Children of John Saunders Wright
and Sarah Bodger

(last updated: 6 December 2024)

John Saunders Wright and Sarah Bodger in Australia
I: Life and times II: Children and descendants

The Wright Familyin England

The Bodger Family in England and Australia

First Families Home Page

Life and times

Born at Portland in Victoria, Sarah moved with her parents and siblings to Mount Cole and then Carngham where she spent her early years. At the age of 22 she married William Grove Emmett (1853-81) at the Ballarat Registration Office on 14 November 1871. Their wedding certificate shows William was an 18 year-old miner who was born at Hamilton in Victoria and living at Haddon near Snake Valley. His parents were said to be George Emmett, a miner, and Harriet Nash. Sarah was a 22 year-old servant also living at Haddon. The wedding was witnessed by William's brother, John Nash Emmett, and Harriet Gregory. Written consent for William to get married was provided by his mother and step father. The 'Patterson Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us that George Emmett was born at Cox Green in Berkshire in England in 1826 and died at Ballarat in 1867. His wife Harriot was born at Farringdon in Berkshire in 1827 and died at Corrimal near Wollongong in 1905 (she is buried in the Rookwood cemetery in Sydney as Harriet Emmett).

We know from the birth of their children that Sarah and William eventually moved to Albury in NSW where William died in 1881, less than a year after the birth there of their fourth child, Gertrude Ellen Emmett. After William's death Sarah returned to Carngahm where she married George Swan Morland in 1892. Sarah and George had three children before George's death at Snake Valley in 1888. Four years later Sarah married Carl Andersen and had a son, Victor Andersen, at Loch in 1896. Ancestry's index of Australian bdms show that Sarah died at Beaufort in Victoria in 1926. What of her eight children?

Children and descendants

1. Lilian Ethel Emmet (1874-1927). Born at Sago Hill near Haddon, Lilian married an Englishman, Henry Phillips in 1893. The Australian Electoral Roll shows Henry, a labourer and later a contractor, and Ethel living at Meeniyan near Leongatha in Gippsland between 1903 and 1916 the year Henry enlisted in the 1st AIF in Melbourne. His attestation papers show Henry was born at Bristol in Gloucestershire in around 1876 and his NOK was his wife Ethel Phillips of 84 Michael Street North Fitzroy (later changed to 363 Wellington Street Clifton Hill). As the following report on 16 August in Leongatha's Great Southern Star indicated, Henry was farewelled by the Meeniyan residents before he left for overseas service: 'A very pleasant half-hour was spent at the Meeniyan Hotel on Friday evening last, when Mr H. Phillips, who was on final leave, was presented by Mr W. J. Farrell, on behalf of the residents with a silver luminous watch and in doing so wished Mr Phillips God Speed. Mr Phillips suitably responded'. Henry was allocated to the 15th reinforcements for the 21st Infantry Battalion. He embarked on the HMAT Shropshire which left Melbourne on 25 September and arrived at Plymouth on 11 November. He travelled to France on 15 December 1916 and joined his battalion at Etaples. On 15 September 1917 he was attached to the 2nd Division Salvage Company before rejoining his battalion in May 1918. He was gassed on 31 July and repatriated to England where was declared unfit for further duty. He returned to Australia on 6 November that year.

The 1919 electoral roll has Henry, a soldier, and Lilian Ethel Phillips at 5 Rushel Crescent North Fitzroy. They were back at Meeniyan at the time of the 1922 election along with their son Eric William Phillips, a labourer. The three of them were still registered there in 1924. Lilian died at Meeniyan in 1927 and her family published the following notice in the Melbourne Argus on 20 December 1927: 'PHILLIPS - Lilian Ethel, the dearly loved wife of H. Phillips of Meeniyan South Gippsland, and dearly loved mother of Eric (deceased), Victor and Harold. Aged 52 years. RIP. Sufferer at rest'. We have yet to discover when and where her husband Henry Phillips died.

We know little about Lilian and Henry's two younger sons, Victor and Harold except the latter was working a grocer at Meeniyan at the time of the 1931 elections. Their eldest boy, Eric William Phillips (1899-1927), was born at Meeniyan and worked there as a labourer. His records in the Australian Archives show that Eric tried on two occasions to follow his father's example and enlist in the 1st AIF. His first attempt was in March 1917 and required the written consent of his mother (and NOK) Lilian Ethel Phillips. He was later discharged on 30 July 1917 as medically unfit (he seems to have suffered a flareup of a pre-existing kidney disease) aggravated by misconduct (charged four times for being AWOL and once for disobeying an order).

