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Australia

William CRIGHTON
Born: 12 August 1889, Numurkah, VIC.
Died: 21 November 1980, Moulamein, NSW.
Occupation: Farmer

William was the sixth child of eleven children born to Rebecca Rachel PARKER and John CRIGHTON

William, or Will as he was known grew up on his parent's farm near Numurkah in the parish of Baulkamaugh. After leaving school he most likely worked on his father’s farm.

At the age of 25, Will joined the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF), Army on 15 June 1916, Regimental number 2007. After training at Seymour, Victoria Will embarked for England via ‘HMAT A3 Ulysses’ on 25 October 1916 arriving at Plymouth on 28 December 1916.

After further training, Will went overseas to France on 5 April 1917 where he joined the 13th Light Horse Regiment. Will's service record does not indicate where he fought for obvious reasons. The 13th Light Horse Regiment had previously been broken up to provide reconnaissance but by the time Will joined the regiment they had been reunited, however, as a support unit for the "1st ANZAC Mounted Regiment".

According to the New South Wales Lancers Memorial Museum, the 13 Light Horse assumed the role of “special patrol duty” ahead of the advancing troops and were deployed at Baupaume, Bullecourt, Ypres and Passchendaele "One advance troop engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand fight with a stronger party of Uhlans, both sides suffering. The Australians were armed with rifles and bayonets, the Uhlans with lances and sabres. At first, the Australians were cut up but the fight finished with honours even." (13th Light Horse Regiment Association Annual Report 1964.)

From to the 1st Anzac Mounted Regiment diary, On 29 October 1917, Will was near Passchendaele when he was wounded with a gunshot wound to the head. He was transferred back to England on 3 November 1917 to 1st Southern General Hospital, Birmingham.

On 22 April 1918, Will returned to France to the Australian Base Depot at Harfleur, near Le Havre. It is unclear if Will saw any further active service.

Will was still in England when the war ended on 11 November 1918. Through the Department of Repatriation and Demobilisation Will arranged to do a course in mixed farming. From 30 June 1919 to 30 August 1919 Bill worked for Mr. W. J. FEBEN at Cosham, Denmead.

Will returned to Australia via ‘HMAT SS Pakeha’ on 24 November 1919 and was discharged on 8 January 1920.

Will married Maria WARREN on 9 April 1924 at the Undera Presbyterian Church. The minister was Reverend S. WILLIAMS of Mooroopna. Maria’s cousin Linda BAER was the bridesmaid and Will’s brother Frank (Francis) was the best man. After breakfast at Maria's parent's house, they caught the evening train from Kyabram and spent their honeymoon at Lorne in Victoria. Their future home was to be at Undera, VIC.

Maria Elizabeth WARREN was one of possibly eleven children born on 24 February 1901 at Undera, VIC to William WARREN and Mary McKENZIE. She grew up on her parent’s farm ‘The Willows’ at Undera.

Maria, or Ria (pronounced R-eye-a) as she was known attended the Undera State School along with her siblings. In October 1915 Ria was chosen to give a farewell speech and presentation when their teacher Miss L. DOOLAN was leaving. She had resigned ahead of her prevailing marriage.

Ria played the piano and in July 1917 at a concert and dance in aid of the British Red Cross Maria and her sister Maggie (Margaret) played a piano duet ‘Good Luck’ and later ‘Waves of the Ocean’.

Ria and some of her siblings belonged to the Undera tennis club and played around the district.

When Will and Ria returned from their honeymoon they lived on the farm at Undera where Will had been working before their marriage and stayed there for the next five years.

In February 1929 a farewell function was held at the Undera Memorial Hall for Will and Ria and their family as they were departing the district. Will thought at the time that they would possibly move to NSW.

On 20 February 1929 Will held a clearance sale at his property at Undera. He was selling 11 horses, 84 sheep, and 12 cattle along with feed, machinery, furniture and sundries.

Will and Ria moved to a Soldier's Settlement farm of 640 acres at Wallaroobie, about 20 kilometres southeast of Ardlethan, NSW. The property was on Coolamon Road about 15 kilometres east of Beckom. They built their house from timber that they cleared from their land.

On 15 October 1934, Will loaned PJ Kirby & Co Ltd £92 and entered into a 'crop lien' of a crop of wheat, hay and oats at Wallaroobie. (Crop lien is an advance of monies or goods that uses a growing crop as a security).

On 24 March 1937, Will’s mother Rebecca died in Numurkah at the age of 77. She is buried in the Numurkah Cemetery.

Will was a member of the Yanco Rifle (Gun) Club. There was a rifle range across the road from the farm at Wallaroobie.

Will and Ria had six children. Allan Cameron on 14 May 1926 at Kyabram, VIC, Mary Rebecca on 11 October 1927, Olive on 23 June 1928, Warren Jon on 12 July 1929 at Ardlethan, Frank on 13 August 1934 and Fred on 26 November 1936.

Ria’s Father Bill (William) died at the age of 76 on 17 November 1939 at Undera, VIC.

After some 13 years, Will and Ria were moving again and on 11 March 1943, a clearing sale was held at their property. They moved to Stony Point near Murami, NSW where they rented a cottage on farm 151 owned by Mr. C. FRASER. The closest major town was Leeton, 16 kilometres south.

Will had an Orchard for some time and then he started a carrier business. He carted bags of wheat, oats and rice from the farms to a depot at Murrami. He would have to load the bags onto the truck and then unload it at the other end, hard back-breaking work as it was all done by hand.

