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From Ballarat & District in the Great War

A Father and son story

Dvr Harold John POWELL, 3214 (son), 2nd Field Ambulance

Spr James POWELL, 675 (father), 2nd Tunnelling Company
 
Cymru am byth!

I have heard it often said that ‘to be born Welsh is to be born privileged. Not with a silver spoon in your mouth, But music in your heart and poetry in your soul.’ Music and poetry are important aspects of this remarkable race of people; but they are also fiercely loyal, proud, hard-working and patriotic. And they are often exceedingly fine sportsmen and soldiers. In journeying through the life of Jim Powell – another of our older members of the AIF – I discovered a true local treasure.

Born at Cobblers at the southern end of Sebastopol in late 1871, James Powell was the seventh of James Powell senior and Susannah “Susan” Jones’ fifteen children. This particular family originated from the parish region of Aberystruth, deep in the Welsh valleys of Monmouthshire in the northwest corner of the country. Records, however, are deceptively vague, but the extended family had connections to Blaina, Garn Fach (both on the road to Bryn Mawr) and Llanfihangel-tor-y-mynydd in the Vale of Usk.

Both surnames are deeply rooted in the history of the country – Powell follows the patronymic tradition, meaning son or descendant of Hywell (or Howell). And, as anyone who follows Welsh rugby will tell you, there is only one name more common than Williams in the team and that is Jones! It can make genealogy diabolically difficult.

There was also another tradition emerging in this family: although Susannah Jones’ father, Simon Jones, worked as a miner, he was also the publican of the Butcher’s Arms Beer House in Garn Fach. Following his migration to Victoria, her mother, Margaret James, took over as inn-keeper of the Hector Inn.

Settling in Victoria, Seth Jones, Susan’s older brother, ran a hotel under his name at Donkey Gully, Golden Point, near Chewton. The hotel was often the venue for political meetings.

After marrying in 1861, James and Susan initially lived at the Hector Inn. James then worked as a fireman in the local pits. Their first child, a baby girl named after Susan’s mother, died soon after birth.

On the 23 May 1862, James and Susan, along with Margaret Jones and her younger children, sailed from Liverpool on the Blanche Moore – the voyage was predicted to take 140 days. Described as ‘magnificent’ when she was built eight years earlier, the three-masted East Indiaman was packed to the gunwales and carried four hundred passengers in cramped conditions. James and Susan added to the passenger list with the birth of their second daughter “At Sea” on 14 June. The new baby was given the most appropriate name – Blanche Moore. The extended family reached Melbourne well ahead of schedule on 30 August.

James Powell quickly realised that selling beer and spirits to thirsty miners was a clever business opportunity and set himself up as a hotelkeeper at Cobblers. However, even such a seemingly lucrative proposition was fraught with uncertainty and, in November 1870, he was forced to declare himself insolvent due to ‘depression in business, bad debts, and sickness in family.’ His debts amounted to over £600 and his capital assets were considerably less, with a shortfall of £407/8/9.

It was a less than ideal situation for the arrival of baby James in 1871. James and Susan then suffered the devastating loss of a stillborn baby in 1872. However, time and a lack of contraception meant that the babies continued to arrive with almost clockwork regularity.
Life showed signs of an upturn, when in December 1876, James was granted the license for the Prince Alfred Hotel at Cobblers.

Then, in June 1882, James purchased the Sir William Wallace Hotel, in Ballarat East, and an adjacent shop for the princely sum of £1300. The sale also included a four-room cottage in Wills Street (later renamed as the eastern extension of Mair Street). At the time of the purchase, James was the occupying tenant of the hotel.

Although long gone, the Sir William Wallace was a significant building at the time. Just one-storey, it stood on the corner of Peel and Wills Streets and contained fourteen rooms. It was ‘fairly well furnished, and well conducted.’ The majority of trade was done through the bar, with rooms let weekly bringing in further income. The more substantial Athletic Hotel stood on the opposite corner.

Young Jim was enrolled at the Humffray Street State School, just a short walk up the hill from the Powell home.

