EAST MELBOURNE HISTORICAL

SOCIETYNEWSLETTER

NEWSLETTER VOLUME SIXTEEN • NUMBER ONE • ACN A00 390 26Z

March 2015

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Committee

Affiliated with The Royal Historical Society of Victoria

Aims

A full Statement of Purposes appears in our Documents of

Incorporation but briefly the aims of the Society are as follows:• Tofosteraninterestinthehistory

of East Melbourne.• Tobuildanarchiveofmaterial

relevanttothehistoryofEastMelbourne.

• Topromoteinterchangeofinforma-tionthroughlecturesandtours.

• Topromoteheritagepreservation.

Weinvitecontributionsrelatingto the history of East Melbourne

from our members. Articles of up to 1500wordswillbeconsideredforpublication.Smallarticlesanditemsofinterest are also welcome.

Wewouldbepleasedtoreceiveyoursuggestionsandideasforactivities,guestspeakers,excursionsoranythingelseyoumightlikeustoorganizeonyourbehalf.

Please contact any member of our committee.

Contributions andSuggestions

Published by EMHS and supported by City of Melbourne Community Services Grants Program.

CONTACT DETAILS1st Floor, East Melbourne Library,

122 George Street, East MelbournePO Box 355, East Melbourne 8002

Telephone: 9416 0445.Email: info@emhs.org.auWeb: www.emhs.org.au

President:JillFenwick 94190437

Vice President:

RosieSmith 0431707405Hon. Secretary:SylviaBlack 94172037

Treasurer:

MalcolmHowell 0417337519

Committee:

DianeClifford 94860793

SueLarkin 94159771

JacintaRyan 94158288

GrahamShepherd 94869039

MembershipMembership of the East Melbourne Historical Society is open to all who are interested in the history of East Melbourne.

Enquiries: Diane Clifford 9486 0793

Annual subscription: $25.00Guests are welcome at individual meetings $5.00

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President’s Letter

InApril2014,webeganthemassivetaskofresearchingthe

livesandserviceofthe758menandwomen with an association with EastMelbournewhovolunteeredforWorldWar1.AsIwrite,inmid-February,andcominguptheCentenaryofGallipoli,wehave450completedbiographies,thankstothehardworkandpersistenceofoursmallbandofvolunteers.InOctober,wecommemoratedthedepartureofthe Victorian Fleet to Albany in our exhibition‘ForKingandCountry:EastMelbourne Volunteers in the Great War’.Thisyearwewillhaveanotherexhibition,thistimeofthenurseswhoservedatthefront,tobecalled‘Goneto War as Sister’.

TheresearchgaveusinsightintoEastMelbourneasaworkingclasssuburb,peopledbylabourers,factoryworkers,clerks,drivers,carpenters,gardeners,withtheoccasionalbaker,barmanandbookbinderandathinsprinklingofprofessionalpeople.Twostandoutforme:RexfordBurley,of94ValeSt.,athoroughlyunreliableanduntrustworthysoldierfromhisrecord,woundedatPozieres,thenlateron

theSomme,hewentAWLfourtimes,wasconvictedonceofdisobeyingorders,thendesertedhisBattalionastheymoveduptothefrontatVillers-Bretonneuxandwasgiven10yearsgaol.Onenlistingin1915,Burleyhaddeclaredhimselftobeeighteenyearsandtwomonthsold,butcheckinghisbirthrecordandhisdeathnotice,heturnedouttobeonly14in1915andstillonlyeighteenwhenhereturnedhome.

Thesecondwasthat‘brave,brightandhonourableboy’,StanleyLyonsofthe7thBattalion,wholivedonJolimontTerraceanddiedatAnzacCove.Hewasillegitimate,ofanunknownfatherandamotherwhoabandonedhim.BroughtupinthestateorphanageinAdelaide,heleftSouthAustraliaafterthe foreman at the factory where he workedcalledhimabastardandsaidhewould‘neveramounttoanything’.Hejoinedup,agedeighteen,tomakeanameforhimself,butwaskilledbyarandomshotlessthanfourweeksaftertheAnzaclanding.