Eric's second and successful attempt was on 3 August 1917 in which Ethel again gave consent. He was allocated to the 20th reinforcements for the 22nd Battalion and sailed from Melbourne on the HMAT Nestor on 21 November the same year. After stopping at Port Said he and his colleagues eventually reached Southampton on 2 February 1918. While training at Fovant Camp in Wiltshire he was charged with neglecting to obey a superior officer and awarded 14 days CB plus forfeiture of 14 days pay. He eventually joined the 22nd Battalion in France in May 1918. Two weeks later he was transferred to the 21st battalion where he spent a month in hospital in France before being transferred again, to the 24th Battalion. After the war he returned to Australia on the Argyleshire and was discharged from the Army in Melbourne on 2 September 1919.

The 1922 electoral roll shows Eric living with his parents at Meeniyan. In December 1921 he married Everlina Griffin in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood (their wedding photo is pictured on the right). Their wedding certificate shows that Eric was living and working as a labourer at Meeniyan. Everlina was a machinist and living at Ivanhoe in Melbourne. Her parents were William Griffin, labourer, and Rachel Cooper. As the following bereavement notice in the Melbourne Argusshows, Eric died in 1927 (a few weeks before his mother Lilian): 'PHILLIPS - On the 20th October Eric William Phillips, of 13 Noone street, Clifton Hill, the dearly loved husband of Lena and loving father of Neville (deceased), aged 27 years. Father and son reunited. He was buried with their only son, Neville Henry William Phillips, who was born in 1923 and died at Carlton on 15 November the following year'.

2. William Charles Emmett (1878-1953). Born at Albury, William grew up around Carngham but later lived and worked in southern Gippsland. The Australian electoral rolls show him living at Loch near Korumburra during the war years (and working as a labourer), Meeniyan between 1922 and 1931 (by then he described himself as a farmer), Yanathan near Koo-ree-rup in Victoria in 1936/7 (farmer) and Loch in in the 1940s (farm hand). He died at Korumburra in 1953 and is buried next to his sister, Mirrian Hannah Hall and her husband John in the Nyora cemetery outside Loch. We don't think he married.

3. Mirrian Hannah Emmett (1876-1946). Born at Walbundra near Albury, Hannah married John Hall (1865-1945) in Melbourne in 1892. John Hall's 'Hall Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us John's parents were Edward Hall (1820-90) and Mary Sanger (1823-1911) who both came from Gillingham in Dorset and were married there in 1841. They emigrated from Plymouth to Victoria in 1857, arriving at Port Philip on 4 November of that year. John adds they had six children in England and a further six in Australia. Our John was their second youngest. John and Hannah lived all their married lives at Loch near Korumburra in southern Gippsland, John dying there in 1945 and Hannah at Korumburra the following year. They are both buried in the Nyora cemetery outside Loch. John and Hannah had six children at Loch between 1896 and 1910 as follows:

3.1) Lilian Vera Gertrude Hall (1896-1984). Lilian lived all her life in and around Loch. She died at Korumburra in 1984 and is buried in the Nyora cemetery with her parents. We don't believe she married.

3.2) John Clyde Hall (1897-1964). John worked as a farmer at Loch and married a Poowong girl, Kathleen Sophia Montgomery nee Rabbets (1909-40), there in 1938. They had two children at Loch - Robert and Lorna Hall - before Kathleen's untimely death in 1940. According to John Hall's 'Hall Family Tree' on Ancestry, Clyde later married Ivy Maud Adkins (1913-2006). The Australian electoral rolls show Clyde continued to farm land at Loch until the late 1950s when he and Ivy moved to Cooma (South Kyabram) in northern Victoria. Clyde died there in 1964 and is buried in the local cemetery along with his second wife Ivy (who died at Cooma in 2006) and an Edward Leon ('Ted') Hall, aged 43 years, who died there in 1989.

