Trophies from the Crimean War

In January 1858, The Age reported that a communication was received from Lord Panmure, by the Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Melbourne, in which that nobleman, as Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty's Forces, offered to the City of Melbourne two Russian Guns, to be preserved in the City as Russian War Trophies. The offer was made in consequence of the manner the citizens of Melbourne displayed their loyalty to the Sovereign, and the handsome way in which they came forward with their subscriptions for the relief of the sufferers by the late Russian War (1). 

Russian Trophies, Botanical Gardens, 1862. 

Artist: George Stafford; Engraver: Samuel Calvert. 

State Library of Victoria Image H4205

The Russian War, also known as the Crimean War, was fought on the Crimean Peninsula between Russia and an alliance consisting of Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia. It began in October 1853 and ended on March 30, 1856.  For people like me, who are not military historians,  the Crimean War is remembered due to its connection to Florence Nightingale who was in charge of nursing the British and Allied soldiers and improved the standard of care, cleanliness and food provided to the wounded. On her return to England she established a school of Nursing to improve the training of nurses.  

The other interesting thing about the Crimean War is that many Victorian place and street names are connected to the battles and personalities of the War. A prime example can be seen in the suburb of St Kilda which has a Crimea, Odessa, Sebastapol, Raglan, Alma, Inkerman (2), Malakoff and Redan Street and is next to the suburb of Balaclava; the last five are named after battles; Odessa is a port on the Black Sea. Sebastapol is named for a city on the Crimean Peninsula, which was besieged for eleven months from October 1854. It is also the source of the name of the town of Sebastapol, near Ballarat. Raglan is named for Baron Raglan (1788-1855) a commander of the British troops during the War and  there is also a town called Raglan, near Beaufort.  

The town of St Arnaud, was named for Armand-Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud (1798-1854), the Commander of the French forces.  Napier Street in St Arnaud is named for Sir Charles Napier (1786-1860), commander of the British Baltic fleet in the War.  

In Cranbourne there are three streets with a Crimean War connection -
Codrington - Sir William John Codrington (1804 - 1884) was Commander in Chief of the British Forces in the War; Clarendon - George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (1800 - 1870) was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1847 to 1852 and the British Foreign Secretary on three occasions from 1853 to 1870. He negotiated a favourable outcome for Britain at the end of the Crimean War in 1856 at the Congress of Paris Peace talks. The third Cranbourne street is Lyons Street - named for Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons (1790-1858), 1st Baronet Lyons, who commanded the Black Sea fleet during the War. 

I also believe that Pakenham was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Edward William Pakenham (1819 -1854) who was killed at Inkerman during the Crimean War. This has been disputed, but I stand by my research. You can read more about the naming of Pakenham, here.

The Russian cannons and the rotunda, Botanical Gardens, Melbourne, c. 1870.

State Library of Victoria Image H10788

Back to the cannons - the loyal citizens of Melbourne were indeed happy to accept the war trophies and a year later, they had arrived and The Age reported in January 5, 1859 -

A platform of stone work is now being erected in the Botanic Gardens, for the accommodation of the Russian guns presented to the colony, trophies of the late war, by the Home Government. The platform is in the immediate vicinity of the music pavilion (3). 

Two days later, The Argus had this detailed report - 

Trophies from the Crimea - Two of the Russian guns taken at the Redan fortification in the Crimea, and forwarded by the Imperial to the Victorian Government, have recently been placed in the Botanical Gardens, on an  elevated spot overlooking the southern and eastern portions of the city. The peculiar construction and formidable powers of these enormous engines of warfare render them well worthy of Inspection, not to take into consideration the ideas which they must naturally suggest of the sufferings and triumphs of the allied armies in the late war. 

The cannon weigh each three tons, and their comparatively light-looking carriages weigh a ton-and-a-half each. The carriages are of very peculiar form, being entirely of iron, and in some degree resembling that of the English field-gun, with the exception that the wheels are not more than 2½ feet in diameter, and are fitted with double-spokes of crossed iron bars. The sockets into which the elevating screws are turned project from the back part of the carriages, and when the screws are entirely removed form a rest for the breach, keeping the guns at point-blank range, beyond which range the muzzles cannot be elevated. The muzzles may, however, be so far depressed as to bear upon a force within a very short distance of an embrasure, in which they were no doubt placed. Each gun is 9 feet 4 inches in length, and about 2 feet in diameter at the breech. The calibres are 7¾ inches, and will receive balls weighing about 40 lb. When loaded with the full or distance charge (12¾ lb.) of powder, these imposing-looking iron magnates would propel their iron globes with much greater velocity than lighter guns of the same calibre to a distance of nearly 4,000 yards. 

