LAMANDE, Henri Joseph

Henri Joseph Lamande was born in 1884 in Majorca, Victoria.  He was the son of Ambroise Lamande and Kate, née Harrington. 

Ambroise was representative of Prunier and Company cognac, and, for a shorter period, of Roederer champagne. As such he made frequent trips around the country.  In January 1892 he travelled to Western Australia aboard the Albany.  Also on board was one Baron Swanston.  Baron Swanston, right from the beginning, struck him as being ‘one of the most consummate liars I had ever met.’  Back in Melbourne Ambroise read a description of a man labelled the ‘murderer of the century’, and realised he was identical with his co-passenger.  He informed the police and the man, Frederick Bailey Deeming, was arrested on the WA goldfields.

Henri’s mother, Kate, died in 1899, when the family were living in Rathmines Road, Auburn.  By 1905 the family had moved to Amorique, 115 Hotham Street, East Melbourne where they stayed until 1919 by which time Henri had returned from the war, and Ambroise had retired and returned to France, where he died in 1923.

Henri grew up with a passion for motor cycles and was able to combine this with his work.  He established a business importing and selling motor-cycles.  He was a keen motor cycle racer, competing in track events at the Amateur Sports Ground (later Olympic Park) and road events of 100 or 200 miles.

He enlisted on 15 November 1915 and was appointed to the 2^nd Division Signal Company at Broadmeadows. He embarked 19 July 1916 aboard the Armadale as part of the 14^th Reinforcements. He proceeded overseas on 3 May 1917 for service in France.  In between time receiving instruction and hospital admissions he was first in Ravelsberg, near Ypres and later, in 1918, he was at Glisy, near Amiens. He returned to Australia on 2 February 1919 and was discharged on 9 October 1919.

On his return to Melbourne Henri started up a new motor-cycle business, but by 1920 the advertisements had stopped.  In 1929, in Sydney, he married Isabel Henderson.  Shortly afterwards he took over the management of a motor garage in Tumut but in 1933 was advised by his doctor to give up the work and he returned to Melbourne.  By the time of his death, on 22 November 1948 at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, he and Isabel were living in Ascot Vale.