People of East Melbourne

This is a list of biographies of residents of East Melbourne.

This project started to commemorate the soldiers and nurses who went to Europe to serve in World War 1. But it has grown from there to cover biographies of any and all residents of note.

Along with many of their fellow Australians people from East Melbourne flocked to enlist. Many were heroes. Many lost their lives or suffered horrific physical or mental injuries. At home family and friends worked, endured and suffered consequences that were sometimes terrible and persisted long after the war.

Major-General Michael O'Brien gave us a starting point with a list of East Melbourne people who served in WW1. He spoke to the Society in April 2013 to give us some context to the period and to help the EMHS prepare for its own commemorations of this most devastating period in our history.

Everyone can participate by gathering or documenting information:

Photos, memorabilia and family records
Stories in books, newspapers and on-line
Memorial plaques in churches and public places
War memorial, church, national and state archives

You can refine the list by applying the various filter criteria and go to a particular detailed biography by click on the title.

BLACK, Herbert

Date of birth:

1888

Herbert Black was an architect and a widower when he enlisted on 19 February, 1917.

1954 reads

BLAIR, William Allison

Date of birth:

1889

William Allison Blair as a Stock and Station Agent, aged 27 when he enlisted on 27 July, 1916.

2466 reads

BLATCHFORD, Herbert Albert

Date of birth:

1894

Herbert Albert Blatchford had no real connection with East Melbourne, save that his sister, Clara Blatchford, lived at Clivedon Mansions, on the corner of Wellington Parade and Clarendon St, East M

2314 reads

BLUNDELL, Madeline Patricia Petrie

Date of birth:

1880

Patricia Blundell was one of five surviving children (four daughters, one son) born to Martin Petrie Blundell and his wife Emily (nee Lineker) between 1871 and 1890.

Patricia Blundell (Table Talk 27.5.1915)

Madeline Blundell's sister, Beatrice Emily who married George Stoving 2 Feb 1914

SS Mooltan leaving Sydney 16 May 1915. Patrica Blundell on board.

Australian sisters outside their quarters on Lemnos late 1915

Australian sisters on board SS Mooltan May 1915

First contingent of Australian sisters arriving at Lemnos 1915

Australian sisters ready to leave Lemnos early 1916

Australian General Hospital on Lemnos October 1915

Patricia Blundell on a hospital train, Egypt, 1916 (Blundell Papers, SLV)

Patricia Blundell's medals (Blundell Papers, SLV)

5843 reads

BODEN, Samuel

Date of birth:

1887

Samuel Boden was born in Birmingham, England, but had lived in both India and Ceylon before he came to Australia.

2174 reads

BOLTON, Francis Basil

Date of birth:

1889

Francis Bolton was the younger brother of Reginald Bolton, and like him, lived with his mother and younger brother, Tom, at 'Verona', corner of Clarendon and Gipps Sts., East Melbourne.He was educa

2339 reads

BOLTON, Reginald Henry

Date of birth:

1887

Reginald Henry Bolton was a Company Manager, aged 29 and had been married to Doris (nee Fairland) for just over a year , when he enlisted on 3 November, 1916.

Reginald Bolton, first left, middle row, at Neuve Eglise, Belgium, 1918

2966 reads

BONE, Kenric Clifton

Date of birth:

1899

Kenric and Ronald Bone were the twin sons of Ada and George Bone of 'Cotswold', 40 Berry St., East Melbourne.

1985 reads

BONE, Ronald Merton

Date of birth:

1889

Ronald Merton Bone was probably an identical twin to Kenric Bone: both 5' 2 1/2" in height, with fair complexions, grey eyes and blond hair.

2161 reads

BONNICK, John William

Date of birth:

1895

John William Bonnick was born in East Melbourne in December, 1895, the son of James William Bonnick and his wife, Georgina Jane (Ross).

2012 reads

BORWICK, Henry Barton

Date of birth:

1895

Henry Barton Borwick was the younger brother of Thomas Faulkner Borwick.

2317 reads

BORWICK, Thomas Faulkner

Date of birth:

1890

Thomas Faulkner Borwick was the elder brother of Henry Barton Borwick.

6th Bat. Company lunching in the Wilderness of Sin, Sinai Peninsular, Egypt

Three surviving officers of 6th Bat. Xmas Day 2015. Thomas Borwick centre.