Running a pub always brings with it a degree of drama – adding alcohol to any situation can almost guarantee volatile reactions. But on the occasion when Blanche Powell was attacked by another woman in the bar, there was not a drop of alcohol involved. The incident occurred on 11 November 1885…

Sarah Graham was known to the police who were often called to her house regarding the wayward behaviour of her children. On this occasion Blanche was sitting in the bar sewing, when ‘Graham rushed up, and without saying a word, made a savage attack upon her, and seizing her by the hair tore a quantity of it out.’ Her 15-year-old sister and brother, Jim, then just 14, immediately came to her assistance.
When the case came before the court, Jim, Sarah, their mother and a Miss Bella Davidson, corroborated Blanche’s testimony.

‘…On the other hand, Sarah Graham said that on the day in question she sent her daughter on a message, but she made a mistake, and was told to go back. The little girl declined, saying she was afraid of Blanche Powell. She herself then went to the store, and passing in the hotel, the whole of the Powell family rushed upon her, dragged her into the bar, and beat her, and the boy kicked her in the side. Sarah Powell drew blood from witness' nose, and after she (witness) was bruised all over, one of them said, "Let her go; we have given her enough." Her arms, legs, and body were black all over…’

The bench, consisting of six magistrates, believed Mrs Graham was the offender and fined her 20-shillings, with £2/6 in costs or three weeks’ imprisonment. The police then prosecuted her for perjury and she was later found guilty and sentenced to a further six months in prison.

Running public houses also came with significant responsibilities and if the premises fell under the scrutiny of the Hotel Reductions Board, a livelihood could be at risk. By June 1892, Susan Powell was now seen as the owner of the Sir William Wallace, although her husband still held the lease. James Powell had lost a considerable amount of money in mining speculation at Sulky Gully and was working as an engine-driver, first at the Ballarat Pasha Company gold mine, and later at the Ironbark Company Mine near Steiglitz. The Sir William Wallace was one of several hotels closed in Ballarat East during that round of assessments.
Although the hotel was now closed, James Powell and his family still retained ownership of the property. However, on 16 November that same year, James was accused of ‘sly-grog selling.’ The case went to court the following January and, despite his reputation of 25-years as a ‘licensed victualler’ without ‘a charge against him,’ the magistrate handed down a substantial fine of £25 with costs. When James Powell defaulted on the payment, he was committed to gaol for three months.

A tragic occurrence was to bring into sharp focus Jim Powell’s position within his family.

On Monday afternoon 30 October 1893, James Powell was travelling in a coach from Meredith to Steiglitz, when the driver, John Bolster, lost control of his team of horses. The coach hurtled down the hill ‘at a terrible pace’ towards the bridge over the Moorabool River. James ‘applied the brake with all his power,’ but the blocks on the wheels proved useless. Clipping the bridge, the coach overturned and several of the men onboard were thrown against the unyielding bluestone. The injured were transported to Ballarat by train – James Powell was unconscious and appeared to be suffering from a fractured skull and internal injuries. Bolster also sustained a fractured skull and died the following day never having regained consciousness.

With his father incapacitated and needing his support, Jim made an application on 15 December 1893 for a colonial wine license for the premises that had formerly been the Sir William Wallace Hotel. The license was not granted.

Unfortunately, although James Powell was released from hospital to his home in the former hotel, he eventually succumbed to his injuries. ‘All the medical skill and tender nursing could do was done for the unfortunate fellow, but he became worse, gradually sank, and passed away’ on 16 January 1894. The funeral was held two days later and was largely attended by men from Steiglitz and Meredith, where James Powell had been very popular.

In the years prior to his death, James Powell had watched with some pride as his sons began to attract attention as promising footballers. Australian Rules was a comparatively new sport and few country centres embraced it with more fervour than Ballarat. Several teams quickly developed reputations that placed them competitively alongside their metropolitan counterparts, including Ballarat Imperial. “Imps” had come into being in 1878 (prior to this being known as the Galatea Football Club) and proudly donned a playing strip of red, white and blue. They were also one of the founding clubs of the Ballarat Football League. Whilst Jim and William turned out for Imps, their older brother, John Henry, played for the Ballarat Wanderers. But it was Jim that garnered all the attention.

