Saturday, April 25, 2009

wartime gifts

I start this post with a mystery object, a detail of a 'gift' to my grandfather, Harry Sinclair, whose embroideries I've written about previously. The object's identity will become clear as you read.
H L Sinclair war memorabilia 8

Today is ANZAC Day. For those of you who live overseas, I should explain that this is a day great historical significance in Australia. April 25th each year is a hallowed day of remembrance, the anniversay of the day in 1915 when many people believe Australia came of age.

H L Sinclair postcard
At dawn on that day Australian troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, my grandfather Harry among them, landed on the hostile shores of the Gallipoli Peninsular in Turkey. By the end of that day 2,000 'ANZACS' lay dead. After eight months of bitter fighting and many more deaths the campaign was lost, but the ANZACS had forged a name for themselves, built on courage, resiliance, mateship, a healthy disrespect for undue authority and a sardonic sense of humour.

This seems an appropriate day to share some more of my grandfather's story. When Britain declared itself at war, he lied about his age in order to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. By late 1914 he was stationed in Egypt, where his Christmas was brightened by a gift, given to each soldier, from Princess Mary of the royal family.
H L Sinclair war memorabilia 1

I don't know what the tin originally contained, but it was accompanied by this card.
H L Sinclair war memorabilia 5

Harry survived the inital landing at Gallipoli, but was wounded six weeks later and shipped to England where he eventually recuperated sufficiently to return to Australia, along with his royal Christmas memento. He was followed some months later by the English sweetheart he had met whilst in hospital and persuaded to become his bride. Sadly, he never fully recovered from his wounds or the tuberculosus he had caught in the trenches. He died a young man when his daughter, my mother, was only six.

Princess Mary's tin now belongs to my mother, and today we looked once more at the memorabilia stored inside it; a small patriotic doll which was most likely part of the gift, and a cardboard jewellery box containing a cigarette paper protecting the colour patch off his uniform.
H L Sinclair war memorabilia 6

The colour patch in turn protected the final layer of objects.
H L Sinclair war memorabilia 7

Alongside the uniform badge were placed these three war souvenirs, gifts from the Turkish army.....
H L Sinclair war memorabilia 9
These pieces of shrapnel were among those removed from my grandfather's head wounds. The many they were unable to remove were eventually buried with him.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Rockingham visit

On Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting the members of the Rockingham District Historical Society, in their museum close to the beach to which I made many childhood excursions. This was the first of a number of talks I will be giving for the Historical Society's affiliated societies as part of the residency public programme. It was a great opportunity to talk with interesting and knowledgable people and a chance to learn more about local history.

Rockingham cupboard
Rockingham museum has some wonderful displays of the early days. I was surprised to discover group settlements were sited in the Rockingham area, much closer to Perth than I'd realised. Among the collection relating to group settlements was a familiar cupboard made of recycled kerosene cans.

Rockingham Museum waggas
Best of all, I found a domestic 'wagga' quilt, a utilitarian covering made from a variety of old clothes patched together.

Rockingham wagga detail
This detail of the wagga shows the coat front with button holes. My own grandmother made a similar quilt during the depression using her old coat.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

exploring the collection

I've been exploring the objects currently on display at the Historical Society. Among them I found some which brought back fond memories, like this paper doll and her clothes, although she comes from an era half a century earlier than my own childhood paper dolls.
paper dolls

I was fascinated to find this album, which contained something quite unexpected.
seaweed album

Apparently, collecting and pressing seaweed was a popular activity at the turn of the twentieth century, as in this album containing seaweed collected on Rottnest Island.
pressed seaweed in album

Thursday, April 2, 2009

a quick trip into the past

It might seem from my recent silence that things have been quiet, but in fact the opposite is true. So much has been happening that there's been no time to write.

I've just returned home to WA from a quick trip to Victoria, where I travelled some of the ground my paternal ancestors trod as they moved from town to town in goldfields and farming districts. A number of the family are buried in the peaceful Newstead cemetary.
Newstead cemetrary, Victoria

I was struck by the contrast between the two states. A multitude of Victoria's small goldfields communities still exist, unlike the many remote WA communities which sprang out of nowhere then just as quickly disappeared when the gold was depleted.

My grandfather broke from the family tradition of bricklaying and came West as a young man around 1899 at the height of our gold rush, gaining employment as a telegraphist at Southern Cross, Coolgardie then Leonora post offices.

In 1901 his Victorian sweetheart Lily Arthur left her parent's comfortable home in Carlton and travelled by sea, rail, then Cobb and Co coach to remote Leonora.
Lily Arthur

There they married in style in a double wedding with friends
a goldfields wedding
then started their wedded life in a small white-washed hessian walled hut with a dirt floor!

I will be visiting the WA goldfields area as part of my residency, an excursion which I eagerly anticipate.