Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

EARLY LIFE –

The focus of this report is Stanley Livingstone Copley, a father, a son, a husband, an indigenous Australian and a war veteran. He was also my great, great-grandfather, who I sadly did not have the pleasure of meeting.

Stanley was born 9th July 1893 in Plympton, South Australia, Australia and was educated at the local school, ‘Plympton Primary School’. Prior to enlisting, Stanley was unmarried (he later married during the War) and worked as a Motor Mechanic. He held an apprenticeship at Bagshaw’s Lane, known for pioneering agricultural machinery, for 5 years (1909-1914).

From my interview with Flinders University Research Professor Simon Conn, the great-grandson of Stanley, I found that Stanley’s aboriginal heritage came from his mother, Louisa Evelyn Teakle, who was an aboriginal woman of the Peramangk tribe of the Adelaide Hills. Stanley’s father, George Budgen Copley who had died in 1911, was the owner of a butcher shop. Interestingly, on Stanley’s marriage certificate his father’s occupation was recorded as “master builder”, perhaps a falsification to legitimise his profession as this was considered a higher-class profession. However, in the official records, this was manually changed to “master butcher”, which must have been done several years later considering it was corrected in pen. When George died, Louisa inherited his estate and became one of the first aboriginal women to own property in Australia. This is significant because Louisa was not only one of the first indigenous Australians to own a business but being an Aboriginal woman with seven children, her work ethic was something I admire greatly. Apparently, the people who attended the shop were not kind to her due to her being Aboriginal and so Louisa had to be strong, determined, and resourceful to thrive in the business. These traits of Louisa likely inspired Stanley, her eldest son, to enlist and fight for his country in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). Louisa was also registered as Stanley’s next-of-kin.

DURING THE WAR –

Stanley enlisted on 21st September 1914 at 21 years of age. On his enlistment papers, Stanley was described as a 5-foot 8 inch (173cm), darker skinned, brown-eyed, black-haired, male; with a tattoo on his right arm, weighing 142 pounds (~65 kg). Stanley identified as a Christian, which was recorded as ‘C of E’, meaning Church of England. Following his enlistment, he spent months at Wayville Showgrounds training for combat with other soldiers (Image 1).  Stanley embarked for active service on the 22nd December 1914 at Melbourne, Victoria on the HMAT (His Majesty’s Australian Transport) Ceramic A40 ship (Image 2, taken on the actual departure date). This boat journey took 41 days, arriving in Alexandria, Egypt on 1st February 1915 and then onto Southampton England. On the 9th July 1915, Stanley was appointed as a driver mechanic in the 9th Army Service Corps, 17th Australian Divisional Mechanical Transport Company, in the 300th Mechanical Transport Unit (unit identification number #1975). Just one day after he was assigned, they departed by ship for Rouen, France, ready for battle. Over a year later, on the 12th November 1916, Stanley was taken on strength (T.O.S.) and transferred to the 1st Australian Divisional Mechanical Transport Company and became a Military Driver. Few records exist about Stanley’s activity in France, however, a photo of Stanley at crucifix corner in Villers-Bretonneux was taken in 1918 (Image 3, which Stanley kept on his mantelpiece).

The results of my interview with Mr. Copley’s great-grandson revealed that during his time in Rouen, France, he had been injured in a bombing. The hand grenade bombs (often called cricket ball bombs based on their size and that they were thrown) were designed to release pieces of shrapnel when detonated to cause as many injuries, or casualties, as possible. Unfortunately, on 7th April 1918, Stanley’s unit was attacked and shrapnel became lodged in his upper right thigh. The injury was severe enough that he had to drove himself and other injured mates to the field hospital. Upon arrival, based on the extent of his injuries, Stanley was left with the “dead and dying” for 2 days. Showing great perseverance and strength, he survived and a doctor and a very caring nurse, Leonora Elizabeth Anne Beth Vaughan Hansen who would become his wife within 3 months, saved his life by performing surgery to remove the shrapnel. This timeline is further supported by the subtext in ‘Image 4’ which states that Leonora, “looked after him after War injuries in the Field … 15/04/18”. After the war, Stanley had repeated complaints of, “weakness, dyspnoea, … bad dreams of ‘falling and choking’ … and shortness of breath,”, likely a result of what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder [1].

