Tovell, Henri Hermene (Mechanic, b.1907 - d.1928)

Collection relating to the First World War experiences and interwar life of French war orphan Henri Hermene Tovell and his foster father 2198 Air Mechanic 2nd Class Timothy William Tovell, No 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, At sea, England, France and Australia, 1896-1928, 1953, 2000-2002.

Wallet 1 of 2 - Contains an assortment of photocopied and printed material broadly arranged according to object type and subject as outlined below:

1. Timothy William Tovell work diary kept during the period he commenced an apprenticeship on 24 March 1898 through to 16 June 1913, with itemised entries recording jobs completed in England and Australia. The work diary also includes several entries on writing conventions.

2. Gertrude Mary Ann Tovell travel diary kept during the period 17 January to 17 March 1912 whilst sailing from London to Brisbane when the Tovell family emigrated to Australia.

3. Birth and marriage certificates and extracts thereof relating to Timothy Tovell, his wife Gertrude Tovell and the birth of their daughter Gertrude Annie Tovell.

4. Tovell family papers containing a wide variety of material covering the period 1912 to 2002. Items include several farewell messages sent to the Tovell family prior to their departure to Australia, an unidentified newspaper clipping from January 1912, extracts from Timothy Tovell's First World War autograph book, a letter from Henri Tovell to his foster parents dated 8 November 192[6], a letter from Major Patrick Eugene Coleman informing Timothy Tovell of Henri's death dated 25 May 1928, and extracts of a letter from Edith Lock (née Tovell) to her niece Sally Elliot dated 19 May 2000. The remaining items comprise printed copies of correspondence, papers and photographs relating to Timothy Tovell and Henri from the First World War and the Tovell family in England and Australia.

5. Coroners proceedings of inquest into the death of Henri Tovell dated 28 May 1928.

6. Selected correspondence from National Archives of Australia Series Number A705 File 202/3/334 containing letters concerning Henri's employment with the Royal Australian Air Force, his death and his interment.

Wallet 2 of 2 - Contains original letters, postcards, papers, photographs and newspaper clippings primarily pertaining to Henri Tovell and his foster father Timothy Tovell. The earliest-dated items in the wallet relate to Timothy Tovell's first year of service overseas and include correspondence to his wife Gertrude and several photographic postcards including one of the Prince of Wales Edward VIII in uniform with a description of the regard he was held in by enlisted men. Other items relating to the First World War include postcards and annotated photographs that trace the story of Henri's attachment to Timothy Tovell and No. 4 Squadron, and how the war orphan was smuggled from Germany to England and subsequently to Australia at the end of the war.

Material from the interwar period includes photographs of Henri and members of the Tovell family in Brisbane, and letters, papers and photographs relating to a period Henri was employed with the Royal Australian Air Force in Melbourne. These items include two letters from Henri to his foster parents, and an application for naturalisation in which Henri outlines the circumstances surrounding his status as a war orphan, attachment to Timothy Tovell and No. 4 Squadron, journey to Australia and life in both Brisbane and Melbourne. Photographs from this period depict Henri shortly before his death. The remaining items relate to the death of Henri and include a transcribed sermon delivered by Reverend John Thompson Perry at a memorial service for Henri held at St. Mary’s Church in Kangaroo Point on 3 June 1928, four newspaper clippings relating to this memorial service and Henri's death, and photographs of Henri's monument at Fawkner Cemetery in Melbourne c. late 1940s and early 1950s.

Henri was orphaned in France during the First World War and subsequently adopted as the mascot of No. 4 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps. His unofficial guardian, Timothy Tovell, smuggled Henri to Brisbane on board a returning troop ship and Henri lived with his family until he was approximately 16 (his real birth date is unconfirmed). Henri then transferred to Melbourne where he was hired as a mechanic working for the RAAF. Henri was killed in a motorcycle accident in Melbourne just after his 21st birthday in 1928. This collection details his unusual life, his death, the lives of his adopted family and the community reaction to his story.

• Wallet 1 of 2 - Papers relating to Henri Hermene Tovell and the Tovell family, November 1896 - August 2002
• Wallet 2 of 2 - Correspondence, papers and photographs relating to Henri Hermene Tovell and his foster father Timothy William Tovell, November 1917 - c. 1950s