Thursday 7 March 2024

The Story of John (Jack) Browning / Memories ... March 8

This post tells the story of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, John (Jack) Browning  1885 - 1917.
I'm publishing this post on the anniversary of his passing.


 In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)


John (known as Jack) Browning





  • John was born on the 4th of November 1885, on the family farm Rosehill, near Blakebrook, in the Northern Rivers region of  New South Wales.

  • His first name was recorded as John on his birth certificate.  He was however more commonly known as Jack for most of his life.




  • The names John and Jack were used interchangeably on various records throughout his lifetime, which made research quite difficult.  During this post I will combine the names and refer to him as John (Jack).

  • According to the information recorded on John's (Jack's) birth certificate, he came into the world as the 11th child born to Joseph Edward Browning and Elizabeth (Eliza) Browning nee Wilson.

  • There had apparently been seven children living when John (Jack) was born and three that had passed away.  I have only found records pertaining to nine children born before John (Jack) came into the world.  

  • Those nine siblings and the two who were born after John (Jack) were:
         - Henry Joseph born in 1864
         - Mary was born in 1866 and tragically died that same year
         - Susanna born in 1867
         - Joseph born in 1870, but sadly died six years later
         - William born in 1873
         - Amelia born in 1875
         - Sarah Ann born in 1878
         - James born in 1881
         - Samuel Joseph born in 1883
         - Francis born in 1889
         - Robert Albert born in 1892

  • Growing up on the family farm near Blakebrook amidst his siblings, John (Jack) not only learned the intricacies of farm life, but also the trade of a teamster, following in the footsteps of his father who plied that trade well into his 60s.  

  • As a young adult, John (Jack) and his brothers Henry, Samuel, and William left the family farm and took charge of the family teamster business; work that was vital to the timber industry in the region.

  • Teamsters had a team of either horses or bullocks and carried items/goods from one place to another for a living.  At that time, the timber industry was flourishing and was, by far, the most important industry in the district. John (Jack) and his brothers, like many teamsters in the area, obtained felled and sawn timber from the timber cutters, and hauled it to the sawmill in nearby Lismore.



  • The 1913 Electoral Record shows that John (Jack), aged 28, was living in Nimbin, north of Lismore, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales and his occupation was listed as 'teamster'.

  • The following year bought news from overseas that was about to change the course of John's (Jack's) life significantly.  Mid-1914 saw the beginning of the global conflict known as The Great War.

  • The outbreak of World War 1 prompted John (Jack) to answer the call of duty.  He enlisted on the 16th of November, 1915.



  • John (Jack) enlisted under the name of Jack, not John, at the age of 30 (although his attestation papers listed him as 26 years old).

  • After enlistment, John (Jack) was sent to training camp at Enoggera in Queensland where training lasted for several months.

  • When friends discovered that John (Jack) would be given leave to spend the 1916 New Year with his parents, they organised an enormous farewell celebration.  A rather detailed account of this farewell was published in a Lismore newspaper after the event (and both names - John and Jack - were used in this account!).





  • The article mentions that "in three days sufficient donations were received to enable (the) ... purchase (of) ... a handsome wristlet watch.  Invitations were issued, and fully sixty people availed themselves of the opportunity of attending this pleasant function, which was held in the spacious dining room, kindly lent by Mr. and Mrs. Jos. (Joseph) Browning, Sen. for the occasion."   So. the dining room of John's parents' home was decorated and turned into a function room for around sixty people.  It must have been a rather spacious room!
         It's also noted that around "33 members of the Browning family" attended! It sounds 
          to me as if it was a very close family and they took the chance to spend precious time 
          with John before he shipped off to fight overseas.

  • The article goes on to state "The chairman spoke of the great respect and esteem in which the guest was held, and then called on Miss May Browning to fasten the watch on Jack's wrist."  I think the degree to which John was respected in the community was made clear in the last part of the article.  After the dancing and merriment ended around midnight, the chairman "called on all present to assemble together as he still had another pleasant duty to perform.  The residents of Blakebrook and districts had subscribed a very nice autograph album to be present by Private Browning to his parents as a keepsake.  Mr. Maher called on all present to sign their names in the book, and in a neat speech asked Jack to hand this book to his aged parents as a memento of the pleasant evening he had spent with parents and friends."

