u/sweet_thursday_

James Glen Crombie was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland and by 1919 his life was closely tied to Mortlake, the industrial riverside Sydney suburb where he made his home and earned his living. The son of David and Margaret Crombie, James lived in Mortlake with his wife and their two children, supporting his young family through his work as a stillman at the Australian Gaslight Company’s vast gasworks on the Parramatta River.

It was demanding industrial work, carried out among the retorts, stills and machinery that helped supply Sydney with gas. One morning, that ordinary working life was shattered.

Boilermaker Michael Carrig had entered a tar still to carry out repairs when he was overcome by poisonous fumes. His fellow boilermaker Robert Allen saw what had happened and immediately went to his assistance, only to be overcome himself.

James was the next man to act. With Carrig and Allen lying helpless inside, James climbed into the still and attempted to bring them out. He too was overcome by the fumes before he could reach safety.

Other workers continued the rescue effort. One man entered with ropes secured around him but had to be pulled out within a minute. Eventually, another worker and the gasworks’ first aid official succeeded in recovering James, Michael and Robert. They had reportedly been inside for around ten minutes, but none could be revived.

An inquest later determined that gas had travelled into the tar still from two connected stills. The Coroner returned verdicts of accidental death and found the Australian Gaslight Company was not to blame, noting that the stills had previously been cleaned in this manner without incident. Afterwards, the company introduced a system of completely disconnecting each still to prevent a similar tragedy.

Coroner Richardson Clark was particularly struck by what had happened after Carrig collapsed. Allen had entered without hesitation to help him, followed by James when he saw both men helpless inside. ‘Those two men were certainly heroes’ the Coroner said.

James was one of three husbands and fathers lost that morning. Between them, James Crombie, Michael Carrig and Robert Allen left three widows and ten children.

Location:
Rookwood General Cemetery, Rookwood, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188500787/james-glen-crombie

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15849479
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16087009
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45547218
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/171283093
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188500787/james-glen-crombie#view-photo=269676476
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4597141

Ambrose Patrick Whiting’s life began and ended in Parramatta, but his death came in one of the district’s most shocking transport accidents.

Born in Parramatta on 31^(st) January 1878 to William Whiting and Eliza Groves, Ambrose married Mabel Lydia Moulds in 1898. Together they had six daughters and a son, William. By 1921, Ambrose was living at Northmead and working as a dealer and carter.

On 3^(rd) January 1921, Ambrose and his young son William were near Lennox Bridge when a motor car and steam tram collided in Church Street.

The tram was travelling towards Parramatta Railway Station while the car, driven by Oliver Isidore Hempel, was heading in the opposite direction. The cause of the collision was initially unclear. Contemporary reports described a violent impact in which the car became caught beneath the tram engine.

The coupling between the engine and its carriages broke and the engine left the rails, pushing the badly damaged motor car towards the footpath. The tram carriages also derailed before finally coming to a stop.

Ambrose and William, who were on the roadway when the collision occurred, were caught in the disaster. Both father and son were killed instantly. Another man, Parramatta grocer Charles Gow, was critically injured and died in hospital later that night. Hempel survived with serious injuries.

The tragedy became the subject of a coronial inquiry, with witnesses questioned about the tram’s speed, the slippery road conditions and the movements of the car immediately before impact.

Ambrose was 42 years old. William was only about 12 or 13.

Location:
Mays Hill Cemetery, Mays Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123474504/ambrose-patrick-whiting
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123474503/ambrose-william_havelock-whiting

Sources:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/98929564
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/117297747
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/190898377
https://www.facebook.com/groups/goodoldwoywoy/posts/2091475004469830/?http_ref=eyJ0cyI6MTc5MTE5MDc4NjAwMCwiciI6IiJ9

On the night of 9^(th) April 1908, 18-year-old domestic servant Anne Selmes was returning home after visiting her sister in Parramatta. She carried needlework in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, an ordinary detail that would have devastating consequences.

While walking along the footpath, Anne tripped in a hole and fell heavily forward. The scissors she was carrying pierced her chest at the base of her heart. Anne died within an hour.

Anne’s story was originally posted on r/thosewholiebeneath, where we share the stories behind the headstones.

Original Post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThoseWhoLieBeneath/comments/1wzs99r/anne_selmes_impaled_by_scissors/

Location:
Mays Hill Cemetery, Mays Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82720696/anne-selmes

On the night of 9^(th) April 1908, 18-year-old domestic servant Anne Selmes was returning home after visiting her sister in Parramatta. She carried needlework in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, an ordinary detail that would have devastating consequences.