3.3) Olive May Hall (1902-43). Olive married James McKinley Hicks in 1926. The Australian electoral rolls show Olive and James, a miner, living at Wonthaggi in 1928, Loch in 1931 and Poowong in 1936/7 and 1942 (where James was working as a farmer). The Department of Veterans' Affairs Second World War Nominal Roll shows that V388819 James McKinley Hicks, born at Morpeth in NSW on 24 August 1901 and living at Poowong in Victoria, enlisted in the Australian Army at Loch on 25 March 1942. His NOK was his wife Olive who died at Wonthaggi in 1943. James was discharged from the Army on 15 October 1945. He was then serving as a private soldier in the 23rd Battalion of the Volunteer Defence Corps. The Australian electoral rolls show that he lived in Melbourne after the war before moving to Navarre in central Victoria in around 1970. There is some indication that he may have re-married although we have not yet confirmed this. He died at Stawell in Victoria in 1974. We don't think he and Olive had any children.

3.4) Ivor Reginald Hall (1904-65). The Australian electoral rolls shows Ivor was a farmer at Loch in 1928 (the year of his marriage to Melbourne-born Mrytle Dorcas Baker). He was still registered at Loch in 1931 while Myrtle was at 'Wannaminta' at Loch. The 1936 roll has Ivor and Myrtle at Lang Lang in Victoria with Ivor working as a labourer. They were at Brunswick in Melbourne in 1937. The Department of Veterans' Affairs Second World War Nominal Roll shows V389183 Ivor Reginald Hall, who was born at Loch on 15 June 1904 and was living at Hallston near Leongatha in Victoria, enlisted in the Australian Army at Leongatha on 23 May 1942. He served as a private soldier in the 23rd Battalion of the VDC and his date of discharge is unknown. The post-war electoral rolls have them farming at Toora near Foster in 1949 and living at Hernes Oak near Yallourn in 1954 and 1963 (Ivor was working as a mechanic). We believe that Ivor died at Yallourn in 1965. According to John Hall's 'Hall Family Tree' on Ancestry, he and Mrytle had two children both still living. Although still to be confirmed, we think Myrtle re-married, to William Walker, and lived in Moe in Victoria until at least 1980.

3.5) William Clifford ('Cliff') Hall (1908-96). Cliff lived his whole life at Loch where he worked as a farmer. He married Annie Maude ('Nancy') Hayward in around 1945 and she joined him at Loch where they had three children - Trevor, Glenys and Peter Hall. Cliff died at Korumburra in 1996 and Nancy at Leongatha in 2009. They are buried together in the Nyora cemetery. Nancy's headstone tells us that at that stage she and Cliff had seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

3.6) Nina Elaine Hall (1910-98). The 'James William Curphey Tree' on Ancestry tells us that Nina married John Colin Leach (1904-73) some time between 1943 and 1949. John was the son of Frederick Arthur Leach (1869-1951) and Catherine Vercious Phelan (1865-1904) who were married in Melbourne in 1892 and had seven children, the last being John Colin who was born at Yea in central Victoria. The Australian electoral rolls show John Colin, a tobacco worker, and Nina living in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1949 and 1954 and Highett in 1963 and 1968. John died in 1973. The 1977 and 1980 rolls have Nina living in the outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston where she died in 1998. We don't know if they had any children.

4. Gertrude Ellen Emmett (1880-1957). Born at Albury, Gertrude married New Zealand-born William Thomas Cowcher (1870-1952) in Victoria in 1899. William was the son of Robert John Cowcher and Maria Walsh and had three siblings: John, James and Marie Cowcher. The Australian electoral rolls show that William, a bootmaker, and Gertrude were living at Whittlesea at the time of the 1909 election. Sometime between then and 1917 they relocated to Melbourne where they were living in Northcote in 1917, Clifton Hill in 1919 and 1922, Northcote again in 1927 and Altona in 1928 (where William was working as a 'billiard marker'). They were at Snob's Creek near Alexandra in 1931 (where William was back working as a bootmaker), Cobram in 1934, Yannathan near Koo-wee-rup in 1936, and Loch in Gippsland from 1937 until William's death there in 1952. Buried in the Nyora cemetery, William's memorial plaque commemorates both him and his daughter Gertrude Ethel ('Girlie') Sharwood who was buried there in 1994. Ancestry's index of bdms shows that Gertude died at Thomastown in Victoria in 1957.

Provided by Kathrynn George showing: Gertrude Ellen Emmett (seated) with her eldest daughter,
Millicent Marie McGregor, granddaughter, Patricia Marie Shumack,
and great granddaughter, Julie Shumack.