          What a deeply moving gesture!   




  • During his training period, John (Jack) appears to have moved through various battalions, according to his active service record. 
    • Soon after enlistment John (Jack) joined the 34th Battalion "D" Company.
    • On February 2nd 1916 he moved to the 36th Battalion "A" Company.
    • John (Jack) then moved to the 42nd Battalion "A" Company on the 16th of February 1916.
    • He was taken on strength by the 42nd Battalion "A" Company of the 15th of April 1916.

HMAT A30 Borda  (photo taken 1916)
Description:  Troops on board HMAT Borda prior to departure, with well-wishers on the wharf 
holding paper streamers connecting them to the men on the ship.
Photo sourced from the Australian War Memorial website
Copyright expired - Public Domain


  • After the completion of training at Thompson's Paddock Camp, at Enoggera Barracks in Queensland, John's (Jack's) unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A30 Borda on the 5th of June 1916.

  • John (Jack) disembarked at Southampton, England on the 23rd of July 1916.  There was a further training period in England at the Lark Hill training camp, on the Salisbury Plain, before he proceeded overseas to France on the 25th of November 1916.  By this time, John was 31 years old.

  • In the trenches of France, John (Jack) became a member of a Lewis Gun Team, a crucial role in the evolving tactics of semi-open warfare.

A Lewis Gun Team on a duckboard trail 1917
Source:  Australian War Memorial
Copyright expired - Public Domain



From 'The Interplay between Technology, Tactics and Organisation in the First AID', Ross Mallett.  MA (Hons) Thesis, Australian Defence Force Academy 1999.  Chapter 4 'Semi-Open Warfare'
"Important tactical and organisational developments occurred over the winter (1916-1917).  One major tactical and organisational change was the organisation of the infantry.  ... the original allocation of Lewis guns of four per battalion was gradually increased to twelve at the of July 1916.  ... In December, enough Lewis guns became available to give each infantry battalion sixteen guns and BEF GHQ decided to allocate one to each platoon while still allowing for them to be pooled at company level if need be. 

 

A Lewis gun section (of a platoon) consisted of nine fully trained Lewis gunners, although there was only one Lewis gun.  The section leader was a sergeant or corporal.  He allotted fields of fire, arranged reliefs, and recorded ammunition expenditure and breakages.  Each squad had a gunner, the man who carried the gun into action and fired it.  ... An assistant stuck close to the gunner, ready to replace the gunner if he was hit and helping the gunner in any way possible with loading and breakages.  ... In action, the assistant lay beside the gunner ... From this position, he could also provide the gunner with moral support and take over more quickly if the gunner became a casualty. 

 

The rest of the team were riflemen doubling as ammunition carriers, scouts and observers.  Each rifleman carried 50 rounds of rifle ammunition.  One rifleman carried four to eight Lewis gun magazines and maintained close touch with the gunner and assistant, ready to replace the assistant if either the assistant or gunner became a casualty.  Two were lightly loaded scouts, moving ahead of the gun, locating targets and observing for the gun when necessary while the second scout could be used as a messenger when the gun was in position.  The remaining three were ammunition carriers with six magazines each."


  •  Each Lewis Gun Team accounted for 1 Lewis gun and 2068 rounds of ammunition.
           No. 1, the man who fired the Lewis gun, carried the gun which weighed over 12                     kilos.

           No. 2, the loader, carried 4 magazines, a tool kit and spare parts.

           No. 3, the main ammo supplier / retriever, carried 4 magazines.

           Nos. 4 & 5 were scouts.
 
           Nos. 6, 7 & 8 were extra ammo suppliers and carried 12 magazines each.

           (Nos. 1 & 2 also had a pistol.  The others carried their full kit and a rifle.)

           This team-based system meant that the Lewis gunners were able to operate almost 
           as independent units, acting both in defensive positions within a trench or in               
           support of a raid on enemy tranches by giving covering fire from no-man's land. 


  • John (Jack) was the No. 1 in his team, a position that required skill, courage and precision.


