Children are often protected from stories and discussions about war, but I believe children do have ‘antennae’ and heightened awareness of their parents’ moods, of atmosphere changes in household settings such as kitchen and dinner table conversations.
This is a story about conversations about war which may have been included in dinner tables of my paternal great grandparents and grandparents’ homes in the inner south eastern suburbs of Melbourne during world war 1 and in the post war period. My mother, Paula Alice Devitt, was born on the 23 March 1913, the first child of Jack and Lily Devitt, a home birth in Victoria Street, Malvern. Her parents, John Edward Devitt Jr ‘Jack’ and Lily Mabel Florence Devitt, nee Hooper, had “gone for a walk when a thunderstorm broke and sent them hurrying home”. Paula arrived shortly after – with the help of their next-door neighbour, Mrs Wells, a mid-wife. The Doctor hadn’t had time to get there. At 9:00 am Australian Eastern time on Wednesday 5 August 1914 war with Germany was declared by the United Kingdom and Australia entered World War I. Paula was 17 months old. Although anticipated, the news must have stunned her parents and grandparents. Stories about the Gallipoli landing would have filtered through to be discussed earnestly when family members gathered. However other matters would also have engaged them when they met. In 1914 Jack’s brother Vincent’s young wife Gladys was admitted to what became the Kew Psychiatric Hospital, after breaking down during a family picnic at Sandringham Beach, perhaps caused by Post Natal Depression. The family pulled together to support Vincent with the children, with his daughter, mum’s same age cousin Joan, staying for extended periods with Lily and Jack. A year or so later after the declaration of war, in early June, 1916, Lily, Jack and three year old Paula were reportedly thrilled when her brother Edward Gordon was born. A “blue baby”, Gordon only lived for seven weeks, devastating Jack and Lily, and troubling little Paula. He was buried at the Brighton Cemetery on July 19, 1916. Deciding to move not long after Gordon’s death, Jack and Lily rented a home in Wilgah Street, East St Kilda while building a home at 11 Testar Grove, Caulfield. Jack’s much-loved parents, ‘Dinky’ and Elizabeth lived within walking distance in Rockbrook Road, East St Kilda, and it became the tradition for Jack and Lily to visit Dinky and Elizabeth on a Saturday for lunch, along with Vincent and his children, sister Victoria and brother Sydney and their young families, and then unmarried sisters Lily and Adelaide. When the children were sent off to play in a side room, discussions at the lunch table almost certainly veered towards the war. There may well have been some difficult conversations, as Victoria’s husband, Herbert Bouschier ‘Bert’ Kirsch, was from a German family. In 1917, Jack’s younger brother Sydney enlisted, sailing to the European theatre of war in the Ascanius on the 11 July 1917. I wonder whether Jack’s four boys, Sydney 1911, James 1913, Herbert 1915 and John 1916, Paula’s cousins, were at the port to farewell him? What follows is a difficult story to tell. I’d always sensed that Sydney was considered the black sheep of the family, and his war records possibly throw some light on this. Ensconced in war records is evidence of his being in the ship’s hospital isolation ward for the venereal disease ‘Gonorrhoea’, shortly after embarking, where he remained isolated for a total period of 52 days. He was then admitted to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford for a further 9 days not long after arrival. Perhaps at Bulford, portrayed in an episode of the series ‘Anzac Girls’, he eventually received specialist medical treatment for VD, also portrayed in this episode. Sydney went on to fight in France. He was wounded in action, invalided to UK, then returned to France, twice during 2018. He had a troubled record during the war, not only the instances cited of periods of VD, but also a number of ‘Absences With Out Leave’ (including ‘missing Parade Duty’) also resulting in forfeiture of pay. This must have been difficult for his wife, Ellen. It was noted in his records that the initial periods ‘VD’ of 52 days, then 9 days were not fully lost, but paid at half the rate. Perhaps Ellen had made a compassionate request to