Postcard - 26 October 1914

On 26th October 1914 the following postcard was sent by A.G. Adams to his eldest brother (Arthur Parker Adams) who was farming a property outside the village of Urana, in the Riverina district of southern NSW.

The front of the postcard shows the city of Albany in WA.

The text on the reverse of the postcard reads:

  A.P. Adams Esq
“Bidgemia”
  Urana

NSW

26.10.14
Have had a good trip calm weather, good cabin & tucker. Ben Levers is on as Capt. Med Officer to Engineers. We have a whole lot of the heads on board. Its raining like the devil now. I don’t think that we will get ashore here.
Yours A.G.A.
 

Aerogram - 25 October 1914

On 25th October 1914 the following letter was sent by A.G. Adams to his mother who was then staying at the Oriental Hotel, Collins Street, Melbourne.

The text of the aerogram is as follows:

We’ve had a beautiful trip so far. It has been quite calm all the time. Only a very few have been sea sick, and hardly any of our own chaps. I have Jack Newham in my cabin with me; they only allowed for 5 Sgts per company, so I took Jack in & Norm. Marshall went in with the junior Sgt. We mess in the 2^nd saloon and the food is A.1. The troops mess and sleep in messes of from 10 to 16. We have 7 messes, each in charge of a non. com. or senior private. They have very good food and are all very happy so far. We reach Albany some time tomorrow morning. I’ve seen Col. Ryan and Major White, both wanted to know how I was doing. Dick Casey is on board as a Lieut. in the Automobile Corps. That crowd are all officers or batmen so there’s not much in that. The fruit is being issued to all the troops as it showed signs of not keeping very well.  Ben Levers is on board as Med. Off to the Engineers. Peter Schuler is on as press rep. The Melbourne passed us yesterday, going past like a motor passes a tram. We have only seen one other ship which we passed going the same way as ourselves. I suppose we’ll pick the rest of the troopers up at Albany. There’s not much more.

Yours lovingly    Athol

A.G. Adams - Roll of Honour (London)

The Tower of London is commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Families are invited to nominate members of the Commonwealth forces who were killed in the First World War. These names will be read out at the Tower in a regular evening ceremony.

I nominated:
Lieutenant Athol Gladwyn Adams, Australian Flying Corps and
Second Lieutenant Valentine Harold Adams, Royal Flying Corps

The video of their names being read out on 8th October by Tower of London warder, Yeoman Warder Alec (Jimmy) James, can be viewed at: http://poppies.hrp.org.uk/roll-of-honour/8th-october/

The boys names are towards the end, just before the 17 minutes mark.

On board HMAT Orvieto

The finest ship on the convoy taking the troops to Albany was HMAT Orvieto. She weighed 12,130 tons with an cruising speed of 15 knots. She was owned by the Orient SN Co Ltd, London, and leased by the Commonwealth of Australia.

On board the HMAT Orvieto were 1,457 men and women. Included in these numbers were the 5th Battalion (with Colour Sergeant A. G. Adams), the 1st Division headquarters staff, nurses and the Second Field Company Engineers. Seven or eight horses were accommodated with boxes aft of the lower promenade deck. Sergeants and the Postal Corps had second-class cabins. Officer cabins, on the boat deck, were considered very comfortable.

Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean (the celebrated author of The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918) was amongst those on board. C.E.W. Bean was employed as a journalist and was travelling with the courtesy title of Captain for the purposes of precedence in the mess.

German sea-raiders were scouring the seas so there were attempts made to keep secret the staggered departure of the troopship convoy which left Melbourne from 17-21 October 1914. By the time HMAT Orvieto, the last of the convoy, left Melbourne on 21 October, this was a secret which most of Melbourne knew about. Many concerned families in the city were aware the ships were leaving but they were uncertain as to their son's departure day  and did not know which ship held their loved one. Each day, larger crowds gathered at the wharves. By Wednesday 21st, an armed guard was set at the entrance to Station Pier to prevent crowds gaining entrance to the Orvietto's wharf. In the end, the armed guard was overwhelmed and the people rushed down the wharf and alongside the Orvietto. The ship was farewelled with waving families, colour streamers and the 5th Battalion band playing on the upper deck.

