lynniegirl on Family Tree Circles

Morning all.
I am trying to locate missing links in the family
Dorothy Ruth McDonald B:22 Oct 1933 D:2004 &
Robert MILLAR B: 1926 no other details but they had a daughter
Kay Christine MCDONALD B: 27 Dec 1950 in Horsham in Victoria, Australia - who went up for adoption just after she was born (my Cousin)
We all think she was part of the family anyway, back then my Aunt went away and came back with a baby girl.
I am trying to find a link
Her birth Grand Parents were Hedley Francis MCDONALD & Edith Ellen BROWN can't find anything about her Birth father all that she has been told that her birth Father Robert MILLAR B: 1926

Looking for information of Emily May PETERS
Parents of George Peters and Emily Jane Treloar

Emily May PETERS is the 3rd child of George and Emily

Information I have on Emily Jane Peters Born: 16 May 1893 Birth Place: Digby, Victoria, Australia Death: 13 Oct 1987 not sure where. Did she marry? did she have any children?

Hope someone can help
Cheers
Lynne

This was written by - not sure of the relation but a family member and received this in the post from my Uncle

He wrote this to honor Bill's life

I knew he had gone to a war and that he had been shot in the neck but I didn't know the full story and now that I know more, I think it's a story that needs to be told.
All the information here is true and is documented in the Australian Nation Archives.

Bill Baldock enlisted in the "Australian Imperial Force" as the army was then called, on the 8th Feb 1916. Six weeks later to the day 21st march 1916he embarked overseas on the "Oriana". Private William John Baldock No 3964 was then 20 years and 2 months.

Five months later Bill Baldock is reported as having been "Killed in Action on the 26th August 1916". Is that were the story ends, no, but its is close to where it begins.

On the 25th September 1916 the Defence Department advised Bill's father and mother that Bill had been killed in action. A further two months went by before his parents received a card from Bill on the 27th November 1916 stating:

"Dear Mother,
Just a few lines to let you know I am still alive though I have been wounded and taken prisoner but no to worry as the wound is too serious. I am being treated very well by the people here so far.
Love to all,
Your loving son Will"

On receiving this Mrs Florence Baldock wrote to the Defence Department the same day to advise them of the news. It is interesting that she advised in the letter that the card she had received was not written in her son's hand writing, Laurence Baldock, Bill's son also recalls begin told the card was written in German and was translated by a local Wodonga doctor but this cannot be verified. We can only imagine what went through her mind.
Was the card really from Bill? Had he been severely wounded he could not write? In fact Bill had been at least partly paralysed when the shot had entered his neck behind his ear, missing the jugular vain and brain, nicking the spine before exiting out the other side of his neck.

A statement of Private William John Baldock was documented by Lieutenant F.S Hubbs of the 4th Canadian Mounted Regiment in April 1917. From the dates it would appear this statement was taken in Switzerland certainly after he was captured and before he returned to England.

The Statement:
"I was capture at Mouquet Farm on the Somme on the 26th August 1916, and wounded in the neck by a bullet which, touching the spine, caused paralysis, I was laid by my comrades in a dug-out with a number of dead comrades, and here I remained for three days when the Germans picked me up and carried me to their dressing station in their line, where I remained three more days. Here I have received very good treatment by both the Germans and attendants, they giving me every attention as regards, food and necessaries, and also cigarettes and tobacco."

Authors Note: My memory of this is having been told in the 1950's that he had been shot in the neck, buried by his mates in a shallow grave, uncovered by artillery fire and then discovered by the Germans. Only latter is true. I don't know if it was the story tellers or my memory that is at fault. Oh how time distorts the truth. I was also told that the wound had been fly-blown and maggots had kept the wound clean. This I understand from Laurence is true.

Back to Bill's Statement
" At the end of about three days I was carried farther back to a church behind their line, where I was searched for my valuables, and my wallet, watch and money were taken from me by an officer, none of which were returned except the wallet with photographs inside, when I had been sometime at Courtrail, my pay book was also taken and not returned."

Authors Note: Courtrail is near the border of Belgium and France.