Engagement of Elsa De Ambrosis and Maj Thomas Borwick, Oct 9, 1916

Thomas Borwick family album - record 1916-1917

Thomas Borwick family album - record 1917-1918

Wedding invitation - Thomas Borwick and Elsa De Ambrosis, 15 Oct 1918

4063 reads

BOWEN, Idris

Idris Bowen, like his older brother, Enos, was a hairdresser, living in East Melbourne with his mother, Mary Elizabeth Bowen and his sister, Agnes.

2045 reads

BOWEN, John James Enos

John James Enis Bowen was born at Eaglehawk, Victoria, but enlisted at Port Hedland, Western Australia, where he was working as a hairdresser.

2052 reads

BRADLEY, Duncan

Date of birth:

1888

Duncan was born at Wangaratta on the 15 November 1888. His full name is Raphael Duncan Bradley.

2300 reads

BRAGG, Arthur Robert

Date of birth:

1876

From Susan Lawrence:

Arthur Robert BRAGG was the publican of the Central Hotel, Beaconsfield,Victoria.

Reply from Victoria Barracks - 26 April 1918

4417 reads

BRAIN, Thomas William

Date of birth:

1880

Thomas William Brain originally trained as a bootmaker, but in 1914, with his wife Effie and mother, Maria Constance Brain, nee Murnane, was working as a hotel keeper in the Western District.

2135 reads

BRAYSHAW, Albert

Date of birth:

1896

Albert enlisted in the AIF on the 17 June 1916. He was married to Ivy Violet. A small man 5'3'' tall and occupation listed as Plasterer.

1696 reads

BRIDE, Benjamin William

Date of birth:

1875

In 1915, when he enlisted on 27 July, 1915, William Bride, as he signed himself, was forty years old, born in 1874.

2087 reads

BRIESE, Arthur Oswald

Date of birth:

1897

Arthur Oswald Briese's story is an interesting one: he was the grandson of Johann Ludwig Briese, born in Posen, Prussia, who migrated to South Australia in 1855 as part of a group of German far

Theodor Ernest (Edward) Briese & Pauline Anna Schmidt wedding photograph

2548 reads

BROBERG, Carl Albert

Date of birth:

1896

Carl Albert Broberg was born in Richmond, Victoria on 2nd November to Carl Niels Johann Broberg and Eda Margaret Broberg (nee Frees).

2520 reads

BROOKS, Chassie Winton

Date of birth:

1884

Chassie Winton Brooks was born in 1884 at Williamstown, Victoria. He wass the brother of Constance Jessie Brooks.

Edith Mary Rawlinson, wife of Chassie Brooks 1915

SS Leicestershire, returned to Melbourne ex UK, 9 December, 1918

2800 reads

BROOKS, Constance Jessie

Date of birth:

1888

Constance Jessie Brooks (1888–1966), who served with the Australian Army Nursing Service in India from 1917 to 1919, was the daughter of Yates and Emma Brooks (nee Mullen).

Constance Brooks, Bombay 1918 (private collection)

Rawalpindi where Brooks was stationed in 1917 (AWM P00562.079)

Brooks in AANS uniform for India (private collection)

Constance Brooks (right), Sisters Club, Bombay 1917

Brooks (top right) on leave in Egypt c1918 (private collection)

Constance (front right), John Clerici (front left) Basrah (private collection)

Constance Clerici and Chassie Brooks (left) (private collection)

4505 reads

BROWNLEE, Robert

Date of birth:

1886

Robert Brownlee was born in Glasgow in 1886. He was an apprentice at Harvey Engineering in Glasgow for five years, listed as an Engineer. He left the UK on SS Dorset fr

Pump built at Harvey Engineering in 1907 when Robert Brownlee was working there

SS Miltiades brought Robert Brownlee back to Autralai

SS Aquetanius took Robert Brownlee to Egypt, 8 May 1915.

Robert Brownlee (top left) standing, Westport Coal Mine 1930

Report of Robert Brownlee killed in Mine Disaster 1939

2983 reads

BRUNT, Archibald Andrew

Date of birth:

1893

Archie was born Parhran in 1894, son of William Brunt and Sarah Buckland nee Brunt

Enlisted on the 11 Jan 1915 in Melbourne, aged 21 and listed as a farmer

2145 reads

BRUNTON, Arthur Alexander

Date of birth:

1878

Arthur Alexander Brunton was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in December 1878.

2457 reads

BUDDON, Frederick Phillip

Date of birth:

1878

Frederick Buddon was 36 years old, 5' 9", 11 stone, 8 lbs., with fair hair and blue eyes when he enlisted on 27/1/1915.