One of the guns is "spiked"-that is, a brittle steel rod has been driven into the vent, and then broken off, of course rendering the gun useless until the steel is drilled out again. This must have taken place at the storming of the Redan. The other gun has the vent so enlarged from constant firing, that the finger may be readily introduced. Besides these evidences of use, one of the cannon bears a singular mark, caused by the bursting of a shell upon it breach. The projectile must have been thrown from a howitzer from the English trenches, as it has evidently entered the narrow embrasure in which the gun was placed in a horizontal direction, and has scored a horizontal trace along one side of the metal, and finally burst at the breech. The mark made on the metal where the shell burst is a deep circular dent, from which radiate pretty equally and pretty thickly, in every direction, grooves cut into the solid iron, some of them an inch wide and a third of an inch deep. Of course, the Russian artillerymen on that side of the gun must have been killed, and the man stationed at the breech, who would occupy a position similar to that occupied by an artilleryman No. 4 in working an English gun, must have been blown to pieces. The guns are of excellent workmanship, and bear the date 1836 on the trunnions. The sight of them will well repay a visit to the spot where they are placed (4). There is more on the date of manufacture, below.

At this time, just after the end of the Crimean War, Victorians were happy to display these trophies and  on occasions the cannons were fired. The Geelong Advertiser reported in March 1859 that a Military Band performed at the Botanical Gardens, the highlight of which was -

a performance of a Battle Sinfonie, descriptive of British troops leaving their native shores for the seat of war, the composition of the band-master, Mr Johnston. During the performance, one of the Russian war trophies placed in the gardens, was called into requisition and fired, to represent the daybreak morning gun. Owing to some negligence in not warning the spectators, a man who was crossing within range of the gun, was struck to the ground with a piece of wadding, which caught him in the face, and carried away a portion of his nasal organ. When removed from the ground, he was bleeding most profusely, and it will be fortunate if he has not received any severer injury (5). 

However, the relationship between England and Russia thawed as the years went on. They thawed to such an extent that on January 23, 1874 Queen Victoria's second eldest son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (6) married  the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, the daughter of the Russian Emperor, Alexander II, at the Winter Palace at St Petersburg (7). After this it was thought inappropriate to have such war trophies on display in such a prominent location so they were, as the Herald reported in February 1882, bundled into the barrack yard where they now lie (8).  By 1889, they were located either side of the central door at Victoria Barracks, St. Kilda road (9), where they are today.

The wedding of Prince Alfred to the the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, January 1874.

https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/russia-royalty-the-romanovs/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace/the-marriage-of-prince-alfred-and-grand-duchess-maria-alexandrovna

I don't have a specific date as to when they were moved from the Gardens to the Barracks, even though I do like to know these things - the best I can do is between 1874, when the Royal wedding took place and 1882. 

The Age report from 1859 said the guns bear the date 1836 on the trunnions. Major Bill Billett, in his book Victoria's Guns: a field guide (10) notes that the guns were restored  at the Ordnance Factory in Bendigo in 1989 and an attempt was made at translating the marks of  their origins. Major Billett, who was the curator of Arms and Armour at the Melbourne Museum, also says the guns were made in 1838, possibly at the Alexander Arsenal in Russia to a design  by Armstrong, or supervised by him,  for the Tsar of Russia.  He lists the guns as a Type 36-Pr SB with the numbers 26028 and 26046 (11).

The cannons at the Victoria Barracks, St Kilda Road, 1975.

Photographer: John T. Collins.

