Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

William "Laurence" Davies was born on the 28th of September 1888 to William Davies Senior and Harriet Elizabeth (Nee Lee). Laurence as he was known, obviously to avoid confusion with his father, was one of six children. He had four brothers and one sister. When he was born, the family home was at 78 First Avenue East Adelaide (now St Peters). Little is known of his early schooling but it is likely he would have first attended East Adelaide Primary School. The family later moved to the Unley area but retained the original family home as well.

Secondary Education and Teacher Training

From his early teenage years Laurence Davies chose to become a teacher and enrolled at the Pupil Teachers' School located in Grote Street in the City (later became Adelaide High School in1908 - South Australia's first public secondary school. At the time to become a registered teacher you first had two years as a trainee teacher at a Pupil Teacher School while also undertaking study for the Junior and Senior and Higher Public Examinations. You then completed two years further teacher training as a "junior teacher" at another school under the supervision of an experienced mentor.

Laurence was an excellent student and in January 1903 was reported as having passed The Junior Public Examination nine subjects with credits in Arithmetic & Algebra and Geometry. He finished 25th in the General Honours List. He was still only 14 years of age. That same year he completed his Senior Public Examination and in December was reported to have passed in six subjects with a credit in Algebra and finished 37th in the General honours List.

In the last two years of his teaching training he was appointed to Prince Alfred College where he would both teach and study for the Higher Public Examination and in 1905 he passed four subjects; German, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Physics.

He stayed on as a teacher at PAC and in 1908 completed a further subject in the Senior Public Examination curriculum, a second language (Greek), which gained him the necessary qualification to enter the Adelaide University Teachers' Training College which permitted him to study for a Bachelor of Arts Degree. At the time the Government Education Department had an arrangement with Adelaide University that allowed the most suitable candidates to study without them having to pay fees. The teacher then would be bonded to at a public school at the end of their course.

While at Prince Alfred College Laurence was a Cadet Officer having passed the Commonwealth Cadet Corps Examination in 1907.

He also played 1st XVIII football and Intercollegiate (v SPSC) Football and Cricket (1st & 2nd XI). He was awarded the 2nd XI batting award at the 1905 PAC Speech Day.

Adelaide University Study and Sports

Enrolling at Adelaide University in 1910 and studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree, it was natural for him to also undertake sporting activities and these included athletics, cricket and football. He first played for the Cricket Club at the end of the 1909/10 season and was a regular member of the A Grade Team until the 1912/13 season. He was a member of the team that played in the inaugural Intervarsity match against Sydney University in Sydney in December 1910.

After playing senior football with Sturt Football Club 2nd XVIII in 1908, he was recruited to play for University in 1910 & 1911. In the 1910 season he was awarded a Blue and after a fine season, which included the Intervarsity match against the Melbourne University team that at the time was playing in the senior Victorian Football League competition.

Laurence completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1914 and in early 1915 was appointed to North Adelaide Public School in Tynte Street. His teaching career was then brought to a halt when in August 1915 he chose to enlist and serve his country. Two of his younger brothers George and John had chosen to enlist earlier and this would have impacted on Laurence's decision. A third brother Howard enlisted six months after Laurence. The only brother not to serve was Theodore for reasons that will be clear later.

War Service, the Military Cross and Family Loss

Laurence Davies enlisted on the 7th of August 1915 and was assigned to the AIF 27th Battalion 13th Reinforcements. After six months of officer training he eventually embarked for overseas service on the 27th of June 1916 and arrived at Plymouth England on the 25th of August 1916. On arrival he would have learned that his brother George Francis Davies had been killed in action only 17 days earlier. This sad news may have delayed his deployment to the front and he remained in England undertaking further training and passed 1st Class at the Australian School of Musketry.

After completing his training he was then sent to France and within a week of joining his Unit he was engaged in an action near Warlencourt. This was his first ever time under fire and for his gallantry shown was awarded the Military Cross.

In a tragic twist of fate, a few days after this action and on the date of the recommendation 11/3/17, another of his younger brothers, John Newton Davies, was killed in action. For the rest of the War Laurence saw little action after being appointed as an Assistant and Temporary Adjutant to various commanding officers. In October 1918 he was transferred to an officer training school at Cheshunt College England and shortly after off to Cambridge and the AIF Education Services Training School. The War over, he remained in England for some time and returned to Australia in June 1919.

Family and Teaching Career

Soon after returning from Europe on the 23rd of December 1919, Laurence Davies married Edith Florence Catt. The marriage lasted 42 years (Laurence's Death) and produced three children (two sons and a daughter).

In 1920 Laurence completed another language subject (French) at Adelaide University and soon returned to teaching and was appointed to a position at Prince Alfred College. Although teaching a variety of subjects during his career he was to later become the Senior English Master. He also had an important role (as Major W. L. Davies) in the organisation and operation of the School Cadet Corps.

Also teaching at Prince Alfred College was Clive Davies (not closely related) who was a member of the first Adelaide University Cricket Club team when they entered the SACA - A Grade competition in 1908/09. Although Laurence played mainly B Grade and Clive A Grade they would have got to know each other well during the seasons 1909/10 - 1912/13 and probably played some A Grade matches together. Clive "Bogga" Davies was later to coach the Adelaide University Cricket Team to its first SACA - A Grade Premiership in the 1925/26 season when the team was captained by PAC old scholar Douglas McKay. The team also included a number of other old PAC boys who all would have been coached at times by the two teachers. Both Laurence and Clive were always very involved with sport at the school, but were best known for their coaching of the cricket teams. Laurence also coached football teams and assisted in the organisation of athletics carnivals. Both their involvement in the PAC sporting activities lasted decades.

Jeff Rogers, a PAC old scholar from the 1940's/1950's who was taught by Laurence and later was a captain of the AUCC - A Grade team, commented that they were universally admired by the students and respected by the other staff. Clive Davies became a rather portly man after giving up playing sport while Laurence was always lean. The students referred to them as "Big Bogga" and "Little Bogga".

Laurence's teaching career was interrupted at the outbreak of World War II when in 1941, as a member of the Citizens Military Forces; he was drafted into a Senior Ordinance position in the Australian Army. His important role with the Cadet Corps at that time was in part taken over by another young teacher and former student of his, Chester Bennett (who would later play, captain and coach the Adelaide University Cricket Team). Davies was welcomed back to Price Alfred College at the end of the war in 1945. He continued his good service to the school until his retirement at the end of the1954 school year.

One of his sons, Donald Laurence Davies, who also had attended Prince Alfred College, served in the Royal Australian Air Force in WW1 rising to the rank of Flight Sergeant. After the War Donald enrolled at Adelaide University to study engineering. He also continued the family tradition playing both cricket and football for the Blacks.

Death
William Laurence Davies died 30th May 1961 aged 61 and was survived by his wife Edith who passed away in 1984 at the age of 93.

Profile added with the permission of the author Rob O'Shannassy.

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.