It Happened in Tamworth in 1910 – The Great Flood

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It is 110 years ago this month that my home town of Tamworth in country New South Wales suffered through the most devastating flood in it’s history.

Business people, farmers and family homes were all inundated with water and it is absolutely amazing that only one death was attributed to it’s destruction.  My grandparents Edward Thomas Bailey and Ines Maud nee: Smith were living out of town, and on higher ground, so were likely safer than most from the torrent. 

They would almost certainly have been affected by impassable roads and bridges that had been wash away though, and may not have been able to access fresh food supplies or clean water for some time.  Living out of town on a property most likely meant that they did not have connection to an electricity supply or suffer the interruption of this service by the flood.  Candles would still have been used routinely in their home.

I was lucky enough to come across some old newspaper pictures on TROVE which showed the flood in detail and also a particularly good article which was just a bit long to snip…it can be found here:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/109804349?searchTerm=(flood%20OR%20tamworth)&searchLimits=exactPhrase|||anyWords=flood+tamworth|||notWords|||requestHandler|||dateFrom=1910-01-01|||dateTo=1910-01-31|||l-advstate=New+South+Wales|||sortby#

I wonder if they knew then that they had lived through the biggest flood that would ever hit our town.

Sources:

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page25708845

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page12163922

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page13558965

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page11987979

 

My Unknown Soldier

I’m trying to identify this photo which was among a number of photo’s in my grandfathers collection.

Unknown Soldier

This has been a most interesting adventure and has taught me a little more about our Aussie history.  I started my research by posting the above photograph on a number of genealogical Facebook pages in the hope that I would get an indication of when the uniform may have been used.  The response was just totally amazing and there are many valuable leads that I can follow but my cousin, Lynette Gleeson, suggested I show the photo to the Australian War Memorial.  The Australian War Memorial has very kindly provided me with an extremely quick reply with the following information:

The photo dates to c 1905 and shows a private (they were not called troopers until 1918) in the 6^th Light Horse Regiment (New England Light Horse), a militia (reserve) unit. He is wearing the first Commonwealth Pattern uniform which was developed in 1903, when the first all-Australian army was created, as opposed to the earlier colonial units. Light horse regiments were distinguished by white collar patches with a red line through them, white piping on the cuffs and around the shoulder straps, and a central white band in the centre of the slouch hat puggaree. Appropriate regimental badges were attached to either side of the collar, in the centre of the patches, and on the turn-up of the slouch hat. The white embroidered patches on his upper sleeve would read ‘6^th LIGHT HORSE REGIMENT’. This service dress uniform could be converted into full dress  by the addition of an aiguillette and plaited shoulder pads, all in thick white cord. NSW light horse regiments in this period often wore a black cock’s feather plume on their hat, but this soldier has not acquired one yet.

Your soldier is wearing a Pattern 1903  equipment bandolier, and associated belt, but his boots and leggings are not military issue.  I would suggest that this photo was taken soon after he joined the regiment, before he had been completely equipped.

The photo was taken in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia by G. A. Solomons, Photographer, and the company only started business Tamworth in around 1892.  

The photo carries the words “Wishing you the Compliments of the Season””.  Can anyone help with the identification of the man in this picture?

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniforms_of_the_Australian_Army 

https://www.awm.gov.au/contact

It Happened in Tamworth in 1910 – Horse Drags Rider

Accidents involving horses and their riders continued to happen quite frequently in and around Tamworth. 

Horse Accident

On this occasion two drovers were simply hot and thirsty and decided to stop for a drink (Ok….. it was an alcoholic beverage!), when the foot of Thomas Randolph Bushell (60 yrs old) was caught in his stirrup.  Mr Bushell was dragged for some distance but died of his injuries shortly after.

Due to the age of Thomas it is much more likely that he may have been known to my great grandparents John Edward Smith and Mary Ann nee: Whiteman – the parents of my grandmother Ines Maud Bailey nee: Smith.

John Edward was a farmer and carter in the area.  He carted many loads of hay, farm goods and also gravel around the district and could have quite easily come into contact with the Bushell family.

Sources:

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page25708665

Promotional Cheque for Tatcho Laboratories

Tacho Laboratories – Front

I found this “check” inside the front cover of my grandparents photograph album.   I have no idea why it might have been kept as, even in to old age, my Grandad had a decent enough head of hair, but I thought it an amusing marketing ploy.

I tried to research the Tatcho Laboratory with only limited success.  It appears that the Company Director and creator of Tacho Hair Restorer – George Robert Sims – was quite an educated London merchant.

