IRVIN, Richard Guare
| Service Number: | 18880 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 7th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 11 May 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 18880, 7th Field Artillery Brigade, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 18880, 7th Field Artillery Brigade, HMAT Argyllshire, Sydney |
Richard Guare Irvin
Richard Guare Irvin was my grandmother's brother. Richard was born 21 April 1888 at Tooraweenah, NSW. He was the third of six children of William and Esther Irvin. Richard's grandparents Andrew Irvin and Elizabeth Hamilton were married in 1849 in Rosebank, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Elizabeth was born in this area, while Andrew was born at Ballyclare, County Antrim, Ireland. They arrived in Sydney on 15 March 1855 aboard a ship, "Nepaul". They arrived with a daughter Jane, aged three, and moved to Northern NSW where Ardrew worked as a Sheppard. Their third child William was born in 1858 near Tooraweenah.
Richard's mother was Esther Hitchen, who was born in 1860 at MacDonalds Creek, near Mudgee. Esther's father was George Hitchen, who was born in Manchester, England in 1820. George arrived in Sydney as a convict on 14 July 1840, aboard a ship,"Maitland". His crime was stealing a paint brush. Esther's mother was Catherine Guare, who was born in Askeaton, County Limerick, Ireland in 1833. Catherine arrived in Sydney in 1849 aboard the "Lismoyne" with a group of Irish orphan girls. George Hitchen was a gold miner and farmer. George and Catherine had ten children.
Richard's parents were farmers around the Gilgandra area. They then took out the Publicans Lisence of the Commercial Hotel in Tamworth in 1911. They then moved to Beechworth, Victoria, where Esther became the Publican of the Post Office Hotel. The family left Beechworth in January 1914 and moved to the Sydney suburb of Five Dock. Six houses were purchased between 1914 and 1920. I believe Esther and William purchased a house for each child. Richard was given a weatherboard house at 119 Edenholme Road, Five Dock. Very close to the corner of Great North Road.
While Richard was in England during the First World War, he met a lady, Doris Burrows. They were married in Bath in October 1918. On returning to Sydney, they had two children, a son Alan Jack and Kathleen (Bubbles).
My grandmother, Violet Irvin, was given a shop and a house on the corner of Reginald Street and Great North Road, Five Dock. Violet Irvin married Patrick O'Keeffe, a returned member of the 4th Battalion AIF. Violet, Patrick and Richard ran a grocer store. They had a license to sell alcohol. They had a small van and would deliver groceries to their customers. They also operated an SP betting business. They were lucky that one of their betting customers was the local police sergeant. This joint business operated for many years.
The shop next door, a haberdashery shop operated by Richard's older sister Daisy Irvin. Behind both these shops was a residence where Patrick, Violet and their two daughters, Mollie, Patricia and Daisy, lived. After Richard's father died in 1923, his mother moved into the house behind the shop. So Richard worked and lived close to where his mother and sisters lived.
A semi-detached house was purchased for Daisy. This was two doors down the road from the shop. Richard and his wife rented this semi for many years. Richard's son lived at 119 Edenholm Road.
Richard Guare Irvin died in Ashfield on 24 June 1954.
Submitted 14 December 2023 by Carl Parkinson