After recovering, Stanley re-joined his unit and 3 months later, on the 19th July 1918 he left for the U.K. He was given leave to marry Leonora, one of the nurses who aided in his recovery. The marriage took place on 23rd July 1918 (Image 4). My interviewee said that, “when Leonora married Stanley, she had to give up her title, and position, as Lady.” As her father, who was a large landholder in the Isle of Wight had disowned her for marrying an Aborigine. Interestingly, based on Leonora’s service as a field nurse in world war I and again in world war II, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire member (civil) in 1958 [2].

It was surprising to find that Stanley had committed seven offences during world war I, three of which were absent without leave (A.W.L.) and the rest were speeding, neglect of daily routine, failure to keep a look-out on motor lorry, damaging lorry transmission and not carrying proper identification. The punishment for these offences were to forfeit days of pay. Interestingly, a report by Melanie Clark found a citation where a non-indigenous military clerk had commented in 1921 that the charges levelled against Stanley were “extraordinarily trifling and apparently border(ed) on absurdity’ considering the length of his service,” [3]. While it may be possible that he was treated more harshly because of his indigenous heritage, he was also known in the family as “a bit of a scallywag”.

AFTER WAR –

Stanley returned to Adelaide on the 22nd July 1919 receiving the 1914-15 Star, British war medal and Victory medal and was discharged from the A.I.F. on 6th August 1919. After the war, Stanley returned to his previous profession as a Motor Mechanic and lived in Plympton with his wife. Both, Ancestry.com [4] and FamilySearch [5] state that Stanley and Leonora had four children, all sons. They had their first son two years after the armistice, in 1920, his name was Peter Stanley Hansen Copley but sadly he died a year later in 1921. They had Jonathan Richard Livingstone Copley in 1921, David William Malpas Copley in 1924 and Stanley Gilbert Teakle Hansen Copley in 1928.

Throughout the years Stanley suffered various health problems ranging from inflammation and soreness in his left eye, being diagnosed with a ‘frozen shoulder’ and continued pain from his war wound but then in 1987, at the age of 93, he died from heart disease. However, despite his service, or perhaps because of his service, he outlived all of his brothers and sisters. He was buried in the general section at Centennial Park cemetery in a shared grave with Leonora (immediately next to the shared plot of Peter (his first son) and his mother, Louisa)(Image 5) and his name resides at the Plympton District Honour Roll at the Plympton Glenelg RSL, and is remembered and honoured by the stories told by his descendants to this day.

ANZAC SPIRIT –

Stanley represented the ANZAC Spirt in many ways, but the most recognisable way was through his constant perseverance, sense of mateship and determination. One event highlighting all these aspects is when, despite a large piece of shrapnel being lodged in his leg after grenades were thrown at his unit, Stanley drove himself to the field hospital, drawing the enemy’s fire away from his unit. After persevering at the field hospital for 2 days before he could undergo surgery, as they thought he was unlikely to survive, he recovered and continued to serve and fight for his country. I believe these qualities were instilled by his mother, Louisa Evelyn Teakle who rose through oppression to become one of Australia’s first Aboriginal women to own a business. After Stanley’s discharge, he continued to show the ANZAC Spirit through his kindness and consideration with my interviewee saying, “he was the kindest person. I remember as a kid, whenever me, my sister and all our cousins visited his house, he would create fun treasure hunts for us.” Later in the interview, Simon stated that, “he proudly displayed his service uniform, medals, stripes and photos of his ANZAC mates and spoke of the friends he made (and still had until he died) fondly, but never talked about the bad parts of the war.” This statement highlights another core ANZAC quality, mateship.

CONTENT PARAGRAPH–

The content within this biography comes from a variety of primary and secondary sources which I have cross-examined to provide you with factual and justifiable information. I have also conducted an interview with Cancer Research Professor Simon Conn, the great-grandson of Stanley Livingstone Copley, which helped immensely in creating a historically accurate biography to honour this great first nations ANZAC.

