_Aneurin BASSETT ________
| m 1887
_Thomas BASSETT _____|
| (1893 - ....) m 1917|
| |_Margaret Anne MIDDLEBY _+
| m 1887
|
|--Aneurin T BASSETT
| (1917 - ....)
| _________________________
| |
|_Hilda K E GUION ____|
m 1917 |
|_________________________
[222] Reg No. 27860
[214]
JAMES ARTHUR BATES
23 March 1894 - 7 June 1967
James Arthur was the first child of Thomas and Una Mary (nee Roser) BATES. He was born at Gouldsville, near Singleton in the N.S.W. Hunter Valley, near the Putty Road (this road connects Singleton to Sydney) Registration No.30685, and is a 3rd generation decendant of Charles Bate who was sent out as a convict on the "Prince George" arriving Sydney 8 May 1837 and worked in the Patrick Plains Area of the Hunter Valley.
He was baptised on 15 April 1894 at St. Philips Church of England, Warkworth, Parish of Whittingham, County of Northumberalnd, By Reverend E.Huband-Smith. The occupation of his father was given as a Farmer of Bulga, N.S.W. He attended the local Bulga School and was an good student having very good handwriting. As there were numerous James' in the Bates family he was better known by his second name ARTHUR.
On leaving school he obtained work in the local area, and with his early wages he installed a "Fresh Water" tank on his parent's "OAKLEIGH" home. This was a first for his parents, as their water was carried from the dam.... which was reported to be of the "purest" water! He also paid for the installation of wooden floors for the front two rooms of the homestead. "OAKLEIGH" was a 45 acre portion of what was originally his Grandfather Thomas BATES (1/12/1841 - 3/1/1914) property called "OAKVALE" consisting of 270 acres opposite "NORTH CHARLTON" at Bulga.
His major interest included the game of Cricket and was part of the "Bates Cricket Team", which was actually the Bulga Cricket Team but every palyer, including the Umpires were Bates or relatives of the Bates. After the second World War the Bates' Cricket Team was challanged by the Singleton "A" Grade team, the Bates' were lead to Victory by Arthur's younger brother Bill, who had just returned from being released as a P.O.W. .
In 1914 the First World War broke out and as one had to be 21 years of age to be posted overseas, Arthur had to wait a while, (although some presume that he put his age up to enlist). He officially enlisted 7 August, 1915 at Newcastle N.S.W. Regimental Number 1678. He was then 21 years, 4 months. Height 5 feet 7 1/4 inches (1681mm) Weight 150lbs. Chest measurement was 32 inches and expanded to 35 1/2 inches. Fair complexion, blue eyes, Light brown hair. Denomination; Church of England. He went into camp at Newcastle on Saturday 21 August 1915 and on the 2 September he was posted to Holsworthy Camp and then onto Liverpool Camp 5 October 1915.
His final leave commenced Thursday 18 November 1915 and returned to Liverpool Army Camp 23 November 1915. He was already keeping company with a Grazier's daughter from Howes Valley, Mary Jane Gibbs, and the information of his leave came from her Birthday Booklet kept by their daughter Barbara Florence. He was posted to 2nd Reinforcement Company, 30th Battalion, Australian Infantry Forces, 1 December 1915 in Liverpool, Sydney. N.S.W.
The unit embarked from Sydney on the transport "Berrima" on Friday 17 December 1915 and he was taken on strength 13th Battalion A.I.F. 4 March 1916 and posted to 4th Sanitary Section at "Tel-el-kebir, Egypt". On the 2 June 1916 the ship landed them at Egypt and the Battalion proceeded to join the "British Expeditionary Forces" from Alexandria, Egypt by the Troop Ship "Ivana". Disembarking at "Marsailles, France" on 8 June 1916.
