The Adamsons of Beaconsfield

Written by Kate Davis, Casey Cardinia Libraries.    

The recent digitisation of oral history interviews brings new light to the local histories of the area in a new format! This article was created from excerpts of an interview with Mr. Bruce and Mrs. Darla Adamson, conducted by then Berwick Secondary College student Helen Erskine-Behr. The interview itself was recorded on September 10, 1990 at Bruce and Darla’s home in Railway Avenue, Beaconsfield, and focused predominantly on their experiences during World War Two (1).    

Kenneth ‘Bruce’ Adamson, and Margaret Alice ‘Darla’ Adamson married in 1958 (2), after Darla’s first husband, Ronald Keith Brown, whom she married in 1935 (3), passed away in 1955 (4). Darla had two children of her own when she and Bruce married, and the pair didn’t have any more children together. They both worked at St Margarets School in Berwick together after they married, Bruce as caretaker and Darla as a cook. Once retired, they moved to their home in Railway Avenue, Beaconsfield (5). Thus, the Adamson’s were retired at the time this interview was recorded.    Bruce was born in 1927, making him 12 at the time that World War II broke out (6). He describes the feeling in Beaconsfield at the time as apprehension; most locals knew returned servicemen from the First World War. Bruce remembers that they had once been told the First World War would be the war to end all wars. No one could quite believe it was happening again, and certainly no one knew what would happen this time. Despite this, the tight-knit local community rose to the occasion, giving departing soldiers large send-offs, and throwing celebratory welcome home parades for returning servicemen. Bruce recalls that many families moved away from Beaconsfield during the war, because of the lack of work – no factories in Dandenong meant people often had to travel to Melbourne for work.   Bruce’s own family was quite involved in the wars. Bruce’s father, John Adamson, had served in the First World War as a private for several reinforcement units (7) – perhaps a motivator for Bruce’s eldest brothers, who enlisted in the Second World War.  

Private John Adamson

Bill and Peter Adamson, had served in the air force and the navy respectively during the Second World War. Peter, born Hugh Malcolm, was ranked as a writer in the Royal Australian Navy, and served in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. After the war, he returned to Beaconsfield at first, then married Leah Adeline Rule in 1956, moving to settle in Carrum, where the pair had two boys. Peter worked as a school inspector after the war, and passed away on 21 July 2001 (8).  

Peter Adamson, Royal Australian Navy.  

Bill, born Ian William, served as a warrant officer in the 37 Squadron for the Royal Australian Air Force. He had served in Papua New Guinea, and was awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and an Australian Service Medal 1939-1945 (9). Bruce recalls that Bill had trained for six months before being deployed overseas, going to night school to get his pilot’s licence, and that he often worked as a navigator on the air crew also. Bill was involved in a plane crash when returning to Australia at the end of his service, which Bruce talks about. The following is an excerpt from the Beaconsfield Soldier’s write up on Bill’s service: 

 

As Bruce mentions in his interview, while no passengers were injured, Bill did suffer a broken skull from the incident. Prior to officially being discharged, Bill had married Mildred Kathleen Charlotte Armstrong, and upon his discharged, the pair settled in Western Australia and also had 2 sons. Bruce voiced concerns for his brother during the interview, saying that he had not been in good health and that he was worried Bill did not have long unfortunately, Bill passed away 19 days after the interview was recorded, on September 29, 1990 (10).  

Bill Adamson, Royal Australian Air Force. 

 

Bruce himself enlisted for military service towards the end of the war. His service record shows he enlisted in Marrickville, New South Wales (11). As Bruce recalls in this interview, he then went to Darwin to be ready for whatever might have happened next. Records of exactly which year he enlisted were unavailable, but it can be assumed that it must have been in 1945 – Bill would have turned 18 this year. 

Sadly, Darla Adamson passed away on September 1, 1995 (12). Bruce though, went on to live for another 25 years. He was a devoted member of the Beaconsfield CFA, and had been heavily involved in the building of the old Beaconsfield fire station. Upon his death on October 23, 2020 (13), Bruce was the longest serving member of the Beaconsfield CFA (14).  

Click here to listen to this interview, and browse the range of local history records Casey Cardinia Libraries have to offer.  

 

References: 

1. Dandenong Valley Regional Library Service, Mr Bruce & Mrs Adamson - Beaconsfield [audio recording], 10th September 1990, Casey Cardinia Libraries Local History Archive BSC036, https://cclc.libsvic.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/search/asset/266309/0 

2. Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Beaconsfield loses a living treasure’, Beaconsfield Banner, vol. 7, no. 5, October 1995, p4;9, https://beaconsfield.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Beaconsfield-Banner-V.7.No_.5..pdf  

3. The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, ‘Margt Alice Lurley 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 3444, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61649&h=708672&tid=&pid=&queryId=97496727c353f7b2067c331572605c99&usePUB=true&_phsrc=sig57&_phstart=successSource 

4. Death Index Victoria, ‘Ronald Keith Brown in the Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985', Death Index Victoria 1921-1985, 2010, Ancestry.com [database], reference number 3403, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=1779&h=1872088&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=61649 

5. Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Beaconsfield loses a living treasure’, Beaconsfield Banner, vol. 7, no. 5, October 1995, p4;9, https://beaconsfield.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Beaconsfield-Banner-V.7.No_.5..pd 

6. NewsCorp Australia, ‘Kenneth “Bruce” Adamson’, mytributes [website], 2022, https://www.mytributes.com.au/notice/death-notices/kenneth-bruce-adamson/5575711/?rs=20 

7. Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Adamson John’, Beaconsfield’s Soldiers [website], 2018-2021, https://beaconsfield.org.au/digitalmemorial/adamson-john/ 

8. Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Adamson Hugh Malcolm’, Beaconsfield’s Soldiers [website], 2018-2021, https://beaconsfield.org.au/digitalmemorial/adamson-hugh-malcolm/ 

9. Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Adamson Ian William (Bill)’, Beaconsfield’s Soldiers [website], 2018-2021, https://beaconsfield.org.au/digitalmemorial/adamson-ian-william-bill/ 

10. Ibid  

11. National Archives of Australia, ‘Kenneth Bruce Adamson 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?indiv=1&dbid=61172&h=2012185&tid=&pid=&queryId=f0577f1505b0b1f93a08fb393d4498fd&usePUB=true&_phsrc=sig65&_phstart=successSource 

12. Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Beaconsfield loses a living treasure’, Beaconsfield Banner, vol. 7, no. 5, October 1995, p4;9, https://beaconsfield.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Beaconsfield-Banner-V.7.No_.5..pd 

13. NewsCorp Australia, ‘Kenneth “Bruce” Adamson’, mytributes [website], 2022, https://www.mytributes.com.au/notice/death-notices/kenneth-bruce-adamson/5575711/?rs=20 

14. Lukas, Tony, ‘Beaconsfield Banner Summer 2020 Beaconsfield CFA’, Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated [website], 2022, https://beaconsfield.org.au/beaconsfield-banner-summer-2020-beaconsfield-cfa/ 

 

Images (in order of appearance): 

Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Adamson John’, Beaconsfield’s Soldiers [website], 2018-2021, https://beaconsfield.org.au/digitalmemorial/adamson-john/ 

Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Adamson Hugh Malcolm’, Beaconsfield’s Soldiers [website], 2018-2021, https://beaconsfield.org.au/digitalmemorial/adamson-hugh-malcolm/ 

Beaconsfield Progress Association Incorporated, ‘Adamson Ian William (Bill)’, Beaconsfield’s Soldiers [website], 2018-2021, https://beaconsfield.org.au/digitalmemorial/adamson-ian-william-bill/