  • Despite being wounded in action on the 2nd of February 1917, he remained on duty.  I have not yet found any details about the type of wound he suffered, and the family, who received this news via telegram on the 20th of February, were none the wiser either.

  • Whilst John (Jack) had seemingly been fortunate in February, his fate took a tragic turn the following month. On the 8th of March 1917, John was killed in action near Armentieres, France.

  • The Browning family, who had bid a heartfelt farewell to John just a few months earlier, received the devastating news of his sacrifice.


  • A notice appeared in the local Lismore newspaper a couple of weeks later.  It mentioned Mrs. Roy Hancock, John's sister Sarah Ann, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Browning, John's parents.  Interestingly, the paragraph relating to Sarah Ann has John's name recorded as 'Jock', but then the following paragraph relating to John's parents has his name recorded as 'John'.  Perhaps he was also affectionately known to some as Jock!!



  • A little gem that appeared in the same local newspaper a few months later was the publication of a letter received from Private Harley on the front line in France.  In this letter, Harley mentions the death of John (Jack):
"The river boys (meaning the Richmond River near Lismore) have been pretty lucky in our battalion so far, only one that I know of being killed, and that was Jack Browning, from Lismore, one of the biggest and best."

          Just another reminder of the esteem in which John was held by those who knew him.



  •  The letter of sympathy written by Major A. R. Heron, on behalf of the Commandant of the 42nd Battalion, and sent to John's (Jack's) parents was published in the Lismore newspaper in May of 1917.  That letter presented information about the nature of John's (Jack's) death, which I did not find included in his war service record.
John was "killed instantly by a shell which hit him in the chest during a bombardment."

The words "He was a valuable man and was employed on a special branch of the service, which demanded coolness and courage in the face of great danger, a duty which he always performed very satisfactorily" speaks to the good character of this man.



 

  • John (Jack) was buried at the Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery in Armentieres, France.





  • His headstone can be found in Plot IV, Row F, Grave No. 7.

























  • John's (Jack's) name is also commemorated on the Wall of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.




         While visiting the War Memorial recently, I stopped at Panel 135 to pay my respects.

  • John's (Jack's) name is commemorated in a couple of other places as well ....


  • It appears on the front panel of the Nimbin District War Memorial in Nimbin, New South Wales.


Opening of the Nimbin District War Memorial on the 24th of May 1921
Photo sourced from the Virtual War Memorial website
(https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/8305)

  • This memorial in Nimbin was unveiled in 1921, and I have no doubt some of his family were there that day and likely in the photo that was taken.


  • John's (Jack's) name also appears on the Great War Wall of Honour at St. Mark's Anglican Church in Nimbin, in the Lismore Municipality.  You can see it top left in the photo above.

  • John (Jack) was survived by both his parents(although his father passed away just eight months later, in November 1917) and all nine siblings who had survived into adulthood.

Northern Star Sat 8 Mar 1919 p. 8  Family Notices


  • John (Jack) was obviously remembered with love and missed dearly as his family were placing notices in local newspapers on the anniversary of his death for a number of years. 

  • One of John's (Jack's) siblings also enlisted and served in WW1.  His youngest brother, Robert Albert Browning, enlisted just a month after the death of John (Jack), in April of 1917. He headed overseas in August that year, but by April of 1918, Robert was reported as suffering with neurasthenia and identified for an early return home.  Whilst the war did not claim the life of this sibling, it left its mark on his emotional health, as was often the case. 


Saturday 24 February 2024

The Story of Erice Sylvester Connors

 This is the story of my paternal Grand Uncle, Erice Sylvester Connors,




  • Erice was born on the 24th of January 1892 at the family farm named 'Far Meadow' outside Berry, in the Shoalhaven Region of New South Wales.  The birthplace is recorded as Meroo, as that was the nearest small town to the family farm.

  • He was the youngest of ten children born to Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins.