His first senior season showed his potential, and, at the Imps annual club banquet on 29 November 1889, he was recognised as a ‘rising junior’ and presented with a gold locket. Perhaps this was the origin of his nickname Dux, which was quickly lengthened to Duxy.
As was often the case with top sportsmen, Jim’s prowess extended into other sports. During the summer months, he played cricket and earned a reputation as ‘a dashing, fast-scoring batsman.’

Even in the midst of all this, Jim found time to court a young woman by the name of Florence Emily Griffiths. She was a Ballarat East girl, being born at Pennyweight on 7 December 1869; her parents had arrived from London in January 1857.

During the early years of their marriage, Jim and Florence lived at the Main Road end of Clayton Street in Ballarat East, not far from Florence’s parents in Joseph Street. Jim worked as a miner by day and continued to play football on the weekends.

The couple brought seven children into the world, but, like so many families during this period of high infant mortality, they suffered the loss of three little girls soon after birth. Losing their first baby, Florence in November 1892, must have been a devastating blow. But she was followed by Percy James in 1894 and Harold John in 1895, before the loss of baby May in May 1897. Their only surviving daughter, Florence Emily, was born in 1899. The loss of baby Hilda in October 1902 was only eased by the birth of their final child, Arthur, in 1905.

In the meantime, Jim’s football career went from strength to strength. By 1893, he was one of the stars of the local league. And Imps were proving virtually unbeatable, winning the local premiership in 1893, 1894 and 1895. A ‘clever and active rover,’ Jim shone weekly and ‘was everywhere, and high in the air above all others.’

His big chance came in 1896, when he was signed to play as a forward with the Melbourne Football Club. Although he only played a handful of games, it seems that it was external pressures rather than a lack of ability that saw him return to Imps for the 1897 season. Local football pundits were particularly pleased to see his return and credited the 24-year-old with being a ‘”brainy” fellow in the utilisation of the forces under his command.’

In 1898, Jim took over as captain of Imps and the following season began a premiership-winning streak that was to last five years. Jim was given the honour of captaining Ballarat against a representative league team in August 1899.

After a game against Ballarat in September 1900, Jim was charged with striking opposition player, James “Carbine” Gullan, in the first quarter and throwing Graham Dowling to the asphalt during the third quarter. It was a fiery encounter, but Jim firmly denied throwing the first punch –

‘…Powell was called, and stated that he distinctly denied the first charge. Gullan made two attempts to strike him. On the second occasion he asked Gullan what he meant, and the latter replied "Nothing.” Powell admitted that he had struck at Gullan, hut denied that he had attempted to strike the Ballarat player, hut that the latter tried to strike him first. Questioned with regard to the statement that he had said that "as Gullan was playing such a good game he (Powell) would go out and stop him.” Powell gave the statement an emphatic denial. Asked why the umpire at half-time came to him (Powell), he stated that that official simply asked him to make an effort to stop the rough play. Gullan attempted to strike him no fewer than four times…’

As to the second charge, Dowling stated that the push was unintentional, he was not hurt and ‘had nothing to growl about.’ That charge was immediately dismissed, and, after an extended investigation the first charge was also dismissed.

In January 1901, the football community was dismayed to hear that “Duxy” Powell was heading to Western Australia. Before leaving, a gathering was held at the Unicorn Hotel to say farewell and present Jim with a purse of sovereigns. John Maher was named as the Imps captain for the coming season.
It was reported in the Ballarat Star on 10 May 1901, that Jim had recovered from a serious illness. With the often vague reporting of the era, the nature of the complaint was not revealed, only that the ‘bout was a severe one, but “Duxy” succeeded in beating his opponent and kicking a goal.’

The relocation to the west did not last long, and Jim was back in Ballarat for the 1902 season. He also resumed the captaincy, even though Maher had led Imps to a third straight premiership.

After continuing their successful run with premierships in 1902 and 1903, Jim intimated that he was seriously considering retirement. But early in the new season, Jim pulled on the boots once again and led his old team. Although the season proved to be a tough one for the club, with South Ballarat eventually taking out the premiership.