The passage to Albany in W.A. was to take five days. In the meantime the soldiers made a close inspection of the ship, the crew's quarters, engine room, stokehold and all they could get to (except the boat deck which was reserved for officers). The saloons were also forbidden to the ranks. Sleeping on the deck was popular with blanket roll, hammock and lifebelt arranged during the day to reserve a place. There was no time to be bored as the men were kept busy over the next few days whilst they headed west across the Great Australian Bight.

A. G. Adams - departs Melbourne on HMAT Orvietto

On the afternoon of 21 October 1914, at the Port of Melbourne, the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson, together with his wife and the official party, boarded His Majesty’s Australian Transport Ship No 3 Orvieto to farewell Australian troops departing for World War 1. Members of the 5th Battalion formed an honour guard to welcome the official party.

The vice-regal party was not on board for long. Soon the great throng of families and well-wishers cheered the departing HMAT Orvieto, and the 1,457 men and women aboard. The great ship cast off from Princes Pier (then known as Railway Pier). Sir William Throsby Bridges, Commander of the First Australian Division was the highest ranking officer aboard.

The band of the 5^th Battalion played the National Anthem, 'God Save the King'.

In the preceding 5 days, from 17-21 October 1914, fifteen ships left from Station Pier to make up the convoy headed to Albany, Western Australia. In Albany more ships would join the convoy before leaving Australian shores for Egypt.

Historic footage of the departure of HMAT Orvieto can be viewed at: http://anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/remembrance/hmat-orvieto-embarkation/

At this stage A. G. Adams held the rank of Colour Sergeant.

A. G. Adams - napkin ring

A family member has contributed this sterling silver napkin ring for me to include in this blog. Inscribed with A.G. Adams' christian name 'Athol' and the date' 18.5.02' in italic text, the item was probably a birthday present. In May 1902 Athol would have been 7 years old.

It is quite heavy and functional and is well worn but not damaged.

With many thanks to Mrs A. Carlyon.

Almeida - South Yarra

As mentioned earlier in this blog (21 August 2014), A. G. Adams' mother (Adah Emily Sherwood - nee Parker) was raised in her parents' home known as 'Almeida'. The building no longer stands but was at 209 Toorak Road, South Yarra, an inner suburb of Melbourne.

Adah Emily Parker, her elder brother Ernest, along with their younger sister, Florence, and half sister Marion (known as May) spent their childhood and some of their adult lives at 'Almeida'. Thomas J. Parker purchased the property so he could move his wife Mary and the children to Melbourne from Geelong.

In time, the eldest son, Ernest, married in 1884 and would have left the family home around then. In January 1886 Adah married Alexander James Adams. She would have left home that Summer but it is not known where the couple began their married life. It appears that they returned to 'Almeida' regularly and that Adah had her second son, Clifford, at 'Almeida' in 1890. The Melbourne newspaper The Argus records this.

T. J. Parker eventually became very successful and lived in style at this large house where he became a well known figure.

At the time of her father's death in January 1900, Adah would have been aged 34. She had already been widowed for six years. In 1900 her four sons were aged: Arthur (12), Clifford (10), Harold (8) and Athol G. Adams (5). It appears that Adah and her four boys returned to live at the family home after Adah's first husband (Alexander James Adams) died in 1894. Adah and her sons moved out of 'Almeida' in 1900 the year her father (T.J. Parker) died and after she re-married. Her new husband was Guy Sherwood, an architect. In the local journal of record 'Table Talk' on Thursday 2 August 1900 it is noted that:

"Mrs Guy Sherwood has removed from 'Almeida' South Yarra, to 245 Williams Road, Toorak, and will be at home on the 10th and 20th of each month."

This image of  'Almeida' is not annotated. A family member believes it to be dated around 1870 not long after Thomas J. Parker moved the family from Geelong to Melbourne. The group in the foreground are Ernest standing (aged about 10), Florence sitting on a nanny's knee (about 18 months) and Adah (about 5) with white pinafore and blond hair. The lady standing with parasol is the children's mother, Mary Anne Clifford. In 1873 Thomas J. Parker took his first wife, Mary, to England. Mary was never to return. She died in September of that year aged only 38.

