Anzac Connections: Seeking further information

The Australian War Memorial is creating a comprehensive digital archive of the ANZACs and their deeds, from private record collections held in our extensive archives. These collections include letters, diaries, notebooks and ephemera that reflect the experiences of our Australian servicemen, nurses and civilians during the First World War. This program aims to digitally preserve the Memorial’s collections as well as provide full copies online for research and study purposes via the Memorial’s website.

As part of this program the Memorial is seeking contact with relatives of the persons listed below. If are you related to these people, or know how to contact their descendants, the Memorial would love to talk to you. Please contact Digitised Collections on Digitised.Collections@awm.gov.au

30137 Gunner Mackay, Alexander Sutherland

This collection relates to the First World War service of Alexander Sutherland Mackay, 8th Australian Field Artillery Brigade, Australian Imperial Force.

The collection contains a number of diaries, cards and letters by Mackay covering his voyage to England, training at Salisbury Plains, and active service in France and Belgium.  

Alexander Sutherland Mackay was born 3 June 1884 at Brisbane, and died of pneumonia on 18 December 1918 at Taranto, Italy. Mackay was 32 years old when he enlisted at Brisbane on 1 July 1916, and worked as a Bank Manager at the time of his enlistment.

Mackay was not married and did not have any children. His listed next of kin was his mother Mrs Mary Ann, Mackay, Galloways Hill, Norman Park, East Brisbane. Some of his known nieces and nephews included:

Douglas Donald Mackay, born 1878 – died 1919;
Roy Sutherland Mackay, born 1879 – died 1957;
Grace Stuart Mackay, born 1881 – died 1884;
Archie Graham Mackay, born 1887 – died 1915;
Ronald Stuart Mackay, born 1888 – died 1974 (Married Jean Clark Carr, who died 1985)
Leslie Norman Mackay, born 1891 – died 1961;
Elsie Reay Mackay, born 1892 – died 1965 (Married Eric Gould Mason, who died 1945);
Lilly Sutherland Mackay, born 1893 – died 1950.

Collection number: 1DRL/0441  

Major General Grimwade, Harold William

This collection relates to the First World War service of Major General Harold William Grimwade. It contains a diary and a transcription of the diary pertaining to his service for the year 1918.

Grimwade served in the AIF from 1914 to 1919, commanding the 3rd Australian Artillery from 1916 until the Armistice, when he was appointed GOC Artillery, Australian Corps. From 1926 to 1930 he was General Officer Commanding, 4th Division of the Australian Military Forces. His post-war career included roles as chairman of directors of Felton Grimwade and Duerdins Pty. Ltd., and as a director of Australian Glass Manufacturers Co. Ltd.

He had three children:

Harold Thornton Grimwade b. 1897 – d. 1982. He married Ruth Cecelia Affleck in 1926 and they had 3 daughters;
Agnes Gwendolen Manifold  b. 1900 – d.  1980 . She married Thomas Chester Manifold in 1923 and they had 3 daughters;
John Frederick Thornton Grimnwade b. 1905 – d. 1992. He married Marie Erin Vere Stead in 1930 and they one daughter.

Collection number: PR00778

Lieutenant Short, Lionel Gordon

This collection relates to the First World War service of Lionel Gordon Short, 23rd Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.

The collection contains letters and transcripts of letters by Short relating to his service in Egypt, England and France during the period 1916 – 1919.

Lionel Gordon Short was born 3 June 1885 at Herne Hill, London, England, and died 31 December 1973 at Merriott in the English county of Somerset. Short enlisted at Melbourne 30 April 1915, and worked as a Reporter for The Argus at the time of his enlistment.

After the war Short lived in England until 1926 before relocating to the United States. He remained in the United States for twenty-two years before moving back to England in 1948. Throughout this period he worked as a Journalist.

