During the war years, Cranbourne like many other small towns across Australia, rallied behind the soldiers fighting overseas. Communities offered their support at the time in many different ways. In Cranbourne, the Patriotic Association held weekly dances in the Shire Hall to raise money for supplies and parcels to send overseas and funded many welcome-home events and monuments after the war. A branch of the Red Cross was established in Cranbourne towards the beginning of World War One and remained extremely active throughout the First and Second World Wars (1). As a community, Cranbourne lost many fathers, sons, and brothers to the First World War, but maintained a strong fundraising effort throughout.
As with all wars, the First World War devastated many families. One family I came across while researching soldiers from Cranbourne was the Lyons family. Their experience can give an insight into the experience of many families on the home front during war time.
Patrick Lyons married Louisa Henderson (records for Louisa appear under Louise also) in 1892 (2) and the pair went on to have 11 children over the next 24 years; Patrick was approximately 29 when they married; Louise/Louisa was only 17. Their family consisted of John (1892), Patrick Edward (1894), Leslie William (1895), Charles (1896), Harold (1900), Percy (1902), Mary Eileen Isabel (1904), Gordon (1906), Stanley Noel (1909) Thomas Bertram (1911) and Eric Michael (1916) (birth records in footnotes).
John and Leslie enlisted for World War I in 1915. Patrick and Charles followed shortly and enlisted in 1916. Thus, by the end of 1916, just under half of the Lyons family had gone off to war.
Leslie’s enlistment record (3).
Patrick’s
enlistment record (4).
John’s enlistment record (5).
Charles’ enlistment record – he was the youngest out of the boys to enlist, only 18 and 2 months at the time (6).
It can certainly be assumed that having four children leave for war would be devastating for a family, no matter the size. The Lyons family though, had suffered another great loss while their children were enlisting.
In late 1915, Patrick Lyons, Louisa’s husband and the children’s father died suddenly. He had been involved in an accident on Cranbourne Road, where he had fallen out of the back of a wagon. Patrick was travelling with his son (who we can assume was Harold, because of the age of the child mentioned in the article) and another man. He had insisted the pair go home without him and he would follow, but the following morning he was found dead. It was determined he had died from suffocation during an alcoholic coma, at the age of 52. Patrick was buried at the Cranbourne cemetery, where his gravestone is shared with his son Percy who died in 1927 (7).
The article recalls that Harold tried to assist his father once he had fallen (8).
This event left Louisa Lyons a widow at the age of 40. She was now the single mother to 11 children, 4 of whom were overseas, with 7 children at home under the age of 15. Sadly, within the next three years, two of four of the boys fighting overseas would be killed in service. In September of 1917, Patrick died of wounds sustained (9), and in October of 1918, Leslie was killed in action (10).
News of Leslie’s death arrived relatively quickly to Australia, with a notice being printed in a paper published on October 31st of 1918. We do not know when news of Patrick’s death reached the family, except for the mention in this article of the death of Leslie’s ‘eldest brother’. The name written is Richard, but I believe it to be a misprint (we know Leslie and Patrick are related, and that this is the same Leslie Lyons, because of the death and birth date mentioned). So, it can be assumed that the Lyons family knew of both boys' deaths late 1918. It is entirely probable that the family went months without hearing news of Patrick’s death, as was quite commonplace.
This left the Lyons’ in a somber position by the end of World War I. They had lost three family members; two to the war, one to an accident. Presumably John and Charles both returned home after the war (below is an excerpt of John’s death notice, printed in 1972 – this lists all members of the Lyons family and was very useful in identifying further family members).
John’s death notice, listing the Lyons family (12).
Digging further into the Lyon’s family history from here, I found that three of the younger boys, Harold, Stanley and Thomas then enlisted in World War II (13). Records also suggests that perhaps the only daughter in the family, Mary, also served in the Second World War. There is a record of a Mary Elizth Isabel Lyons marrying a Harry Evans in 1923 (14). I believe this may have been the same Mary, as in 1923, Mary Lyons would have been 19 years old; a normal age for marriage at the time. If indeed this is the same Mary, she likely served as a nurse. None of these children are listed on the Australian War Memorial’s roll of honour, so it might be assumed that they all survived their service.
Exploring the Lyons family history gives an insight into just how difficult wartime was for most families. The home front continued on as it always had, regardless of the war, and so too did the tragic accidents that had likely been occurring for years. Patrick’s death left Louisa Lyons a widowed, single mother of 11 children, seven (perhaps eight) of whom fought during the World Wars, two of whom lost their lives fighting for Australia. Undoubtedly the experience of the Lyon’s family would be incredibly similar to those of many other families from this period.
