Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Stephen Hounam was born in Tynemouth Northumberland in 1856. His occupation was a Rural Letter Carrier at the age of 21 when he married Ada Dixon 4 October 1877 at St Nicholas Church Newcastle. Ada came from Haltwhistle in Northumberland and was born January 1858. John and Ada went on to produce a large family consisting of :

Elizabeth Ann 1878, John Edward Henry 1879, Henry 1882, Robert 1886, Emmerson Thomas 1888,

Ada Margaret 1889, Leslie Stephen 1890, Dorothy Alice 1893, Hugh Aynsley 1895 and Fredrick Whitfield 1900.

Robert Hounam born 1886 in Rothbury Northumberland was John and Ada's 4th child. According to the 1901 census Robert was a Domestic Servant at a Medical Practioners in Rothbury.

Moving on to 1910 it looks like Robert has decided to go to Australia as he appears on the passenger list of the ship Suevic run by the White Star Line on 22 Sep 1910 departing Liverpool for Port Albany arriving on 30 Oct 1910 moving on to Melbourne and Burnie in Tasmania where Robert is scheduled to disembark.

In the next 3 years Robert is working as a Drapers assistant and living in Emu Bay Tasmania where he marries Phoebie Tallack in 1913. Aftter their first child Joan is born in March 1915 later that year Robert joins the 47th Battalion Australian Infantry on 4 September 1915 at Claremont Tasmania. Sadly Robert was killed in action 16 November 1916 and is buried at Bulls Road Cemetery, Flers France. Burnie Park Cenotaph Tasmania has his name enscribed up on it and he is also remembered on the family grave in England at Rothbury Northumberland