Duplication in centenary of World War One projects :

As we approach the centenary of World War One, we have come across other projects similar to those we are undertaking in Ryde and to a certain extent there will be some duplication across the country, with everyone wanting to claim some connection to the famous and infamous.

At this point our project’s main focus is on those men and women who have any connection to the Ryde Municipality before or during WWI. The connection might be like that of David Chestnut (in our first blog story), a lad who was born and educated locally, with strong family ties to the district that left his name recorded on 4 different war memorials within the Municipality.

Others, like Henry Oscar Nelson, were born in New Zealand and only moved to Ryde in the years before the war. Some names that have made our lists contain only a brief connection to the district with the only connection being found to be their birthplace, or the address of their next of kin. There are still a number of others that remain for us to puzzle out what their connection could be.

What we have found is that many can be claimed by more than just the Ryde district, also having connections to other regions, both before and after the war. Two of our more famous names fall into this category.

Matron Bessie Pocock, was born in 1863 at Dalby, Queensland. By 1876, her family had settled to a small acreage at The Punchbowl, near Grafton, NSW. She first joined the New South Wales Army Nursing Service Reserve in 1899 and enlisted for service in the South African War. Later in life she became the Matron of Gladesville Hospital between 1911-14. After the war she resumed her position as matron at Gladesville until 1924 when she established a convalescent hospital at Chatswood. While the Ryde district is not her place of birth or death, her connection to our district is remembered by her listing on the Gladesville Hospital Honour Board, Ryde Town Hall Honour Rolls and on Christ Church Memorial Gates at Gladesville.

Another example is the poet, Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson, who was born in Orange, NSW, in 1864. He spent much of his school years with his widowed grandmother, poet Emily Barton,  at her home, Rockend Cottage in Gladesville. Banjo’s connection to our district is also remembered on the Ryde Town Hall Honour Rolls.  His connection to the Orange District has also been made with a recent post on their “Centenary of World War One in Orange”  site:

http://www.centenaryww1orange.com.au/people/banjo-paterson/

Where we find any similar WWI projects, we will add them to our blog watch list or list the links.  Everyone on our list has a story to tell, some are just local, others national, we mightn’t get to them all but in the coming years we hope to find and share many of their stories.

Project up-date - May 2012:

By the end of April 2012 we have added more names to our list with a possible connection to the Ryde District prior to WWI.

To date:

• We have found a total of 1819 names ( but many are still just a surnames and initials)
• We have identified 992 by finding their full names and/or service numbers - that's 54.5% found!
• It leaves 827 names still to be identified.
• From the total - we have also found 339 (- that's 18.6%) were killed in action or died of wounds.

But just identifying them isn't enough, our volunteer team have divide the list and started looking for any more information they can find to connect them to the Ryde district.

We have started a points system for the information we find - each connection to the District we find gives them more points!
 - so far the leading lad is David Chestnut (see - A Gallipoli story ... the previous Anzac week blog)

A Gallipoli story - David Chestnut a “local hero” before and after WWI :

In August 1915, Ryde local paper, The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers’ Advocate printed : 'Private David Chestnut of Ryde is now officially reported to be “missing”. '

David was already a local hero prior to his enlistment. Described as an all-round athlete, he had captained the Ryde Football Club in the previous year and he had also rescued a boy from drowning in the Parramatta River, for which he had been honoured with a life-saving certificate. David Chestnut’s story is but one of the many we are searching to uncover in the Ryde goes to War Project.

Private David Chestnut
born 1890, Ryde

When David enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces on 7 September 1914, he was 24 years old. The son of William & Lizzie Chestnut, fruitgrowers from Regent Street, Ryde, he was working as a carpenter. He left Australia in board the Transport A38 Ulysses on 22 December 1914, as part of the 13th Battalion. From Alexandra he departed for the Gallipoli peninsula.

After surviving the Gallipoli landing, it was during one of the following nights that David went missing. He was reported as leaving his dugout on Pope’s Hill to fill water bottles and never returned. He was formally listed as missing in action on 2 May 1915, but it was not until after a Court of Inquiry held at Serapeum, Egypt in April 1916 that David was officially listed as Killed in Action on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

David’s personal effects which included a Housewife (mending kit), 3 brushes, prayer book and postage stamps were subsequently returned to his mother, Lizzie in Ryde.

David’s contribution was remembered on 4 different war memorials within the Municipality of Ryde:

·         The Ryde Public School Honour Board

·         Ryde Wesley Uniting Church Honour Roll (at the time of WWI- it  was the local Wesleyan Methodist Church),

·         Ryde Town Hall Honour Rolls,

·         Ryde Civic Centre Memorial Book.