Coming Home Changed: The Invisible Victims of War

"My word, our boys are brave lads, frightened of nothing. I have seen nearly every different type of soldier in the world, but give me the old Australians, and I am satisfied." –  My Great Uncle, Robert Jones, wrote these words to his father in 1916.

HMAT RMS Osterley embarked Melbourne 29th September 1915 for Egypt then France 

Robert "Bob" Jones

The young men who departed Australia for war were likely full of nervous excitement.  Little did they know that over 30% of those onboard the RMS Osterley would never return home, and a further 35% would be sent back early with severe injuries.  Their journey was one of transformation;  one that would profoundly impact them and their families forever.

My grand uncle, Robert John "Bob" Jones, was one of 153 young men of the 24th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement who left Australia aboard the RMS Osterley on 29 September 1915.  He had just turned  eighteen earlier that month and was likely still grieving his mother, who had passed away only five months prior.

Bob was born on 2 September 1897 in the small mining community of Creswick, Victoria, the eldest of three children to Robert William Jones and Roseana Jones (née Atkins).  Bob worked as a miner (like his father) and lied about his age to enlist, though he was officially eighteen when he embarked.

For his first six months, Bob was stationed in various parts of Egypt.  His war records show a first stint in hospital due to "minor nose trouble" at Minya in March 1916.

A Rebel at Heart

Bob's rebellious streak was evident even before his wartime service. In 1914, as a cadet, he faced charges at the Daylesford Police Court for failing to attend compulsory drills and for breaching discipline; specifically, talking on parade several times. For these infractions, he was fined 10 shillings and confined in Queenscliff Fortress for seven days.

Though he showed a tendency to go "AWL" (absent without leave) during the war, Bob ultimately proved steadfast when it counted most.

Pozieres: A Battlefield of Survival

On 5 August 1916, Bob endured severe gunshot wounds to his left arm during extreme battle conditions at Pozieres, France. Major McSharry described this day as "the heaviest barrage the battalion ever saw." Bob was fortunate to survive the carnage, which left soldiers dead on their stretchers, alongside the stretcher-bearers.

Bob later wrote to his father: "Anyone who had come out of the previous months' heavy fighting could shake hands with himself......I never expected to emerge alive"

Despite his injuries, Bob was back in action within 20 days. By the end of 1916, of the men from Bob's ship, 20 were dead and 13 had been sent home injured.

A Heroic but Traumatised Soldier

On 30 October 1917 in France, Bob was "blown up" while manning a machine gun, sustaining shell wounds to his head and right ankle but "carried on for 5 hours till relieved" and then collapsed.  His records paint a harrowing picture of his recovery as he was unconscious for six days, followed by memory loss and a gradual loss of power in his left arm.

After months in hospitals across France and England, Bob returned to Australia on 10 April 1918 aboard the hospital ship Borda.  He was declared medically unfit on 21 November 1918, just days after the armistice.  Though he was awarded the 1914/1915 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal, his personal battles were far from over.

The Aftermath of War

Robert Jones 1966

Bob rarely spoke of the war, once reprimanding a family member with the remark: "You have no idea what we did or saw. It is better left unspoken."

His trauma remained evident throughout his life, and his war wounds extended beyond the physical. Bob named his children Lorraine (after the Battle of Lorraine), Verdon (after the infamous Battle of Verdun), and Norma (Normandy), a reflection of the battlefields that had shaped his very existence.

Our family knows little of Bob beyond official records.  My grandmother, his sister, spoke of him only briefly, mentioning the gas burns he suffered (The Somme), the metal plate in his head, and how the war irrevocably changed him.  Family stories describe him as a nomadic figure who frequented hotels, yet he was fondly remembered by my uncle as a "great old fellow" who enjoyed fishing and ferreting.

Bob spent his final years at his daughter's home in Newborough, Victoria, passing away from lung cancer and bronchopneumonia on 11 September 1967, at the age of 70.  His ashes are interred at Springvale cemetery.

Originally written for Remembrance Day 2013, this post has been rewritten and republished on ANZAC Day 2025 as we reflect on the sacrifices of those who served; not only those who fell, but also the ones who returned forever changed.