We believe that Gertrude and William had nine children between 1900 and 1917: Marie Millicent (born at Loch in 1900), William Robert Clive (1906-76) Gertrude Ethel (1906-94), Vivian Ann (born at Whitlesea in 1908), Bernard Emmett (1910-41), Lawrence Roy (1912-48), Doreen Ruby (1914, Whittlesea), Wilfred Charles (Northcote, 1915) and Leslie Joseph Cowcher (1917, Clifton Hill). We know little about Marie beyond her place and date of birth and we think Vivian married a John Joseph Frawley in 1929 although that has not been confirmed. We have discovered a little more about some of the others as follows:

4.1) Millicent Marie (Milly) Cowcher (1900-82). Born at Loch in South Gippsland in Victoria, Milly married William John McGregor (1899-1973) in Victoria in 1921. Born in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Williamstown, William was the only son of William Francis McGregor (1876-1919) and Mabel Ann Naumann (1879-1969) who were married there in 1897. Sometime after their marriage, William and Milly moved to Sydney where the electoral rolls show them living at Glebe in 1932 and Balmain in 1936. They were at Woolahra when William enlisted in the Australian Army at nearby Paddington on 15 April 1940. His military record in the Australian National Archives tells us William was then working as a salesman and that he had previously served in the Citizen Military Forces for three years. Allocated to the 2/6th Australian Artillery Field Regiment, he was discharged on compassionate grounds later the same year. He re-enlisted on 14 April 1943 and served in Australia as a Sergeant in the 21 Works Company until 19 January 1945 (at which time he and Milly were living at 1 Edward Street in Bondi). They were still registered as living at Bondi at the time of the 1949, 1954, 1958 and 1968 elections (along with Betty Lorraine McGregor, a cosmetician, in 1968). The 1972 roll has William, no occupation, and Milly at 40 Cahill Street in Beverley Hills. The Ryerson Index shows William John McGregor, late of Bondi, died on 22 April 1973 (Sydney Morning Herald 24 April). He was cremated and is memorialised in the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park at Matraville (Rose Gardens, Garden O2, Position 186). Milly continued to live with her daughter Betty at Bondi until her own death there on 2 April 1982. She was also cremated and her ashes placed with William's. We believe William and Milly had five children: William Leslle, Gladys Millicent, Betty Lorraine, Patricia Marie and Donald McGregor. We know nothing about Donald and Betty beyond the latter's election roll entries described above. We have been able to find out a little more about the other three as follows:

Also provided by Kathrynn George: Milly and William John McGregor
around the time of their wedding in 1921.

4.1.1) William Leslie McGregor. His miliiary file in the National Archives tells us William was born at North Fitzroy in Melbourne on 21 April 1919 and enlisted in the Second AIF at Paddington in Sydney on 27 March 1940. He was then single and working as a press hand. His next of kin was his father, William John McGregor of 36 Dudley Street Bondi, later changed to his wife Alice Mary Angeline McGregor of 15 Searle Ave Randwick NSW. The NSW index of births deaths and marriages shows Alice's maiden name was Stuart and she and William were married in the Randwick registration district of Sydney in 1942. Willian jnr served as a Gunner in the 2/6 Artillery Field Regiment in both the Middle East and PNG. He was discharged from the Army on 22 October 1945. According to the Australian electoral rolls, after the War William, who worked as a machinist and later a foreman, and Alice continued to live in Sydney initially at Bondi and then in the Kogarah area.

From Kathrynn George's 'Shumack/emmet' family tree on Ancestry
probably William Leslie and Alice Mary Angeline McGregor.