State Library of Victoria Image H98.251/183

Finally, even before the 1874 Royal Wedding, some Victorians were tiring of the glorification of the Allied victory over the Russians on the Crimea Peninsula - this is from the St Kilda Telegraph of August 1869, written by the journalist 'Figaro' - 

Why Redan and the Crimea? I ask the question in connexion with the naming of two new streets about to be formed in St. Kilda. I am sorry to see the council have sanctioned this ill-advised nomenclature. I do not approve of thus to perpetuating names that were brought into prominence by events which, if they cannot be forgotten, need not at least be thus ever-lastingly obtrusively forced on our notice. Have we not already Inkermann-street and Balaclava-road to keep the Russian campaign green in our memories, to say nothing of the trophy-guns in the Botanical gardens? Where, then, is the good of adding to these souvenirs of a miserable epoch in the national history? Why should we Australians in particular - who had nothing to do with the war, excepting as a matter of sympathy - thus perpetuate its sad memories? Besides, what might be justifiable when the Russians were at war with the mother-country, is, now they are at peace with her, very like an insult (12). 

I understand what 'Figaro' is saying, but I have a real interest in the origin of place and street names and find this pocket of Crimean War names in St Kilda an interesting part of our Colonial history.  There were , of course, Crimean War veterans who migrated to Australia and I have written about some of them, here. 

Footnotes

(1) The Age, January 12, 1858, see here.

(2) Inkerman Street was originally spelt as Inkermann, which was how the town on the Crimean Peninsula was actually spelt. I don't know when the last n was dropped. (Cooper, John Butler The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a City and after, 1840 - 1930, v. 1 (City of St Kilda, 1931), p. 93)

(3) The Age, January 5, 1859, see here. 

(4) The Argus, January 7, 1859, see here.

(5) Geelong Advertiser, March 15, 1859, see here. 

(6) I have written about Prince Alfred in this blog before, read it here. 

(7) https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/russia-royalty-the-romanovs/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace/the-marriage-of-prince-alfred-and-grand-duchess-maria-alexandrovna

(8) The Herald, February 3, 1882, see here.

(9) The Herald, March 18, 1889, see here. 

(10) Billett, Bill Victoria's Guns: a field guide (Scienceworks, Museum of Victoria, 1994)

(11) Billett, op.cit, p. 39.

(12) St Kilda Telegraph, August 7, 1869, see here. 

Crimean War, Indian Mutiny and Boxer Rebellion veterans in West Gippsland and surrounds

This post looks at veterans of the Crimean War,  the Indian Mutiny and the Boxer Rebellion who had a connection to West Gippsland, and the old Shires of Berwick, Cranbourne and Dandenong.  

The veterans I have found have written about are Tom Drummond and a Mr Adams of Berwick; William Fist of Lyndhurst; Alfred West of Darnum; Edward Mills of Warragul; Charles James Jago of Springvale;  William John Ward of Hastings and  Joseph Edward Hughes of  the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, most likely Iona. As you can see it is a flexible geographical area and I would be interested in hearing about any others. At the end of the post are a list of Crimean War related street names in the area. 

We will start of with a short history of  the conflicts from the Australian War Memorial website.

The Crimean War (1853 - 1856) was fought between Imperial Russia on one side and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other. Most of the conflict took place on the Crimean Peninsula, with additional actions occurring in western Turkey, and the Baltic Sea region (1).

The Indian Mutiny - The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of British East India Company's army on the 10th of May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon erupted into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to the region of present-day Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, northern Madhya Pradesh or Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, Delhi, and Gurgaon. The rebellion posed a considerable threat to British power in that region, and it was contained only with the fall of Gwalior on 20 June 1858. The rebellion is also known as India's First War of Independence, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Mutiny, the Revolt of 1857, and the Sepoy Mutiny (2).

What was the Boxer Uprising? Western Countries, especially France, Germany, Britain and the United States controlled most of the trade between China and the West at the end of the nineteenth century. Merchants from these countries also demanded land, the right to build railways and ‘extra territorial rights’ where they were subject only to the laws of their own country and not Chinese law. As a result, many Chinese joined anti European Secret Societies, including the violent I-ho-ch'uan (the Righteous and Harmonious Fists) who were named the Boxers by Western media. In 1899, the Boxers and other militant societies combined in a campaign against the Westerners, including merchants, Missionaries and westernised Chinese. In 1900 this uprising became more wide spread and nine Western nations responded by sending in warships and armed forces. Though Australian troops were largely involved in the Boer War in South Africa, the Australian Colonies sent Naval Contingents to China to support Britain. One hundred and ninety seven men came from Victoria, two hundred and sixty three from New South Wales and one hundred and three from South Australia. The first Australian contingents left at the end of July 1900. Many of the Australians were too late to take part in battle and instead had a role in restoring civil order, and they left China in March 1901 to return to Australia. No Australian was killed by enemy hand, although six died of illness or injury (3).