Arthur was accidentally wounded to the head in France 8 September 1916, Mary Jane Gibbs' book shows this as occuring 7 August 1916, whilst he was guarding Transport Wagons. The Commanding Officer 13 Battalion, Lt.Col. J.M.A. Durral states that the soldier was on duty at the time of the incident and was in no way to blame. He was sent to hospital sick "in the field" 10 September 1916. On 13 September 1916 he was shipped from Boulogne and admitted to Ontario Military Hospital, Orphington, Kent, England 14 September, discharged 16 October for furlough and to report to Perham Downs 31 October 1916.
On 16 November 1916 he was admitted to Brigade Hospital suffering from V.D. and transferred to Bulford Hospital, V.D. Ward on the 10 December 1916 until 13 February 1917 for some 90 days in quarantine.
On the 22 March 1917 Mary Jane recieved a photograph of him in his uniform. He was taken on strength 61st Battalion A.I.F. 23 March 1917 from 13th Battalion and on 29 April he was transfered back to 13th Battalion to proceed overseas to France via Folkestore ex Infantry Draft, Perham Downs to reinforce 13th Battalion which he rejoined 15 May 1917.
On 17 October 1917 he was Seriously Wounded by Shell Gas, legend has it that during conflict near "Ypres, Belgium" he was both badly wounded and gassed... laying for 2 to 3 days, unattended in "No Man's Land"!! His casualty form simply states that he was gassed in Belgium, but there is no mention of him being left in "No Man's Land". He was some ten days later, embarked on HS "Panama" ex France to England 27 October 1917 and admitted to 3rd Southern General Hospital, Oxford, England on 30 October 1917. Mary Jane recieved information to this effect from Arthur's father Thomas Bates.
On the 19 November, he was transfered to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital Gas Poisoned Unit from which he was subsequently discharged on the 23 November 1917 for furlough and to report to No.3 Com. Depot, Hurdcott, 7 December 1917. He was transfered from No.3 to No.4 Com. Depot and then to No.2 Com. Depot, Weymouth on 18 January 1918. Arthur was never to loose his "cough" from being gassed, his injuries must have been severe as on 31 January 1918 he was shipped out embarking per "A8" on "H.M.A.T. Osterley" from England to Australia, arriving in Sydney 13 April 1918. The reason given was "Change. Disordered Heart Action".
He was subsequently discharged from the "Australian Imperial Forces" in consequence of "Medical Unfitness" on 21 June 1918.
James Arthur BATES qualified and received the following medals:- 1914/15 Star, British War Medal No.28576 and Victory Medal No.28183, these were dispatched to him 23 March 1923. Two of these medals are currently in the possesion of his and Alma's son James Arthur Alexander BATES, and when last seen were devoid of their ribbons and kept in a tin. These medals need to have new ribbons attached to them so that they can be worn by a direct decendent at annual ANZAC Day Celebrations.
His friends in the Singleton District also presented him with a rememberance medalion, this medalion has the Rising Sun Australian Commonwealth Imperial Forces emblem set upon a cross on the front side whilst the reverse has the inscription "Presented to Pte. J.A. Bates, From his Singleton Chums On his return from Active Service Abroad 5.6.18, 2 1/2 yrs service. This medalion is in the care of Barry Witt, Grandson and son of Marie Witt (nee Bates), Arthur and Mary Jane's third daughter.
Arthur returned to his parent's "Oakleigh" home at the cross-roads of the Bulga to Singleton Road and the Warkworth to Broke Road, near Singleton in the N.S.W. Hunter Valley and married Mary Jane Gibbs from Howes Valley on the 18 December 1918 at the Methodist Church, Singleton. They were both 24 years of age. The Certificate of Marriage shows that he was a Coal Miner, living at Caswell, via Singleton. N.S.W. His bride Mary Jane is shown as being a Domestic Duties of Putty, via Singleton. N.S.W. Her father George Henry Gibbs was a Grazier and her mother was Catherine (Harris) of Putty, via Singleton. (Putty is a small hamlet situated midway along the Singleton to Windsor Road). On her Marriage Certificate she misspelt her signature on the back as Mary Jane Gibs. Arthur's parents were Thomas Bates, Station Manager, and his mother was Una Mary (Roser) of Bulga via Singleton. The witnesses on the certificate are Frederick Tacon (his sister Nellie May's Husband) and his other sister Kathleen Mary Bates.