the war office? Not receiving two months’ pay must have been difficult for her. The records suggest that Ellen moved to Rockbrook Road, where her parents in law Dinky and Elizabeth lived, for a period while Sydney was at war, perhaps needing additional support at the time. Little Paula almost certainly met up with Sydney’s boys when visiting her grandparents for the family’s traditional Saturday lunch, probably playing outside while parents and grandparents were worrying about the war and Sydney’s welfare over the dinner table. After Sydney’s return home, electoral records in 1921 record show he and Ellen living in East St Kilda, where he had returned to his work as a carpenter. They appeared to have stayed together during the 1920’s, but by 1949 we find Ellen living with her son Herbie, and Sydney living elsewhere. Other news, of pregnancies and births, including Jack and Lily’s second daughter, Joyce, another home birth in 1917, and Victoria’s daughter Marie, in 1918, would have jostled for a place for discussion at the table alongside news and opinions about the war. Elizabeth, who had many nephews and nieces in Adelaide and Perth, would have no doubt shared news from her brother’s James in Perth and Robert and John in Adelaide about cousins who had enlisted and fought overseas. Thinking about Paula’s grandparents and aunts and uncles during this time, I’ve often wondered about the nature of Conscription referendums and the post referendum discussions when they met. I’ve wondered whether the Jack’s Catholic Devitt family and Lily’s Protestant Hooper family shared the same opinions about conscription. If not, how did this affect Lily and Jack? Would they have voted for or against conscription? Jack’s father Dinky was of Irish heritage and a committed Catholic, his children had been educated at CBC St Kilda and Presentation Convent and they’d attended St Mary’s Catholic Church in Dandenong Road, East St Kilda. Indeed, Stone Mason Dinky had completed the stonework on a wing of Presentation Convent. Was he strongly influenced by Archbishop Mannix? Also, I read recently that people from Irish backgrounds were prone to refuse to fight to support the British Army ‘on principal’. Feeling the need to find out more about the conscription referendums during the first world war, I came across the following video ‘Against the Odds: The Victory Over Conscription in WW1. It answers some of my questions about what life was like in Melbourne at the time of the Conscription referendums, firms up my ideas about how members of my ‘Devitt’ side may have voted, and also caused pause for further reflection on our recent experience of the Voice referendum. My mother, Paula, a small child during the 1914-18 war years, didn’t experience a particularly strong ‘military’ history on her father's ‘Devitt’ side in terms of soldiers going to war, however conversations and emotions surrounding her would almost certainly have resonated at times with concerns and stories about the war, the conscription referendum and more. Beverley Lee April 2024 My beautiful maternal aunt and godmother, Joyce Adelaide Hooley, passed away on the 10th July 2021 at her nursing home in Warriewood, near Narrabeen, Sydney's northern beaches. ‘Auntie Joyce’ was 103 years old, just a month short of her 104th birthday. Her funeral was watched online, as Sydney was in Covid 'Delta' lockdown, with Melbourne to return to its fifth lockdown in two days. A funeral with no more than 10 mourners, in this case my cousin, her husband, their two daughters, spouses and children. 'Auntie Joyce' was my godmother and a quietly loving presence in my life for over 70 years. Had I lived in Sydney I know I would have found all sorts of reasons to drop by to spend time with her, however I visited her at least every two years, with my last visit in October 2019, not long before the continuing Covid pandemic disrupted our lives. I loved spending time with her - she seemed to accept me with 'unconditional positive regard', which I treasured. Born on 28 August 1917, Auntie Joyce was the third child of John Edward Devitt Jr and Lily Mabel Florence Hooper, who married in 1912. Her sister, my mother, Paula Alice Devitt, was 3 when Joyce was born. A baby brother, Gordon, was born in June 1916 but died in late July at 7 weeks, a ‘blue baby’ with a suspected hole in the