Tom Drummond and Mr Adams of Berwick
I knew we had some Crimean veterans who had migrated to Australia from England and lived locally as there is this paragraph in the book Early Days of Berwick (4) - Two Crimean War Veterans, Mr Drummond and Mr Adams, resided in High Street, Berwick. These two old gentlemen wearing their Crimean War medals, could often be observed sitting in the Boulevard, enjoying the sunshine. It was said that Mrs Drummond was contemporary with and associated with Florence Nightingale, nursing at the Crimea. (5).

I can find no information on Mr Adams, but a report in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of August 10, 1911 noted that Tom Drummond celebrated his golden wedding anniversary on Friday evening and Private Tom wears a couple of Crimean medals of which he is justly proud  (6).  So, now we know Mr Drummond's first name and according to the Electoral Roll, his wife was called Mary.  The Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages Index tells us that Tom died in 1915 at Berwick, that he was aged 86 and his mother's name was Mary and his father's name was Thomas. His obituary in the Berwick Shire News of  June 23, 1915 said that he came to Adelaide in 1875 and eight years later moved to Victoria where he lived at Toora and Mirboo North and he came to Berwick about four years ago.  Tom was attached to the Coldstream Guards and was in the trenches at the taking of Sebastapool and the battle of Alma. He was also in other minor engagements, and was awarded the Crimean war medals issued by the English and Turkish Governments, which he greatly treasured (7).  I am not sure when Mary passed away - there is a Mary Anne Drummond who died in 1927 in Cheltenham, aged 89 (parents listed as Michael Seabright and Elizabeth Tobin). This is possibly her. It is quite interesting that Mrs Drummond nursed with Florence Nightingale, I will do some more research on her (Mrs  Drummond) one day.

Tom Drummond's obituary

Berwick Shire News June 23, 1915 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92089405

I found this in Punch of May 14, 1914 and I believe the article must be about Tom and Mary Drummond - An interesting presentation was made to Lady Stanley during her visit to Beaconsfield last week. This was an old Crimean veteran, as far as is known, the only surviving one in this part of the world. His wife, an elderly lady, who was also present the same afternoon, came in for much attention. She was one of Florence Nightingale's nurses, and pursued her work of healing through the horrors of the Crimean War also. The old gentleman is eighty-five, and his wife is seventy-five. The old lady was very worried because her husband had been presented to Lady Stanley whilst she had not, and "e'll be crowing over me, too, and I've got something interesting to tell Her Ladyship." Later in the afternoon the second presentation was duly made, and Lady Stanley was very interested to hear that her grandmother was also one of the volunteer nurses who went out with Florence Nightingale. When the guests departed the old couple were left happily hand in hand comparing notes over the events of the afternoon, both looking well and happy, in spite of the fact that the old lady had been operated on only six weeks ago (8).

William Fist of Lyndhurst
Another Crimean veteran, who also served in the Indian Mutiny, who lived in the area was Color-Sergeant (9) William Fist who died February 14, 1921 at the age of 80. He was also a veteran of the Indian Mutiny. William Frederick Fist is listed in the 1919 Electoral roll at 4 Grattan Street, Prahran, with his wife Fanny Maria Fist (nee Croxford) whom he married in 1912, and at Cranbourne Road, Lyndhurst, in the death notice and the short obituary which appeared in the Frankston and Somerville Standard (see below) refers to him as an old Lyndhurst identity, and who had taken part in the Siege of Lucknow.

Death notice of William Fist, Crimean War veteran

The Argus February 16, 1921 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1736766

Obituary of William Fist

Frankston and Somerville Standard, February 25, 1921 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article75948196

From various newspaper reports we can build  a picture of some of William's life. In April 1875, William was brought before the Emerald Hill Court by his wife Elizabeth for maintenance. The report said that the marriage of the pair took place in India in 1860, and in consequence of the insobriety of Mrs. Fist, a separation took place some time since. The defendant, who held a commission in the 16th Lancers in India, and was now filling the occupation of coachman at Toorak (10).  The result of the court case was that Mrs Fist was granted 7 shillings and six pence per week. Mrs Fist was back in Court in August 1889, claiming the William had not paid maintenance since October 1886 and that she was thus owed £52 (11). 