The bibliography below displays the sources of information I utilised for this biography, with the richest source being the National Archives of Australia (NAA). Within the NAA, I found the timeline of Stanley’s military activities, attestation papers, medical records, marital records etc. To substantiate these findings, I cross-referenced with other information sources including digital sources (Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, the Virtual War Memorial of Australia etc.) and living relatives, with the latter providing rich anecdotes about Stanley’s life not mentioned in these records. The images displayed in this biography were obtained from Mr. Copley’s relatives and the Australian War Memorial.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 –

‘COPLEY, Stanley Livingstone - Service Number - 1975’ (2023), in NAA: D363, M19295 [e-book], National Archives of Australia, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=12044579

2 –

‘Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989’ (2013), in Faith, Hope, Charity [e-book], National Foundation for Australian Women, https://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/honours/mbec.html

3 –

‘‘From frontier to front line: Indigenous Australians and Australian war memory’, Honest History, 12 December 2018’ (2023), in Clark, Melanie: From frontier to front line: Indigenous Australians and Australian war memory [e-book], Honest History, https://honesthistory.net.au/wp/clark-melanie-from-frontier-to-front-line-indigenous-australians-and-australian-war-memory/

4 –

‘Stanley Livingstone Copley family tree’ (2023), in Stanley Livingstone Copley [e-book], Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records/stanley-livingstone-copley-24-2pz9kb

5 –

‘Brief Life History of Stanley Livingstone’ (2021), in Stanley Livingstone Copley [e-book], FamliySearch, https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/9F3M-LNT/stanley-livingstone-copley-1893-1987

6 –

‘Driver Mechanic Stanley Livingstone Copley’ (2023), in Driver Mechanic Stanley Livingstone Copley [e-book], Australian War Memorial,https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10681469

7 –

‘Copley Stanley Livingstone : SERN 1975 : POB Plympton SA : POE Adelaide SA : NOK M Copley T B’ (2023), in NAA: B2455, COPLEY S L [e-book], National Archives of Australia, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3416718

8 –

‘Individual Details’ (n.d.), in Inscription 2661869 - Stanley Livingstone Copley [e-book], Australian Cemeteries Index, https://austcemindex.com/inscription?id=2661869

9 –

‘In Memoriam’ (n.d.), in The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA : 1867 - 1922) [e-book], Trove,https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/209957149

10 –

‘300th (M.T.) A.S.C. (17th Divisional Supply Column) (9th A.S.C.) - continued’ (n.d.), in Australian Imperial Force - Nominal Roll - continued [e-book], Australian War Memorial, https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1067533/large/5371758.JPG

11 –

‘COPLEY, Stanley Livingstone - Service Number - 1975 [Box 33]’ (2023), in NAA: D363, H19295 PART 2 [e-book], National Archives of Australia, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=12044581

12 –

‘Weddings’ (n.d.), in The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954) [e-book], Trove, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63757381

13 –

‘COPLEY, Stanley Livingstone’ (n.d.), in Stanley Livingstone COPLEY [e-book], Virtual War Memorial Australia, https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/164875

Contributed by Southern Montessori School

A son, brother, motor mechanic, future husband and father, soldier and one of thousands of Australians who experienced the horrors of World War One; Stanley Livingstone Copley was 21 years of age when he enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on the 11th September 1914. Young and care-free, Stanley had no idea what he would be about to face.

Stanley Livingstone Copley was born in Plympton South on the 9th July 1893. Living on Bay Road[1] with his parents, Stanley was the first child to be born into his family. His father, George Budgen Copley and mother, Louisa Evelyn Teakle[2], would later give birth to six more boys, making Stanley the eldest of seven. Stanley attended Plympton Primary School[3], and soon got his first job as a motor-mechanic. Unfortunately, Stanley faced family tragedy in his early years of adulthood, losing his father in 1911. When news of war broke out during August 1914, Stanley, followed by his nineteen-year-old brother William Harrold Copley, enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F) on the 11th September 1914.