Following their marriage they lived and worked on a Dairy Farm along the Broke Road. They were share farmers on this farm. It was here that their family, Mildred, Florence, Marie, Ettie and Joyce were born. There was some conjecture regarding the ownership and disposal of the Dairy Farm with some thinking that Arthur may have sold the property from underneath Mary Jane and her daughters. This is incorrect as the family was as poor as could be and never owned any property whatsoever and they only worked the farm on a shared basis for the owner. Although it is true that he did leave them destitute with only a horse and a buggy.
His daughter Marie Irene remembers that when her mother came home from hospital after the birth of Joyce, it was a Saturday, and as this was the day that Cricket was played by the Bates Family, Arthur left Mary Jane, by herself, to milk the cows for the afternoon milking (and they used to milk by hand in those days) so that he did not miss out on his sport.
Arthur had a liason with an Ivy Sarah Ann Medhurst during the latter part of the marriage, at least whilst Mary Jane was pregnant with Joyce, as he fathered a daughter Bertha May (Betty) to Ivy, who was born 27 March 1928, only six months and three weeks after Joyce was born to Mary Jane. The discovery that Arthur had been unfaithful led to the marriage breaking up. And as this was during the Great Depression, Arthur with Ivy Medhurst left to find work in Sydney. Mary Jane, who was reputed never to be "very Strong", left the Dairy and moved with her daughters to Maitland Road, Singleton. Mary Jane died 26 July 1940 and is buried at the Harris' Family Plot, which is behind where the Howes Post Office was situated, this Post Office is now a Bed & Breakfast. Her father George Henry Gibbs and her Mother Catherine (Harris) are also buried there. The Post office is now a Bed and Breakfast Accomodation House. When her daughter Mildred Pearl passed away her ashes were placed in the grave with her. A headstone (from pottery clay, glazed and fired, made by Nancy Ann Halbesma another of Arthur's daughters born to Alma Bates) has been placed on the grave with Mildred's details.
There is no official record of Ivy Medhurst's involment with Arthur until he enlisted in the Militia Forces in Sydney 22 April 1936 (the Militia Forces was a voluntary part time Civilian Military Force used to supplement the Regular Army). On the Attestation Form to enlist "he gave his age as 39 years and 1 month, being born 23 March 1897, making himself three (3) years younger than he actually was". It was on this form that the name of "Ivy Bates" is shown as his "wife", living at Park Road, East Hills near Sydney, N.S.W.. He was recommended by a Private Baker to join the Militia. The Medical Examination Form showed that he had a gunshot wound to the forehead. He gave his address the same as that for his "wife" Mrs. Ivy Bates.
He was inducted into the 56th Battalion until 19 July 1937 when he was transfered to 55/53rd Battalion until his discharge on the 19 September 1938 for a total service of 2 years, 4 months and 27 days. His Army Number was then 424964.
Ivy had two more children by him a daughter Madge (Midge) born 17 November 1929 and a son James Keith born 12 November 1933 (we will refer to him as Keith), Bertha was christened a Medhurst, the other two children were christened as Bates. Ivy left him, one source says it was because she could no longer put up with the way he was treating her and Arthur returned to Singleton, living with his sister Maude (Una Maude), who was married to Viv Harris, and worked in "Handy-man" positions. Later Ivy sent the children to him because she had got herself involved with a man called Darcy Caldwell. The younger daughter, Madge, remembers travelling from Sydney to Singleton by train without their mother. Maude's daughter Thelma remembers that she and the two girls shared the one bed but this was only a temporary situation. Arthur also asked his estranged wife, Mary Jane, if she could take the children and look after them, apparently the three children were looked after by her for a time and maybe the boy Keith stayed a little longer, as she already had her daughters to look after and also she was very ill with asthma. Arthur and Mary Jane's daughter, Marie remembers the children and looking after Keith.