Two years later William was back in Court on a perjury charge. William had given evidence at an Inquest at the City Morgue that the deceased woman, Mary Anne Keilly, who was the subject of the Inquest,  was his wife, when in fact they were not married but had been living together for years and she was known by the neighbours as Mrs Fist. His Honor said that in committing the crime of perjury the accused did not appear to have been actuated by any sordid motive. But the circumstance did not justify the prisoner in perjuring himself. His Honor believed that he swore what was untrue to save the character of the woman with whom he had been living, and for the sake of the character of her children (12). 

In 1909 the Weekly Times had some photographs of Naval and Military Veterans taken at the Victoria Barracks, and William Fist was in one of them.

Veterans of the Crimean and Indian Mutiny Wars - William Fist is seated on the right.

Weekly Times November 20, 1909. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221824966

 

Alfred West of Darnum

In 1907 The Argus reported on a Crimean War veteran from Darnum, Mr Alfred West -
One of the Crimean veterans Mr Alfred West, is a resident of this district. He is nearly 80 years of age. A movement is being initiated in Warragul for the purpose of enabling him to attend the dinner given by the Minister of Defence (Mr Ewing) on Saturday next. Mr West was a private in the Coldstream Guards, and fought in the trenches before Inkerman, Balaclava and Sebastapol. He was on the ground, and has a vivid recollection of the charge of the Light Brigade. 

"Oh, that was a mad charge," said the old veteran, in the course of conversation with a representative of 'The Argus" this afternoon "The men and horses were mown down like wheat before the sickle. But Lord Raglan was a grand warrior, for all that," and as the old man spoke he pointed with pride to a picture of his regiment hanging on the wall. He enjoys an Imperial pension of 1/- per day, but is in very feeble health. He and his wife, who is over 80 years of age, live in a little hut near the township of Darnum, about three miles from Warragul. West served in the Turkish war as well as the Crimea. The day (Saturday) fixed for the dinner is inconvenient, as the old men living in the country think they will have to remain in Melbourne over Sunday, to which they manifest a decided objection. (13)

Alfred died the next year, 1908, aged  78

Alfred West of Darnum - a  Crimean War veteran

The Argus November 19, 1907 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10133927

Edward Mills of Warragul

In 1924, Edward Mills, a Crimean War veteran passed away, at Warragul, which is two stops west of Darnum along the railway line. This is his short obituary from The Argus of February 7, 1924 -
A Crimea veteran, Mr. Edward Mills, of Warragul, has just died at the age of 89 years. He was one of the few remaining veterans of the Crimean war. He used to say that he was a blue-jacket on the man-o'-war on which Florence Nightingale was conveyed to her nursing work in the Black Sea. A service was held in St. Paul's Church, Warragul. Representatives of the Returned Soldiers' Association were present to do honour to their fellow-warrior of other days and other battles, and the boy scouts formed a guard of honour. The rector, the Rev. P. W. Robinson, conducted the service, and the coffin, covered  with the Union Jack, was conveyed between lines of choristers, scouts, and soldiers from the church to the cemetery. The Dead March was played by the organist, Mr. C. Lander (14). 

Obituary of Edward Mills, Crimean War veteran

The Argus, February 7, 1924 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1939117

Charles James Jago of Springvale

Crimean War veteran, Charles James Jago, died February 1, 1914 at the age of 77. He had been Mayor of Richmond on three occasions and then left Richmond and retired to his handsome country residence at Springvale (15). His property was called Richmond Grange. Mr Jago was the Shire President of Dandenong 1895/96 and 1901/02 (16) His obituary in the Dandenong Advertiser of February 5, 1914 mentioned his life in Richmond and his time on the Richmond Council and had this to say about his experience in the Crimean War -
At the age of 16 he was engaged as a bugler in the Crimean war, and was engaged right through the campaign, with all its hardships and privations, and later took a prominent part in the siege of Sebastopol (17).

Death notice of Charles Jago

The Leader February 7, 1914 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/89316164

Charles Jago's death notice mentions his daughters, Letitia, Clavinia and Millie. When he was  the Mayor of Richmond  he was presented with a silver cradle to celebrate the birth of one of his children (18). 