Stanley signed up for the 1st D.S.C. (1st Divisional Supply Column), a feat which takes extreme courage to do so early on, when the details of the war were so scarce – something not every Australian did. Stanley’s unit was part of the 1st Divisional Train in the Australian Imperial Force Supplies and Transport. Supplied with around 80 lorries,[4] the unit transported supplies, such as post and vehicle parts, to different areas, as well as provide ammunition to gun positions.

After leaving on the 22nd December 1914 to go on A.S. (active service) abroad, he arrived in the English port city of Southhampton. The Southhampton port had been acquired by English soldiers and shut down to outsiders as soon as war had broken out. Throughout the war, this port was used as a key area to receive supplies, as well as transport troops. By the end of the war, it is estimated that more than seventy million troop movements had been made from the port, let alone livestock and other supplies.

Previously, Stanley had kept out of trouble and done his part as a driver for the 1st.D.S.C. However, on the 2nd May 1915, Stanley went A.W.L. (absent without leave) from 3.30pm that day until the next day, when he returned at 1.30pm. This offence awarded Stanley a forfeiting of two day’s pay. His service record then indicates that on the 25th May, only twenty-three days after his last offence, Stanley was A.W.L. from 6.45am until 9.00am that morning. As he was only absent for just over two hours, he received no punishment; however, he was admonished by his C.O. (commanding officer) for his behaviour. We can only guess why Stanley went A.W.L.; perhaps he was spending time with his mates, rather than returning for work each day, where he endured long days of strict orders.

After two more months of exemplary work for the 1st D.S.C. around Southhampton, on the 9th of July, Stanley embarked the S.S. Golden Eagle, a 1909 paddle steamer that was used to transport passengers before, during and after the war. Three days after boarding the S.S. Golden Eagle, Stanley disembarked at Rouen, France. Throughout World War 1, Rouen stayed behind the front line, which made it ideal for a logistics base. The city was used by the British as a supply base, as well as home to many military hospitals, most of which remained there for the duration of the war[5] Work with the 1st D.S.C. remained steady for a few months, until cold conditions and heavy snowfall fell in January and February 1916, hindering the work of the unit.[6] From March through to June, duties were scarce, but Stanley continued to persevere with the work at the ‘railhead’ – a point where supplies arrived by train and were then taken to battle lines either by motor vehicle or horse

The unit diary suggests that Stanley had perhaps adopted an ‘anti- authority’ type attitude, as another four months later, Stanley recorded two more offences on the 12th of June 1917. The first offence was that, when on A.S., he failed to keep a look-out man on a motor lorry. Secondly, Stanley was found to not be in possession of an identity disc. Identity discs were items worn around the neck of soldiers that had either been engraved or stamped with the soldier’s details. Orders from August 1914 made it mandatory that every soldier in World War 1 was required to be in possession of an identity disc that carried their name, number, unit, and religion. For these two offences, Stanley was docked one days pay. However, Stanley also committed two more offences on the 3rd of August that same year, this time for exceeding the speed limit during A.S set by the 5th Army Traffic Order[7], as well as being charged with double banking. This caused Stanley to forfeit three days’ pay. It appears that Stanley, like many other young men of his age, was somewhat reckless and care-free, and was not bound by the rules set in place, instead, he may have been more interested in having fun with his mates.

A new unit, the 1st Divisional Mechanical Transport Company (1st D.M.T. Coy) was created in March 1918, and according to service records, Stanley was T.O.S. (taken on strength) by this unit.[8]

After persisting in the war, being abroad in various locations in Europe since December 1914, Stanley took leave to the UK on the 19th July, likely, he was desperate to have a break from the constant routine of work, along with the trouble he caused along his journey. However, Stanley’s leave was for more than just a break from his daily routine. On the 23rd July, Stanley married Leonora Elizabeth Anne Beth Hansen, with their marriage taking place in Southhampton, England. It is safe to assume that Stanley met Leonora here as this was the first place he had worked during the war, unloading supplies at the railhead. Likely caught up in his marriage celebrations, Stanley was supposed to have returned on the 2nd of August, but stayed absent an extra day. This meant that he was charged with being A.W.L. from 7.30am the previous day until 7.30am that day.

