World travels for the Rutherford's

It's official. I have submitted my final assignments for uni and now I am a free agent (well, considering that I pass). Therefore, I am free to blog (and find a job). I can hear the thrill from here.

After completing my final assigment - a research proposal for anything I pleased (well, within in reason and the 'history' field), I am now eager to complete the proposed research. As I mentioned in an earlier blog it is a biographical study about my Great Grandmother Amuri Russell, and in particular her time serving as a volunteer in the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) during the Second World War. After undertaking preliminary research about her life and her service in the WAAAF, it has made me even more interested in her life and achievements.
Apart from the fact that I feel that you are all so eager for me to write down my discoveries and interests in this blog for you (all) to read, the first thought of all of this came when I was rustling through artefacts and photos of my ancestors that we found in my grandmother's house. In the piles of documents and much junk we found photo albums and diaries of Amuri's travels abroad in 1909-1911. What fascinated me was that I had the exact same photos taken 100 years later. Here are some of the discoveries I have made along the way.

Travels abroad

In 1909 Andrew and Emily Rutherford, accompanied by three of their daughters, Emily, Ethel and Amuri left New Zealand for a grand adventure abroad. They first set off for Sydney to spend several months in Australia. Andrew and his siblings had been born in Australia after his parents George and Isabel migrated to Australia from Scotland in about 1839. After 17 years in Australia, the Rutherford family re-settled in the Canterbury region of New Zealand to the property 'Leslie Hills', which is today, still owned and occupied by the Rutherford family.
It was during this time in Australia when Amuri met her future husband, my great grandfather, Eric Russell.

From Australia the Rutherfords made their way to Europe on the Otranto liner. They toured widely through England, and visited Scotland so as Andrew could see the graves of his descendants. The family also visited France, Italy and Germany.

 

Doge's Palace, Venice, Italy c. 1910.

Doge's Palace, Venice, Italy, 2011.

Throughout their travels Andrew had regular published correspondace in the local New Zealand newspapers, where he wrote of the things they saw, the people the met and the disappointments they faced in several European cities, "the people in Italy were not clean; the German's ate too much". Andrew was not the only writer in the family with Amuri also having much of her writing published in the Domion Newspaper in New Zealand, as well as a small book publised called 'Observations' and letters sent home to her family. Family members would send the correspondance around town to her aunts, uncles and cousins boasting of the time they were having.









Nice, France, c. 1910 (left) and 2011 (below).

After galavanting around Europe the family sailed on to New York, and then to Montreal and caught the rail to Vancouver, before travelling home via Honolulu, Fanning Island, Fiji and Sydney.

The family had seen and experienced extraordinary things on their two year journey, including the Coronation of King George and Queen Mary in London and a Thanksgiving service at St Pauls Cathedral, where Andrew had a particularly good view of the Royal couple.
For Amuri the homecoming also coincided with the announcement of her engagament to Australian Eric Russell, whom she would marry in December the following year (1912). For Ethel, she had found love in Canada and opposition in her parents, for they did not approve of the match. It took 5 years before Andrew and Emily gave her their blessing.

To this day, a large majority of the Rutherford family still reside in New Zealand. And as far as I know, there are still descendants in Canada and, of course, Australia. For a large family, they have not ventured far.

It fascinates me to think about how extravegant the Rutherford's travels would have been in the early 20th Century and time it would have taken for them to venture so far from New Zealand. And luckily for me, we still hold the diaries and photographs of this time and can therefore try to begin to grasp what a wonderful adventure it must have been.

Phoebe.



Sources cited:
Holm, Janet, Nothing But Grass and Wind: The Rutherfords of Cantury, Hazard Press, Christchurch, 1992.

Papers Past, various.

Russell, Amuri, Observations, The Christchurch Press Company, Christchurch, 1912.

Serving their country

Yesterday in the mail I finally received my Great Grandmother, Amuri Russell's, war service records. As I have previously mentioned she served as volunteer in the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) in the catering department. With the release of her service records we have been able to shed a little more light on her time volunteering in the forces during the Second World War. We now know that she initially applied to be in the administration department, however she was rejected. She was then accepted in the catering department for the next three years. Prior to her enlistment she was a chef at the women's hostel in Lansell Road, Toorak, Victoria and volunteering with the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS). I have also discovered that during the time she was away with the WAAAF in places such as Ascot Vale and Deniliquin, her husband, my Great Grandfather Eric was living in Griffith, NSW. During this time their son Tom was away fighting in the 53rd/55th Battalion for the AIF, and Eric was presumably looking after the property in his absence.

Sergeant Amuri Russell's war service photo 1943.

During her time in the WAAAF, Amuri's daughter Erica (my Grandmother) was away at boarding school. In 1944 when she was 18 and finished school Erica joined the Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA). Nothing much else is known of her time in the Land Army, but I am trying to work my magic - so I will keep you posted.

 

Erica Russell in her Women's Land Army uniform, circa. 1944.

And on the other side...

A history of war service doesn't just run on my paternal line of the family.
After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 the Hughes family of Kapunda must have been feeling particularly patriotic.
Henry and Penolope Hughes of South Australia had four sons and a daughter. All of their sons served in the Australian Imperial Forces during the First World War. Only three returned home.
The three eldest brothers, Roland Harry Hughes, Lancelot Dudley Hughes (my Great Grandfather) and Leonard Headland Hughes enlisted within 7 months of each other in 1915-16. Roland was sent to the trenches of Gallipoli and spent time in and out of hospital in France. Lancelot was stationed in England and France and was also wounded in action at least once. Leonard was the eldest of the brothers and the final of the three to enlist, but not for want of trying. He was initially rejected because of a problem with his teeth. However, when he finally did enlist it was at a time when Australia had seen a large amount of casualities and needed reinforcements on the battlegrounds overseas. Leonard left South Australia for Egypt in January 1916. From Egypt he was then stationed on the Western Front in France. Tragically, within the first few days fighting in the Battle of

Pozières Leonard was killed in action in the most brutal of ways. Australian forces had witnessed a huge loss of life during these first few days in Pozières with a further 23,000 casualties. Leonard was reported "Missing in Action" for sometime and not until mid-1917 was he finally declared "Killed in Action".

As if Henry and Penelope had not had enough worries with three sons going off to war and one being killed, their fourth and youngest son also enlisted. Norman Charles Hughes was 19 years old in 1917 and was ready for war. Because he was under the age of 21 years, Norman had to have permission from his father. So in November 1917 Henry Hughes wrote to the war office to offer them his final son for enlistment. Henry's letter must have been particularly hard to write having just confirmed his eldest son's death. Here he writes, "may add that he is the fourth and final son to enlist. I have no more."

Permission for Norman Charles Hughes to join the AIF

from his parents Henry & Penelope Hughes, 1917.

 

Norman made it home to Australia with two of his brothers. Sadly Leondard did not. His remains were reinterred in a war grave in Amiens, France with many of the other men lost during the battles on the Western Front.

Also, interestingly at this time Penelope Hughes was participating in 'Conscription Parades' through the streets of Adelaide. This in itself proves the patriotism of the Hughes family.

 

For family historians, historians or anyone interested in the military we are extremely lucky to have access to war service records and war records through the Australian War Memorial and the National Archives of Australiawhere a lot of this information has come to light.

 

There's plenty more to find out.

 

Phoebe.