Sir Thomas B Robinson’s endeavours as Queensland’s Agent General held a unique place during the First World War, but we’ll come back to that part of his story later. Robinson was born on the 24 November 1853 in Rotherhithe, England and moved to Australia in 1881 with his wife, Elizabeth. He first managed the firm […]
In 1917, Laura Duncan (1875-1955), a determined widowed mother who braved the outback of Queensland, took on the might of the State of Queensland. Mrs Laura Duncan was the then owner of Mooraberrie cattle station situated more than 1000 kilometres north west of Brisbane. The station had been previously under the management of her husband, […]
So writes Private James Vercoe Solomon (Jim) to his family from Zeitoun Camp at Heliopolis in October 1915. Obviously concerned about his family, Jim writes about his desire for his younger brother to act on his family’s behalf while he, Jim, heads off to the Dards’ (Dardanelles). Jim asks his brother William Edward Solomon (Will) […]
In January 1898, little Albert ‘Bert’ Hinkler was enrolled at the age of 5 years and one month as student 685 at North Bundaberg State School. Look closely at the school admission register and you will see his rank as Lieutenant was later added in recognition of his career as a world class aviator. From […]
In the course of creating the workshop and seminar on how to find your First World War Soldier, Queensland State Archives staff regularly came across references to Corporal Sizer, as he was mentioned frequently in newspapers of the time. With our curiosity stirred, we wanted to find out who this Corporal Sizer was and whether […]
Discovering the heritage value of records at Queensland State Archives can be convoluted. This was the case when the State Library of Queensland Distant Lines exhibition prompted research into an esteemed military nurse who survived the First World War: Constance Mabel Keys. Born in Queensland in 1886, Sister Constance Mabel Keys became one of the […]
Born in St George, Sister Norma Violet Mowbray served as a staff nurse during the First World War with the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) leaving from Brisbane with the No 1 Australian General Hospital on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on 21 December 1914. Sadly, she died from pneumonia in Cairo on 21 January 1916 […]
The more I research First World War records, the more I realise that many connections can be made today to one hundred year old material. An article by Desmond Crump about Private Archibald James Marshall, published on State Library of Queensland’s blog in August 2014, flagged the fact that Queensland State Archives may also hold […]
Records in the QSA collection can provide insights into the post-war life of former soldiers. One we have found is about Private John Leak VC as a soldier settler. Private Leak earned his Victoria Cross at the battle of Pozieres in the Somme Valley in July 1916. After being discharged from the Australian Imperial Forces […]
In researching Stewart’s Creek Prison (Townsville) a favourite story relates to the escape from the prison confines by Frank Lionel Holloway, alias Huxtable. He is thought to be the first escapee from within the prison walls, as others had legged it while working on outside gangs previous to this. Holloway had secreted himself in a […]