4.1.2) Gladys Millicent McGregor (1923-2018). Her military record in the National Archives shows that NF451420 Gladys Millicent McGregor - pictured on the left - a shop assistant born at Clifton Hill in Melbourne on 25 March 1923, enlisted in the Australian Womens Army Services at Paddington in Sydney on 9 July 1943. Her NOK was her father Sgt William John McGregor of 1 Walhalla Court Campbell Parade Bondi (later 2 Cecil Flats Edward Street Bondi). Gladys was discharged on 10 May 1946 after serving in NSW including in the Australian Army Canteen Services. The same year, Gladys married Harold Herbert Hamer (1911-2000) - pictured on the right - in the Randwick registration district of Sydney. His military file in the National Archives tells us Harold was born at Bankstown in Sydney on 16 March 1911 and enlisted in the Australian Army at Paddington on 4 June 1940. His stated NOK was his then wife Constance Hamer of 55 Liverpool Road Bankstown. [An article in the Sydney Truth on 23 August 1942 tells us he had married England-born Constance Ellen Ison at the Methodist Parsonage at Ashfield in Sydney in June 1933]. Harold's military file further states his parents were Frank and Amy Hamer of 22 Blackwell Point Road Abbotsford in Sydney. Harold was allocated to the 2/1 Pioneer Battalion and sailed from Sydney to the Middle East in September 1940. He was wounded in action in Libya on 2 June 1941 and returned to Australia on the SS ANDES in February 1942. The afore-mentioned Truth article tells us that while recuperating in the Concord military hospital, he divorced his wife who, during the time Harold was overseas, had gone to live with another man (and former friend and colleague of Harold's). Harold continued serving in the Army in Australia until his discharge on 15 March 1946 by which time he had reached the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. The Australian electoral rolls show Harold and Gladys spent much of their married lives in the Gosford area of NSW where Harold worked as a battery manufacturer and hotel and taxi proprietor. A Ross Francis Hamer, clerk, was registered as living with them at the time of the 1972, 1977 and 1980 elections. The Ryerson Index tells us Harold Herbert Hamer, 89 and late of East Gosford, died on 12 August 2000 (Central Coast Express Advocate 16 August 2000) and Gladys Millicent Hamer, late of Erina [inland from Avoca Beach], died on 9 July 2018 (NSW Probate Notice 30 August 2018).

4.1.3) Patricia Marie McGregor (1928-2023) married George Reginald Shumack (1922-2007) at Bondi in 1953. Their daughter, Kathrynn, tells us George was born at Bathurst in NSW, third son of George Francis Shumack (1876-1932) and Helene/Helena Elizabeth Murray (1884-1961) who were married at Sunny Corner - a small rural village located between Lithgow and Bathurst - on 29 July 1904. His military record in the National Archives tells us George, who was then working as a buyers assistant and living with his mother at 100 Glen Ayre Avenue in Bondi, enlisted in the Australian Army at Paddington on 1 May 1942. He served as a Driver both in Australia and overseas - at Morotai in Indonesia from August 1945 until January 1946 and in Japan from February 1946 until October 1947 - untll his discharge in Sydney on 5 November 1947. The 1949 electoral roll shows him working as a labourer and living with his mother and sister, Nellie Florence Shumack, at 8 Adelaide Street Bondi Junction. The subsequent electoral rolls have George and Patricia at 131 Croydon Street Lakemba In Sydney's west. Registered as living with them in 1977 were Elizabeth Ann (no occupation), Julie Marie (sales assistant) and Murray George Shumack (apprentice electrician). According to the Ryerson Index, George Shumack, 84 and formerly of Lakemba died at Caloundra on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on 20 September 2007). Patricia Marie Shumack, 94, late of Mooloolaba, and formerly of Bondi died on 1 April 2023. Her death notice, published in the Brisbane Courier Mail on 8 April 2023 tells us she was the 'Dearly loved wife to George (Dec'd). Beloved Mother to Julie, Murray, Elizabeth & Kathrynn. Cherished Mother-in-law to Sandro and Paul (Dec'd). Adored Grandmother to Samantha, Emma, Jake, Kurt, Cassandra, Sophie & Kate, and Great-Grandmother to 2 beautiful children'.

From Kathrynn George's 'Shumack/emmet' family tree on Ancestry
George and Patricia Shumack's wedding in 1953. George's mother is on his right.

4.2) Bernard Emmett Cowcher (1910-41). Like his father, Bernard worked as bookmaker. He married Mary Alberta Radford in 1931 (the electoral roll for that year showed her at Alexandra and he at nearby Thornton) The 1936/7 and 1943 rolls had him registered at Cobram and Albert Park in Melbourne while she remained at Alexandra. The Department of Veterans' Affairs Second World War Nominal Roll shows that Bernard enlisted in the Australian Army at Caulfield on 23 October 1939 (he was then living at Thornbury in Melbourne and gave as his NOK Mary Cowcher). He was allotted to the 6th Division Cavalry Regiment and, as the following letter in the Alexandra and Yea Standard on 25 October of the same year indicated, was serving in Palestine in 1940:

A former Eildon Weir 'resldent has sent along a few extracts from a letter received from Cpl. B. E. Cowcher, in Palestine - 'No rain for just on six months, and don't expect any for another two or three months, but it is the usual thing for this country. The only green in the land is the orange groves and water melon patches. Fruit is not too plentiful, but we can still get water melons and grapes … The Arabs are good-hearted in lots of ways, and if you happen to to pull up at a village the headman often invites you to a cup of coffee. I don't go much on it, it is very strong and sweet. The crops are all gathered by hand, and it is marvellous the way they get over the thousands of acres. When cut it is carted in by camels and donkeys. They still do their threshing the same way it was done hundreds pi of years ago'.