Jill FenwickFebruary 2015

Wewouldliketoextendawarmwelcome to new members:

Elspeth McLachlan AlanHaintz PeterandColletteGray 

Gail Dunston KateWallace

Welcome To New Members

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A Cheery Soldier Makes Light Of Wounds

In‘TheBrokenYears’warhistorianBillGammagetracedthechanging

attitudesofAustraliansoldierstowardsthewarthroughtheirlettershome.Initially,warwasgoingtobeachancetogooverseas,abitofaholiday,overbeforeChristmasandresultinginaneffortlessvictoryduetothesuperiorqualitiesofthealliedtroops.Priortofighting,ournewlyenlistedAnzacswerepatrioticallyimperialistic,optimistic,andyearningforaction.OnesuchsoldierwasJamesHeaney,ofthe60thBattalion.

Heaneywasbornin1876inCasterton,Victoria,thesonofPatrickandHonoraHeaney,neeQuinn.Atthetimeofhisenlistmenton21August1914,hewasanaccountant,probablyat376WilliamStreet,Melbourne,withhishomeaddressat130GreyStreet,East Melbourne.

Hewasplacedinthe60thBattalion,ACompany,andleftforEgypttwomonthslateronboardHMATHororataA20on19October,1914.ItwasatAnzacCovethatJohnHeaneywaswoundedon14July1915,withshrapnelintheleftthighandleftleg.Somemonthslater,hewrotetoafriendinMelbournewhosebrotherwasmissinginaction.HisletterwaspublishedinTheArgus,16December1915,P.7,underthetitle‘ACheerySoldierMakesLightofWounds’,withthewritercommenting

Few more interesting letters from Gallipoli have been received and certainly none

more cheerful in tone … the writer’s breezy recital of the fighting and of the manner of his wounding will be appreciated and it is particularly interesting to read the Australians’ impression of England.

Thetoneofthelettermayhavebeen‘cheerful’butthecontentsurelydeservedsomerecognitionthatwarwasnotmerely‘interesting’

I was issuing the midday biscuits & ‘bully beef’ to my sap sentry squad when Mr. 11.2 (a new high powered gun) came in our front door only about five yards from where I stood. I remember it said ‘thud’ in a very loud voice. When I woke up, I was sitting on my own neck with my feet neatly folded on my chest and a good mouthful of shell and grit. There were only two of the others left. I got the other two out and then discovered that my left leg was playing fountains. The good red gore was spouting out through puttees and pants in two places. I managed to reach the dressing station about a dozen strides behind the trench. Then I went by-by again. The only trouble was that my left calf was blown away and a new sap was opened up above the left knee. I have been nearly 13 weeks growing a new calf ... and after a few more weeks in hospital and a fortnight’s furlough ... I shall be fit to renew the argument with Abdul or some of that ilk.

Hedid‘renewtheargumentwithAbdul’,butonlyafterspendingfifteenweeksinhospitalinEngland,followedbyfurlough,beforereturningtoduty

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Diana On The Map

inEgypton25March,1916.Threemonthslater,on15June,hewashospitalisedwithEntericfever,aformoftyphoid,makinghim‘dangerouslyill’.On20July,hewasmovedtoBritishRedCrossHeadquarterswithpara-typhoid.Hemusthavebeeninrecoveryphasethen,becauseon11August,hewasdischargedtodutyandon27August.HewaspromotedtoStaffSergeant1on8September,toworkatAustralianAdministrativeHeadquartersinLondon. 

