For more than 10 years genealogy has been my hobby. I have spent countless hours in libraries trolling through microfiche records; corresponding with relatives near and far and more recently searching the internet for the next small piece of information that will add to the puzzle. After my mother’s death I inherited all of her photos and memorabilia which have been sitting in my filing cabinet for years.
As anyone who has undertaken the task of sorting through old family photos will attest there is nothing more frustrating than discovering that no names or details of the mystery person whose image is tantalizing displayed in front of you were recorded or even worse that there is no one around to ask. Shifting through the old shoe box of black and white and sepia photos I uncovered a number of photos of men in army uniforms. Of more interest were some hand written photo postcards sent to my grandmother Mary Adelaide King (Addie) from her brothers serving overseas during the First World War.
Fortunately someone had taken the time to write names on many of these photos. One in particular became my favourite; it was a photo taken in Egypt of seven Australian soldiers in their slouch hats and uniforms sitting on camels with the Sphinx in the foreground and the Pyramids in the background. This was the standard tourist photo of the day and their are hundreds of similar photos in circulation. On the back was a handwritten letter to Addie from her brother Charlie who was also in the photo. I loved this photo so much I had it restored, enlarged and framed, it now takes pride of place on my study wall. To me it epitomizes the youthful exuberance of a group of young Aussie men who were about to undertake the biggest adventure of their lives in a strange new country. The streets of Cairo would have been so alien to a bunch of boys from Country South Australia. The photo was taken before any of these men had seen active duty.
To coincide with Anzac Day 2007 the Australian National Archive released for the first time the military records of all those who served during World War One. This has given me the opportunity to glean a small insight into some my distant relatives who were faces on photographs kept in a filing cabinet. The following information has been obtained about 16 members of the King family all of whom are direct descendants of Peter King 1831-1907 and Mary O'Brien (my great grandparents) who enlisted in the Army to serve their country during the First World War. King was my mother’s maiden name and her immediate family grew up around Manoora, Burra and Morphett Vale in South Australia. All of these men were brothers, uncles or cousins of Addie King.
The parents of Peter King were Peter King 1799-1881 and Margaret 'Peggy' Dwyer 1804-1886 who sailed to South Australia arriving at Port Adelaide in 1845 from Devon and Cornwall with their two sons Thomas aged 15 and Peter aged 13. The family settled in Morphett Vale in rural country and became one of the earliest pioneer families of South Australia.
Stop Press - after this blog was created I discovered another member of the King Family that I had been unaware of and as such there are in fact 17 Kings. Detailed below is a brief summary of each of their war records.
The records do not accurately indicate the conditions or the pain and suffering these men had to endure while fighting a hostile enemy in South Africa, Europe and the Middle East. ANZAC Day has new meaning for me because I now have an insight to these seventeen brave men who enlisted to fight a war on another continent so we can today enjoy the freedom that we take for granted. Four of these men paid the ultimate price with their lives.
Alexander King1873-1915 (Father Peter King b.1831) - Addie’s uncle
On the 5thof February 1902 Alex from Manoora SA enlisted at the age of 29 years and 1 month to join the Commonwealth Contingent for Service in South Africa. His occupation was given as prospector, he was 5 ft 11 inches tall and had blue eyes. In 1902 he sailed with the 9th Contingent and served in the 4thBattalionCommonwealth Horse who had a peace keeping role in South Africa after the Boer War. He returned home 12 months later.
A local newspaper report told how he courageously descended a mine while working in Broken Hill rescuing 2 trapped miners from certain death. He was a keen footballer and on his return Alex again took up the sport.
He enlisted a second time 45 days after Britain declared war on Germany on the 17thof September 1914 at the age of 41 years and 8 months. At the time of his enlistment his profession was recorded as a veterinary dentist and had grey hair. He was assigned to the 9thLight Horse Regiment. His previous service and skills as a horseman may have been why he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in January 1915. Made up of predominantly of South Australians this regiment departed Melbourne on the ‘Armadale’ in February 1915 arriving in Egypt and as horses were found to be unsuitable for the Gallipoli terrain they were deployed without their horses.
His regiment was used as reserves for the disastrous attack on the Nek Gallipoli Peninsular which took place in August of the same year. They suffered nearly 50% casualties attacking Hill 60. Exhausted and under strength they played a defensive role until they left the Peninsular in December. The records indicate Alex was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown in June and was sent back to his unit in July 1915. Alex was killed in action by a bullet to the chest on the 6thof August 1915 in the Dardanelles.
He is buried at Ari BurnuCemetry Gallipoli Turkey overlooking the waters of Anzac Beach.
Louis (Lewis) Augusta King1876-1957 (Father Thomas King b.1855) -Addie’s eldest brother
He served with the South Australian Mounted Rifles and sailed with the Sixth Imperial Bushmen Contingent to South Africa in 1900 to fight in the Boer War and returned in April 1902 after hostilities ceased. At the time of his enlistment he was 5ft 8 inches, his rank was recorded as Lance Corporal promoted to Sergeant.
His son Leslie served during the First World War.