‘…The Imps have had such an uninterrupted run of prosperity that it is a pleasant change to see them at the bottom of the list, and the novelty to the players is undoubted…’

Despite the season being unsuccessful, Jim showed he had lost none of his dash, proving ‘a tower of strength forward and roving.’

On 23 December 1904, in Sporting Notes by “Scorer,” published in the Ballarat Star, the weekend match between Ballarat and Ballarat City caught his attention. Opening the batting for Ballarat, Jim only managed one run before being bowled out, but “Scorer” remembered him from some fifteen years earlier and waxed lyrical about his batting ability.

At the beginning of the 1905 season, Jim once again talked about retirement. On this occasion, he said he ‘had enough of the game’ and was looking to make way for some of the ‘younger school.’ The Imps committee confidently believed they would succeed in persuading him to ‘strip once more, and give the team the benefit of his advice and example.’

They were correct, and once again Duxy Powell led his beloved Imps. However, on 8 July in a match against Ballarat at the Eastern Oval, Jim suffered his only major injury. Early in the second quarter he collided with a Ballarat player and fell heavily. He played on, but soon realised that the level of pain indicated something was amiss. It was soon confirmed that he had broken his arm.

‘…General sympathy was expressed with the popular Imperialist skipper in his misfortune as he is not only one of the most capable, but also one of the best tempered and fairest of players, and his services will be very much missed by his club…’

After his arm healed, Jim returned to the park to complete the season, playing at full forward. Imps once again came out on top at the end of the season. In 1906, Jim handed the captain’s armband to his old mate, John Maher, and once again Imps finished on top. But their golden run was over and they wouldn’t take another premiership for fourteen years.

Jim continued to play with Imps, although he was approaching 40-years-of-age and showed that he had earned his reputation for coolness under pressure. In 1909, captaining Imps once again, Jim showed that calm reputation was ‘not without foundation,’ whether scoring himself or successfully setting up a teammate. The fourth game of the season was played against Golden Point. Jim led Imps to victory through a quagmire at the Eastern Oval. The ‘old general’ showed the benefits of his experience and ‘the manner in which he handled his men the success of the Imps was in a measure due.’

Although they were beaten by South Ballarat for the premiership that year, Jim had further cemented his place at the head of the league’s finest players.
In June 1910, the Ballarat Football League sent a representative team to play teams in Adelaide and Broken Hill. Jim Powell accompanied the side in an official capacity.

Jim’s fitness allowed him to continue playing into his early 40’s, achieving veteran status. In September 1914, with the world awash with war news, a local charity match showed that Jim had lost little of his kicking ability.

‘…The music of the bugle is said to always make an old military horse prick up his ears, and it was the inducement of helping the widow of an old player that caused a score of veteran war horses of Ballarat football battles to doff sac suits and weight of years and don the guernseys and youthful impetuosity last Saturday in a trial of strength with a team of umpires. The match was promoted by the Umpires Association. The game was played on the Eastern Oval, and the attendance, although small, was satisfactory…’

At half-time, Jim took on all-comers to win the goal-kicking contest. The small crowd was pleased to see that “Duxy” Powell had lost none of his finesse.

Of course, life was not just about sport for Jim Powell. Although he had worked as a miner for much of his early working life, like many footballers, he was much happier plying the publican’s trade. After all, he had grown up in and around various local pubs. Jim’s first hotel was the Royal Mail in Albert Street, Sebastopol, not far from where he was born.

As Jim was well aware, the lot of a publican attracted a certain degree of negative attention. On one instance he was proceeded against for allowing a drunken man named Richard Long to enter the hotel on 15 July 1906. The case was dismissed as the policeman who submitted the charge had failed to arrest Long before he entered the hotel and the man was only there a matter of minutes. It had all the hallmarks of being a bit of a stitch-up.

After transferring the lease in December 1906, Jim looked for his next venture. This came just a few months later, when it was announced on 1 March 1907, that he had secured the lease (from Edward E. Featherstone) for the Phoenix Hotel at 13 Barkly Street, Ballarat East.

The Phoenix was an old single-storey building of brick and timber that was then owned by Mrs Elizabeth Reigelhuth. It consisted of 16 rooms, with four bedrooms for public use. There was also a large meeting room that was kept for the use of the German Club.