While walking along the footpath, Anne tripped in a hole and fell heavily forward. The scissors she was carrying pierced her chest at the base of her heart. Anne died within an hour.

Location:
Mays Hill Cemetery, Mays Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82720696/anne-selmes

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10656405?browse=ndp%3Abrowse%2Ftitle%2FA%2Ftitle%2F13%2F1908%2F04%2F11%2Fpage%2F351142%2Farticle%2F10656405
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/56458837

Born into a printing family in Clerkenwell, London, in 1818, Mason arrived in Sydney in 1840 and spent two years working for the Sydney Herald. He eventually struck out on his own, establishing a printing business in Parramatta and, in 1843, launching the Parramatta Chronicle and Cumberland General Advertiser, the first newspaper published in the town.

That same year, Mason printed The Housewife’s Guide, a cookery book adapted from an earlier British publication. The Parramatta edition was altered for colonial life, replacing some British ingredients with those available locally, including snapper and native currants. Researchers now argue that it was Australia’s first locally produced cookbook, published more than 20 years before the book traditionally credited with that distinction. No known copy has survived.

Mason’s influence increasingly extended into the community around him. He served as an alderman representing Gore Ward during the 1870s and as a justice of the peace. He helped found the Parramatta Benevolent Society, serving on its committee for 45 years and was involved with Parramatta Hospital and the School of Arts. Contemporary accounts remembered that when local appeals for people in distress appeared in the newspaper, Mason’s contribution was often the first received.

Mason was also known for holding unconventional religious beliefs. His obituary described him as ‘thoroughly heterodox’ in theology and as a man proud to associate himself intellectually with reformers who challenged orthodoxy in religion, politics and social philosophy. He placed considerable value on human reason and intelligence and made no apology for views that differed from accepted doctrine. Yet these differences apparently did little to diminish the respect in which he was held. His obituary pointed to his life as evidence that good citizenship, courtesy, philanthropy and charity were not confined to any particular creed.

Later in life, Mason left printing and bookselling to become a fruitgrower at Broadview on Pennant Hills Road before eventually retiring to Parramatta South. He was remembered as independent-minded, shrewd and deeply principled, retaining the respect of people who disagreed with him.

Mason died in 1899, aged 82. His death was peaceful: after tea, he fell asleep, briefly woke at around 10 o’clock and asked for warm water. After drinking it, he quietly died. He left eleven children, having outlived three others.

Location:
Mays Hill Cemetery, Mays Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123473511/edmund-mason

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14222751
https://www.academia.edu/103593501/EDMUND_MASON_MRS_IRVING_AND_THE_FIRST_AUSTRALIAN_COOKERY_BOOK
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/history-culture/2022/04/is-this-australias-oldest-cookbook/
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228248971#
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228248971
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/85776350

Born in Manly in 1916, Arthur Roden Cutler, known as ‘Ro’ to family and friends, was the eldest of four children. When his father was killed in a car accident in 1935, the 19-year-old began working after school to help support his mother and younger siblings while continuing his studies.

Courage had already surfaced in his life. At 18, while working as a lifesaver, Roden swam to the aid of a surfer being circled by a shark. As he helped the man towards shore, the shark reportedly brushed past him twice. Both survived.

In May 1940, Roden enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force and was sent to the Middle East with the 2/5th Field Regiment. By June 1941, the young lieutenant was fighting Vichy French forces in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, serving as a forward artillery observer, a dangerous role that required him to operate close to enemy positions.

Over 18 days of fighting near Merdjayoun, Roden repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire while directing artillery, restoring communications and assisting with the evacuation of wounded Australians. On one occasion he was cut off by fighting and could not escape until darkness fell.

Then came the Battle of Damour.

On 6th July, amid heavy shelling and machine-gun fire, Roden captured eight Vichy French soldiers from three separate machine-gun posts. When the Australians’ wireless communications failed, he volunteered to cross exposed ground and establish a telephone line. Before he could complete the task, he was shot in the leg.

Roden applied his own tourniquet, but enemy fire made it impossible for his company to reach him. He remained wounded in the open for 26 hours before French prisoners finally carried him to a road, where he could be taken for treatment. By then his leg had become septic and could not be saved. It was amputated.

His sustained bravery during the campaign earned him the Victoria Cross. When Roden returned to Australia, thousands welcomed him home in Manly, with around 4,000 people attending a civic reception in his honour.