heart. Eight years after Joyce’s birth, her brother, Lex Devitt was born. Both sets of grandparents lived fairly close by, with the Hoopers living in Carnegie and John Edward Devitt Sr and Elizabeth Miller living within walking distance of Testar Grove. Devitt grandchildren Paula and Joyce, and their cousin Marie Kirsch, described to me treasured childhood memories of Saturday lunch time gatherings with Dinky and Elizabeth. These photos from an old album appear to have taken place at such a gathering during 1918, when Joyce would have been perhaps 10 to 18 months old. In the first photo, Joyce's grandfather John Edward Devitt Sr, or 'Dinky', is holding her. 'The Shack', a holiday cottage at Newport, owned by my grandmother Lily Hooper's loved sister Ruby, and her American husband Alva Moses was part of the family's life for many years. Aunty Joyce and her husband Bill had lived there early in their marriage while their house was being built. This is confirmed in the electoral records. Aunty Joyce also spent time there as a child, evidenced by these wonderful photographs found in an old album of my grandmother's. I have memories of Aunty Rube and Uncle Alva visiting Aunty Joyce and Uncle Bill for Sunday lunch. A glamorous couple, even in older age, they always dressed well for the occasion. Childless, Aunty Rube had a special affection for Paula and Joyce when they were children, and remained close to Aunty Joyce and her family, who also lived in Sydney, throughout her life. Memories of Aunty Joyce’s ‘Devitt side’ family reputation as being 'good with her hands' are many – of watching as she made Bill's niece Frances's magical wedding veil during a childhood visit; of watching her knitting and creating clothes for her grandchildren. My mother, Paula, wrote this poem about her sister, Joyce - ‘Joy Devitt’ for hats… Kooyong Road, North Caulfield around 1939-1942 My sister Joyce is a milliner Her talents beyond dispute Her hats are quite fantastic All ages she can suit. She started in a workroom That’s where she learnt her trade Then opened her own business Her fortune to be made. Her hats were always special She really had a flare They were the latest fashion and Were easy styles to wear. She gave up many years ago Now only does a few May be just for the family, or when Melbourne Cup is due! Paula Lee nee Devitt, aged 97.5, October 2010 Like other members of ‘the Devitt’ family, Joyce worked in Flinders Lane, Melbourne, renowned for being the centre of ‘the Rag Trade’. Joyce learnt to become a milliner at Latiners’ in Flinders Lane, where her father, ‘Jack Devitt’ worked as a commercial traveller. Latiners was owned by Rupert Kirsch, brother-in-law of Joyce’s aunt, Victoria Kirsch, nee Devitt. ‘Auntie Vic’, a milliner, is also remembered as being creative and ‘good with her hands’. Before commencing her four-year apprenticeship at Latiners in 1931, Joyce attended Caulfield North School in Balaclava Road, in walking distance of Testar Grove. Another Devitt aunt, Lily Devitt, was a teacher there. “I started working in Latiners, I was only 14, you were allowed to leave school then. The job was created for me really - without Dad I wouldn’t have got that job. The women there were nearly all fully qualified milliners, as each firm could only employ so many juniors. We sat at long tables. The first table I sat at I was under the strict eyes of Miss Penny. She wasn’t a bit friendly, she just sat at the end of the table watching to make sure that people didn’t start chatting and not finish their work. I moved from that table to Miss Gilding’s table. I was much happier there. I remember Miss Penny coming up to Miss Gilding’s table to look at the hats. Picking up a hat I had made, she asked, “Who made this hat, Miss Gilding?”, and Miss Gilding said, “Miss Devitt”. Miss Penny just said ‘Oh’. She didn’t pass on any praise, but she liked it apparently! At that time the technology we used was simple– the felt hats had to be steamed and pressed into shape – we just did this over a tin kettle at Tasman House”. After Rupert Kirsch moved the firm into a new building in Brunswick, which proved difficult to get to from North Caulfield, Joyce left Latiners - “One of the travelers, Mr. Featherstone, recommended me to a Miss Webb who had a shop at Caulfield Junction and needed a milliner. I worked there for three or four