest in our family’s history. The photo was originally found in my Nan’s wardrobe after she passed away in 2004. The simple frame was barely holding together, there were no markings or inscriptions on the photo itself to indicate who this gentleman was, or … Continue reading