Gunner Alfred Ernest Benson was born in 9 August 1886 to John Benson and Mary Ann Finlay. It appears he was one of eight children (5 girls and 3 boys). Correspondence indicates that the father left the family home and his whereabouts were unknown in December 1920.

Gunner Benson enlisted on 19 August 1914 at the age of 28 years at Blackboy Hill in Western Australia. His enrolment application indicates that he was single and employed as a Civil Servant at the time of enlistment.

He embarked from Fremantle aboard the HMAT A7 “Medic”on 2 November 1914. On the 7th April 1915vhe was wounded in the left arm in Egypt.

On 7 May 1915 he was Killed in Action at Dardanelles in Turkey. He was buried at Victoria Gully, Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsular on 8 May 1915.

Gunner Benson’s file indicates that there was some confusion surrounding his death. It was unclear to his family that he had been Killed in Action until some time after his death.

Gunner Benson had a brother Albert George who also served during World War 1.

Photo courtesy of Faithe Jones – Virtual War Memorial Australia.

Norman was born in Melbourne Victoria on the 17th April 1886 to parents Edward William Norman (1860-1836) and Mary Kate MacKintosh (1861-1908). His parents divorced in 1896 and his mother remarried twice, once in 1897 and again in 1904 and had one daughter (1906-1989). His father also married again and had three children,

Norman had one brother Charles Ernest Waters (1888-1977) and four half siblings.

Norman completed 2 years of senior cadets in Melbourne and 3 years in the South African Constabulary.

He married Rose Agnes Paris (1890-1968) in 1910 in Richmond, Victoria and they had one son Ernest Peter Waters (1912-1987). In 1914 he was married again to Eileen Marie Helm ( 1894-1953) and they had one daughter Jean Mary (1915-2011).

He enlisted at the age of 27 on the 17th August 1914 ,after working as a clerk in a warehouse. He joined 8th Battery Artillery Field in Egypt. In January 1915 he was transferred to the 3rd Brigade Ammunition Column as a Driver. In May 1915 he was hospitalised, was prescribed glasses for poor eyesight and invalided to Australia from the Suez on the HMHS Port Lincoln. He was discharged.

In February 1916 he rejoined the 2nd D Company, A Company and B Company military units, He was promoted to Sergeant and left for Ismailia, Egypt in March the same year.

In December he attended hospital with trench fever and was transferred to England with debility following the trench fever and influenza. He was furloughed in England.

In 1917 he remained in the No 1 Australian Command Depot in Sutton Veny, England .

In February 1918 he began training for the move to Rouelles, France with the 6th Australian Field Artillery Brigade but by July he was hospitalised for 2 months with influenza.

He had leave in England at the begining of 1919 and at a medical assessment it was decided that due to an old injury on his left toe, a bunion and arthritis, and the fact he had flat feet from marching and with diminished movement, he was unfit for general service, but fit for home service.

He was returned on SS Marathon in June 1919 and discharged in July.

The family didn’t remain in Hutt St after the war but moved to William St where Norman continued to work as a Clerk.

Norman’s brother Charles Ernest Waters served in WW11 as did one of Norman’s half siblings Gordon Ralph Waters ( on his father’s side).

Sapper Frederick Cartwright Gaines was born in Janaury 1890 at Sunningdale, England to parents Frederick Thomas Gaines (1868-) and mother Amy Edith (1870-). He had 2 siblings; Frederick Charles and Winifred Violet.

He married Muriel Clare Ecclestone (1889-1959) in 1915 and they lived in Boyanup, Western Australia where he worked as a mechanical fitter or engineer.

They had 3 sons and 3 daughters: Muriel Joy (1916-1985); Harry Cartwright ( 1917-1959); Basil Cartwright ( 1919-1935); Winifred Alice (1922-2013); Marjorie Ellen ( 1925-2016) and Colin James ( 1929-2025).

One son Harry Cartwright served in WW11.

Frederick served 3 years in London with the 14th (Light) Division Royal Field Artillery and was discharged after his term concluded.

He enlisted on the at the beginning of August 1915 with the 1st Anzac Wireless Squadron as a Private, shortly after made a Gunner with the 16th Battery, 6th Field Artillery Brigade.

He arrived wounded in Fremantle from Egypt on HMAT A63 Karoola on the 3rd May 1916.

He re-enlisted with the Light Motor Wireless Section in Sydney in September 1917 ( with SN 7995) and left Australia in February on HMT A38 Ulysses, disembarking in Egypt.

In March 1918 he joined his unit in Baghdad and 2 months later was transferred to India, invalided and returned by ship to Australia on the 18th August 1918 due to debility.

Interestingly he received 3 letters from different women ( according to his NAA records) enquiring as to his whereabouts.

His wife Muriel moved to Perth to the Hutt St address for the war years.

After the war the family moved back to Boyanup where he continued working as a mechanical engineer.

In 1939 Harry was also working in Boyanup as a labourer before he enlisted in WW11.

The family members remained living in Boyanup and the South West area.

Frederick died on the 11th October 1970 in Boyanup and was buried at the Boyanup Cemetery.

Photo courtesy of Find a Grave.