Keith spent some twelve months at the Church of England Orphanage near the Railway Station at Lochinvar, a small hamlet North of Maitland, where he was delivered by his Mother and his Uncle Harold Taylor on a dark and rainy night in a truck which had roll down side curtains instead of wind up windows. This orphanage is no longer in existance and is now a private property. Madge was placed in a Church of England Orphanage at Waratah, a suburb of Newcastle, whilst Bertha was placed in the care of relatives at Putty near Singleton possibly with her mother's reletives the Cafe family. After some twelve months Ivy removed the children from where they were and took them with her to Sydney where she was working.
At a reunion of Arthur's children and their families, held the week-end of the 25/26 May 1996 at Cessnock and Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley, Madge recalls that her father Arthur was a bit of gambler (which Bates isn't) and he used to send "Us Kids" through some scrub to put bets on, probably with an S.P. Bookie. He used to say, "Get going you little Bastards", and they used to rush to place the bets. (An S.P. Bookie was an illegal Bookmaker who took bets on the sly and paid out on a winner at the last quoted price before the race commenced. Hence S.P. was short for Starting Price.)
On the 12 October 1939 after the outbreak of the Second World War, Arthur again enlisted in the Army at Broadmeadow, N.S.W. and was inducted by a Captain W.V. Bevan. This time his Army Number was N67858 and he gave his next of kin as Mary Jane Bates, Living at Maitland Road, Singleton. The relationship shown was that of his wife. He gave his own address as 11 Vuew Street, Singleton where he was living with his sister Maude Harris. He was classified as unfit for Active Service due to his age, his date of birth this time was back to the correct 23 March 1894. He gave his Active Service details as being in Egypt and France (They missed out on Belguim). On the 14 October 1939 he was posted to 2nd Garrison Battalion at Fort Wallace, a Coastal Protection Garrison overlooking the sea at Newcastle, N.S.W. He was later posted to 8th Garrison Battalion on the 13 Nevember 1940.
On the 4th March 1941 Arthur was admitted to Newcastle District Hospital suffering from a Spinal Cyst, he was transfered to New Lambton Convalescent Home on the 11 March 1941 and discharged from Hospital 18 March 1941. The New Lambton Convalescent Home was demolished around 1990 and is now the site of the John Hunter Hospital. Around mid 1941 he got involved with a married woman named Alma Brown, whose maiden name was also Bates. Her family came from the Dubbo/Mudgee region, whose forebearers come to Australia as Brickmakers 24 June 1856. The reason he got involved with Alma is also quite a story, but this may have to be told at a later date. Later that year on 15 December 1941 he was transfered to 20th Garrison Battalion. Alma left her husband Raynor Gordon Brown and she bore Arthur a girl child Elizabeth Pearl on 20 August 1942, who was born in Newcastle.
He was posted to 16th Australian Garrison Battalion, a Prisoner of War Battalion, based at Hay in the N.S.W. Central West, guarding both Japanese and Italion Prisoners of War, on 26 September 1942. His Uncle Charles Andrew (Andy) was also posted to the same prisoner of war camp. He gave his address as at 6 March 1943, for both himself and his wife Mary Jane as 85 Austin Street, Lane Cove, N.S.W. As Mary Jane Bates died 26 July 1940 she could not have been his wife at this time. His army records do record her death.
Alma moved to Hay with him and they were Billited by the Army to live with Mr. Jack and Mrs. Julie Lewaar (now Mrs. Julie Shakespear, living on Wallis Island on the Myall Lakes N.S.W.), during the time of his duty at the Prisoner of War Camp. There they had two more children, their second child a daughter named Nancy Ann, so named by Mrs. Lewaar, was born on the 9 February 1944 and then a son named James Arthur Alexander who was born on 30 April 1945. Arthur must have never mentioned to Alma the fact that he had a middle family and already had a son with the first christian name of James. In fact this child was always under the impression that he was the only son that Arthur had. Alma also miscarried twins after the birth of Jim.