Peter King1887- (Father Thomas King b.1855) - Addie’s brother
Peter who was from Manoora SA enlisted in July 1915 at the age of 28 years 9 months, he was 5 ft 10 inches and had grey eyes, his occupation was listed as a motor driver, he was married to Ida at the time with 2 small children. He was assigned to the 6thReinforcements 27thBattalion AIF and deployed to France in October 1915. In 1916 he was redeployed to the 10thBattalion and after suffering light casualties he was transferred to England where he finished his service as a driver.
Brigadier-General S. Price Weir made the comment that in his diary he had a record of a gallant act performed by Peter King while serving with the 10th Battalion A.I.F. which reads:
“Fleurbaix, France, 19thJune, 1916 – while the enemy was shelling our 300 yard line, two men were wounded out in the open. One of them managed to get under cover. Peter King ran out of the shelter where he was taking cover and picked up the other man. He had only carried the man a short distance and was near a dug-out which was being heavily shelled, when a high explosive shell burst within six feet of him. Both King and the man he was carrying were thrown violently to the ground. King immediately got up again and seized the wounded man. Men from the trench shouted to the King to place the wounded man he was carrying in the nearest dugout. This King refused to do, but carried the wounded man thirty yards down the trench away from the area which was being heavily shelled”.
During his time in England Peter was first promoted to Lance Corporal in 1917 and then to Sergeant in 1918. Having survived the war Peter was discharged in 1919 and returned to South Australia.
Peter also enlisted at the outbreak of World War 2 but his army records are not yet available.
It appears he continued his career as a driver and was awarded the OBE Medal (Civil) / British empire Medal (Civil) in 1937 for his service as a government driver and bodyguard to the then Premier.
Thomas King1892- (Father Thomas King b. 1855) - Addie’s Brother )
Tom also from Manoora SA enlisted 30th November 1914 at the age of 19 years and 4 months he was 5 ft 4 inches and gave his occupation as machinery expert. He sailed for Gallipoli in December 1914 where he was initially assigned to the 13th ASC. Sickness saw him transferred to London via Malta for treatment. In February 1916 his unit was dispatched to France and he was assigned to the First Field Bakery Unit. Tom was promoted from Private to the rank of Corporal and acting rank of Sargent.
A bout of syphilis had him transferred to London. Until his discharge in 1920 he was in and out of hospitals with a variety of ailments however it was acute bronchitis that eventually saw him unfit for further duty. One good thing came out of his time in London was that Tom married Susan Kensit in 1918. They returned to Australia after Tom’s discharge in 1919.
Charles King1890-1915 (Father Thomas King b. 1855 - Addie’s brother)
Charlie from Manoora SA enlisted on the 25th of August 1914 at the age of 23 years and 1 month just 3 weeks after Britain declared war on Germany, he was 5 ft 11 inches tall and had blue eyes, his occupation was listed as labourer. He was assigned to the 10th Battalion AIF as a driver. This Battalion of South Australians was raised within weeks of war being declared and together with the 9th, 11th and 12th Battalion’s formed the 3rd Brigade. They departed on the 20th of October and arrived in Egypt December of 1914 after only several months of basic training. The 3rd Brigade was the covering force for the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli on the 25th April 1915. They were heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line of the ANZAC position and served there until the evacuation in December.
On the 3rdof February 1915 Charlie was promoted to Company Driver. Almost 12 months after enlisting Charles was killed in action at Gallipoli on the 6th of August 1915. His body was originally buried at Victoria Gully Gallipoli but was later exhumed for fear of it may wash away in heavy rains and was reburied at the Lone Pine Cemetery Brown’s Dip Plot 1 Row G Grave 5.
In an ironic twist of fate Charlie was killed on the same day as his uncle Alex.
It should also be noted that 4 sons of Thomas King (my great Grandfather) enlisted and one was killed in action.
William Leonard King1882-1972 (Father Thomas King b.1855 - Addie’s brother)
Will a farmer from Manoora SA enlisted in September 1915 at the age of 33 years and gave his occupation as farmer. This was just 6 weeks after losing his brother at Gallipoli. He was assigned to the 14thLight Horse Regiment and arrived in France on the Western Front in 1916. After being promoted to Gunner he was shot in the arm and wounded in action in June and again in September of 1917. After convalescing in England on both occasions he returned to his unit in France in 1918 only to be gassed and then found unfit for active duty. In January 1919 he returned to South Australia and it is believed he never married.
Arthur David James King1893 - (Father David King b. 1867) - Addie's cousin
Arthur a farmer from Warracknabeal Victoria enlisted on the 30th of July 1915 at the age of 21 years, he was 5 ft 8 inches tall and had brown eyes. He embarked for Alexandria in January 1916 and was assigned to the 6th Battalion and transferred to active duty in France. In September 1917 he received a gun shot wound to the arm and was hospitalised to England. He returned to his unit in March 1918 and finally embarked for Australia in January 1919.
Percival Stephen Edward King1894-1974 (Father David King b.1867) - Addie’s cousin
Poor Percy from enlisted in July 1915 at the age of 20 years 7 months but was discharged 5 months later as medically unfit because the Army could not provide him with boots to fit his extraordinarily large feet.