"After some hours in this church, I was sent in a horse ambulance to Courtrai hospital where I remained for another three weeks. The date of my arrival at Curtrai was 3rd Sept 1916. On my arrival here I was given two postcards to write home, but neither of these cards ever reached their destination, and these were the only cards I was allowed to write during my stay there. All my correspondence was alternately to Australia and England."

Authors Note: Bill did not know in April 1917 that his mother had in fact received one of these cards on the 27th November 1916 and that the family knew he was a prisoner of war.

"On 25th Sept 1916 I was placed in a hospital train making an eighteen hour journey to Darmstadt hospital."

Authors Note: Darmstadt is near Frankfurt and is 500km east of Courtrai.

"This train was a regular Red Cross train, the nurses and doctors doing all they could for us on the journey, and even the guard (military) giving us cigarettes. The Hospital was about four miles from the town of Darmstadt. Hence, to which we were conveyed in large wagons, the journey begin rather unpleasant to the severely wounded.
I do not know the number of the hospital and during my stay there very little opportunity of observation, as I was confined to my bed, but I know there were about 84 British there, and about 1000 French and Russians.
The treatment at Darmstadt was very poor in comparison with Courtrai and the dressing station I had been in. The attitude of the doctors was not cruel but callous, and the same with the nurses, all my dressings begin attended to be a French prisoner patient. The treatment as far as I can learn is the same to all nationalities. Dr Sterne was the medical officer in charge of the part of the hospital and his attitude was as stated above.
I did not have any operations, as my case did not call for any, nor have I since arriving in Switzerland, although I had two months treatment in Berne.
We were supplied with clan hospital clothing, and on my going away to Constance were issued with the usual prison uniform, which was new.
The bed clothing was good and sheets were changed once a week, but the beds were very hard, and I suffered very much from bed sores from the hardness of the mattress.
The notices as to discipline were posted in different places in the hospital, but I was unable to read them on account of always begin in bed until just before coming away. I never noticed any undue severity in any particular case, but as I said before I had on opportunity for very much observation.
During my stay at Darmstadt the representative of the American Ambassador made a visit, but did not come into my ward. Special dinners were given the day he came and also on that day the Swiss Commission came, but there was no change for improvement afterwards, and the food except for those two days was very poor.
I was not long enough in Germany to have my parcels start coming, but I received a letter in answer to one of mine just before I came away, but some of my comrades who wrote cards asking about food and telling that the rations were inadequate, had their cards returned to them a month after they were written.
On the 15th November 1916, we were sent to Constance, where, of cause the food was much better, and begin supplemented with food from men who had received parcels, was very good, but we were sent back to Rastatt for two weeks, and here the food was very bad, but we were the recipients of biscuits from the French civil prisoners, which helped considerably.

Authors Note: Constance is 330km south of Darmstadt and Rastatt 200km north of Constance. Berne Hospital were Bill had two months treatment is in central Switzerland 190km south-west of Constance

At Rastatt, the mixing of all sexes in the lavatories and buildings was a very shocking thing to us, as there seemed to be no dividing of the apartments in this regard for young girls, children, men or women, and the sanitary arrangements were very bad.
On the 14th December 1916, we came on down from Rastatt to Switzerland.

As noted earlier the statement was taken by Lieutenant F.S.Hubbs of the 4th Canadian Mounted Regiment and he concludes with the comment "I believe that the statement of Private Baldock is worthy of begin accepted"

It should be noted the records show Bill was finally sent to Switzerland in December 1916 and was no repatriated to England and in particular King George Hospital until the 3rd December 1917. He then returned to Australia on the 10th March 1918 and his file notes he had been diagnosed with "Pulmonary Tuberculosis". With the end of hostilities on the 11th November 1918 he was discharged from the army on the 14th November 1918. Bill was awarded the "British War medal and Victory Medal".