Although Stanley returned from his short leave to the UK, soon after, on the 9th November 1918, he was granted a total of 75 days leave to the UK with pay. This long leave was called ‘1914 leave’, special leave issued by the War Office to those soldiers who had been fighting in the war since 1914. Little did Stanley know, only after a mere two days on leave, an armistice would be signed between all fighting nations, thus ending World War One. Even though the war ended soon after he left, Stanley stayed absent, and even requested a leave extension, which he was granted, allowing him to stay on leave until the 28th January, 1919. After returning, Stanley was admitted to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford, England, with influenza. It took Stanley around two months to overcome the virus and be discharged from the hospital, and then, he was M.O. (marched out) on the 10th May to the port of embarkation. It was time to return to Australia. On the 4th

June, Stanley embarked the S.S. Bremen – a boat with an interesting history itself. The Bremen was a German built ship that was used by Germany before the war, even passing the sinking Titanic on one of its voyages. However, it was not used during the war, and after World War One ended, it was given to the UK as part of war reparations – items that the Central Powers were required to give the Allies.[9] Finally, on the 22nd July, Stanley disembarked at Adelaide, returning home nearly five years after he first left to join the war.

A few weeks later, on the 6th August, Stanley was discharged from the A.I.F. in Adelaide. Stanley restarted his life in Adelaide, accompanied by his new wife, Leonora. They had their first child, a boy named Peter Stanley Hansen Copley, on the 26th May 1920. Unfortunately, tragedy struck, and Peter passed away due to an unrecorded cause on the 14th February 1921, only nine months of age. Distraught, yet eager to build a family, Stanley and Leonora had three more boys during 1921 – 1928. Leonora passed away in 1973 at the age of 85 and was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena, South Australia. Stanley passed away fourteen years later, on the 23rd of May 1987; beaten by heart disease at the age of

93. After death, Stanley was reunited with his wife Leonora, buried in a shared grave at Centennial Park Cemetery.[10]

Stanley Livingstone Copley was one of thousands of Australians who contributed to support the war effort during World War One. Despite the work he faced during the war, he never lost his light- hearted and humorous ANZAC spirit.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1]       Australian War Memorial. (n.d.). Australian Imperial Force - Nominal Roll - continued. https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm- media/collection/RCDIG1067533/large/5371758.JPG

[2]       (n.d.). (n.d.). Stanley Livingstone Copley 1893-1987 - Ancestry®. Ancestry.com.au. https://www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records/stanley-livingstone-copley-24-2pz9kb

[3]       Virtual War Memorial Australia. (n.d.) Stanley Livingstone COPLEY. Virtual War Memorial Limited. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/164875

[4]       Baker, C. (2023). The Divisional Supply Column of the Army Service Corps (Mechanical Transport). The Long, Long Trail. https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/definitions-of- units/the-divisional-supply-column-of-the-army-service-corps-mechanical-transport/

[5]       (n.d.). (n.d.). WW1 Rouen            and     its        base            hospitals.      Spirit  of        Remembrance. https://www.binghamheritage.org.uk/bingham_at_war/world_war_1/the_fallen/dunsmore_j oseph_rouen_hospital.pdf

[6]       (n.d.). (First created, 1916, February) AWM4 25/27/4 - February 1916. Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339925?image=2

[7]       (n.d.) (1914 - 1920). NAA: B2455, COPLEY S L. National Archives of Australia. https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx? B=3416718&S=1&N=19&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=3416718&T=P&S=8

[8]       (n.d.). (First created, 1918, March). AWM4 25/83/1 - March 1918. Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1340675?image=3

[9]       Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, April 4). World War I reparations. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_reparations

[10]    FamilySearch.org. (n.d.). Ancestors.familysearch.org. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/9F3M-LNT/stanley-livingstone-copley-1893-1987