It is not known if Short married or had children. His siblings included:

Charles Herbert Short, born 1974 at Collingwood, Victoria, date and location of death unknown;
Ernest Henry Short, born 1975 at Melbourne, died 29 August 1959 at Hailsham, Sussex, England;
Edith Mary Short, born 1877 at Melbourne, date and location of death unknown;
Amy Constance Short, born 1878 at Melbourne, died 14 January 1965 at Hailsham, Sussex, England;
Mabel Elizabeth Short, born 1881 at Melbourne, date and location of death unknown;
Robert Cecil Short, born 1883 at Herne Hill, London, died 9 May 1959 at Mere, Wiltshire, England;
Arthur Rupert Short, born 1884 at Herne Hill, London, date and location of death unknown;
Charles Stanley Short, born 5 November 1887 at Herne Hill, London, died March 1972 at Norwich, Norfolk, England; and
Alfred Leonard Short, born 26 August 1889, died 25 July 1966 at Richmond, Victoria.

Collection number: 2DRL/0045  

2659 Lieutenant Neaves, Henry Herbert

This collection relates to the First World War service of Henry Herbert Neaves, 45th Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.

The collection contains a typescript memoir by Neaves covering his service in Egypt, Turkey and France between March 1916 and March 1919. This memoir was copied from the original by the Commonwealth Crown Solicitor’s Office, Sydney, in 1933.

Henry Hebert Neaves was born 1892 at Wollongong, New South Wales, and died 22 February 1933 at Canterbury, New South Wales. Neaves enlisted in the Sydney suburb of Liverpool 21 June 1915, and worked as a Law Clerk at the time of his enlistment

Neaves married Ida Florence Jones, born in 1893 at Deniliquin, New South Wales, and died 14 January 1969 at Canterbury, New South Wales. Neaves worked at the Commonwealth Crown Solicitor’s Office in Sydney for 23 years, and at the time of his death held the role of Chief Clerk. 

The couple had one child, Alan Reginald Neaves, born c. 1924. Neaves is a former Australian public servant, lawyer and judge, best known for his role as head of the Attorney-General’s Department between 1979 and 1983, and as a Federal Court Judge from 1983 until his retirement in 1995.

Collection number: 2DRL/0752  

6682 Private Smith, Charles Malcolm

This collection relates to the First World War service of Private Charles Malcolm Smith, 25th Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.

The collection contains two typescript diaries and a pocket book by Smith documenting his active service in England and France.

Charles Malcolm Smith was born 27 August 1891 on Thursday Island, Queensland, to Malcolm and Maria (nee Thornton). He enlisted at Cloncurry on 16 December 1916, and worked as a Clerk at the time of his enlistment.

After the war, Smith returned to Cloncurry and resumed working as a Clerk before joining his family in Brisbane during the early 1930s.  Thereafter Smith resided in the Brisbane suburb of Morningside until the late 1970s with his sister, Winifred Dorothea Smith, born 31 March 1903.

It appears that Charles Malcolm Smith died before the 1980 Census, and that his sister, Dorothea, died several years later. Smith also had another sister, Edith Maud Lee (nee Smith), born 10 June 1897 in Queensland. The date and location of her death is unknown.

Collection number: 3DRL/5023

Lieutenant Barton, John Hampden

This collection relates to the First World War service of John Hampden Barton, 54th Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.

The collection contains a typescript diary by Barton titled ‘One Year With the Platoon’, a photograph of Barton in uniform, and photocopies of official correspondence and newspaper clippings related to his service.

John Hampden Barton was born 9 April 1888 at the pastoral station ‘Cumbooglecumbong’ near Dubbo, New South Wales, and died 12 March 1969 at Gordon, New South Wales. He enlisted 29 November 1915, and worked as a Grazier at the time of his enlistment.

Barton married Myee Australie Martin, born 1895 at Port Macquarie, New South Wales, and died 1 June 1983 at Roseville, New South Wales. The couple married at Christ Church, Dungog on 9 July 1919, and soon thereafter purchased the pastoral station ‘Derrima’ near Collarenebri, New South Wales, before moving to Gordon during the 1930s.

The couple had three children; Patricia Sterling Barton, born 2 July 1920 at Dungog, New South Wales, died 19 June 1994 at Manly, New South Wales, John David Sterling Barton, born 5 July 1929 at ‘Derrima’, Collarenebri, died 10 November 2007 at ‘Derrima’, Collarenebri, and Alan Francis Sterling Barton, born 28 March 1936 at Singleton, New South Wales.

Collection number: PR00261  

Captain Colliver, Eustace James

This collection relates to the First World War service of Captain Eustace James Colliver, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.