Rather than begin "Killed in Action" in France in 1916 at the age of 20, he lived a full life marring wife Iris May Herberte and raising eight children before passing away in Wodonga in Victoria on the 28th February 1982 at the age of 86

William John (Bill) Baldock RIP

Good evening,

I need a little help I am trying to find a bit more information about Thomas Banner and Mary Jane Webster I am told by a family member that they had no children of there own, now I have been doing a bit of searching but I have come up with different parents to the family member
This is the information I have

Thomas Banner Birth 1847 Death 16/1/1929 Aged 82
Mother: Ann Lewis Father: Richard George Banner
Wife
Mary Ann Webster Birth 24/3/1855 Death 1932 Aged 78
Mother: Mary Ann Mills Father: Henry Matthew Webster, on the Victoria Death CD I have only name was Matthew Webster but her mother was the same.

I have them married in London in 1876, well that's what the Disc told me, but was told they married in Natimuk in 1876

Its getting late, now I am totally confused

They are both buried in the Geelong Eastern Cemetery so decided to take a trip there and find them, was hoping to read the plague, but to my horror its an old grave and no names or dates only BANNER written on it, but found out by online data that they are both buried there.

Just a little bit about myself I would like to share.

Since searching my family tree, it is interesting that I haven't come across anyone that has a disability, I know it wouldn't show up in the records, but talking to family not a trace of another disabled relative, so that proves I am unique.

I was born with a disability called Arthrogryposis (Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita) is a term describing the presence of a muscle disorder that causes multiple joint contractures at birth. A contracture is a limitation in the range of motion of a joint. I used to walk on elbow crutches and these days I use an electric wheelchair to get around.

I have 6 siblings and I am smack right in the middle, 3 sisters older and 2 sisters and a brother younger. I was blessed to come from a large family as I was not spoilt, in fact I had to do chores around the house like my other siblings, because of that reason, I am a stronger person.

It hasn't stopped me, I am married, have children and a grandparent and loving begin a Nanna

"Everyone has a disability just mind stands out"

I am a keen knitted, go swimming, play Bocce, love my computer and searching my family tree, and am on a few committees, all volunteering work.

My motto "there is not such word as can't"

This poem or song,while a tad more complicated than was the case of Emily May (PETERS)MCDONALD, relates a similar situation. Emily May was only 4 years old when her mother died and Jane Elizabeth MCDONALD cam to care for the children and kept house for the family. When Jane Elizabeth married Emily's father,Jan's younger brother, Herbert Lloyd (Bert) MCDONALD became Emil's step-uncle.
Bert was only 6 years older then Emily, and when Emily was in her teens fell in love.
Father George did not approve of the match, so Emily and Bert eloped, and went to live in South Australia, where they stayed for a number of years.
This of course brought up the interesting situation mentioned earlier.
As husband of her husband's sister, her father was also her brother-in-law. And as sister and brother-in-law to their father, Jane and George were the children's aunt and uncle, but as father and step-mother to their mother, Jane and George were their gandparents.

Whew what a complicated mess.

A further complication occurred when Emily may's aunt, her mother's younger sister, Madeline (Madge)TRELOAR, married another McDonald siblings, Alexander (Alec),older brother of her husband, and younger brother of her step mother. So her aunt was also her sister_in_law.

I would love to find more information very interesting family

I'm My Own Grandpa
(words to a song sung by Ray Stevens)

Many, many years ago, when I was twenty-three,
I was married to a widow,who was pretty as can be,
This widow had a grown up daughter,who had hair of red,
My father fell in love with her,and soon they too were wed.

This made my dad my son-in-law, and really changed my life,
Now my daughter was my mother,cos she was my father's wife,
And to complicate the matter, even though it brought me joy,
I soon became the father,of a bouncing baby boy.

My little baby then became a brother-in-law to my dad,
And so became my uncle,though it made me very sad,
For if he were my uncle,then that also made him brother,
Of the widows ground up daughter, who was of cause my mother.

Father's wife then had a son, who kept them on the run,
And he became my grandson,for he was my daughter's son,
My wife is now my mother, and it makes me blue,
Because although she is my wife,she's my grandmother too.

Now if my wife is my grandmother,then I'm her grandchild,
And every time I think of it, it nearly drives me wild,
Cos now I have become the strangest case you ever saw,
As husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa.

Oh I'm my own grandpa,
I'm my own grandpa,
It sounds funny I know,
But it really is so,
I'm my own grandpa.