The loss of his leg did not end his public life. At just 29, Roden became Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, beginning a distinguished diplomatic career that would take him to Ceylon, Egypt, Pakistan, New York and the Netherlands. In 1966, he became Governor of New South Wales, serving for a record 15 years.

Sir Roden Cutler died after a long illness in 2002, aged 85. At his state funeral, thousands lined Sydney’s George Street as his coffin travelled by gun carriage through the city, more than 60 years after another crowd had gathered to welcome the wounded young soldier home.

Sir Cutler’s wife, Lady Helen Cutler, lived a fascinating life. I covered her story here.  

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13739963/arthur_roden-cutler

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roden_Cutler
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/stories/biographies/arthur-roden-cutler
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/resources/media/image/awm-012577
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/resources/media/image/awm-128440
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105883270

Photo Captions:

Photo 3 -
Original photographer unknown, photo is featured on several websites.

Photo 4 -
Lieutenant Arthur Roden Cutler being carried towards Yerate by French prisoners of war in Lebanon on 7^(th) July 1941. Photo courtesy of ANZAC Portal and the Australian War Memorial.

Photo 5 -
Arthur Roden Cutler (right) pictured at the awarding of his Victoria Cross with his mother, Ruby Cutler (centre) and the Governor-General of Australia, Lord Gowrie (left), at Admiralty House, Kirribilli, on 11^(th) June 1942. Photo courtesy of ANZAC Portal and the Australian War Memorial.

Long before she became Lady Cutler and a familiar figure at Government House, Helen Morris was a young wartime lieutenant, entrusted with commanding convoys and an Australian Women’s Army Service barracks while still in her early twenties. It was the beginning of a lifetime of service that would span the military, Government House and some of New South Wales’ most prominent charitable organisations, earning her some of the nation’s highest honours.

For a deeper dive into Lady Cutler’s story, along with photos and links to further information, head over to r/thosewholiebeneath where we share the stories behind the headstones.

Full Post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThoseWhoLieBeneath/s/ds8C1x0MwU

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180270439/helen-gray_annetta-cutler

Born in Sydney on 5^(th) May 1923, Helen Gray Annetta Morris was just 19 when she enlisted in the Australian Women’s Army Service during the Second World War.

Before the war, Helen had attended Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School and completed secretarial training. She was working as a shorthand typist when she joined the AWAS in September 1942. By 1944, she had been promoted to lieutenant, serving as Officer Commanding Convoys and later commanding an AWAS barracks at the Australian Ordnance Vehicle Park at Bandiana.

Helen was demobilised in April 1946. The following month, she married decorated soldier Arthur Roden Cutler VC, beginning a marriage that would last more than four decades and produce four sons.

When Sir Roden became Governor of New South Wales in 1966, Helen entered a highly visible period of public life as Lady Cutler. During his record 15 years in office, the couple became known for making Government House more accessible to the public, while Helen developed an extensive record of community service of her own.

Her work encompassed children’s welfare, nursing, youth organisations and St John Ambulance. She served as President of the NSW Division of the Save the Children Fund, held senior roles with the Girl Guides and St John Ambulance Brigade and was patron of organisations including the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Her connection to the military also continued long after the war: from 1967 until 1985, she served as Honorary Colonel of the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps.

Her contribution was recognised with several honours, culminating in her appointment as a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1980 for public and community service to the people of New South Wales. A Sydney Harbour ferry, Lady Cutler, had also been named in her honour and launched in 1968.

Lady Cutler died suddenly at St Vincent’s Hospital on 8^(th) November 1990, aged 67. Nearly 1,000 people attended her funeral at St Andrew’s Cathedral before she was laid to rest at South Head Cemetery.

Her life had taken her from a young wartime officer to one of the most recognisable women in the public life of New South Wales, with decades devoted to military, charitable and community service.

Lady Cutler’s husband Sir Arthur Roden Cutler also lived a rich and fascinating life, which I will cover in tomorrow’s post. 

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180270439/helen-gray_annetta-cutler

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Cutler#cite_note-:0-1
https://web.archive.org/web/20110217045405/http://www.ladycutler.com.au/the-lady-cutler.php
https://www.womenaustralia.info/entries/cutler-helen-gray-annetta/
https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/767053?c=people
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C325797
https://www.smh.com.au/national/faith-patterson-a-woman-who-insisted-on-traditional-values-20150929-gjxfsl.html

Photo Captions:

Photo 3 -
Faith Patterson with Sir Roden and Lady Cutler, date unknown. Photo via Sydney Morning Herald.