Bernard died six months later while serving in Syria and is buried in the Damascus British War Cemetery. The Commonwealth War Graves notes that VX441 Cpl Bernard Emmet Cowcher AIF 6 Div Cavalry Regiment, killed in action on 24 June 1941, aged 30. Son of William and Gertrude Cowcher and husband of Mary Alberta Cowcher of Alexandra, Victoria.

5. George Robert Morland (1883-1971). George married Eleanor Eliza Holmes (1888-1984), the daughter of George Richard Holmes and Rachel Lambert, in Victoria in 1915. The birth of their known children and their entries in the Australian electoral rolls indicate that they lived at Lismore and later Dreeite (near Colac) in Victoria's Western District where they ran a dairy farm. George died at Colac in 1971 and Eleanor there in 1984. They had at least two sons we are aware of:

5.1) Robert George Morland (1916-45). The Department of Veterans' Affairs Second World War Nominal Roll tells us that VX37720 Robert George Morland (pictured on the right) was born at Lismore in Victoria on 7 May 1916 and enlisted in the Australian Army at Royal Park on 18 July 1940. His locality on enlistment was Dreeite Victoria and his NOK was his father George. The following entry on the Australian War Memorial's website continues his story: 'VX37720 Private Robert George Morland, 4th Reserve Motor Transport Company ... was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of B Force. The 1494 POWs that made up B Force, were transported from Changi on 7 July 1942 on board the tramp ship Ubi Maru, arriving at Sandakan Harbour on 18 July 1942. Private Morland, aged 28, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 20 March 1945. He was the son of George Robert and Eleanor Eliza Morland, of Dreeite, Vic and is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 24'.

5.2) John Charles Morland. The Department of Veterans' Affairs Second World War Nominal Roll tells us that 117472 John Charles Morland, born at Lismore in Victoria on 10 July 1917, enlisted in the Australian Air Force at Colac on 20 August 1942. His NOK was his wife Lilian Morland (nee East) and his locality on enlistment was Colac. He was discharged on 27 February 1945 as a Cpl in the 14 Mobile Works Squadron. The Australian electoral rolls indicate that Lilian lived with John's parents at Dreeite during the war years and with John at Geelong North after that. They further indicate they had at least one son, Raymond John Morland, who also worked as a carpenter and, with his wife Nola Maureen, also lived at Geelong at least until the 1980s.

6. Amy Vera Morland (1886-1953). Probably born at Carngham, Amy married Robert Stewart Turnbull in Victoria in 1904. According to the McCluskey Family Tree on Ancestry, Robert was born at Glascow in Scotland in 1868 and died at Wonthaggi in Victoria in 1958. It adds that he and Amy had five children. The Australian electoral rolls show an Amy and Stewart, who worked as a baker, first lived at Kew in Melbourne after their marriage before moving to Wonthaggi in the Gippsland region of Victoria sometime during the First World World. They continued to live at Wonthaggi until their respective deaths there in 1953 and 1958. To date we have only been able to identifiy with any certainty two of their five children:

6.1) Robert Stewart Rupert Turnbull (1905-54) who married Elsie Muriel Allen (1906-75), the daughter of George Phillip Allen and Grace Lillian Brown. The Australian electoral rolls show that he and Elsie lived at Albert Park in Melbourne prior to Robert's death at Alberton in Gippsland in 1954. Elsie continued to live in Melbourne after this, initially at St Kilda and later North Dandenong, before she went back to Wonthaggi sometime before the 1968 election (the roll for which has her registered in the local Elderly Citizens Home there). She died at Wonthaggi in 1975.

Robert and Elsie had one son we are aware of, Robert George Turnbull, who was born at Wonthaggi in 1926 and enlisted in the Australian Air Force in Melbourne on 23 February 1945. He was discharged on 4 July 1946 as a Leading Aircraftman in the SA(HQ) AFO Melbourne. The Australian electoral rolls shows Robert, a postal employee, living with his parents at Albert Park in 1949 and with his mother at St Kilda Park in 1958. He and a Constance Marie Turnbull were registered at both Mitchelton and Indooroopilly in Queensland at the time of the 1963 election (Robert was working as a public servant). They were at Mordiallic in Melbourne in 1972 and St Ives in Sydney in 1980 (Robert was still working as a public servant).