William John Ward of Hastings

William John Ward of Hastings died at the Austin Hospital on September 13, 1912 (19). This obituary appeared in the Border Morning Mail, an Albury newspaper, showing the interest that the broader community had in these veterans - 

A Crimean veteran, Mr. William Ward, died on Saturday, at the Austin Hospital, Melbourne, at the age of 75 years. Deceased was born in Surrey, England, and served right through the Crimean war in the British Navy, on board H.M.S. Albion, and took part in the shore attacks with the naval brigades, under Lord Edward Russell, at the Crimea, and Lord Charles Napier in the Baltic, and was wounded at the siege of Helsingfors. Settling in Victoria in the fifties, he resided at Hastings for 44 years, and served as quartermaster sergeant in the Hastings battery for fourteen years (20). 

Obituary of William Ward

Border Morning Mail, September 20, 1912 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/111406726

Joseph Edward Hughes of Iona

I have found one local connection to the Boxer Rebellion.  Joseph Edward Hughes, who was born in 1861, was part of the Victorian Naval Contingent (21).  Joseph had married Elizabeth Anna McDonald in 1887 in Sydney. His occupation on his marriage certificate was ship's mate (22). The couple moved to Victoria where their children were born - Edward Dominick, 1889 and registered at Collingwood; Emma Augusta, 1890, Collingwood; Elizabeth Anna, 1892, Carlton; Joseph Edward, 1894, Koo Wee Rup;  Neil Alexander, 1896, Bunyip South (later called Iona) and George, 1900 in Surrey Hills, Melbourne (23). 

Given the years his children were born in Koo Wee Rup and Iona it is likely that Joseph was  part of the Village Settlement scheme (24) where unemployed men from the city were given a small allotment of land (up to 8 hectares) and were to work for wages clearing the drains for two weeks and and undertake improvements on their block and hopefully become self-sufficient small farmers  on the alternate two weeks.  By 1899 the Village Settlement Scheme was abandoned, and at least one third of the settlers had left the area, including the Hughes family. The most common reasons for leaving were the fact that blocks were not a sufficient size of land to support a family, there was no alternative employment and many settlers had no previous farming experience, such as Joseph Hughes, whose occupation is listed in The Australian Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Boxer Uprising, 1899-1901 (25) as a painter. 

The family had moved from the Swamp and were living in Surrey Hills in Melbourne in 1900 when Joseph enlisted. He embarked for China on July 30, 1900 on the SS Salamis, his rank was Able Seaman,  and returned to Australia on the SS Chingtu on April 25, 1901 (26).  It then appears the family moved back to New South Wales and lived in another Surry Hills, this time in Sydney.  Joseph died at the age of 64 in 1925 and Elizabeth died  in 1921, aged 57. They are buried at Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney (27). 

Joseph and Elizabeth’s sons Joseph and Neil enlisted in the First World War. Joseph was 23 when he enlisted in April 1918, but he was rejected on medical grounds due to acute rheumatism. His next of kin was his father, Joseph, of 565 Crown Street, Surry Hills, Sydney (28). His birthplace was listed as Bunyip, but as we saw before the birth was registered at Koo Wee Rup, because the first Registrar of Births and Deaths at the eastern end of the Swamp was not appointed until January 1, 1895 when James Pincott was appointed for Bunyip South (29). 

Neil (service number 3322) enlisted in August 1915 at the age of 19, his birth place is listed as Bunyip and his next of kin was his father of the Crown Street address. In July 1916, Neil suffered a gunshot wound to the back and abdomen and  later returned to Australia and was medically discharged in November 1917 (30). I do a lot of research and sometimes you are fortunate that you find a document that ties everything together, so I was pleased to find this letter written by Joseph senior in Neil's A.I.F file at the National Archives of Australia. The letter gives 19 year old Neil, permission to enlist and is signed by his father, Joseph Hughes and underneath he has written Late of the Naval brigade and China Naval Cont [Contingent].

Joseph Hughes' letter, giving his son permission to enlist, from Neil's A.I.F. file.

National Archives of Australia www.naa.gov.au

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920

Street and Place names

The other interesting thing about the Crimean War is that many Victorian place and street names are connected to the war. The battles and personalities of the Crimean War were a source of place and street names - a prime example can be seen in the suburb of St Kilda which has a Crimea, Odessa, Sebastapol, Raglan, Alma, Inkerman (31), Malakoff, Redan Street and is next to the suburb of Balaclava; the last five are named after battles; Odessa is a port on the Black Sea. Sebastapol is named for a city on the Crimean Peninsula, which was besieged for eleven months from October 1854. It is also the source of the name of the town of Sebastapol, near Ballarat. Raglan is named for Baron Raglan (1788-1855) a commander of the British troops during the War. There is also a town called Raglan, near Beaufort.  

