[Editor: This postcard, which incorporates a photo of a group of Australian soldiers, is from the era of the First World War (1914-1918). The card was written by Walter Frank Rose. The postcard is undated.]
Group of Australian soldiers
[Front of postcard]
[Photo of a group of four Australian soldiers.]
[Reverse of postcard]
[Handwritten text.]
Top row:—
L. S. Downs (from Chas Gilbert, not Bayard’s, his brother)
(2) Yours truly
Front row:—
Percy Williams from Dalgety’s, father’s head teacher at Chermside S. Sch.
Last but not least is Tom Spode.
We had to give in our own caps in Egypt, so all are supposed to wear the hats. They are greatly liked over here by the other forces.
[No identifying information about the manufacturer was included on the postcard.]
Source:
Original document
Editor’s notes:
Dimensions (approximate): 140 mm. (width), 89 mm. (height).
Featured in this photograph are four soldiers (gunners) from the 15th Battery, 5th Field Artillery Brigade:
I) (top left) Lawrence Stanley Downs.
Born: Darnall, Sheffield, United Kingdom (1894).
Date of enlistment: 19 July 1915 (in Brisbane, Queensland).
Service number: 7472.
Unit: 5th Field Artillery Brigade.
Age at date of enlistment: 21.
Address at date of enlistment: Shafton Road, Brisbane, Queensland.
Trade or calling: Draper’s assistant.
Marital status: Married.
Religion: Church of England.
Date of embarkation: 18 November 1915.
Returned to Australia 19 February 1919.
Final Rank: Sergeant.
He was wounded in action.
Died: 2 July 1981.
See: 1) “Sergeant Lawrence Stanley Downs”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra) [documents 4, 7, 9, 27: wounded]
2) “First World War Nominal Roll: Sergeant Lawrence Stanley Downs”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
3) “Lawrence Stanley Downs”, Discovering Anzacs
4) “Downs Lawrence Stanley: SERN 7472”, Discovering Anzacs
5) “Death registration: Lawrence Stanley Downs”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Queensland Government)
See also: “Postcard: 7472 Sgt. Lawrence Stanley Downs, 5th Field Artillery Brigade, AIF. Enlisted: 19/7/1915, RTA: 19/2/1919-”, Missing Soldiers of Fromelles Discussion Group [photo of Lawrence Stanley Downs]
II) (top right) Walter Frank Rose. (“Yours truly”, the writer of the postcard.)
Born: South Brisbane, Queensland.
Date of enlistment: 19 July 1915 (in Brisbane, Queensland).
Regimental number 7474.
Unit: 5th Field Artillery Brigade.
Age at date of enlistment: 25.
Address at date of enlistment: Merivale-street, South Brisbane, Queensland.
Trade or calling: Printer.
Marital status: Single.
Religion: Church of England.
Date of embarkation: 18 November 1915. Ship: HMAT Persic A34.
Returned to Australia: 13 February 1917.
Date of discharge: 22 June 1917.
Rank: Gunner.
He was wounded in action, in France.
Died: 8 February 1968.
See: 1) “Gunner Walter Frank Rose”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
2) “First World War Embarkation Roll: Walter Frank Rose”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
3) “ROSE Walter Frank: Service Number – 7474”, Discovering Anzacs) [documents 5, 23: wounded; document 20: discharge date; document 21 (Brisbane Legacy letter, 10 May 1968): death]
4) “ROSE Walter Frank: Service Number – 7474” (Casualty Form — Active Service), Discovering Anzacs
5) “Death registration: George Walter Frank Rose”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Queensland Government)
III) (bottom left) Percy Gladstone Williams.
Born: Surat, western Queensland (15 June 1898).
Date of enlistment: 24 August 1915 (in Brisbane, Queensland).
Regimental number 7475 (in some records mistakenly listed as 7476).
Unit: 5th Field Artillery Brigade.
Age at date of enlistment: 18.
Address at date of enlistment: Chermside, Brisbane, Queensland.
Trade or calling: Clerk.
Marital status: Single.
Religion: Church of England.
Date of embarkation: 18 November 1915. Ship: HMAT Persic A34.
Returned to Australia: 15 May 1919.
Date of discharge: 29 August 1919.
Final Rank: Sergeant.
He was wounded in action, in 1917.
Died: [unknown].