  • The children born before Erice were:
           - Mary Ellen born in 1874
           - John Edgar born in 1876
           -William Adolphus born in 1878
           - George Thomas (my grandfather) born in 1880
           - Alice Adelaide born in 1882
           - James Alfred born in 1884
           - Percy Jerome born in 1886
           - Cyril Ernest born in 1888
           - Frederick Augustus born in 1890

  • Erice wasn't a common first name at the time, nor indeed a common family name.  I'm unsure of the reasoning for this choice by my great grandparents, given the more conventional choices for all his siblings. 

  • Throughout his lifetime, Erice was mostly called 'Eric', although he was also affectionately known as 'Ted' by friends.  I suppose that was because his actual Christian name was a tad unusual and was rarely used by anyone who knew him.  

  • When researching 'Erice' as a first name, I did not find many reliable sources of information.  Some say it's a female name.  Some say it's a name for males.  Some say it's a unisex name.  Some say it's of English origin.  Most don't appear to know the origin of the name at all.  It seems to be quite a rare name altogether, so I'm left dazed and very confused about why my great grandparents would choose such a name.

  • I did find out that there was apparently an ancient Greek name, spelt Eryx, which was the name of an ancient Greek hero.  I doubt very much that my great grandparent had any knowledge of ancient Greek heroes. 

  • Further searching revealed there is an historic town named Erice in Sicily, and it sits atop Mount Erice.  The town changed its name from Monte San Giuliano to Erice in 1934.  That would not have been known by my great grandparents., who both died before 1934, so that obviously played no part in the naming of their youngest child.

  • I think the reasoning behind the name of my paternal Granduncle will remain a mystery.  His name however will live long in our family's history.

Here's his story:
  • Growing up on the family dairy farm ' Far Meadow' near Berry, Erice and his siblings would have learned all the ins and outs of farm life, supporting their father with the work involved in running a dairy farm.

  • Erice would have tended to all his chores before and after school, making for very long days indeed.





  • Erice was an active participant in local and school events as well.  In 1906, at just 14 years of age, Erice showcased his athleticism by placing 1st in the '75 yard sack race' and the 'wheelbarrow race' during the Public Schools Carnival, held in Nowra.  He placed 2nd in the 'throwing at wicket' competition.  His name appeared as Eric in several newspapers at the time, including the Shoalhaven Telegraph (dated Oct 3 1906) and The Kiama Independent & Shoalhaven Advertiser (dated Oct 5 1906).

  • Tragically in December of that same year, Erice faced the loss of his older brother William Adolphus.  William had been suffering tuberculosis for at least three years and unfortunately, he died as a result of this terrible disease when he was just a young man aged 28.

  • The following year brought more sorrow to the family.  In 1907, When Erice was 15, his older brother James Alfred died as a result of burns inflicted by a fire that broke out at his workplace.  (I've written about James in this previous post:  Fire and its Tragic Consequences.  For those interested, scroll to Story 2).

  • In 1910 the Connors family experiences further heartbreak.  Erice's mother Susan died in May and then his father passed away in August.  Erice had just turned 18 at the start of that year.

  • By this stage, Erice found himself amidst a family that had dispersed, with most of his siblings leaving the family farm.  In the face of such personal loss and family change, Erice made his way to the north coast of New South Wales, joining his older brothers John, Cyril and Frederick (Fred) who had established themselves in the Richmond River area.  His eldest sister wasn't too far away either, as she was living in Brisbane with her husband John George Bates. 

  • By 1914, Erice was living with his siter Mary Ann and her husband John George on Gotha Street in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland.  Erice was working as a bread carter.

  • The spectre of World War 1 was now looming menacingly, and when England declared war on Germany, Australia was thrown into a worldwide conflict that would alter the lives of millions.

Cyril Ernest Connors, older brother of Erice
Photo taken around time of enlistment - 1914


  • Erice's older brother Cyril Ernest had enlisted early, in October of 1914.



  • Erice himself answered the call for duty, enlisting for the Great War on the 28th of September 1915.   He signed his attestation papers with the signature 'E. S. Connors'.  Despite the fact that his name was recorded at the top as 'Erice Sylvester Connors', when I was searching for his war service record I found it had been created under the name of 'Eric Sylvester Connors'.

(The following details of Erice's war service were sourced from his War Service Record & "Stories of the Somme: The Soldiers of the Great War", a Weebly webpage written by Micheal & Donna Fiechtner).