He was a writer producing many poems, plays and novels but unfortunately gambled most of his considerable fortune away.  He married 3 times and was widowed twice. 

He was particularly interested in criminology and was directly responsible for waging a campaign in the newspapers for the release of a Norwegian, Adolph Beck, who had been wrongly imprisoned.  For his assistance in the matter he was awarded the Order of St. Olav, first class, by the King of Sweden.

George Sims died just after his 75th birthday in 1922.

 

 

 

Sources:

https://beyondthename.weebly.com/sims-george-robert.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Robert_Sims

It Happened in Tamworth in 1910 – Additions to the Hospital

Hospital Additions

Certainly a much better way to start the year would have been the news of the Government calling for tenders for additions to the local hospital.

During the month of January 1910 I could find no further information in relation to this topic.  My grandfather, Edward Thomas Bailey, would not have tendered for the job or been an employee working on the additions as he was a farm labourer and stockman.  The news of the additions would have been welcomed by Edward and his wife Ines  Maud nee: Smith though, as it would mean that more services and perhaps doctors would be drawn to work in the town.

Sources:

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1307096

Robert Rowland White – A Shooting Tragedy

A Boy Shot At Forbes

Robert Rowland ( Rowley) White was born to Neil and Annie White  in 1878 near Forbes, New South Wales, Australia.  Newspaper reports of his death state that he was 16 years old when he died on 26 Jan 1893. 

On  that fateful day Robert and his younger brother Neil b. 1881 went out for a day of shooting Wallabies on Jemalong Mountain.  You can imagine that being country lads their mother, Annie, would simply have said “be careful”and thought nothing more of it.  The two brothers decided to take a break and sat down for a rest, placing the loaded rifle near by.  When they got up to continue their search for Wallabies Robert reached for the rifle and it accidentally discharged, the hammer having caught in grass and twigs.  The charge entered Roberts leg between his thigh and knee. 

Neil thought quickly.  He  took off his trousers and tied a ligature around Roberts leg, below the wound, and then ran for help.  When help arrived they carried young Robert down the mountain but he died before reaching a doctor. 

Sadly, at an inquest into Roberts death it was determined that, had Neil placed the ligature above the wound, Robert would not have died.  A verdict of accidental death was returned by the Coroner, Charles P. Sonter.  Robert was buried the following day, 27 Jan 1893, at Forbes.

Heartbreakingly, 1893 was a year that would change the lives of many in the White family forever, and only started with the death of this young man.

It Happened in Tamworth in 1910 – A Tragedy

Unfortunately Tamworth started the brand new year of 1910 with an appalling murder. James Power stood accused of stabbing  his wife, Annie, to death before attempting to cut his own throat.

There certainly seems to have been some kind of argument which lead to Annie Power leaving her husband and moving from Gunnedah to Tamworth with their 2 children.  James stabbed Annie twice in the back and she died from her wounds.  As it turns out James was convicted of manslaughter, not murder, and only received 7 years in  prison.

It seems to me that this would have been a shocking thing to have happened in the small community of Tamworth particularly so soon after all the Christmas festivities.  I do not know if James and Annie Power were known to my grandparents Edward Thomas Bailey & Ines Maud nee: Smith, perhaps not as James and Annie originally came from Gunnedah but in a town of Tamworth’s size they would certainly have known someone who did this poor woman.  How very tragic.

Sources:

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page16684931

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page28069583

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page12626261

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page12163999

 

The Bowl Haircut

The Bowl Haircut

This postcard from my Grandfather’s collection is a fun way to start off the new year – anyone for a haircut? 

The early 1900’s saw the use of the bowl haircuts for young boys. They were cheap and could be done by either mum or dad in the family home saving precious pennies in the budget for essentials.  Surprisingly, bowl cuts were “trendy” amongst young men during the 12th to the 15th century – who’d have thought!  I guess at some point my Granma’s brother Clarence Edward Bailey, who was born in  1911, may have been subject to one of these cuts.  These days there is a variation of the old bowl cut that is popular amongst young adults.

I have always referred to the postcards in my grandfather’s postcard collection as being his collection, as that is the context in which my own mother always spoke about them.  In actual fact though, the majority of the cards seem to have belonged to my grandmother.

This postcard was sent to my grandmother, Ines Maud Smith, on 25 Aug 1908 from her brother, my Uncle Jack Smith, and is simply addressed to Miss I Smith, Gidley, via Tamworth.  Granma received the card just 6 weeks before she married my grandfather. 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_cut

https://www.encyclopedia.com/fashion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bowl-haircut

https://www.dmarge.com/2018/09/how-to-wear-bowl-cut.html