The town of St Arnaud, was named for Armand-Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud (1798-1854), the Commander of the French forces.  Napier Street in St Arnaud is named for Sir Charles Napier (1786-1860), commander of the British Baltic fleet in the War.

There are three streets in Cranbourne with a Crimean War connection (32) -

Codrington - Sir William John Codrington (1804-1884) was Commander in Chief of the British Forces in the Crimean War from 1853 to 1856.

Clarendon - George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (1800-1870) was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1847 to 1852 and the British Foreign Secretary on three occasions from 1853 to 1870. He negotiated a favourable outcome for Britain at the end of the Crimean War in 1856 at the Congress of Paris Peace talks. The Crimean War, which was a war between Britain, France, Turkey and Sardinia against Russia took place largely on the Crimean Peninsula in Russia.
Lyons - Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons (1790-1858), Ist Baronet Lyons, commanded the Black Sea fleet during the Crimean War.

I also believe that Pakenham was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Edward William Pakenham (1819 -1854) who was killed at Inkerman during the Crimean War. This has been disputed, but I stand by my research. You can read more about the naming of Pakenham, here.

Trove list - I have created a list of articles on Trove on these war veterans, you can access it here.

Footnotes

(1) Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/CN500047

(2) Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/CN500048

(3) Corfield, Justin The Australian Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Boxer Uprising, 1899-1901(Slouch Hat Publications, 2001) and Australian War Memorial    https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/boxer

(4) Early Days of Berwick and its surrounding districts, compiled by Norman E. Beaumont, James F. Curran and R.H. Hughes (3rd edition published by Rotary, 1979). The book was originally published in 1948.

(5) Early Days of Berwick, op. cit., p. 32.

(6) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, August 10, 1911 see here. 

(7) Berwick Shire News, June 23, 1915, see here.

(8) Punch, May 14, 1914, see here.

(9) Listed as a Color-Sergeant in his funeral notice in the Herald, February 15, 1921, see here.

(10)The Age, April 15, 1875, see here.

(11) The Herald, August 1, 1889, see here.

(12) The Herald, July 27 1891, see here.

(13) The Argus, November 19, 1907, see here.

(14) The Argus of February 7, 1924, see here.

(15) Dandenong Advertiser, February 5, 1914, see here.

(16) https://seha.org.au/shire-presidents-mayors-and-councillors-of-the-shire-city-of-dandneong-the-shire-of-springvale-and-noble-park-and-the-city-of-springvale

(17) Dandenong Advertiser, February 5, 1914, see here.

(18) Ibid

(19) Death notice - Leader,  September 21, 1912, see here.

(20) Border Morning Mail, September 20, 1912, see here.

(21) Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1443019

(22) His marriage certificate is on-line on a family tree on Ancestry. They were married August 8, 1887. Joseph, who was 26,  was born in Monmouthshire, England (According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica on-line - see here - From the 16th to the early 20th century Monmouthshire was sometimes considered administratively a part of England and sometimes a part of Wales). His parents are George Hughes and Emily Maddox. Elizabeth, who was 24,  was born in Pyrmont, NSW to Neil McDonald and Annie Rebecca Baker. 

(23) I believe I have all the children correct - the information comes from the Index to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/

(24) Village Settlement Scheme - I have written about it here - http://carlocatani.blogspot.com/2018/10/koo-wee-rup-swamp.html

(25) Corfield, Justin The Australian Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Boxer Uprising, 1899-1901, op. cit.

(26) Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1443019

(27) Ancestry Cemetery Headstone Transcriptions, 1837-2003

(28) National Archives of Australia, read Joseph's file, here.

(29) Victoria Government Gazette January 4, 1895. p. 1, see here.

(30) National Archives of Australia, read Neil's file, here.

(31) Inkerman Street was originally spelt as Inkermann, which was how the town on the Crimean Peninsula was actually spelt. I don't know when the last n was dropped. (Cooper, John Butler The History of St Kilda from its first settlement to a City and after, 1840 - 1930, v. 1 (City of St Kilda, 1931), p. 93)

(32) See my post here for sources - https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2021/12/street-names-in-cranbourne.html