FOR Gunnedah’s Geordie Clark telling stories has become much more than a passion, it has become a dream.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This dream is in its final stages as the Gunnedah local puts the finishing touches on his new book We are the Dead – Gunnedah's Great War.
The book is four years in the making and helps bridge the gap between Gunnedah’s community today, and the community of the early part of the 20th century.
As well as listing all of the servicemen who enlisted from the region, the book tells the story of each man and helps to shed some light on those local heroes who never returned.
“I first stated putting the book together in about 2014 after my wife Cate and I were asked to help put together Gunnedah’s centenary of Anzac celebrations,” Mr Clark said.
“From there it has been a lot of hard work bringing together all of the stories of all the men from across the region who signed up, fought and died in World War One.”
See Also:
Mr Clark said the book will follow a chronological order, allowing the reader to follow the local diggers through the course of the war.
“Initially, I thought I would just do them in alphabetical order, but as I went along I found that doing it by date allowed for a chance to better understand how many men gave their lives from our region and roughly what battles they gave them in.”
The book is set to be published in August this year, however, there is one aspect Mr Clark told The Namoi Valley Independent he could use the community’s assistance with.
“We still have about 60 or so names without a photo,” he said.
“Each profile comes with a picture [and] some of the pictures we have obtained have been terrific and others not so much, however, we do understand it was a different time and photo qualities obviously vary.
“At the moment those profiles have a cross in the picture’s place but I would love to have a photo for every name.”
Mr Clark encouraged anyone who may have a name to get in contact with him to help complete the all-encompassing book.
“Any help in getting those final photos or even additional photos to names we have got would be wonderful,” he said.
“We have reached out in the past over our Between the Crosses Facebook page and the We Are The Dead, Gunnedah’s Great War Facebook page and had some success.
“The Facebook page will continue to post a tribute to each soldier on the anniversary of their death and we would love to not only have a photo for everyone in the book, but for what goes online as well.
“I’d say the cut-off date for any pictures would be July 15, as that would still allow time for the photo to go in the book before printing occurs.”
Servicemen without a photo:
- Allen, John Thomas
- Andrew, Clyde
- Archer, Alfred (Aka Smith R.W.)
- Ashby, Dennis George
- Bailey, William Charles
- Balkin, Michael William
- Ballard, Harold Archurst Smith
- Bayly, William Henry
- Bignell, Leslie Oliver
- Bowen, Leonard John
- Burnes, Michael Heneray
- Bussell, Reginald Arthur
- Bussell, Sidney Henry Albert
- Butler, Walter
- Cock, Robert
- Corcoran, Henry Francis
- Corliss, Lloyd Alexander
- Corning, Asa
- Cranwell, Allan Alfred
- Daley, William
- Dalton, William Leo
- Davies, George Evan Stanley
- Davis, Roy Besant
- Day, John Charles (Aka Anderson, William)
- Dwyer, Jeremiah James
- Elson, John Thomas
- Ford, John Henry
- Gann, Wilfred Henry
- Gates, John Oswald
- Grace, Royal Aloysius
- Hardy, William Henry
- Hargrave, Karl Fletcher
- Hoskins, James Thomas Joseph
- Hynes, Thomas
- Ison, Alfred James
- Jackson, James Frederick
- Jarmain, Stanley Derrick
- Johnson, Russell
- Johnston, Charles Frederick
- Johnston, George Hercus
- Johnston, Victor Roy Lowcock
- Jones, Charles James
- King, George
- Lochrin, Alfred
- Maccroanan, Walter Helensworth
- Mackenzie, Douglas Andrew
- Martens, William
- Mcguire, George Francis
- Mcguire, James John
- Mckenzie, Andrew Joseph
- Meathrel, Walter William
- Middlehurst, Harold Swift
- Montgomerie, Frederick Nixon
- Munro, Robert
- Murray, John
- Murray, John Patrick
- Nicholson, Scott Lionel Onslow
- Noel, Francis Radford
- O'connor, James Donald
- Olsen, George Sinclair
- Ormiston, John Wightman
- Page, Frederick St. John
- Peebles, George Edwin David
- Perry, Stanley John
- Pike, Frederick George
- Putman, James
- Richmond, William James
- Sampson, James William
- Saunders, Henry
- Searles, Edward
- Self, Hilton Vincent
- Setchfield, James Carroll
- Smith, Charles Cornelius
- Soady, John James
- Sparey, Albert Edward
- Stafford, Walter James
- Stapleton, Edward William
- Stead, Alan
- Steel, Arthur Leonard
- Thomas, Edward Gerald
- Thomas, George Albert
- Thompson, Charles John
- Thompson, Robert Edward
- Tripcony, William John
- Vaughan, William Eric
- Wallace, Walter
- Wortley, Vincent Earl William
- Wright, John Victor
- Young, Robert Norman
- Young, William Matthew O'grady
Mr Clark said he was looking forward to completing the book, as well as the centenary of Anzac remembrance and enjoying some time with his family.
“I honestly could not have done this without the help of my wife Cate and my daughter Grace,” he said.
“The help they have given me in helping narrow down searches, condensing archival information and overall support has been immeasurable.
“I am certainly looking forward to spending some quality time with them and maybe attending to some of the house work that’s gone by the way-side for the last four years or so.”
Anyone with information or photographs for We Are The Dead – Gunnedah's Great War is encouraged to email Geordie via geordie@writerightmedia.com.au