years, at times being left in charge of the shop while Miss Webb went on holidays. I eventually decided I could do this work for myself and set up my own business. I worked all hours to make sure I had hats ready for clients for the Spring Racing Carnival’s 'Cup' Days... they all wanted new hats, or old hats retrimmed or renovated. Mum would give me a hand, I had so much work to do!” Joyce married soldier William John Hooley in Sydney in 1942. L to R: Maggie Hooley, Fred Murphy, Arthur Palmer, Thelma Bisset (nee Hooley), Bill Hooley, Joyce Devitt, Minnie Rose (Joyce's Aunt), Lily Devitt, Jack Bissett, Merva Palmer (nee Hooley) When Bill resumed active service, Jean returned to Melbourne with Bill’s 8 year old daughter Jean. Bill’s first wife, Vera Hooley nee Stewart, had sadly died in childbirth in 1934. Joyce and Jean lived at Testar Grove with Jack and Lily Devitt and Lex for a few years, returning to Sydney when Bill returned from the war. Paula lived ‘just around the corner’ in Balaclava Road, and loved spending time with Jean. William was born in Sydney in 1945, then in 1953, Barbara completed the Hooley family. A treasured memory of Aunty Joyce was her close relationship with my mother, Paula, who was three years older. They stayed in regular contact throughout their lives. I was always thrilled to hear them chatting away together on the phone, at least once a week, when I stayed with my mother at her unit in East Malvern, where she lived until she was 96. A teacher, once a year during the school holidays I would drive with, and later drive, Paula to Sydney where we would stay at 15 Heights Crescent with Auntie Joyce. Mum would stay in 'Barb's room', while I would stay in the little flat, 'under the stairs'. I loved hearing Mum and Joyce chatting happily together upstairs. I could head out for a day in the city, Manly or other beaches, knowing that they were happy in one another's company, with their own plans for the day, and wouldn't miss me one bit! It was wonderful that, in their retirement years, they were able to travel overseas together to visit children, nieces and nephews. I treasure memories of their visiting me in Canada in 1982, of the trips we took together. The time spent with Jean and her family in New York was treasured by my mother, and I know by Auntie Joyce. Joyce’s love of her home, and the 'secret garden' below the cliff-like drop at the back of the garden, was unbounded. I don't think she was passionate about cooking, however she always remembered that I loved crumbed brains and bacon and cooked them for me whenever I visited. Had it not been for lockdowns in both Sydney and Melbourne at the time of her funeral, I know that my sister Janette and I would have driven to Sydney for Aunty Joyce’s funeral. We do, however, have very happy memories of our trip to Sydney for her 100th birthday party almost four years ago. I already miss Aunty Joyce, the knowing that she would be there if ever I visited Sydney, the happy visits she made to spend time with my mother in Melbourne. I loved her very much. Auntie Joyce would have celebrated her 104th birthday yesterday, had she lived. RIP Auntie Joyce. Beverley Lee 29 August 2021
Flinders Lane is one of the 'places' which features in Devitt Family stories across the first half of the 20th Century. I've always pricked up my ears when Flinders Lane is spoken about it and love wondering along it and the now cafe filled lanes which seem to emanate from it. I keep an eye out for photographs of Flinders Lane taken at the time when my grandfather, Jack Devitt; two Devitt grand aunts -Victoria and Adelaide and their husbands, mother Paula Devitt, aunt Joyce Devitt family members worked in and around Flinders Lane, part of the 'Rag Trade'. I'm looking forward to writing about Flinders Lane and to set the scene, have included a photo perhaps in the 1920's/30's... Flinders Lane - Image acknowledgement - 'State Library of Victoria'
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The Journey ...An 'occasional blog' recording elements of my renewed family history journey. This is the second wave in my 'family history' journey. The first lasted from 2010 to 2014. with intermittent bursts since then. It's time to revisit, to share more stories, to edit, to tackle uncertainties... Categories
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