Perhaps you may have noted the female staff on the right with watering can and lawn mower.

The property was sold by the family in about 1900. It was still standing in the mid-1930s, as a family member can recall being taken to see the old building as a small child.  It has since been demolished and that part of Toorak Road is now taken up with commercial buildings.

I am grateful for the archive material, photographs and other documents provided by

Mrs Dorothy Malcomson (nee Parker).

Broadmeadows - visitors' day

A.G. Adams, Broadmeadows Camp, Victoria, 1914

Aged 20 when this 'happy snap' was taken, A.G. Adams is standing in front of one of the 'bell' tents set up in the Broadmeadows Camp.

There are no badges, stripes, or other military insignia on the uniform. Perhaps it was early days in the camp before the uniforms were fully furnished. We can see in the background a number of women in hats. May be it was visitors' day at the camp?

This small photo (7cm x 5cm) has been cut into an oval shape. It sits in a narrow brass frame decorated with tiny overlapping oak-leaves. Holding the photo in its frame is a light wooden board with brown velvet backing. The frame sits tightly in a slim, brown velvet-lined, leather box. The box itself opens down the centre and has a little attachment at the rear so that it can stand on a desk or bed-side table. It is light and suitable for travelling. Did A.G. Adams' mother (Adah) carry this with her on her many travels. The case is well-worn these days but inside the treasured photograph is in good condition.

Roll of Honour (Canberra) - A.G. Adams

Athol Gladwyn Adams' name will be projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, on:

Mon 17 November, 2014 at 3:56 am
Thu 22 January, 2015 at 1:45 am
Sat 21 March, 2015 at 10:08 pm
Sat 9 May, 2015 at 7:31 pm
Sun 21 June, 2015 at 1:01 am
Sun 2 August, 2015 at 8:16 pm
Sun 20 September, 2015 at 12:06 am

Please check with the War Memorial before you go - just to fine tune the timing etc.

The names look wonderful. It is worth seeing.

As you know, V.H. Adams' name will not be projected onto the War Memorial as he is not recorded on the AWM's Roll of Honour. His name was read out at the Tower of London on 8th October 2014.

Roll of Honour (Tower of London) - A.G. Adams - 8 October

The Tower of London is commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of World War 1. Each evening a list of about 180 names is being read out. These are the names of those members of our Commonwealth forces who died in action in this conflict.

(A similar evening ceremony is held in Canberra at the Australian War Memorial - another post on that soon).

As with many others, I have nominated family members who were members of Commonwealth forces who were killed in the Great War. Their names will be read out at the Tower in a nightly ceremony.

You can nominate others at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/VisitUs/Topthingstoseeanddo/Poppies/RollofHonour

A.G. Adams' and his brother V. H. Adams' names will be read out at the Tower of London ceremony tomorrow, Wednesday 8th October (London time). 

The list of 180 names will be read from the poppy-filled Tower moat at sunset, starting at 6:25pm (London time). The Adams brothers will be on the top of the list.

At the end of the reading, which will take about 20-30 minutes, an Army bugler will play the Last Post.

If you would like to watch, you will need to purchase tickets to the Tower of London. Of course, many of us live on the other side of the globe. No matter....The Historic Royal Palaces will be filming the ceremonies and an archive site where you will be able to view the videos is currently under construction. I will post the details when this becomes available.

The Historic Royal Palaces is also adding the lists of names being read each night at http://rollofhonour.tumblr.com/ so that they can be seen and remembered from anywhere in the world.

Please note the special red-poppy sculptures which flow in a mass from the top of the Tower. Each hand-made ceramic poppy planted in the moat is available to buy at https://poppies.hrp.org.uk/buy-a-poppy/

I would like to thank the:

Historic Royal Palaces which is an independent charity that looks after the

Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle

They help everyone explore the story of how monarchs and people have shaped society, in some of the greatest palaces ever built.

They raise all their own funds and depend on the support of our visitors, members, donors, sponsors and volunteers.