Ria’s mother died at the age of 83 on 13 May 1944 at St. Germains, VIC. Two months later Will’s father John died at his home at the age of 90 on 12 July 1944. He is buried with Rebecca in the Numurkah Cemetery.

In the early hours of Saturday 24 February 1945, the family was devastated to find their home ablaze and totally destroyed by fire. They had been at a fundraising dance at Murrami that they had organised for the Hospital Queen competition their daughter Mary was a candidate. They had seen a glare in the distance when they were driving home but at that stage had no idea that it was their home on fire.

The house belonged to Mr. C. FRASER and was located across the road from the Stony Point school. The house was fully insured but only some of the contents were. All that was saved was what they were wearing at the time. A new piano and 5 bicycles were among the loss along with their pet poodle that had been locked in the house while they were out.

Neighbours and members of the community all rallied around to help as the members of the Crighton family were extremely popular amongst the residents of the Stony Point district. Through the very kind gesture of Mr Gus JOHNSTON, the family were temporarily accommodated in his home as he and his family would be away for a month.

On Wednesday 29 August 1945 the Stony Point Carnival and Fete, arranged by the Stony Point branch of the Patriotic Fund was held. A special word of praise was merited by the hard-working secretary, Maria CRIGHTON. Besides her secretarial duties, she had obtained material and for many nights 'her machine had worked overtime, sewing it up into aprons, dresses, blouses, children's frocks, pants and other articles that were sold at the stall.

From 1946 to 1948 the family lived in Currawang Street in Leeton. This was most likely after they lost everything from the house fire in 1945.

From 1948 to 1951 Will leased farm 164, a 105-acre property from Charles McCORMACK. It was a Horticultural and Mixed Farming property. Will also leased farm 141 owned by Mr. C. FRASER at the same time according to newspaper articles.

Will still had the carrier business and had bought a couple more trucks and his son Warren helped. They also bought a bus and Warren drove the bus on the school run. He also organised at various times to run a bus service to town and other events.

In September 1951 Will was featured in an article in The Murrumbidgee Irrigator under the heading, Example set by ratepayer. The article stated, ‘Mr. W. Crighton, of farm 141, Stony Point, has set a fine example for other ratepayers, in carrying out maintenance work on the road adjoining his property. He has levelled out the surface of the road, which is the Murrami bus route, and is keeping it in good order. It would be in the best interests of the shire if the example set by Mr. Crighton was followed by other ratepayers in the district, in helping the Shire Council to carry out its task of keeping the roads trafficable’.

Preparing for their imminent move, Will and Ria were selling off bits and pieces. In September 1951 Ria advertised the sale of her organ and 9 ½ yards of Wilton carpet.

In November 1951 a farewell was held in the Stony Point Memorial hall to farewell the Crighton family and wished them well at their new home at Epping.

Ria was well known for her community work while living at Stony Point. She had been secretary of the Hospital Queen competition. She had been treasurer of the P & C Committee and had been secretary of the Leeton Red Cross. She had been treasurer of the School Bus Committee and secretary of the Memorial Hall. Ria had also been treasurer and teacher of the Union Sunday School as well as honorary secretary of the Patriotic Committee and secretary of Stony Point School.

In February 1952 Will and Ria attended the golden wedding (50 years) celebrations for George and Esther COLLINS of Stoney Point. The event was held in St Peters Hall with over 100 guests. The Collins family were pioneers of the area moving in 1914 and started a small diary under the irrigation scheme. There were various toasts with Will stating that ‘George was a man whom he always felt better for having met’. Will and Ria also joined in with musical items after the speeches with Ria playing the piano and they both sang with others as a group.

Will and Ria initially moved to Wollongong in one of the old school buses that Will had converted to a caravan. They were here for about a year and during this time Will did not work. His sons Fred and Frank worked at the steel works.

In 1955 Will applied to have his Army discharge certificate replaced after they lost everything in the fire at Stony Point. On his application, he gave his address as care of Castledeau's store, Ferry Road, Cabramatta and gave his occupation as a builder.

They built a house at 29 Prout Street Cabramatta, Sydney and Will worked for Mitchell-Shearer Pty Ltd for about two years. Mitchell-Shearer sold farming implements and their workshop was in George Street, Concord West.

For the next four years, Will worked as a builder's labourer along with his sons Fred and Frank. They worked with his son-in-law Martin ROLFE and Norman HOLLAWAY. Martin and Norman were both licenced builders.

Gough WHITLAM, a former prime minister for Australia lived down the street from Will and Ria and after Will retired he did gardening for Gough for some time.

At some point, Will and Ria moved to Moulamein near Balranald, NSW and possibly lived with their son Warren and his wife Lorna in Morago Street. Will was still mowing his own lawns when he was ninety.

Will died in the Hay Hospital on 21 November 1980 at the age of 91. He died of bronchopneumonia and ischaemic heart disease (a condition in which the heart is starved of oxygen due to a reduced blood supply). He is buried in the lawn cemetery in Hay,

Ria moved to Narellan on the southern outskirts of Sydney and lived with her son Fred and his wife. At times she would go and stay with her daughter Mary and her husband. Around 1984 Ria moved into a nursing home at Camden, just south of Narellan where she lived for about 18 months. Ria passed away at the home at the age of 85 on 5 April 1986. She basically died of old age. She is buried with Will at Hay.