HMAT Wandilla
Description:  Troop Transport HMAT Wandilla (A62) preparing to sail from Pinkenba Wharf on Jan 1916 with Australian troops onboard. Relatives and friends farewell the troops from the dockside.
Copyright expired - in public domain
Sourced from the Australian War Memorial website



  • Erice joined the 9th Battalion 14th Reinforcements, embarking on the HMAT Wandilla from Brisbane on the 31st of December 1915. 

Active Service Record of Erice Sylvester Connors


  • His journey initially led him to Alexandria, Egypt, where the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) were preparing for deployment to France.  He disembarked at Alexandria on the 5th of March 1916.

11th Field Artillery Brigade
Description:  11th Field Artillery Brigade, near Bailleul, France 1917
Copyright expired - in Public Domain
Source:  Australian War Memorial website



  • On the 21st of April 1916, at Serapeum, Erice was taken on strength by the 11th Field Artillery Brigade, assigned the rank of 'gunner', and posted to the Brigade Ammunition Column. The 11th Field Artillery Brigade had only just been formed in February, and was attached to the 4th Division.  


  • On the 1st of June 1916, Erice sailed for France aboard the HMT Haverford, marking the beginning of his active service.  The ship docked in Marseilles on the 10th of June, and at 2.00 pm that afternoon Erice boarded a train for a three-day train ride to Le Havre, near Paris.

  • After this train journey, the brigade arrived in a relatively quiet "nursery" sector near the town of Armentieres in northern France.  The early battalions were engaged around Armentieres first as it was regarded as a good place to prepare soldiers for future engagement on the Western Front.

  • On the 17th of June 1916, Erice was transferred to the 11th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters where he took on the role of a signaller withing the Brigade Ammunition Column.  He would have been responsible for communications within the Brigade, possibly laying signal lines between HQ and the various batteries.

  • Erice was involved in major action involving Australians on the Western Front throughout the remainder of 1916.

  • The Brigade first entered the line at Fleurbaix in the Fromelles sector on the 4th of July 1916 and two days later had its first taste of battle when shelled by enemy artillery for two hours.  The Brigade returned fire during the next few days.  On the 13th of July 1916 the Brigade retired to billets at Croix du Bac, but returned to its former position in the lines within a few days.

The battlefield of Fromelles
A view from the German observation post on Fromelles church that gives an idea of the complete domination the enemy had over the battlefield on 19 July 1916.
Copyright expired - in public domain
Sourced from the Australian War Memorial website


  • Between the 19th and 20th of July, the Brigade supported the 5th Division AIF in its attack at Fromelles, and on the 22nd of July it was attached to the New Zealand Division and moved north to Armentieres where it stayed in the line until the 3rd of August.  (Information about the Battle of Fromelles can be found here:  Fromelles (Fleurbaix) 19/20 July 1916)

  • The Brigade undertook further training until the 23rd of August 1916 when it proceeded to Dickebusch near Ypres to take over from the 6th FAB of the Canadian 2nd Division.  This area was in the vicinity of Pozieres which had been taken by AIF troops in the previous weeks.

  • The 11th FAB stayed in the line until the 18th of September when it was relieved.  On the 8th of September, Erice had been invalided to the Australian Field Ambulance for a short while, as his teeth were giving him trouble.

  • The next couple of months represented a similar affair for the unit, with stints in and out of the lines.  

  • On the 14th of November 1916 the Brigade undertook a six day march from Boeschepe to Naours, returning to the Somme, where it would eventually be held in reserve until the 21st of December 1916.

Front line at Flers 1916


  • At that time his battalion took the line just north of Flers, not far from Pozieres on The Somme.  The Germans welcomed them promptly with a heavy bombardment on the 22 of December 1916.  Shrapnel fire was sustained, and the Brigade subsequently engaged in an artillery duel with the enemy on Christmas Eve.                                                                                                      (Information about the Flers/Gueudecourt Battle can be found here:  'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt /Gueudecourt Winter of 1916/1917)

  • By Boxing Day, the enemy had accurately registered its guns on the Brigade and the Australians were convinced their own gun flashes were visible to the Germans except in extremely foggy weather.