Although it wasn’t a fancy establishment, it was fairly well furnished and it was known that Jim Powell kept a clean house. Even so, the pub attracted the scrutiny of the Licenses Reduction Board in May 1908. In this instance it was recommended that the hotel be allowed to keep trading.

However, while you are getting on with everyday existence, life has a nasty habit of reminding us all just how fragile it can be.

On 6 March 1911, Jim and Florence’s youngest child, 7-year-old Arthur, was playing with some of his young mates near the dam at the rear of the Britannia United Mine when he fell into the deep water. The other children desperately called for help. At the time, 15-year-old Stanley Tournier, from Eureka Street, was on his way to work. When he reached the dam, Arthur was beneath the water. Realising the situation was desperate, Tournier did not wait to remove any clothing and quickly dove into the murky water. When Arthur was dragged to the surface, he was unconscious. It was an anxious time waiting for the boy to revive. If not for Tournier’s quick-thinking actions, there can be no doubt the little boy would have drowned.

Early deaths were a frequent occurrence in the Powell family, and Jim had already experienced not only the loss of his father, but that of five of his siblings. His mother’s death on 6 February 1913, was attended with the usual amount of sadness and reminiscence in equal measure.

But it was the howling dogs of war that were to lead Jim Powell on his next adventure. However, it was his 19-year-old son, Harold, who led the way…
Enlisting at Ballarat on 13 March 1915, Harold had no difficulty in passing Dr Paul Dane’s (q.v.) thorough examination. Like his father, Harold was a footballer, playing for the C-Grade Golden Point team and his work as a produce storeman made him appear physically older than his 19-years. At 5-feet 7¾-inches in height, weighing 149-pounds and producing an expanded chest measurement of 36-inches, Harold easily met the AIF requirements. Strangely, there was no evidence of parental consent to enlist. Harold was also the image of his Dad, both sharing the same fair complexion, blue eyes and fair brown hair – although Jim’s had now turned grey.

With experience training with the 30th Army Medical Corps, it was almost inevitable that Harold would be posted to a similar unit. On 10 May, he joined the 6th Field Ambulance (regimental number 3214) at Broadmeadows under Ballarat doctor Charles H. W. Hardy (q.v.).

After hearing that Harold had volunteered, members of the Golden Point Football Club organised a presentation of a wristlet watch and wallet for the young man. On 4 June, he sailed from Melbourne onboard HMAT Ajana.

Whether it was the desire to keep an eye on the boy, or his own need to serve his country, Jim quickly followed suit and enlisted at Ballarat on 10 July 1915. Dr Winn Chaplin (q.v.) was responsible for conducting the required medical examination, and Jim’s physical fitness showed that he’d lost none of his edge – he was 5-feet 9-inches tall and weighed 12-stone. His chest measured at 37½-inches. Although Jim had no military training, his experience as a miner made him ideal for the Mining Corps. He was posted as a sapper to the No2 Company of the No1 Mining Corps, regimental number 675, on 29 October.

It was important for Jim to set his affairs in order and make arrangements for Florence and their youngest children. He had organised for the license for the Phoenix Hotel to be transferred to Annie Ryan in August. To keep his family financially secure, Jim arranged for three-fifths of his pay to be paid as an allotment.

At the same time, Harold was on his way to Gallipoli. The 6th Field Ambulance was spread across three transports for the trip – the Scotian, Havaford and Southland. It is not known at this point if Harold was onboard the Southland when she was torpedoed on 2 September.

Meanwhile, Jim was preparing for his own departure.
The No2 Company of the Mining Corps (later to be named the 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company) left Sydney at 6am on 20 February 1916 onboard HMAT Ulysses. They travelled down the east coast, reaching Melbourne two days later. After a march past Parliament House, where the salute was taken by Governor-General, Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson, the corps settled into camp at Broadmeadows.

According to the embarkation roll for the company, Jim was recorded as sailing from Sydney. However, it is more likely that he joined his unit after they reached Victoria. The Ulysses set sail again on 1 March, clearing the Port Phillip Heads at 3:30 in the afternoon.