To help her care for the children Alma arranged for her youngest daughter, Kathleen, from her marriage to Raynor Brown to spend a "Holiday" with them at Hay before the birth of Nancy. This holiday turned out to be a permanent baby-sitting job for Kathleen until she decided to return to her father back in Newcastle sometime before Arthur was demobbed and he and Alma left Hay.
Money seemed to be a big problem as some of Arthur's pay was redirected as maintenance to his and Mary Jane's two younger children, Ettie and Joyce, who were in the care of an aunt Elsie Vera Norman (nee Gibbs), Mary Jane's sister. They lived at an area called Soldier's Settlement, (small farmlets granted to Returned Soldiers from WW 1) which is situated on the Maitland side of Kurri Kurri. It was Elsie who took out a Court Order to obtain financial assistance for the two girls. The girls stayed with their aunt until they were both old enough to leave, Joyce spending some time in the Women's Land Army having obtained special approval due to her young age of 16 years, joining 14 December 1943.
Arthur was discharged on account of Demobilization 22 October 1945. On his discharge papers it is shown that he was then single having a defacto wife with three children under 16 years of age and 4 children over 16 years of age. The defacto wife is Alma Brown, who by then had reverted to using her maiden name of Bates as it was the same as Arthur's and her three children. The four elder children are presumably the daughters of himself and Mary Jane and he probably forgot that he actually had five daughters with her. There is no mention this time of Ivy Medhurst had her three children. His home address was given as Lang Street, South Hay. N.S.W.
The unit of his discharge was 8th Australian Garrison Battalion (Hay Prisoner of War GP, Hay) where his total effective period comprised of 2201 days of which included Active Service in Australia of 1288 days. He also had some very minor charges laid against him during this period but these were of no consequence.
(The above information from Military records provided by the Archives in Canberra for the First World War, the Army Careers Management Service for the Militia and the Second World War, other unamed Military sources and Interviews from witnesses who knew the these people.)
Arthur returned to the Hunter Valley taking Alma and her children with him. En-route they stayed with Alma's estranged husband, Raynor Gordon Brown, at his home in the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton. Raynor actually gave up his bed, which was a double bed, for Alma and Arthur. They stayed there for sometime before moving on to Singleton, where their first home was a shed behind the then Commonwealth Bank (now a West-Pac Bank) in John Street, Singleton. They later moved into a tent in a camping reserve at the rear of where the Singleton Municiple Swimming Pool used to be in Gowrie Street along side the Railway Line.
When the Council closed the camping reserve the family was moved further along the railway line, closer to the Hunter River. Arthur had purchased an Army Marquee at the Army Disposals in Newcastle and this then became their new home. Over the years there were additions and extensions, from crates and used roofing iron, made to the Marquee but the family never ever had electricity connected whilst they were living there, the children did not know what electricity was until they left home to make their own way in life. The drivers of the Steam Locomotives that traversed the railway line, pulling the railway train carraiges, both passenger and good, used to toss out shovels of coal for them to pick and use it in the stove fuel for cooking. For lights they used either candles in the bedrooms or a pressure kerosene lantern in the living area. Alma and the girls did their ironing with a pressure kerosene powered iron. This whole area has now been redeveloped, the humpies are gone, the Swimming Pool has been demolished and the site is now a public recreation groung consisting of sporting and playing fields as well as a children's playground and has been given the name of James Cook Park.
