Community
7 March, 2025
Lost history is back forever
IT was just recently that the Douglas Shire Historical Society featured in the ‘Goss’ having received a Tin Shed funding award.
This has since assisted in the printing of an updated version of their popular publication ‘Cattle, Cane and Cedar’.
It has been 10 years since members of the society carried out extensive research, in 2015, to trace the records of people who had connections with the Douglas Shire and enlisted for World War One.
With research from the Australian War Museum website, plus interviews with descendants, a comprehensive record of these people was then constructed.
Seven years ago, this information was then loaded onto two touchscreens and some also onto the historical society’s website to commemorate 100 years since the end of the War in 1918.
Unfortunately, after much hard work, the Australian War Museum took down some of their online records, so these links were lost.
Fortunately, now, with the perseverance and magical talents of local web designer Jayne Miller from Renegade Moss, a new companion website has just been launched. The site mentions over 220 people, listed by their name and campaigns in Gallipoli, the Western Front, Egypt or New Guinea. The videos of local descendants recalling family stories are also available for viewing.
The honour board at Douglas Shire Council office, in Mossman, was found to be missing some names and also had some spelling mistakes, which was quite usual in those times of oral note-taking. With thorough research, up-to-date details of the board are now explained on the new website. Information such as this has never been documented in this way before.
Examples of local Diggers found on the site include Herbert Charles Hardwick and his two brothers, John Thomas ‘Jack’ and Arthur. They all enlisted and served overseas in Egypt and miraculously all returned alive. Another brother, F.W Hardwick ‘Bill’, maintained the brothers’ farm ‘Glengarry’ in Mowbray. Often farmers did not enlist to keep up the food supplies.
Another example is Jack Crees of Ferndale. Stating ‘engine driver’ as an occupation on his enlistment form may have prompted his re-assignment to driver in the 17th Australian Army Service Corps and re-location to France. He kept a log book of every place visited for 3.5 years.
A special gem is the K.K. Pledge (Kitchener of Khartoum) signed by JLE Crees on May 31, 1915. He stated “In order that I may be of greatest service to my country, and carry out the wishes of the Commander-in-Chief at this time of national peril, I promise until the end of the war to abstain from all intoxicating liquor.”
This, no doubt, would have been a tough requirement for stressed and terrified troops, but being a driver, however, it was both sensible and necessary. After the war, Jack Crees returned to Ferndale and is remembered in a video on the website by his grandson Alan Crees.
Overall, this amazing site is an invaluable resource for people studying the history of World War One and highlights links to Douglas Shire. It can be found at www.douglasdiggersww1.org.au
There is also a book called Diggers of Douglas available from the Port Douglas Court House Museum or from the society’s website.
The historical society will be mounting a display for Heritage Week, commemorating Anzac Day. This can be seen in the Shire council foyer in Mossman from April 18 until May 18.
I’m off to check out some of this amazing local history, so for now it’s Gazza signing out.
Send your stories to gazza@cairnslocalnews.com.au