1871 reads

BURFORD, Lionel

Date of birth:

1894

Lionel de Vere Burford was born in Moonee Ponds on 25 June 1894.

2218 reads

BURKE, Patrick Thomas

Date of birth:

1890

Patrick Thomas Burke was born in Launceston, Tasmania, the son of Patrick Burke and his wife Ellen, nee Vaughan.

2354 reads

BURLEY, Rexford

Date of birth:

1900

Rexford Burley or Burleigh was born in Stanley, Tasmania. He was the son of Louisa Agnes Burley. b.1881,but no father is listed on the certificate of birth.

2499 reads

BURLEY, Thomas Mathew

Date of birth:

1883

William Thomas Burley was born in Tasmania, but by 1914, his father had retired from farming and both parents were living in Warnambool, Victoria.

2294 reads

BURN, Cecil George

Date of birth:

1895

The son of Richard George Burn and Eliza Jane Atkins, Cecil Burns was a 21 year old mechanic at the time he enlisted on 21 January, 1916.

2016 reads

BURNELL, Frederick Joseph

Date of birth:

1888

Frederick Burnell was a clerk, living in East Melbourne.

6th Battalion, photographed at Broadmeadows, AWM DAX0914

2149 reads

BURNS, Stanley Henry

Date of birth:

1889

1697 Henry Malache (Denny) Carroll
2031A Stanley Henry Burns alias Henry Malache Carroll alias Dennis Martin Carroll

2177 reads

BUSH, Hubert Sheppard

Date of birth:

1876

Hubert was born in Sandhurst, Bendigo on 6 July 1876 to Albert Bush and Jane Dalton. He was the second youngest of 11 children. His early life was spent in Sandhurst where he attended St.

2850 reads

CAMBRIDGE, Ernest George Henry

Date of birth:

1898

Ernest Cambridge enlisted in June, 1914. He was then just over 18 and an assistant in the Mail Branch of the Melbourne GPO.

1916 reads

CAMERON, Henry Gervais Lovett

Date of birth:

1880

Henry Gervais Cameron was the son of Verney Lovett Cameron, a solicitor practising at 30 Collins St.East, Melbourne, and his wife, Margaret Elizabeth, nee Fraser.

Officers 60th Battalion H G Lovett Cameron, from row, third from right

3576 reads

CAMERON, John

Date of birth:

1883

John Cameron was one of a family of eight boys and one girl, of whom three brothers had died before John Cameron.

Soldiers with Stokes Mortars, Western Front 1917

2309 reads

CAMERON, Robert Ewen

Date of birth:

1890

ROBERT EWEN CAMERON

Born 27 October 1890 at Portarlington Victoria, the son of a Presbyterian Minister

2438 reads

CAMPBELL, John

Date of birth:

1897

John Campbell must remain a mystery. Although he claimed as his address C% James O'Grady at Grant St., East Melbourne, there is no Grant Street in East Melbourne. His next of kin was R.

1957 reads

CAMPBELL, John McNeil

Date of birth:

1897

John Campbell was born in Melbourne in 1897. His father was the Victorian Manager of the London Bank, based at 90 Bourke Street, Melbourne, and John lived at this address.

2999 reads

CANTWELL, Philip Sylvester

Date of birth:

1882

Philip Sylvester Cantwell was born at Ballan in country Victoria on the 15th January 1882. His father was Philip Cantwell and his mother was Alice Leahey.

2690 reads

CARDWELL, James Pearson

Date of birth:

1877

James Cardwell was born at Blackpool on the 1st March 1877. He was living with his parents in Blackpool in 1891 according to the 1891 census.

3139 reads

CARINE, John William

Date of birth:

1888

John William Carnie embarked from Melbourne in October 1917, however there is no service record available.

1868 reads

CARMODY, John Patrick

Date of birth:

1890

John Patrick Carmody was born on 19 January, 1890 in Carlton to John Joseph Carmody and Elizabeth Culhane who was born in Limerick Ireland.

1886 reads

CARROLL, Alphonso Bertram

Service record is not available.

1760 reads

CARROLL, William Edward

Date of birth:

1892

Mr William Carroll, 139 Simpson Street, East Melbourne (late of the Customs Department), has been notified that his only son, Sergeant William E.

2461 reads

CARSON, Henry

Date of birth:

1877

Henry Carson was a surgical bootmaker, aged 27 years old when he enlisted on 12 July, 1915. He was a married man and he and his wife, Susan, lived at 23 George Street, East Melbourne.