Arthur worked at various jobs such as Coal Mining, Farm Hand, Handy Man and as a Cook at the Singleton Army Camp when he was required. He and Alma were well known, if not Renowned, for frequenting the local hotels whilst the children were left outside the hotels to fend for themselves, the youngsters waiting for their parents, to either leave when they were inebriated or without sufficient money to keep drinking, to go home. As there was no Sunday trading for hotels in those days they used to cadge lifts to go to Ravensworth, some 19 kilometers North along the New England Highway, where there was a Bottle Shop cum General Store and they could obtain alcohol there.
The only relative in the Singleton region who even accnowledged their existance was Mavis, a daughter of Arthur's sister Kitty, who worked for the local Motoring Firm, Lancaster's Garage. This was probably more due to Alma having an intense hatred for Arthur's relatives chasing all visitors that came to see them away, then his relatives avoiding him. Arthur used to sneek over to his sister Maud's place in View Street so that his and Mary Jane's children could come there to see him. Mavis used to lend them some money to tide them over until they received some pay, although friends and relatives warned her that she would not be repaid, but she said they always paid her back.
He always had that cough, the legacy of being gassed in the First World War. Whilst grape picking a grape vine spiked into his nose, this wound was always weeping and required him to have a bandage covering it at all times. When asked by his daughter, Nancy, why did he not have it attended to. His reply was, "I have been to the Doctor, and they want to operate on it, but because of being gassed during the war, if they give me anaesthetic, I could die. And your mother would be left on her own."
When Arthur died on 7 June 1967, Alma refused to allow the Doctors to carry out an Autopsy. The local paper, The Singleton Argus, omited any reference in the obituary of Alma and her children and had to print a special entry with an appology in a later issue. The Australian War Graves Commision arranged for him to be intered at Bulga Cemetery just outside Singleton next to his Mother and Father, also nearby are the graves of some of his brothers and sisters.
Of Arthur and Alma's children both Nancy and Jim were prepared to seek work where they could and they both worked in the Market Gardens in and around Singleton which were owned by a Mr. Bob Bevan. The eldest daughter, Pearl, married a Mackensie Hamilton Hayter and she and her husband moved to various different locations from South Australia to Queensland, finally to settle in Mackay, Queensland. Jim also moved to South Australia and settled for a while in Murray Bridge, marrying a Kate Tremby, there they had three children, two girls and a boy. Jim and Kate separated and then he moved to Newcastle, there marrying a Lorraine Chapman, with whom he was associated in Murray Bridge. They had one child a girl, Naomi Joy. They also moved to Mackay, Queensland. Jim and Lorraine also separated during 1997, Lorraine staying in South Australia whilst his daughter Naomi played musical chairs for a while and finally also moved to South Australia and is living with a young man there.
Nancy moved to Murray Bridge, South Australia, as well where she married a Robert Willis and they had a daughter Kerri-Ann. They returned to Newcastle where her marriage broke up. She re-married and she and her second husband Bill Halbesma retired to their 6 acre property near Hay Point just South of Mackay, Queensland.
[205] NSW BDM Reg No.30685
[210] Warkworth by Hubbard E Smith
[213] Bulga Cemetery Commonwealth War Gaves Commision form No. M.10932 N.S.W., 300
[204] See Bates Family Tree
[206]
[S15]
From Headstone and newspapers, Ivy Medhurst also has this information in her Prayer Book which is in their daughter Madg
[207] See Bates Family Tree
[208]
[S16]
Newcastle Library Parish Card Index file.
[209] See Bates Family Tree
[211]
[S17]
Commonwealth War Gaves Commision form No. M.10932 N.S.W., 300
[212] See Bates Family Tree
_____________________
|
_Thomas HANSON ______|
| (.... - 1936) m 1891|
| |_____________________
|
|
|--Thomas HANSON
| (1894 - ....)
| _Joseph MIDDLEBY ____+
| | (1846 - 1913) m 1867
|_Mary Jane MIDDLEBY _|
(1872 - ....) m 1891|
|_Adelaide DUNLOP ____+
(1852 - 1931) m 1867
[110] Birth Reg No.37198
[230] Marraige Reg No.6708