6.2) George Hugh Turnbull (1907-91). The Australian electoral rolls show a George Hugh Turnbull, a farm hand, living at Dumosa in the Mallee region of Victoria along with James Edward, farmer, and Daisy May Turnbull. The 1943 roll has George Hugh, labourer, living with his parents at North Wonthaggi. The Department of Veterans' Affairs Second World War Nominal Roll shows that VX14357 George Hugh Turnbull enlisted in the Australian Army there on 19 March 1940 and was discharged on 14 September 1945 as a private in the 2/31st Infantry Battalion. The post-war electoral rolls have George, a mail officer, and Edna May Turnbull living in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine. The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust website tells us that a George died on 12 December 1991 and was buried at the Altona cemetery four days later. His wife Edna May Turnbull, who was born on 10 August 1918, was cremated at Altona on 13 May 2003. We don't know if she and Hugh had any children.

7. Millicent May Morland (1888-1926). Millicent married Albert Wenn (1879-1941) in 1904. The 'Wenn Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Albert was born at Berwick in Victoria in 1879, the sixth child of John George Wenn (1841-1917) and Sarah Jane Ridgway (1846-1910) who were married at nearby Cranbourne in 1865 and had fifteen children. John was born in Smallburgh in Norfolk and emigrated to Australia in 1863. His wife was from Thornborough in Buckinghamshire. Millicent died at Berwick in 1926. Albert died at Heidelburg in Melbourne in 1941. He and Millicent had five children as follows:

7.1) Alan George Wenn (1906-83). Born at Loch in Victoria, Alan married Doris Amelia Ferguson (1912-2005) in 1933. The 'Turner-Wolfe Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Doris was born in the Gippsland town of Meeniyan, daughter of John Henry Ferguson (1874-1961) and Mildred Susan Beckham (1884-1958) who were married at Buffalo in Victoria in 1909 and had three children. The Australian electoral rolls show that before he was married, Alan lived and worked as a labourer at Clyde near Berwick. After their marriage, Alan, now a railway employee, and Doris moved around, living at Tostaree near Orbost in 1934, Anderson near Wonthaggi in 1936/7, the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra in 1943, Springhurst near Rutherglen in 1949 and Noble Park in outer Melbourne thereafter. He died at Noble Park in 1983. According to the Wenn Family Tree on Ancestry, Alan and Doris had two children and ten grandchildren. Following Alans death in 1983, Doris married a Fred Hook and had two children with him. She died at Noble Park in 2005.

7.2) Doreen Emily Wenn (1908-85). The Australian electoral rolls show Doreen living at Clyde near Berwick before the Second World War and in Melbourne, where she worked in sales and as a clerk, during and after it. She doesn't appear on any electoral rolls after 1954 even though she died at Preston in 1985. We don't think that she married although that has not been confirmed.

7.3) Lionel Charles Wenn (1909-74). According to the White Family Tree on Ancestry, Lionel married Eunice Beryl Hall (1912-2009) in 1936. Eunice was said to be born at Leongatha, the daughter of John MacKenzie Hall (1884-1983) and Hilda Ruby Pope (1888-1964). The Australian electoral rolls show Lionel first worked for the railways and later as a prison guard and penal officer. He and Beryl were living in the Melbourne suburbs of Prahan and then Coburg from the early 1930s until around 1950 when Lionel's work took them to Ballarat. They were back in Melbourne from the early 1960s until the early 1970s when, following Lionel's retirement, he and Eunice moved to Merimbula on the NSW south coast. Lionel died at Pascoe Vale in 1974 and was cremated at the Fawkner cemetery. We believe that Eunice died in 2009 although that has still to be confirmed. The election rolls suggest they had at least two children: Milton Charles, a railway employee, and Rex MacKenzie Wenn who, with his wife Lola Gwen Wenn, worked as a teacher.

7.4) Marjorie May Wenn (1910-76). According to the 'Van Slooten Family Tree' on Ancestry, Marjorie married Frederick Beckham at Clyde near Berwick in Victoria in 1929. Frederick was born near Echuca in 1901, the son of James Beckham (1856-1939) and Amelia Dibben (1866-1965) who were married at Rystone in NSW in 1883 and had eleven children. The Australian Electoral rolls show that Marjorie and Frederick Beckham, a labourer, were lived with James parents at Clyde near Berwick in 1931. Sometime after this they moved to Queensland where, at the time of the 1936 election, they were living at Ravenshoe (where a Walter and Mary Beckham were also registered as living). They remained at Ravenshoe at least until Marjorie's death there in 1976.