Useful Databases When Researching Military Family History:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour.
Both Patrick and Leslie are listed on the Australian War memorial Roll of Honour, which commemorates soldiers who lost their lives in service of Australia. The database can be accessed here).
The Roll of Honour can provide family historians with further information about their ancestor's involvement in war, including service and death details. The Australian War Memorial has digitised many circulars (documents which were required to be filled for qualification to the roll of honour, often filled by next of kin), which provide a great deal of extra detail.
Patrick’s circular reveals that he served as a Private in the Australian Infantry Force, 59th battalion, and died of wounds in Polygon Woods, Belgium, at the age of 23 and 8 months. It lists Louisa Lyons at an address in Longwarry East and includes details of Leslie’s service (15).
Leslie’s circular reveals similar information. He served as a Sergeant in the 24th Australian Infantry Battalion and was killed in action at Montbrehain, Picardie, France, at the age of 23 (16).
The Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour webpages also detail which panel of the Commemorative Area the soldier’s name is listed, and times at which their name will be projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory.
Find
a Grave.
Another
great resource for family historians is the Find a Grave database (access here). The database is very useful in
finding both military and civilian gravestones.
Leslie’s grave at Calvaire Cemetery in Montbrehain, Picardie, France (17).
Patrick’s grave at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium (18).
Author: Kate Davis - Casey Cardinia Libraries
Footnotes
1- City of Casey & Casey Cardinia Libraries, ‘Cranbourne: a town with history’, City of Casey, n.d., p. 7.2, https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files-public/user-files/City%20%26%20Council/About%20Casey/military.pdf
2- The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, ‘Louisa Henderson in Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1950', Marriage Records, The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2018, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 3182, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61649&h=2075382&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1778
3- National Archives of Australia, ‘Leslie William Lyons in Australia, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920', B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 2015, Ancestry.com [database], https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=Hnm2&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&dbid=60864&gsfn=leslie%20william&gsln=lyons&cp=0&msbpn__ftp=cranbourne,%20victoria,%20australia&msbpn=94493&new=1&rank=1&uidh=ry4&redir=false&gss=angs-d&pcat=39&fh=0&h=342463&recoff=&ml_rpos=1&queryId=5b93b738121b6202beab6fa0378bae18
4- National Archives of Australia, ‘Patrick Edward Lyons in Australia, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920', B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 2015, Ancestry.com [database], https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=yBT3&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&dbid=60864&gsfn=patrick&gsln=lyons&cp=0&msbpn__ftp=cranbourne,%20victoria,%20australia&msbpn=94493&new=1&rank=1&uidh=ry4&redir=false&msT=1&gss=angs-d&pcat=39&fh=0&h=347012&recoff=&ml_rpos=1&queryId=1e6656ed434571b2848144ab7b78380a
5- National Archives of Australia, ‘John Lyons in Australia, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920', B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 2015, Ancestry.com [database], https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60864&h=340926&tid=&pid=&queryId=a9ff9d76ffcb54ba3bf4e019a889cdab&usePUB=true&_phsrc=CGP10&_phstart=successSource
6- National Archives of Australia, ‘Charles Lyons in Australia, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920', B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 2015, Ancestry.com [database], https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60864&h=343367&tid=&pid=&queryId=8040e977f8dc9c7b8172e54fb4a11947&usePUB=true&_phsrc=yrP3&_phstart=successSource
7- Find a Grave, ‘Patrick Lyons (1863-17 June 1915)’, Find a Grave [database], Memorial ID 66810886, 2011, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66810886/patrick-lyons
8- South Bourke and Mornington Journal, ‘Fatal Accident at Cranbourne’, South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic.: 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927) 24 June 1915, p. 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66187933
9- Australian War Memorial, ‘Roll of Honour Patrick Edward Lyons’, AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army [webpage], 2022, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1638375
10- Australian War Memorial, ‘Roll of Honour Leslie William Lyons’, AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army [webpage], 2022, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1637576
11- Dandenong Advertiser and Cranbourne, Berwick and Oakleigh Advocate, ‘Cranbourne’, (1918, October 31). Dandenong Advertiser and Cranbourne, Berwick and Oakleigh Advocate (Vic.: 1914 - 1918), 31 October 1918, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88816917
12- The Age, ‘John Lyons in Australia, Newspaper Vital Notices, 1831-2001', Fairfax Media, Pyrmont, New South Wales, Australia, 2015, Ancestry.com [database], https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=9091&h=1800659906&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=60864