Photo 4 -
Group portrait of Sir Roden Cutler VC, Governor of NSW, and his aides after an awards ceremony at Government House. Sir Cutler and Lady Helen Cutler are pictured in the middle of the front row. Photo courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.

The surviving records offer only fragments of Grace Shaw’s family, but they reveal the remarkable and very different lives of her two children, Dorothy and Evelyn.

Dorothy Grace Murray Shaw

On Boxing Day 1930, 23-year-old Dorothy was staying with her parents at a boarding house in Newport (pictured). At about 6.30pm, she drove with her mother to Mona Vale Beach. Both were dressed to swim, but Grace chose a nearby rock pool while Dorothy preferred the open surf.

Grace saw her daughter enter the water. Half an hour later, Dorothy had vanished.

With dusk approaching, Grace searched along the water’s edge before eventually returning to the boarding house without her daughter. Police, lifesavers and others joined the search and the following day a seaplane spent half an hour searching the coastline from above. No trace of Dorothy was found.

Contemporary newspapers raised the possibility of a shark attack, although there was no evidence to establish this. Dorothy was also reportedly prone to fainting, leading to suggestions she may have collapsed in the water. The surf was said to have been unusually calm, with little or no undertow.

Evelyn Percy Murray Shaw

Dorothy’s brother Evelyn had already survived extraordinary danger. An Australian serving in Britain’s Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, he flew reconnaissance, aerial photography and combat operations over France.

In April 1917, he was attacked by four members of Baron von Richthofen’s ‘Flying Circus’, an encounter Evelyn described as a ‘Hell of a scrap’. He survived, later helped shoot down a German aircraft and was wounded or affected by gas in late 1917 (images of the correspondence between the army and Grace are included in this post).

Evelyn returned to Australia and continued flying. On 8th April 1932, less than sixteen months after Dorothy disappeared, he was piloting a Gypsy Moth during a training flight at Pittsworth, Queensland. The aircraft failed to take off, struck a fence and nose-dived into the ground.

His trainee escaped and tried to rescue him, but flames prevented him from reaching Evelyn. It was later discovered that Evelyn had broken his legs in the crash and had been unable to free himself.

Grace lived for another eight years, dying at Elizabeth Bay on 25th November 1940. Little of her own story appears to have survived, but the records of her children preserve something of the family she once knew.

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/310679936/dorothy_grace-murray_shaw
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/310679960/evelyn_percy-murray_shaw/photo
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/310679975/grace-hardie-shaw?createdMemorial=Yes

Sources & Photo Credits:

Dorothy -
https://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/Mona-Vale-SLSC-The-Clubhouses-Some-History.php
https://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/la-corniche-history.php
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225349235

Evelyn -
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2681610?image=6
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16567237
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16854913
https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/packet-content/53546#https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/packet_images/4906/SRG76_1_4906_5.jpg
https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/soldier/evelyn-percy-murray-shaw
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C110698?image=2

Grace -
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17716242

Captain James Green had sailed into Sydney before. In fact, he had made the journey eight times, and just a year earlier had successfully brought the Dunbar into the harbour he was now approaching through darkness, driving rain and a powerful gale.

Born in South Ronaldsay in Scotland’s Orkney Islands in 1822, Green had spent much of his life at sea. By 1857, he was an experienced and respected mariner, remembered by those who had sailed with him as an excellent seaman and a man of good character.

On 20^(th) August 1857, Green and the Dunbar were nearing the end of an 81-day voyage from England. Sydney was tantalisingly close, but the weather around the Heads was treacherous. Heavy rain squalls obscured the cliffs, while strong winds and mountainous seas battered the vessel. Green attempted to enter the harbour.

Shortly after midnight, a lookout suddenly called, ‘breakers ahead’.

Green ordered the ship around, but it was too late. The Dunbar was driven broadside onto the cliffs near The Gap. Within minutes, the ship began breaking apart under the force of the sea. Of the 122 people aboard, 121 died, including Green. Only crewman James Johnson survived.

More than a century and a half later, this memorial to Green can be found at South Head Cemetery, on the grave of his brother Malcolm. James is not buried beneath it. The cemetery didn’t open until 11 years after the Dunbar disappeared beneath the cliffs nearby. Captain Green’s final resting place is uncertain. Recovered and unidentified remains from the Dunbar were interred in a mass grave at Camperdown Cemetery, but there appears to be no surviving confirmation that Green’s body was among them.