7.5) Maxwell Robert Wenn (1926-2008). Born at Berwick Max (pictured on the left) worked as a butcher and played football for Oakleigh in the Victorian Football Association and Carlton in the Victorian Football League. He died at the Melbourne suburb of Rosebud in 2008. As the following tribute released by the Carlton Football Club on 25 September 2008 notes, Max was married to Margaret Whiteside and had two sons, David and Robert Wenn.

The Blue Print. Vale Max Wenn. Former Carlton centre half-forward flanker Maxwell Robert 'Max' Wenn has died at Rosebud Hospital. He was 82. Wenn, the 666th man to represent the Blues at senior League level, was a late starter, completing his debut at the age of 26 years. That came in the opening round of the '53 season against Footscray at Princes Park, in a match umpired by Harry Beitzel. The home team went down by five points, but Wenn managed a goal. Wenn booted 26.25 from his 15 senior appearances in '53 to finish third on the club's goalkicking table behind Jack Howell with 28 and Jack Spencer with 32. He also finished a creditable fifth in the Robert Reynolds Memorial Trophy for the best and fairest player behind Vin English, Jack Mills, Jack Howell and the eventual winner, captain Ken Hands. To round out the year, Wenn was runner-up in the trophy for 'Best First-Season Player' to John James, later the club's second Brownlow Medallist.

The following season, 1954, would prove disastrous for player and club. Wenn managed 12.13 from his ten senior matches, but broke his ankle against South Melbourne at Princes Park in Round 12. It would be his 26th and last appearance in the No.18 Carlton guernsey. Wenn was one of a number of on-field casualties through the '54 season, with Ron Robertson, Laurie Kerr, Jack Howell, Vin English and Keith Warburton all breaking down. As a contributor to the club's annual report lamented: 'The speed-crazy pattern of today's games makes some injuries inevitable but no club - especially one still team building - could hope to cope with the abnormal crop suffered by Carlton'.

Originally hailing from Berwick, Wenn was recruited to Carlton from Oakleigh, the club his son David would later represent with distinction as a JJ Liston Medallist and premiership player in the glory years under Bob Johnson. Former Carlton footballer Max Howell remembered that Wenn took some convincing to make the pilgrimage to Princes Park. 'I worked for [the then Carlton President] KG Luke in those days and they used to say to me "See if you can get 'Wenny' to Carlton". He didn't want to go, but he came over because he wanted to play league football, Howell said. Alex Boyle, who followed Wenn to Carlton from Oakleigh in '53, concurred. 'I stood out of football to get to Carlton, but Max was quite content to stay, mainly because he was a butcher by profession and he was going with Dave Whiteside's daughter, Margaret at the time [but] in the end, he decided to have a crack at it' Boyle said. Max got married and that had a lot to do with his decision to finish up because he and his wife ran a stud farm just out of Cranbourne and that's where Better Boy, the No.1 sire in Australia, is buried'. Boyle unhesitatingly declared Wenn 'a brilliant sportsman'. 'As a footballer he had great pace, which was a big thing in those days, and he was an accurate kick', Boyle said. 'He played at centre half-forward and he dominated the position. When he played at Oakleigh thousands flocked to the game to see him play because he was such a drawcard. He played cricket for Berwick until he was 60. He was a spinner and a very good bat'.

Wenn, who spent his final years in Rye, died after an illness lasting 18 months. Until the end he followed the old dark Navy Blues, for as Boyle said: 'The Carlton days were happy days for him and he had a lot of time for them'. Wenn is survived by his wife Margaret, sons David and Robert, daughter Janet and 11 grandchildren.

Image sources:
Eric William Phillips' wedding, from Stacey Campbell's 'Campbell Griffin Ellis Bessell' Family Tree on Ancestry.
William Clifford Hall headstone, from Nyora Cemetery Memorial picture index.
Robert George Morland, AWM P02468.404.
Max Wenn, from the 'Wenn Family Tree' on Ancestry.

Return to top of page

Return to John Saunders Wright and Sarah Bodger in Australia
I: Life and times II: Children and descendants

Return to Wright Family in England

Return to Bodger Family in England and Australia

Return to First Families Home Page