The collection contains a manuscript by Eustace James Colliver and Brian Harold Richardson, which formed the basis for the book, The Forty-Third: the story and official history of the 43rd Battalion, A.I.F., first published in 1920.

Eustace James Colliver was born 9 July 1892 at Norwood, South Australia, and died 6 March 1951, Victoria. Colliver was working as a Clerk at Millbrook Reservoir when he enlisted on 15 June 1915.

Colliver married Hilda Mary Pascoe at Christian Church, Hindmarsh, on 8 August 1919. Hilda was born 30 December 1892 at Stepney, South Australia, and died 31 January 1964, Victoria. The couple had two children, Margaret, born 8 September 1921, and Brian Eustace, born 31 January 1927. Colliver and his family moved to Melbourne c. late 1945, where he worked as an executive with Australian National Airways Pty Ltd.

Brian Eustace Colliver married Joy Foord 18 April 1953 at St. Columba’s Church, Hawthorn, Victoria. The couple resided in the Melbourne suburb of Jacana from the early 1960s to around 1980, and had one child, Tallan Drake Colliver.

Collection number: MSS0650

949 Lieutenant Richardson, Brian Harold

This collection relates to the First World War service of Lieutenant Brian Harold Richardson, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.

The collection contains a manuscript by Eustace James Colliver and Brian Harold Richardson, which formed the basis for the book, The Forty-Third: the story and official history of the 43rd Battalion, A.I.F., first published in 1920.

Brian Harold Richardson was born 4 May 1893 at Saddleworth, South Australia, the youngest child of Frederick George and Amelia Jane (nee Filgate). Richardson enlisted 4 October 1915, and worked as a Clerk at the time of his enlistment.

Richardson married Jessie Elizabeth Paterson at St. Peter’s College Chapel, Adelaide, on 24 March 1925. At this time, Richardson was a farmer residing at Marrabel in South Australia, and the couple remained at this location until 1935. Richardson relocated to Kalgoorlie around 1936, and lived in the adjacent towns/suburbs of Boulder during the 1940s and Hannans during the 1950s.

Richardson died 9 October 1990 at an unknown location. His wife, Jessie Elizabeth Richardson (nee Paterson), was born 3 October 1896 at Gawler, South Australia, and died at an unknown date and location. It is not known if the couple had children.

Brian Harold Richardson had five older siblings:
Ethel Maude Richardson, b. 26 April 1873, d. 11 February 1943;
Frederick Houghton Richardson, b. 14 April 1874, d. 22 August 1946 – survived by children Gerald, Kathleen and Len;
Mary Kathleen Richardson, b. 14 June 1876, d. 9 December 1879;
Hazel May Colebatch (nee Richardson), b. 30 May 1878, d. 6 May 1930 – survived by children John and Gordon;
John Percival Richardson, b. 28 April 1880. d. 30 March 1933 – survived by children John and Jean.

Collection number: MSS0650

1288 Private Shapcott, Harold Sutton

This collection relates to the First World War service of Private Harold Sutton Shapcott, 41st Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.  

The collection contains an unpublished book by “Shap” (Shapcott) titled War Babies. The book was entered into the RSSILA Centenary War Novel Competition, and was presented to the Australian War Memorial on 15 January 1936.

Harold Sutton Shapcott was born 19 March 1898 at Ipswich, Queensland, the fifth son of William Warren and Eliza Page (nee Sutton), and died in the same town 10 March 1972. Shapcott enlisted 1 December 1915, and worked as a Clerk at the time of his enlistment.

Shapcott married Dorothy Mary Gillespie, born 2 February 1905, and died 27 September 1994 at Ipswich. The couple married at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipswich, 8 October 1927, and had four children; Robert Sutton Shapcott was born 6 June 1933 and died 25 October 2016, twin sons, John Arthur Shapcott  and Thomas William Shapcott were born 20/21 March 1935, and James Douglas Shapcott was born 5 January 1940.

Harold Sutton Shapcott worked as an accountant after the war, and was an active member of the Ipswich community with strong links to the local RSL and Legacy Club amongst other organisations. His son, Thomas William Shapcott, is a poet, novelist, playwright, and teacher.

Collection number: MSS1369  

Revised: 24 May 2018