I've previously covered the life and death of a passenger on the Dunbar, Captain John Steane, in this post.

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123834639/james-green

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64977292
https://www.monumentaustralia.org/themes/people/tragedy/display/23208-james-green
https://dictionaryofsydney.org/blog/the_melancholy_wreck_of_the_dunbar
https://talesfromthequarterdeck.com/2022/08/05/the-dunbar-tragedy-1857/
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13001113
Entrance to Port Jackson by Edmund Thomas
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64984212
The Dunbar by William Foster
Wreck of The Dunbar by Samuel Thomas Gill

James Powell Treadgold was a former Mayor of Leichhardt, Sydney, who, at 81, boarded the Greycliffe for an ordinary afternoon journey across Sydney Harbour. In calm conditions, the ferry crossed paths with the much larger RMS Tahiti, whose steel bow struck the wooden vessel and broke it apart, sending passengers into the water. James was among the 40 people who died in what remains Sydney Harbour’s deadliest maritime disaster.

For a deeper dive into Jame’s story, along with photos, articles and links to further information, head over to r/thosewholiebeneath where we share the stories behind the headstones.

Full Post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThoseWhoLieBeneath/s/sMk9I7aT2U

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35778952/james-powell-treadgold

For many years, James Powell Treadgold was a familiar figure in the civic life of Leichhardt. Born in Yorkshire in 1846, he settled in Sydney and became an accountant, alderman and, on several occasions, Mayor of Leichhardt.

James first served as mayor from 1900 to 1903. He returned to the position between 1909 and 1911, and again from 1913 to 1914, giving him six years in the role across three separate periods. His association with the district was significant enough that in 1909, Treadgold Street near Long Cove Canal was named in his honour.

By 1927, James was 81, widowed and retired from his career as an accountant.

On the afternoon of 3^(rd) November, he boarded the Greycliffe, a ferry travelling from Circular Quay towards Watsons Bay. Around 120 people were aboard, including workers heading home and schoolchildren who regularly used the service, earning it the nickname the ‘school boat’.

The harbour was calm and visibility was good. After leaving Garden Island, however, Greycliffe and the much larger RMS Tahiti found themselves on converging courses.

The steel bow of Tahiti struck the wooden ferry amidships. Greycliffe was pushed around before breaking apart and sinking rapidly, leaving passengers struggling in the harbour as nearby vessels rushed towards the wreckage.

Forty people died, making it the deadliest accident in the history of Sydney Harbour. James was among them. His body was recovered from the water by the police launch Cambria, which also rescued eleven survivors.

The disaster claimed people from across Sydney society, from schoolchildren and dockyard workers to doctors, naval personnel and retirees. Among them was a former mayor whose life had taken him from Yorkshire to decades of work and public service in Sydney.

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35778952/james-powell-treadgold

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greycliffe_disaster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Man_carrying_an_injured_boy_at_Fort_Macquarie_after_GREYCLIFFE_disaster,_3_November_1927_(8068942681).jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sydney_Harbour_Ferry_GREYCLIFFE__remains_lifted_from_harbour_after_collision_with_SS_TAHITI.tif
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sydney_Ferry_Greycliffe.jpg
https://mhnsw.au/stories/general/tragedy-sydney-harbour/
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3889498
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/285341897
https://australianpolice.com.au/nsw-police-history-index/water-police/the-1927-tahiti-greycliffe-disaster/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35778952/james-powell-treadgold
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mayors_of_Leichhardt
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16416636
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/246399971

In the 1920s, Phil Garlick was one of Australia’s biggest motor racing stars, thrilling enormous crowds in an emerald green Alvis named Lucky Devil, emblazoned with the number 13. On a summer evening in 1927, more than 15,000 people gathered at Maroubra Speedway as he chased another victory and his ambition of reaching 160 kilometres per hour (100 miles). What followed ended the life of the man once known as the ‘idol of speedway crowds’ and left behind one of Sydney’s most remarkable graves.

For a deeper dive into Phil’s story, along with photos and links to further information, head over to r/thosewholiebeneath where we share the stories behind the headstones.

Full Post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThoseWhoLieBeneath/comments/1woyhup/phil_garlicks_fatal_night_at_maroubra_speedway/

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12540614/reginald_gordon-garlick

In the 1920s, when motor racing was still a young and extraordinarily dangerous sport, Reginald Gordon ‘Phil’ Garlick became one of Australia’s best-known racing drivers.