LEST WE FORGET.

Hats in Time

Believed to be the wedding of Edith Bound and Eduard Geyer in 1886

 

In days of old, a hat did hold

A charm and grace, a tale untold.

Upon the head, it sat with pride,

A symbol of style, a dashing stride.

Eva Pilgrim (nee Blythman)

A gentleman's hat, so debonair,

Topped with feathers or ribbon fair.

A touch of class, a dash of flair,

A hat that spoke of savoir faire.

Bessie and Abel Bound with Mrs Excell and Ruby Bound
Estimated to be 1890

For ladies fair, a hat adorned,

With flowers, ribbons and lace adorned.

A fashion statement, a work of art,

A hat to captivate every heart.

Unknown Lady, Great Aunty Eve Walker and Great Aunty Madeline Walker

In times gone past, a hat was worn,

To shield from sun or bracing morn.

A protective shield, a shield of shade,

A hat to don on every escapade.

Great Grandparents Mary and Ambrose Walker with horses Buzz & Silver
We believe the child is Aunty Phyllis Walker - about 1930

Oh, hats of old, we long to see,

The elegance and grace you used to be.

Though fashion changes, trends may sway,

Your timeless charm will never fade away.

I love the way that my grandfather, Gordon Walker, is looking at my nanna, Rita
At the wedding of my Aunty & Uncle in 1965

So let us raise our hats up high,

To bygone days and days gone by.

For in those hats, a story told, 

Of fashion style, and stories old.

Caroline "Carrie" Warner

Inspired by Sepia Saturday Click to see more posts.

                                       

Vroom Vroom

We take our cars for granted.  Airconditioning, reversing camera's and GPS are relatively standard to us.  Our ancestors would never have dreamed of these features 100 years ago!

1925
My Grandmother, Rita Walker (nee Jones) 
I wonder if she hated the photo so tried to destroy it?

1928
Almond Dale, Winiam
James, Mabel, Lorna and Hazel Pilgrim (rear)
"The Chev was the third car, but first new car" of my Great Grandparents

1929
My Great Great Grandmother, Edith Geyer (nee Bound). 
She died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in 1937.

March 1929
Back to Nhill
Victoria Street, Nhill

August 1932
My Grandfather, Allan Scott

1933
My Grandmother, Eva Scott (nee Pilgrim), May Johnston,
Sadie Johnston, Mrs. Johnston (back)

Bob Pilgrim's car
Nhill

My Grandfather, Gordon Walker's Austin
Tarraville

My favourite photo has been left to last.  My mother is the youngest child. 

1949
Scott Family
Eva, Joy (front), Jean, Don, Rob, Allan

I wonder what cars shall look like in another 50 or 100 years?  Driverless?  Flying? Or something unimagined?

This Post was inspired by Sepia Saturday.  Click to peruse the other blogs.

Hoarder? Collector? Keeper of Memories?

 Did you know that the days & dates in 1966, 1977, 2005, 2011, and 2022 align?  

My father recently located a number of old calendars.  I immediately put the 1972 calendar on the wall thinking that it matched this year (2022).  However, I turned the page today and realised that 1972 was a leap year!  So the calendar is only useful January and February in 2022!  And what are the chances, but I am missing the years that I could use!  Darn!

I shall keep the calendar on the wall until the end of February 2022

Around every corner in our home, is a different memory.  EVERYTHING on display in our home has a meaning or memory. 

No longer are collections hidden in the cupboard.  They are on display for our enjoyment.

For years the badges were in a container in the cupboard,
but they are now on display

The bookcase below is older than I am.  Mum always had medical encyclopedias in it. Now it contains World Book encyclopedias.  My inlaws invested in these encyclopedias in 1972 to assist my husband and his brother with their learning. 

I am extremely grateful to my cousin for giving me the beautiful ruby block butter dish.  It is EAP Glass which was produced from 1850 to 1914.  This one is estimated to be from 1894. I suspect that this may have been a 40th wedding anniversary gift, passed down through several generations.  Perhaps a gift from my Great Grandparents Ambrose and Mary Walker (nee Mottram) to my Great Great Grandparents Alexander and Ellen Walker (nee Rowe) who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on 20th July 1908.  Or was it a gift to Mary's parents, my Great Great Grandparents, Samuel and Elizabeth Mottram (nee Gourley), who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on 27th January 1915?