After travelling through the Great Australian Bight, the Ulysses reached Fremantle at 4pm on 7 March. The following day, a ceremonial parade was held on the city streets and a flag was presented to the unit by the mining fraternity of Kalgoorlie.

Jim then spent time at Blackboy Camp outside Perth, before finally leaving for Egypt on 2 April. He reached Alexandria on 25 April – the first anniversary of the landing at ANZAC Cove. The unit was immediately transferred to the transport Ansonia and left port two days later.

Sailing via Malta, Jim reached the French port of Marseilles in early May. He then travelled by train through to Hazebrouck. On 26 May, he reported sick to hospital and was admitted to the 1st/3rd Northumbrian Field Ambulance, then servicing the Hazebrouck area, suffering from general debility. He made a quick recovery and rejoined his unit four days later.

For Jim Powell the coming months were both incredibly dangerous and highly secretive, as the tunnellers sank shafts and constructed galleries towards the enemy lines. The Germans were pursuing similar work in the opposite direction and there was the constant threat that there would be a break through into the opposition’s tunnel. Working in silence and constantly listening for sounds that could indicate the enemy close by, placed an enormous strain on the men involved.

The 2nd Tunnellers had relieved the 172nd Tunnelling Company in the area of Neuville-Saint Vaast/Vimy Ridge area in May. Details of their overall deployment are sadly sparse…

Working as a tunneller on the Western Front was one of the most hazardous of occupations, as can be seen in the following letter from a 2nd Tunnelling Company lieutenant, who wrote to the widow of Sergeant John Austin “Sol” Anderson, from Ballarat, who was killed on 1 July 1916 in tunnels near Armentières.

‘…Sergt Anderson died the death of a hero, as he knew the danger he was going into, having just previously warned some men against such a step. He then went below into a gallery to see how the air was before allowing any of his men to go. Unfortunately, he was gassed, and when rescued was too far gone for artificial respiration…’

The ever-present threat of gas appears to have affected Jim, and on 1 November 1916, he reported sick. After being treated at the 2nd New Zealand Field Ambulance for conjunctivitis – a common ailment in those who have been gassed – Jim was evacuated to the 13th Stationary Hospital at Boulogne. This hospital specialised in the treatment of eye, face and jaw injuries. He was then moved to the 1st Convalescent Depot on 8 November.

Having been assessed as now permanently unfit for active service, Jim left for England on 27 December.
After spending time with the No1 Command Depot at Perham Downs (where he was admonished and fined a day’s pay for being absent without leave on 9 January), and the No2 Command Depot at Weymouth, Jim was placed on a temporary attachment in the Records Section at AIF Headquarters in London on 13 April. Two weeks later he was transferred to a permanent role with the Kit Stores at Fulham.

His presence in London did not go unnoticed.

‘…The Australian Military Headquarters in London is situate, at No. 130 Horseferry Road which is not very far from Westminster Abbey. The building was formerly a boarding school. A small army of clerks (of (both sexes) are employed there in the various departments. The locality always swarms with Australian troops, many of whom come to draw their pay. In any of the departments one may run up against an Australian neighbour. The following Ballarat sports were seen at Horseferry Road in one day:- 'Duxy' Powell (the old Imperial footballer), 'Coster' Andrews (South Ballarat), and 'Brusher' Gordon…’
When the mines beneath the Messines Ridge were detonated on 8 June 1917, the explosion was heard all the way across the English Channel. No doubt Jim Powell heard the sound, and perhaps he later realised that his work in the tunnels of the Western Front had been part of that significant action of the war.

On a purely personal note, during his time in England, Jim was able to play representative games of cricket for the AIF. He even played on the hallowed turf at Lords. It was later reported that ‘it may not generally be known,’ but he was the ‘original wicketkeeper of the AIF.’ It seems that his sporting prowess had not diminished, and he ‘won a medal last season (1917) for his skill.’

When he was given notice that he was to be repatriated home, Jim handed his cricketing kit – ‘pads, gloves, boots, and everything’ – to one William Albert Oldfield. Bert had been in England recovering from shellshock and went on to make his first-class debut in 1919. It was pointed out ‘that is how history is made.’