JamesHeaneyremainedasaStaffSergeantinLondonthroughout1918.Attheendof1918,hewas

granted75daysleavewithpay,from13November,1918to27January,1919.HeleftEnglandtocomebacktoAustraliaon7November,1919,onboardtheHTMarathon,disembarkingatMelbourneon24December,1919.Itisdifficulttotracehimafterthat,largelybecausetherewere numerous James Heaneys in Australia,andheappearstohavehadnosecondname.HewascertainlybackworkinginWilliamSt.,in1919,butcannotbetracedafterthat.Hediedon11July,1951,aged75.

Jill Fenwick

A keen-eyedlocalresidenthasrecentlyspottedanimageofinteresttoEastMelburniansinabookentitledMaps-theiruntoldstoriesbyRoseMitchellandAndrewJamesandpublishedbytheNationalArchives(UK)in2014.OriginallyprintedoncloththeimageisamapofAustraliaandNewZealand,surroundedbysmallvignettesoffourshipsandfourlocalMelbournelandmarks.Thereisaborderofoakleavesandacorns,andtheveryedgeistrimmedwithalifesizetapemeasure,showingthesizeoftheclothtobe24x24inches.ThedesignwasregisteredbyAllanArthurFletcher&Co.,afirmofdyersandcalicoprintersbasedinGlasgow.Itisthoughttohavebeenasmallscarforbandanaandpossiblyproducedforthetouristmarket.

ThefourillustrationsofMelbournearetheTownHall,theGeneralPostOffice,BourkeStreetWestandViewinFitzroyGardens.Itisthelatterwhichisofsuchinteresttous.Theviewmorespecificallyisofthestatue,‘DianaandtheStag’,acopyoftheLouvre’s‘DianaofVersailles’,andoneofmanycementcopiesoffamousstatuesdottedaroundthegardenssincethe1860s.Dianastoodatthepedestrianintersectionatthe lowest point of the Hotham Street Walkontheeasternsideofthebridge.Thevignetteshowsthatthestatuewassurroundedbyacast-ironpicketfenceandthatthecreek,too,wascordonedoffwithtimberpickets.TheStateLibraryhasinitscollectionapostcardwhichshowsanalmostidenticalviewandisprobablythesourceforthisvignette.Althoughdifferentfromhow

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thearealookstodayitisatthesametimeimmediatelyrecognisable.‘Senex’wrotetotheArgusinJanuary1864,justafterthestatue’sinstallation,mostindignantatthestatue’slocation,‘itappearstohavebeenplacedintheverybestlocalityforpassengerstobreaktheirnecksortheirnosesagainstitofadarknight,besidesobstructingthethoroughfareinthedaytime.’Hegoesontosaythatitwouldhavelookedmuchprettieramongthetreesratherthan‘downinahollow,wheretoo,inwinter,thereisusuallyalargepoolofmud.’Neverthelessitremainedthereuntilthe1930swhenalltheoldstatueswereremovedduetoneglectandvandalism.Itisarrestingtothinkthatthisstatuewasonceseenasalandmark

onaparwiththeTownHallandGPO.ThankstoJohnBalmfordfor

alertingustothisside-lightonourhistory.

Sylvia Black

Diana,FitzroyGardens.

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The Imitation Game

ThosewhowenttoseeTheImitationGame,thestoryofAlan

TuringandthegroupatBletchleyParkwhobroketheGermanEnigmaCode,maynothaverealisedthattherewas an East Melbourne connection: KeiraKnightleyplaystheroleofcryptoanalyst Joan Elisabeth Lowther Clarke,agranddaughterofArchbishopHenryLowtherClarke,AnglicanArchbishopofMelbournefrom1903-1920.Daughterofhisson,ReverendWilliamKempeLowtherClarke,JoanClarkewasaCambridgegraduatewhosucceedinherfielddespite,asDirectorMartenTyldunsaid,workinginatime‘whenintelligencewasn’treallyappreciatedinwomen’.DespiteachievingadoublefirstinMathematicsatCambridge,womenwerenotadmittedto‘fullmembershipofthebodyacademic’anddegreestofemalegraduateswerenotawardeduntilaftertheSecondWorldWar.