My father has made me two replicas of this bookcase for side tables in the loungeroom

Every time that I look at the pair of candelabra I think of a deceased friend, Bill Terhorst.   Bill was an engineer and very clever.  He learned blacksmith skills from one of his relatives and made two of these, with the assistance of my husband.  

The good luck charm was purchased in China while I was on a trip with my daughter.

Hand-made by Bill Terhorst.

The small tea-pot belonged to my Nanna.  Several of her grandchildren remember cups of tea being made in it.
The kettle with the green lid was always on our stove growing up.  The fruit bowl (full of knick knacks) belonged to my nanna also.

The tea tin was a container for cereal when we were children.
The canisters were purchased from Bendigo Pottery when we visited friends.
The coffee grinder belonged to my husband's parents (and is of German origin)
The scales were from my days as a bank teller before coin-counting became digital.

The crystal cabinet belonged to Great Grandma Walker and was given to me by another cousin for safekeeping.  It was one of the first things I saw when I walked in the front door of my grandparents.  Nanna always had jelly beans for us, hiding behind a picture on the crystal cabinet.

The dancing doll in the bottle is another beautiful memory of my nanna, who would wind it up for me over and over again when I was a little girl.

The above barometer is one of a large number of pigeon flying trophies. 
My father in law won the VHA Long Distance Average in 1977

The dining room is full of memories. These are only a few examples.
On our honeymoon, we were chased down the road by a vendor eager to sell his wares.  We ended up purchasing the hand-carved cobra walking stick for $5, to stop him from following us.
The ice bucket and trays are VHA pigeon racing trophies.
The cup was given to my parents upon my birth by the masonic lodge.
The crockery is part of a set that belonged to my maternal great grandmother, Mabel Pilgrim (nee Geyer), but it has been broken up and shared among the family.
The goblets belonged to my mother in law.  They were always on display in her wall unit

The purple lamp was used on the kitchen table by my grandmother prior to electricity.
The iron lamp was a wedding present to my Great Grandparents,  Ambrose and Mary Walker, from the bride's father, Samuel Mottram.
The copper picture brings back memories of my grandfather, Gordon Walker, as it was on the wall of my grandparents home when I was a child.
Just out of view is a picture from Disneyland, a scent lamp which a gift from past colleagues/friends, and an urn from a visit to Turkey.

The knitting machine and cupboard belonged to my maternal grandfather, Allan Scott, who purchased them when he returned from World War II, to make socks for the soldiers.
The piano accordion (in the case) was my mothers when she was a child.
The hat was from when my husband was in the army.
The handbag belonged to my mother-in-law.
Mum made the tablecloth with hobbytex

I have given you a small taste of our eclectic style.  Some may think that I am a hoarder.  Others with say that I am a collector.  But I consider myself to be the keeper of memories. I have a book of photographs of all the memorabilia, which includes a description of its origin.  If something happens to me, others will also know the significance.

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This post was inspired by Sepia Saturday 606.

It started with calendars but finished with memorabilia!

Click on the picture to read other posts

Barn Yard Capers!

"I did not think you would get involved in this Barn Yard caper" 

I can still hear my grandmother's disgust when she made a surprise visit in 1989 and became aware that I was living with my boyfriend (who is now my husband of more than 30 years).

Gran was very proper and had a religious upbringing.  She did not believe in cohabitation. If only she had known!!

Gran had always told me that her grandparents were married on the 2nd Feb 1886.  Several family history books confirmed this.

I found it very curious when I ordered a marriage certificate and found that the actual date of marriage was 2nd February 1888, not 1886!

Edward Geyer and Edith Bound were married in February 1888

Their eldest child, my Great Grandmother, was born 20th April 1888, being two and a half months after her parents married.

Edward and Edith Geyer's eldest child was born in April 1888.

It seems that over several generations, my grandmother was the only one who was not "involved in the Barn Yard capers"

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This is the fourth post in the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge

#52ancestorsin52weeks

This week's prompt is 'curious'