Born at Blayney, New South Wales, in 1888, Garlick was known as Gordon to his family. Away from racing, he was a respected businessman and managing director of Automobiles Limited. He married Nellie Esther Coleman in 1914 and the couple had sons. By all accounts, Garlick was composed in everyday life. Behind the wheel, however, another side emerged.

His domain was the Olympia Motor Speedway at Maroubra, a 1.6 kilometre (1 mile) concrete track with steep banking that attracted enormous crowds. Garlick became one of its greatest stars, winning across multiple classes and collecting trophies including the Paramount and Lucky Devil Cups. In June 1926, he recorded the track’s fastest time, reaching 157 kilometres per hour (98 miles) in his supercharged Alvis.

Painted emerald green, bearing the number 13 and named Lucky Devil, the Alvis became closely associated with Garlick as he pursued his ambition of reaching 160 kilometres per hour (100 miles).

On the evening of 8^(th) January 1927, more than 15,000 spectators gathered at Maroubra. During the final lap of a handicap race, Garlick was chasing leader Hope Bartlett when his Alvis skidded high on the steep northern banking. The car left the track, struck an electric light pole and crashed beyond the circuit. Garlick was killed almost instantly. He was 38.

At home in Rose Bay, Nellie had been listening to the race on the radio. The announcer described Garlick leaving the track before abruptly ending the broadcast, apparently realising his wife might be listening. Nellie telephoned the station but was given no further information and had to wait until speedway officials arrived to confirm that her husband had died.

Thousands attended Garlick’s funeral, with a procession of cars stretching around two kilometres to South Head Cemetery. His remarkable memorial depicts him as he had become known to so many Australians: wearing his racing helmet, hands on the steering wheel, forever behind the wheel.

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12540614/reginald_gordon-garlick

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16351452
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223470260
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/245874794
https://www.motorcyclemeanders.com/phil_garlick.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12540614/reginald_gordon-garlick
https://www.espn.com.au/racing/story/_/id/15971032/greg-growden-pays-tribute-australian-motor-racing-pioneer-phil-garlick-gravestone
https://primotipo.com/tag/maroubra-speedway/

Juanita Nielsen’s disappearance on 4^(th) July 1975 became one of Sydney’s most enduring unsolved mysteries, but her story began far from the underworld of 1970s Kings Cross.

Born Juanita Joan Smith in 1937, she came from the family behind the Mark Foy’s retail fortune. She worked as a glove model before travelling overseas in 1959, later living in Morocco and Denmark and marrying Danish merchant seaman Jorgen Nielsen. After returning to Sydney, she ran a fashion boutique before eventually settling in Victoria Street, Kings Cross, where her father bought her a terrace house and a local newspaper, NOW.

Juanita transformed NOW into a platform for local issues. When developer Frank Theeman pursued plans to redevelop Victoria Street with high-rise buildings, residents faced the demolition of their historic terraces and displacement from their homes. Juanita joined their campaign, using her newspaper to oppose the development and support the union green bans preventing demolition.

The dispute was not without intimidation. Another prominent resident, Arthur King, had been kidnapped in 1973 and held for three days before being released. Other Victoria Street residents were reportedly subjected to harassment as attempts were made to remove them from their homes.

By 1975, Juanita had reason to be concerned for her own safety.

On 30^(th) June, two employees of the Carousel nightclub arrived at her home, supposedly to discuss advertising in NOW. It was later established that the meeting was a ruse and that the men intended to kidnap Juanita if she was alone. Her business partner, David Farrell, answered the door instead and the plan was abandoned. Farrell later recalled that Juanita had already expressed fears that her activism was placing her in danger.

Four days later, another advertising meeting was arranged.

On Friday, 4^(th) July, 38-year-old Juanita travelled to the Carousel in Kings Cross to meet employee Eddie Trigg. At approximately 10:30am, she telephoned Farrell to tell him she was running late. She was not reported missing until the following day.

What happened after the meeting remains disputed. Trigg initially said Juanita left alone for a lunch appointment. The club receptionist also initially said she left alone but later changed her account and claimed Juanita departed with Trigg. A local real estate agent told police he saw Juanita entering a yellow car containing two men outside the club.

Three days after her disappearance, Juanita’s handbag and personal belongings were found abandoned near Penrith. Juanita herself was never found.