On hearing that Jim was leaving for Australia, a large group of people he had helped at the Kit Stores signed a letter of appreciation. Sometimes it really is the little things…

For the voyage home, Jim was officially transferred back to his original unit. He left England on 12 May 1918 onboard the New Zealand transport Ruahine. The trip took nearly eight weeks, with the Ruahine reaching Sydney on 5 July.

The cold climate in England had not agreed with Jim, and he had developed chronic rheumatism that resulted in him being discharged from the AIF as medically unfit on 10 August.

Young Harold Powell, after serving at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, was soon on his way home, too. Other than a septic elbow, he managed to come through the war relatively unscathed – as much as that was at all possible for anyone involved.

Jim quickly returned to the hotel trade and, for a short period, ran the Commercial Hotel, before taking over the license of the Sir Henry Barkly Hotel on the northeast corner of Barkly Street and Main Road on 19 November 1919.

A tragic occurrence in 1921, resulted in Jim being called to give evidence at the enquiry into the death of returned soldier, Patrick McInerney. According to his testimony, McInerney had attempted to purchase alcohol around 9:30pm on 6 August 1921. Jim refused to serve him, believing that he ‘had had enough already,’ although he was still ‘capable of walking properly and taking care of himself.’ In attempting to cross a main branch for the Yarrowee Creek drainage channel via a plank, McInerney apparently slipped and fell, hitting his head. Lying unconscious, face down in the drain, his body blocked the small stream of water and he drowned. A finding of accidental death was handed down.

Clearly Jim was well aware of the expectations and responsibilities that came with being a publican. And he knew they would always be watched for any breaches of the law. In September 1923, he was fined £5 for having his bar door open during prohibited hours. A further £5 fine was added for allowing five men to remain in the hotel after hours ‘without lawful excuse.’ Although there were no signs of trading, the men were each fined £5. This was a harsh penalty, then being the equivalent of over a week’s wages.

In March 1922, Jim found himself in court on a charge of assaulting labourer, William George Smith. The evidence was convoluted and difficult to follow, but it appeared that Jim had come to the defence of Alexander “Kid” Halliday. The Police Magistrate believed there were many mitigating circumstances, but still fined Jim 20-shillings and court costs.

In January 1923, Jim was again in court on a further charge of having his bar door open out of hours. Charges of disposing of liquor after hours and permitting unauthorised persons on the premises were dismissed. (He would be caught out on similar charges in September 1924 and November 1925).

A far happier occasion followed on 10 February 1923, when they gathered at the family church, St Paul’s Bakery Hill, to celebrate the marriage of Harold to Martha Grace Copley. Her older brother, Private Norman Edward Copley, had died At Sea on 1 November 1915 after contracting enteric fever at Gallipoli. This was a common theme that played out all around the country, with very few families untouched by the war. Indeed, the extended Powell family was to share another connection: Jim’s daughter, Florence Emily, had married Thomas Mineall in 1917; his brother, William (q.v.) was killed in action on 5 August 1917.

Much excitement and speculation was stimulated when an “old-timers’ football match” was planned for 13 October 1923. The game was to be held at the St Patrick’s College oval to raise money for charity. “Old timers” from South Ballarat and Golden Point were to take on former players from Ballarat and Imps. Jim was set to pull on the footy boots once again and run out alongside his old teammate, John “Wavy” Maher. Unfortunately, the game was cancelled and the age-old question of which players were better – the current crop or the old-timers – was left unanswered.
By 1931, Jim Powell had retired and moved to 60 Victoria Street. With their children all living locally, he and Florence were able to enjoy their large brood of grandchildren.

Jim also maintained his interest in sport. It was reported in January 1933, ‘…Mr. James Powell, who, in his day was one of Ballarat’s leading cricketers, is proud of an autographed photo of Don Bradman, which a friend secured for him…’

In the late 1930’s Jim’s once robust health began to fail and he was admitted to the Caulfield Military Hospital. He died there on 5 January 1939. The funeral took place the next day, with the burial being held in the Ballarat New Cemetery.

Even though it had been a quarter of a century since the name of “Duxy” Powell had appeared on the Imps team sheets, he was still remembered as one of the district’s finest footballers, an excellent cricketer – and a soldier of the war to end all wars.