  • The conditions on the Somme were horrendous, with the winter of 1916/1917 being the worst in 40 years.  In the short time Erice had been in France, he had experienced and endured the extremely harsh conditions of the Western Front, engaging in battles and facing relentless enemy fire.

  • On the 28th of December 1916 an enemy airplane attacked the Brigade, firing its machine guns into the Batteries.  Two days later, on the 30th of December 1916, the Germans opened fire on the Brigade, whose positions it had ranged.  The fire around HQ was very heavy throughout both the morning and evening that day. 

  • At 4.00 pm a shell hit one of the HQ dugouts that functioned as a cook house where Erice was sheltering with a number of soldiers.  Erice was killed instantly along other soldiers, including Kenneth (Ken) Taylor and John (Paddy) McGrath.  In all, 344 other Australians would be killed that month.

  • The Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files have a number of records concerning Erice's death.  This suggests that enquiries were made by relatives back home in Australia, after hearing the devastating news of his death.

  • It had taken some time before family and friends knew about Erice's death.  Death notices did not appear in local newspapers until February the following year.








  • The Red Cross Wounded and Missing File indicated that Erice, acting as a Signaller for Brigade HQ, was sheltering in a dugout, reportedly having a cup of coffee with comrades Ken Taylor and John (Paddy) McGrath, when a 5.9 inch shell hit their location.  The explosion claimed Erice's life, along with the lives of his comrades and at least one other soldier, and left little evidence behind.  Erice's death was instantaneous.

  • These files included a statement by an eye witness who assisted in the burial of what remained of the all the soldiers into one grave, with a cross erected above the grave.  There were other reports stating that the soldiers were indeed buried together.

  • Burials often occurred in a field or an available clear space near where the soldiers died, but sadly these graves would often be destroyed later, as the war ravaged on.  This appears to be the case for Erice's burial place and his remains, as they have never been found. 


Erice's name on the Australian Memorial at Villers Brettoneux


Erice's name on the Wall of Honour at the Australian War Memorial



  • Erice Connors, like many others, became one of the countless soldiers with no known grave.  His sacrifice is however commemorated on the Australian Memorial at Villers Brettoneux and the Roll of Honour Wall at the Australian War Memorial, a testament to a life cut short on the brutal battlegrounds of World War 1.



  • Erice's name is projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial four times a year, ensuring his name lives on.  The next name projection is scheduled for Monday, May 13 at 12.54 am.

I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024 Challenge with this post.


This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 9  - ''Changing Names".

You can join by blogging or posting on social media with the tag #52Ancestors.

Check out Amy's FB pages:  Generations Cafe  or  Amy Johnson Crow.

Monday 19 February 2024

Memories ... February 19

Anniversary of a Birthday

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page) 



Today is the anniversary of the birth date of my paternal grandfather, George Thomas Brown.






I have written a longer, far more detailed post about my grandfather before (follow this link if you are interested in reading: The Story of George Thomas Connors), but for this 'Memories' post I will simply include some of the important events in his life.













  • George was the fourth of ten children born to Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins.

  • He was born on the 19th of February 1880 in the township of Meroo, New South Wales.

  • His siblings included 
          - Mary Ellen, born in 1874
          - John Edgar, born 1876
          - William Adolphus, born 1878
          - Alice Adelaide, born 1882
          - James Alfred, born in 1884
          - Percy Jerome, born 1886
          - Cyril Ernest, born 1888
          - Frederick Augustus, born 1890
          - Erice Sylvester, born in 1892

  • George spent his childhood years learning the work of dairy farming, following in the footsteps of his father.

  • Over his lifetime however, George was employed in various occupations.  He worked on railway gangs.  He worked as a butcher, and he also found employment at a forestry logging camp at one point.





  • In 1906, when he was 26 years old, George married Grace Brown in Lismore, New South Wales.



  • They went on to have 11 children, but sadly lost two of their children in infancy.



  • George and Grace were married for 60 years, until George passed away.




  • In 1966, at the age of 86, George died.



  • He was buried at the Gympie Cemetery.



  • George was survived by his wife and his nine children.