QANZAC 100 Project - "Who Answered The Call"
On 31 July 2015, two bronze plaques were unveiled at the little park at the end of First Avenue in Bongaree. On these bronze plaques are the names of service men and women from Bribie Island and Pumicestone Passage who answered the call to serve Australia during World War 1 (1914-1918) and World War 2 (1939-1945).
IN HONOUR OF THOSE FROM BRIBIE ISLAND AND PUMICESTONE PASSAGE
WHO ANSWERED THE CALL
RAN
CAMPBELL
|
Reginald Joseph
|
6477
|
|
HMAS Penguin
|
Bribie Island
|
ARMY
BISHOP
|
Maurice Alexander
|
366
|
|
11 Depot Bn
|
Toorbul
|
BONNEY
|
Walter Herbert
|
4681
|
|
26 Bn
|
Toorbul
|
DAVIS
|
Alexander Thomas
|
2792
|
DOW †
|
42 Bn
|
Toorbul
|
DUX
|
Bertie
|
6158
|
|
11 Bn
|
Toorbul
|
FREEMAN
|
William
|
2809
|
|
3 MG Bn
|
Toorbul
|
FREEMAN
|
Edward Henry
|
2987
|
|
11 Bn
|
Toorbul
|
GOLLAGHER
|
George Leslie
|
4535
|
|
31 Bn
|
Toorbul
|
GOSLING
|
William
|
4728
|
KIA †
|
26 Bn
|
Bribie Island
|
JACQUES
|
George Ernest
|
2188
|
|
49 Bn
|
Bribie Island
|
LAYTON
|
Alan
|
3388
|
|
4 Pnr Bn
|
Bribie Island
|
MILLS
|
John Robert
|
2262
|
|
2 Rmt Unit
|
Toorbul Point
|
MILLS
|
Thomas James
|
170
|
|
15 Bn
|
Toorbul Point
|
MILLS
|
Walter Henry
|
944
|
POW
|
25 Bn
|
Bribie Island
|
STORR
|
Arthur William
|
4891
|
KIA †
|
9 Bn
|
Bribie View
|
STORR
|
Charles Allan
|
4892
|
|
9 Bn
|
Bribie View
|
STORR
|
Harold Francis
|
653
|
|
15 Bn
|
Bribie View
|
TRIPCONY
|
Thomas Martin
|
1986
|
|
49 Bn
|
Cowie Bank
|
RAN
BAND
|
John
Morrell
|
|
KIA
†
|
HMAS
Basilisk
|
White
Patch
|
ARMY
ADAMS
|
Thomas
Edward
|
Q187167
|
|
1
Garrison Bn
|
Toorbul
|
BENSON
|
Reginald
Clarence
|
QX61294
|
|
2
Aust Mtn Bty
|
Donnybrook
|
BOOTHE
|
George
Henry
|
Q187425
|
|
1
Garrison Bn
|
Toorbul
|
BOOTHE
|
Kathleen
Violet
|
Q267346
|
|
AAMWS
|
Toorbul
|
COSTIN
|
William
Charles
|
QX14502
|
POW
|
2/26
Inf Bn
|
Bribie
Island
|
CROUCH
|
Charles
Frederick
|
QX27813
|
|
2/15
Inf Bn
|
Bribie
Island
|
DARVALL
|
Mary
Judith
|
QF273914
|
|
2
AWS Trg Coy
|
Bribie
Island
|
DUKE
|
John
Allan
|
QX9594
|
|
2/15
Inf Bn
|
Toorbul
|
FREEMAN
|
William
Charles
|
Q120090
|
|
12
Garrison Bn
|
Bribie
Island
|
GRANT
|
Edith
Emily Isobel
|
QF268557
|
|
5
Aust Ord Stores Coy
|
Bribie
Island
|
JACKSON
|
Cecil
Robert
|
QX52029
|
|
13
Fd Regt
|
Donnybrook
|
LINDSAY
|
William
John
|
QX13785
|
POW
|
1
Coy AASC
|
Bribie
Island
|
O’NEILL
|
Arthur
|
QX27819
|
|
2/16
Inf Bn
|
Bribie
Island
|
SHAW
|
Thomas
|
QX45157
|
|
12
Army Tps Coy RAE
|
Bribie
Island
|
WELLAUER
|
George
Benjamin
|
QX30244
|
|
2/6
Aust Fd Coy RAE
|
Bribie
Island
|
WILSON
|
Robert
George
|
Q153131
|
|
9
Wks Coy
|
Bribie
Island
|
RAAF
SHIELDS
|
Gordon
Henderson
|
78860
|
|
11
Sqn
|
Toorbul
|
HEENAN
|
Denis
Joseph
|
6762
|
|
10
AAC Flt
|
Bribie
Island
|
Memories of Local War Heroes
“If I had died there . . . I would be remembered”,
this statement says a lot about how we regard War service all these years
later.
The Bribie
Island Historical Society recognised that there was no specific memorial to
those from Bribie Island and surrounding areas who had answered the call to
duty in both World War 1 and World War 2.
Throughout this
year 2015, the centenary year of ANZAC, there has been a great focus on the
events of World War 1 (1914-1918). A special fund was
established for this purpose by the State Government for communities to
initiate projects in remembrance of those who served. A small grant was received by the Bribie
Island Historical Society to enable research to be carried out to establish and
commemorate the men and women from here who served in both Wars.
Initially it
seemed that there were very few people from Bribie Island, Toorbul Point,
Donnybrook [formerly Bribie View]
and Pumicestone Passage who had enlisted, but as the
research dug deeper it revealed the remarkable number of 18 men who enlisted
from this area in World War 1. Given that the
population of eligible males in the area was less than 60 in those days, the
impact on the community during the 1914/1918 period comes into stark focus. Of the 18 men,
one went into the Navy and 17 in the Army, two were killed in action, one died
of wounds, and one was taken prisoner of war.
The rest returned from the war.
During World War 2 (1939-1945) a total of 19 people enlisted from the much larger number of
residents in the area by then, including three women, and one man who had also
previously served in WW1. Of these 19
local people who served in WW2, one was Navy and 16 were Army, two were RAAF; one was
killed in action and two taken Prisoner of War.
The family names
of these local heroes, especially those in World War 1 form a significant part of our
local history. Some of these names are
reflected in local streets and place names today such as Campbell, Bishop,
Davis, Dux, Freeman, Gollagher and Tripcony.
These were some of the families that pioneered the settlement and development
of Bribie and surrounds back in those times.
Likewise with
some of the World War 2 names such as Costin, Crouch, Freeman and Shields still have
descendants living on Bribie Island. Of the three
women who enlisted in WW2, Mary Duvall and Edith Grant were from Bribie Island,
and Kathleen Boothe was from Toorbul.
 |
Graham Mills (centre) with Ted Freeman (right)
and John McGrath unveil plaques.
Photo: Barry Clark |
In a moving
ceremony last Friday at the memorial on First Avenue, Bongaree, Project Manager
Graham Mills outlined the complex task involved in establishing the final list,
and paid tribute to the Historical Society research and input from relatives. Member for
Pumicestone Rick Williams paid tribute to this initiative as did Councilor Gary
Parsons. Ray Sycamore from the RSL sub
branch and Padre Colin Baxter paid their respects, and the two High School
Captains laid wreaths.
Of particular
mention was William Freeman who had served in both Wars and whose family
descendants are still resident on Bribie Island. Long term
resident Ted Freeman was then invited to unveil one of the Plaques and the
other by Vietnam veteran John McGrath.
By Barry Clark
[The above article was published in The Bribie Islander, no. 13, Aug. 2015, p. 19.]