Three men connected with the Carousel were eventually charged over the earlier conspiracy to kidnap her, with two later convicted. Those proceedings did not establish what happened to Juanita on 4^(th) July.

In 1983, after a 13-week coronial inquest involving 69 witnesses, a jury concluded that Juanita had died on or shortly after the day she disappeared. There was insufficient evidence to determine where she died, how she died or who was responsible. The jury also found evidence that the original police investigation had been inhibited by an atmosphere of corruption, whether real or perceived.

More than 50 years later, no one has been charged with Juanita Nielsen’s suspected murder and her body has never been recovered. Her disappearance remains an open investigation, leaving both the circumstances of her death and the location of her final resting place unknown.

I highly recommend the podcast episode Juanita Nielsen: The Woman Who Vanished by True Crime Conversations for further information.

Location:
South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180275670/juanita-joan-nielsen

Sources & Photo Credits:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/230400079?searchTerm=juanita%20nielsen https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110900382?searchTerm=juanita%20nielsen https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/259732005?searchTerm=juanita%20nielsen https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/can_you_help_us/rewards/1000000_reward/disappearance_of_juanita_nielsen https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/nielsen-juanita-joan-11241 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juanita_Nielsen https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/can_you_help_us/rewards/1000000_reward/disappearance_of_juanita_nielsen https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/chilling-new-clues-in-missing-heiress-juanita-nielsens-cold-case-murder/news-story/59561f265d6854f715d7b96c392220af https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180275670/juanita-joan-nielsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_NIsPcrKhs

John Arnold was a 31-year-old married man from the Manning River district of northern New South Wales when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 2^(nd) August 1915. His wife, Mabel Bessie Arnold, remained at home.

Assigned as a Private to the 9^(th) Battalion, John appears to have been undergoing training in Queensland when he became seriously ill. He never had the opportunity to serve overseas. One month after enlisting, on 1^(st) September 1915, John died of pneumonia at the military hospital at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane.

His remains were returned to northern New South Wales and laid to rest in Tweed Heads Old General Cemetery. His distinctive headstone was erected by his widow and commemorates a man whose military service was tragically brief.

John’s father William and his brother Arthur are both buried nearby and lived rich and interesting lives. I’ve covered William’s story here and Arthur’s story here.

Location:
Tweed Heads Old General Cemetery, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50083966/john-arnold

On 10^(th) July 1914, 28-year-old Arthur Arnold joined twelve other men aboard the motor launch Carrara for a fishing trip off Tweed Heads, in northern New South Wales, Australia. The Carrara left Tweed Heads around 11am and travelled several kilometres offshore, where the group spent a successful day fishing, reportedly catching 213 fish. As they returned around sunset, the weather was calm and there appeared little reason for concern.

Experienced steamboat master Francis Lowes was at the wheel as the Carrara approached the Tweed River bar. Arthur was standing nearby. Seeing the navigation markers aligned, he remarked, ‘the beacons are right on.’ They were the last words Lowes remembered Arthur speaking.

The Carrara rode one wave before turning sideways. Another caught the boat broadside and the launch capsized, throwing all thirteen men into the water.

Survivors desperately clung to the overturned boat as the breakers repeatedly swept men away. One was carried around 50 yards from the vessel before managing to swim back, while others grabbed pieces of wreckage to keep themselves afloat.

Arthur survived the initial capsize. Fellow passenger James Martin later testified that he spoke to Arthur, Mark Scholes and Herbert Buchanan in the water. He subsequently saw Arthur and Scholes attempting to make their way towards shore before losing sight of them.

Scholes reached the beach. Arthur never did. Of the thirteen men aboard the Carrara, only six survived.

The subsequent inquiry revealed that the launch carried no life-saving equipment and had never been surveyed for carrying passengers.

The disaster devastated Tweed Heads and Coolangatta. Residents searched throughout the night, businesses draped their shopfronts in black and flags were lowered to half-mast.

Arthur was initially among the missing. His body was later recovered and identified by his brother, John, who will be the subject of a post tomorrow.

Arthur’s father, William Arnold, was the former lighthouse keeper who watched over the area in which Arthur lost his life. He had passed only a few years prior. I covered William’s story here.

Location:
Tweed Heads Old General Cemetery, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50083787/arthur-arnold

Further Reading:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/143283766
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/284727058
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/192913273
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19970702

For 27 years, William Arnold kept watch over the dangerous waters off Fingal Head, becoming the lighthouse’s first official keeper and raising 11 children on the isolated headland. Remarkably, not a single ship was wrecked there during his years as keeper. Three years after William’s death, however, his 28-year-old son Arthur would lose his life in the very waters his father had spent decades watching over.