See: 1) “Sergeant Percy Gladstone Williams” (Service number 7475), Australian War Memorial (Canberra) [document 10: discharge date; documents 12, 19-20, 26: wounded; document 17: birthplace (“Burnt. W. Queensland”)]
2) “Gunner Percy Gladstone Williams” (Service number 7476) [should be 7475], Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
3) “Williams Percy Gladstone: SERN 7475”, Discovering Anzacs
4) “Birth registration: Percey Gladstone Williams ”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Queensland Government) [Birth date: 15/06/1898; Mother: Mary Ann Hickman; Father: Lewis Williams; Registration details: 1898/C/239]
IV) (bottom right) Thomas Erroll Spode.
Born: Redhill, Brisbane, Queensland.
Date of enlistment: 19 July 1915 (in Brisbane, Queensland).
Service number 7476.
Unit: 5th Field Artillery Brigade; 2nd Divisional Ammunition Column.
Age at date of enlistment: 18.
Address at date of enlistment: Wahculma-street, South Brisbane, Queensland.
Trade or calling: Clerk.
Marital status: Single.
Religion: Church of England.
Date of embarkation: 18 November 1915. Ship: HMAT Persic A34.
Final Rank: Gunner.
He was wounded in action, in France. (The Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau file says “Wounded remained at duty”).
Died: 9 September 1917 (died of wounds); buried in the Godewaersvelde British Cemetery (plot 1, row B, grave 19), Godewaersvelde, Nord Pas de Calais, France.
Cause of death: Accidental (injuries).
See: 1) “Gunner Thomas Erroll Spode”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
2) “Driver Thomas Erroll Spode”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
3) “First World War Embarkation Roll: Thomas Erroll Spode”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
4) “Driver Thomas Erroll Dare Spode”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
5) “Driver Thomas Erroll Dare Spode”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
6) “Roll of Honour: Thomas Erroll Dare Spode”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra) [includes cause of death]
7) “Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files: Thomas Erroll Dare Spode”, Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
8) “7476 Driver Thomas Erroll Dare Spode” (Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau files: 1914-18 War: 1DRL/0428), Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
9) “Thomas Erroll Spode”, Discovering Anzacs [document 3 (Casualty Form — Active Service): “23.9.1916 … Wounded in action and remaining at duty”; document 4 (Casualty Form — Active Service, reverse side): “9.9.17 … Wd. Toe Chin Hand Rt. (Acc.) Frac. Ribs (1145)”; document 5 (Field Service): “Died of accidental injuries received whilst on duty. Fractured ribs toe chin hand right”; document 8 (Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad): place of birth, Redhill, Brisbane]
It has been confirmed that Lewis Williams (father of Percy Gladstone Williams), was a teacher in Chermside (as referred to in the postcard).
See: 1) “East Moreton teachers”, The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.), 25 November 1913, p. 5 (Second Edition) [“the East Moreton Teachers’ Association … Mr. Lewis Williams, of Chermside”]
2) “Metropolitan districts”, The Brisbane Courier (Brisbane, Qld.), 9 December 1913, p. 4 [“Chermside … the head teacher, Mr. Lewis Williams”]
Bayard’s = Bayard’s emporium, a department store in Brisbane (Queensland)
See: “Bayard’s”, The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. ), 13 December 1921, p. 9 (second edition)
Charles Gilbert = a tailoring and outfitting store in Brisbane (Queensland)
See: 1) “Charles Gilbert”, The Brisbane Courier (Qld.), 11 December 1907, p. 6
2) “Charles Gilbert, Limited”, The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. ), 13 December 1921, p. 9 (second edition)
Chas = an abbreviation of the name “Charles”
Chermside = a northern suburb of Brisbane (Queensland)
Dalgety’s = a large pastoral and agricultural company, which operated throughout Australia (the name of the company changed over the years: Dalgety & Company Limited, Dalgety Australia Limited, and Dalgety Farmers Limited)
See: 1) “Dalgety & Co., Ltd.: An old firm’s history: 84 years of trading”, The Longreach Leader (Longreach, Qld.), 10 January 1930, p. 31
2) “Dalgety plc”, Wikipedia
3) “Dalgety Australia Limited”, Australian National University Archives
S. Sch. = State School (a school run by the state, a government school, not a private school)
Tom = an abbreviation of the name “Thomas”
[Editor: For ease of reading, punctuation has been inserted as deemed appropriate.]
[Editor: Changed “Dalgetty’s” to “Dalgety’s”.]
Dear Ed. A few thoughts about aspects of this photograph.