Clarence Andrew Charles King1897- (Father David King b.1867) - Addie’s cousin
Clarrie a farmer from Ballarat Victoria enlisted in April 1916 at the age of 18 years 10 months and was 5ft 9 inches with Brown eyes. He was attached to the 38thBattalion and later 6th Battalion AIF as a stretcher bearer. He was wounded in action in France in February 1917 and after returning to his unit was gassed in 1918 after being invalided to England returned home to Australia in 1919.
Archibald Raymond King1896-1917 (Father David King b.1867) - Addie’s cousin
Archie a farmer from Warrick Victoria enlisted in June 1916 at the age of 20 years, he was 5ft 8 inches and had brown eyes. He was assigned to B Company 38th Battalion AIF which sailed to Plymouth in October 1916 and then on to France. During the harsh winter of 1916-17 they were heavily involved in raiding German trenches.
He suffered a gunshot wound in Belgium after fighting in the trenches of the Western Front and died of his wounds on the 28th May 1917 in an army field hospital.
Archie, pictured below is buried at the Strand Military Cemetery, Belgium Plot 3 Row A.
It should be noted that 4 of David King’s 5 sons enlisted and of those 2 were killed in action.
Leslie John Denyer1893-1965 (Mother Margaret King b.1863) – Addie’s cousin
Les who was a farmer from Kerang Victoria enlisted in April 1917 at the age of 23 and was assigned to the 35thBattalion. He left Australia in 1917 and saw active service in France 1918 before returning home in 1919.
Walter Thomas King1892-1919 (Father Peter King b.1860) – Addie’s cousin
Tom from Karkarooc Victoria enlisted 13 November 1914 at the age of 20 years 11 months and was assigned to the 3rdLight Horse Battalion. He saw service in France and Belgium but was discharged in 1916 on medical grounds and died in 1919 after returning to Australia from Tuberculosis.
Arthur Norman King1893-1918 (Father Peter King b.1860 -1905) - Addie’s cousin
Arthur enlisted in September 1914 at the age of 25 years 2 months giving his occupation as a Laborer from Reynella SA. He was initially assigned to the 8thLight Horse Regiment who landed at Gallipoli in May 1915 but following a series of medical issues he was transferred to the 3rdMachine Gun Battalion. The 3rdAIF were involved in battles with the advancing Germans at Passchendale, Villers-Bretonneux and Morlancourt.
He was killed in action 31 August 1918 while fighting in France and he is buried at Hem Farm Military Cemetery the Somme in France (Plot 11 Row E Grave 6).
Leslie William King1897-1968 (Father William King b.1856) - Addie’s cousin
Les a labourer from Kilkenny SA enlisted in November 1917 at the age of 20 years and 3 months at 5 ft 9 inches and was assigned to the 27thBattalion 6thReinforcements and later the 9thLight Horse. In 1918 they disembarked for Egypt.
He returned to Australia in 1919 after contracting malaria.
Allan Lancelot King1894 – (Father Charles King b. 1865) – Addie’s Uncle)
Allan a 5 ft 8 inch farm labourer from Hopetown Vict enlisted in May 1917 at the age of 23 years 11 months and was assigned to the 14thReinforcements and later the 1stSquadron Light Horse departed April 1918 and on arrival in Egypt was sent to an isolation camp with the mumps. His rank was Trooper but it appears he saw no active service and returned to Australia in April 1919 after the end of the war.
Roy Alexander Cyril King1892-1965 (Father Charles King b.1865 -Addie’s cousin)
Roy a farmer from Warracknabeal Victoria enlisted in February 1915 at the age of 22 years and 7 months was 5 ft 6 inches with brown eyes. He was assigned to the 5thDivision which sailed for Egypt in May 1915 as an ammunition carriage driver. He was reported to be an excellent athlete and in 1918 won the division middleweight wrestling championship. He returned to Australia in March 1919.
Gordon Charles King1896-1964 (Father Charles King b. 1865) - Addie’s cousin
Gordon who resided in Kerang Victoria enlisted in May 1917 at the age of 21 years, 5 ft 10 inches blue eyes stating his occupation as a farmer. He was attached to the 14thRegiment Camel Corps however much of his time in the army was spent in and out of hospitals in Egypt and in May 1919 he was discharged as medically unfit after not seeing active duty and returned home.
Lewis/Louis Augustine King
Lewis/Louis Augustine King was the eldest son of Thomas and Mary King and eldest brother of my grandmother Mary Adelaide King. He was born in 1876 and left Australia in 1901 at the age of 24 with the 6th South Australian Contingent Imperial Bushman to fight in the Boer War in South Africa. He had the rank of Lance Corporal but was promoted to Sergeant before his return in 1902.
When the First World War broke out he was 38 years old and married with children.
Postcard from Egypt
Attached is the back of the Egypt postcard dated January 1915 sent to Addie Blight by her brother Charlie soon after his arrival in Cairo. In the letter he consoles his sister that her brother Tom has enlisted but optimistically hopes that Tom will not see active service and they will both return by Christmas.
I have attached the family tree of Peter King and Mary O'Brien which will help to illustrate the family connections.