Jill Fenwick

I gottheideaforthiswalkafterIhadreadthebookTheHundredFootJourneybyRichardMorais.Onehundredfeetturnedintoonehundredyearsandthetworestaurantsofthebookwerereplacedbythirteenhistoricbuildings,inbeautifulEastMelbourneinsteadofthequaintvillageofLumièrein France.

StartingfromBishopscourt,thisistherouteIselectedforourgroupofabout30membersandfriends.

Bishopscourtwasdesignedin1849andcompletedin1853.ItisEastMelbourne’soldesthouseandisuniqueforremainingtruetoitsoriginalintentionasthehomeoftheAnglicanArchbishops.

1850s Allanton House 115 Grey Street.

Thisbluestonetwostoreyhouseisanotherof3002’soldestsurvivinghouses.

1860s Lisnamoe Terrace123-127 Grey Street.

Thisfinetwostoreyterraceofthreehousesbuiltin1867forJohnKennedy,agentleman.Onhisuntimelydeathagedonly35,heownedsevenhousesin3002.

1870s Enfield Place 59-61 Powlett Street.

Builtin1872,thesehandsomehouseswereconstructedinthenewlyfashionablepolychromebrickwork.An

The FebruaryHundred Year Walk

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ownerinthe1970swasMrsKathleenRichman,whowasoftentobeseenfossickingintherubbishbinsforbottlestotaketothebreweryforsaleandre-use.

1880s Torloisk 118 Vale Street.

ThisgrandhousewasbuiltforWilliamMcLean,ahardwaremerchant.William’swife,Margaret,wasaleaderinthewomen’srightsandsuffragemovementinAustralia.HerswasthefirstsignatureontheMonsterWomen’ssuffragePetitionof1891.

1890s Clydebank 16 Jolimont Terrace

AfterseveralownersClydebankwasturnedintoflatsintheearly1920s.Inthe1970sand80sitwasreincarnatedas VFA House (Victorian Football Association).

1900s Tanui 194 George Street.

MrFrederickMurraypurchasedthesitein1908whenitwasdecidedtobuildStPaul’sCathedralinthecityinsteadofEast Melbourne.

1910s Nelson Square 105 -113 Simpson Street.

NelsonSquarewasoriginallydesignedasflats,basedonanAmericanmodelreferredtoasa‘twoflathouse’.The‘twoflathouses’arenowfivesingledwellings.

1920s Avon Court 119 Gipps Street

Builtin1926forAnastasiaDouglasanddesignedasaboardinghouse,Anastasiahadreconfiguredthehouse

asflatsbythetimeofherdeathin1963,andsotheyremaintoday.1930sRegentsGate53PowlettStreet.Builtin1939,thestudioapartmentsweredesignedasBachelorFlatsbyBernardEvanswhobecameoneofVictoria’slargestdevelopers.HewasLordMayorofMelbournefrom1958–60andknightedin1962.

1940s Belgravia Square 155 Powlett Street.

Completedin1941anddesignedandbuiltbyRGRussell,whowasbestknownasthefounderofRepco,thewell-knownsupplierofautomotiveparts.

ChangingPlaces–100Yearsof Domestic Architecture in East MelbourneandJolimont,thereferenceforthewalk,canbepurchasedfor$10.Please contact a committee member if youareinterested.

Rosemarie Smith

Wednesday, 22 April, at 8.00 p.m.

InatalkentitledFarewell,DearPeople:Australia’sGiftedLostGenerationofWorldWar1,RossMcMullenwilltakeusthroughsomeofthemanystoriesofwastedpotentialhehasuncoveredduringhisresearchintothelivesofthosewhofoughtinWW1.Basedonhisrecentbook, Farewell Dear People

At Clarendon Terrace, 210 Clarendon Terrace, East Melbourne

NB This is the 4th Wednesday and not our usual 3rd.

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