1. “Chas Gillbank”: I think that Gillbank might instead be Gelberts or Gilberts (cannot see a dot on the “i” though for that second alternative).
2. This person does not feature in your further research on names mentioned in the photo.
3. Instead, you give details on “Walter Frank Rose”; which name I cannot see mentioned anywhere on the card. So do you have an alternative source for interposing that name? Or am I missing the bleeding obvious somewhere perhaps?
4. You transcribe “… not Bayana’s …”. I wonder if, instead this might be “not Bayard’s”.
5. You transcribe “… Churnside …”. I feel that this might instead be transcribed as Chermside — nowadays an outer suburb of Brisbane.
6. Similarly in Percy Williams’ military history, 7th line from the start of it, his address at enlistment is probably to be transcribed at Chermside — at a guess, as I have not looked at the military papers at all.
As always, hoping that you find my thoughts to be constructive, and not harping.
Thank you for your detailed comments. Good input, as always.
1. That was a good call on the spelling “Gilbert’s”.
After doing further research, it was discovered that “Charles Gilbert” was a tailoring and outfitting store in Brisbane.
A search of Trove newspapers for “Charles Gilbert” shows various references to the store, with Queensland papers giving approximately 40k hits, and the other states approximately 2k hits or less (presumably most of the interstate hits would be in relation to people with the name Charles Gilbert).
It appears that this sentence in the postcard refers to two retail stores.
Apparently L. S. Downs worked for Charles Gilbert (the tailoring and outfitting store) — in contradistinction to his brother, who worked for Bayard’s emporium (a department store).
2. An entry for “Charles Gilbert” has been added to the Editor’s Notes.
3. That was my mistake in not fully explaining the details of the postcard (when I re-read it, I saw that it was as clear as mud on that issue).
The postcard was written by Walter Frank Rose, who refers to himself in the postcard as “Yours truly”.
The postcard was purchased from an antique store, which had other items relating to Walter Frank Rose (presumably part of an estate lot).
The authorship of the postcard’s text has now been made clearer in the post.
4. That was a good call (again) on the spelling “Bayard’s”.
An entry for “Bayard’s” has been added to the Editor’s Notes.
5. Looking at the number of rises in the word (as written in the postcard), it appears to spell “Churmside” (although perhaps the writer inadvertently included one rise too many).
A search of Trove newspapers shows entries for places in Queensland named Chermside, Chernside, and Churnside.
See: 1) “[Trove search: Chermside; Place: Queensland]”,
2) “Tagged: Chernside”,
3) “Tagged: Churnside”,
However, your suggestion of Chermside (Brisbane) makes sense, especially in the context of the postcard mentioning Brisbane stores, and the four soldiers in the postcard all being from Brisbane.
Most importantly, research has turned up articles regarding Lewis Williams (father of Percy Gladstone Williams), who was a teacher in Chermside (as referred to in the postcard).
References regarding Lewis Williams have now been added to the Editor’s Notes.
An entry for “Chermside” has been added to the Editor’s Notes.
6. You are absolutely correct. Percy Williams’ AIF Attestation Paper gives his next of kin as “Mother, Mrs. M. A. Williams, Chermside, Brisbane” (“[ document 1]”). His details have now been corrected.
7. (An extra note) I was unable to find a reference to “Walgetty’s”.
Considering the other references in the postcard, one would reasonably assume that it was a store, or some other place of employment. However, an internet search revealed nothing relevant, nor did a Trove search (mainly giving results regarding the town of Walgett, in the Walgett Shire, New South Wales). Whilst determining the meaning of “Walgetty’s” is not essential to the post, it would be nice to include it, but I am currently stumped on that one.
Hello again Ed. Thank you for your nice comments in response to my last comment on here. Much appreciated. I ended up hoping that I was not construed as ‘harping’, when I should instead have used “carping”. Grrr… at myself.
Now, on to the real reason for this response: WALGETTY’s.
As always, I have NOT tried to research this any further — and you do the Trove searches so well anyway — tee hee; BUT, now I think that it is NOT “Walgetty’s”; but instead it starts with a “D”, making it Dalgetty’s — a trading firm very well utilised by the farming community and others. Over to you. Best wishes. Raymond.
Thank you for your additional comment.
The start of the word looked like a “W”; but you are right, it is a not quite fully formed “D”.
So that makes the word “Dalgetty’s” [sic: Dalgety’s, with one “t”].
Well-spotted!
An entry for “Dalgety’s” has been added to the Editor’s Notes.