13- National Archives of Australia, ‘Harold Lyons in the Australia, World War II Military Service Records, 1939-1945', B884, Citizen Military Forces Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australia, 2016, Ancestry.com [database], https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61172&h=1506510&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1778
National Archives of Australia, ‘Stanley Noel Lyons in the Australia, World War II Military Service Records, 1939-1945', B883, Second Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australia, 2016, Ancestry.com [database], https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61172&h=1743295&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1778
National Archives of Australia, ‘Thomas Bertram Lyons in the Australia, World War II Second Imperial Forces and Citizen Military Forces Service Records, 1939-1947', B883, Second Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1939-1947, National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australia, 2020, Ancestry.com [database], https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.au/discoveryui-content/view/4253:61987?_phsrc=KTk1&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=thomas+bertram&gsln=lyons&ml_rpos=1&queryId=a98ffe9dc6a783c6df20b6b84a00e5c3
14- The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, ‘Mary Elizth Isabel Lyons in Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1950', Marriage Records, The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2018, Ancestry.com, reference number 2648, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61649&h=274083&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=61172
15- Australian War Memorial, ‘No. 3149. Private. LYONS. Patrick Edward.’, AWM 131 Roll of Honour Circular [document], n.d.,https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068879/document/5578343.PDF
16- Australian War Memorial, ‘No. 665. Sergeant. LYONS. Leslie William.’, AWM 131 Roll of Honour Circular [database], n.d., https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068879/document/5578340.PDF
17- Find a Grave, ‘Sgt Leslie William Lyons’, Find a Grave [website], Memorial ID 56137696, 2010, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56137696/leslie-william-lyons
18-
Find a Grave, ‘Private Patrick Edward Lyons’, Find a Grave [website], Memorial ID 12071361, 2005, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12071361/patrick-edward-lyons
Lyons Family Birth Records:
Edwardian Index, ‘Gordon Lyons in Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922', Edwardian Index. Victoria. 1902-1913, 2010, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 9948,https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1778&h=269854&tid=&pid=&queryId=0662e48dbc85ae98a49d4eae30a14f1c&usePUB=true&_phsrc=yrP15&_phstart=successSource
Edwardian Index, ‘Mary Eileen Isabel Lyons in Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922', Edwardian Index. Victoria. 1902-1913, 2010, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 9605, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1778&h=271505&tid=&pid=&queryId=97f522034da8e898634371b8ade709ca&usePUB=true&_phsrc=yrP6&_phstart=successSource
Edwardian Index, ‘Percy Lyons in Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922', Edwardian Index. Victoria, 1902-191., 2010, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 9746, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1778&h=271941&tid=&pid=&queryId=87448b8914bc36211bde8aabcb8bbb30&usePUB=true&_phsrc=CGP4&_phstart=successSource
Edwardian Index, ‘Stanley Noel Lyons in Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922', Edwardian Index. Victoria. 1902-1913, 2010, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 18394, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1778&h=272319&tid=&pid=&queryId=042a94bc1947c8cd30826c2539a62695&usePUB=true&_phsrc=yrP17&_phstart=successSource
Federation Index, ‘Jno Lyons in Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922', Federation Index. Victoria. 1889-1901, 2010, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 31724, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1778&h=1828242&tid=&pid=&queryId=60f04b7eaee212ba00de9eb7c257b0ec&usePUB=true&_phsrc=yrP2&_phstart=successSource
The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, ‘Eric Michael Lyons in Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917', Birth Records, The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2018, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 28732,https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61648&h=316568&tid=&pid=&queryId=820991cb644476b4dbefb84fcd7841a0&usePUB=true&_phsrc=yBT2&_phstart=successSource
The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, ‘Leslie William Lyons in Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917', Birth Records, The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2018, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 30262, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61648&h=162734&tid=&pid=&queryId=aac81e12ddd36ea044460e0848e6638f&usePUB=true&_phsrc=CGP1&_phstart=successSource
The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, ‘Louisa Henderson in Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917', Birth Records, The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2018, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 145, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61648&h=1496741&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1778
The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, ‘Patk Edward Lyons in Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917', Birth Records, The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2018, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 2597, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61648&h=109853&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=1778