For a deeper dive into William’s story, along with photos and links to further information, head over to my new subreddit where we share the stories behind the headstones - r/thosewholiebeneath. I appreciate your support ♡ 

Full Post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ThoseWhoLieBeneath/comments/1wg0h7c/william_arnold_the_first_keeper_of_fingal_head/

Location:
Tweed Heads Old General Cemetery, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50083879/william-arnold

For more than a quarter of a century, William Arnold was responsible for a light that helped guide ships safely past the dangerous reefs and waters off Fingal Head, in northern New South Wales, Australia.

William arrived at Tweed Heads aboard the Bertha in February 1872 to take up work as a boatman. It was a demanding and varied role. The boatmen watched for vessels attempting to cross the Tweed River bar, carried the pilot to and from ships, helped free vessels stranded on rocks and sandbanks, and even rowed upriver to deliver the mail.

That same year, the first light was erected at Fingal Head to warn ships of Cook Island and the surrounding reefs. It was a simple kerosene lamp raised on a timber structure that William’s daughter Susie later remembered as resembling a ‘pigeon loft’.

William was appointed keeper of the light, although initially the responsibility was shared among the boatmen. Each evening, one would cross the river and walk three miles to Fingal Head, where the lamp had to be filled with kerosene, its wick trimmed and the light lit before sunset. Throughout the night, it was carefully watched to ensure it continued burning.

In 1879, the makeshift light was replaced by the brick lighthouse that still stands today, now the oldest public building in the Tweed Shire. William became its first official keeper and moved into the adjoining cottage with his wife, Henrietta, and their growing family.

The isolated headland became home. William and Henrietta raised 11 children, five of whom were born at the lighthouse cottage. To attend school, the children walked three miles along the beach, then waved a flag towards the pilot station to signal that they needed to be rowed across the river.

William remained at Fingal Head for 27 years and during his time there not a single ship was wrecked off the headland.

He retired on 1^(st) September 1906 after a 35-year maritime career and moved with his family to Flagstaff Hill. From their new home, William could still look out towards the sea and watch the ships passing through the heads.

William died on 14^(th) August 1911 aged 73 years.

On 10^(th) July 1914, William’s son Arthur would die at the age of 28 in the very same waters his father watched over for so many years. William’s story, along with his brother John’s, will be posted tomorrow on Those Who Lie Beneath.

Location:
Tweed Heads Old General Cemetery, Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50083879/william-arnold

Further Reading:
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/tweed-heads/shining-a-light-on-fingal/news-story/d5eaaf047e066c9266cfc67a8fe58f5a
https://lighthouses.org.au/nsw/fingal-head-lighthouse/

Photo Credits:

1. William Arnold's Headstone - Me
2. William Arnold's Headstone - Me
3. Fingal Lighthouse & The Arnold Family - Tweed Regional Museum
4. William Arnold - Photo Uploaded by Diggs on Find a Grave
5. William Arnold Outside Keeper's Cottage at Fingal Lighthouse - Tweed Regional Museum

Born in Scotland in 1865, Robertson had served in the 1st Forfarshire Volunteer Regiment before coming to Australia. He joined the NSW Police Force on 16th October 1890 and by 1918, was attached to the Sydney Metropolitan Detectives Office.

Robertson travelled from Braidwood, about 280km south of Sydney, with Sergeant Face and an Army Intelligence Officer to execute a search warrant in the remote Upper Deva River area. Research suggests the operation may have involved a wartime security matter, although surviving accounts located do not identify the target of the warrant or what the officers were searching for.

About 30km along a bridle track, he reached into his pocket for some papers. His horse was startled and began bucking, throwing him to the ground.

Robertson suffered severe internal and spinal injuries. A heavy storm prevented his companions from seeking immediate assistance, forcing them to shelter their critically injured colleague overnight before taking him back to Braidwood the following morning. He died at 2am on 24th October 1918, aged 52.

He left behind a wife and daughter, while his son was serving at the front in Europe during the First World War.

Today, William rests at Rookwood Cemetery. His grave remembers the detective who had served the NSW Police Force for almost 28 years as having ‘died in the execution of his duty.’ NSW Police continues to include him on its official Roll of Honour.

Location:
Rookwood Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/259232722/william-stuart-robertson