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From Ballarat & District in the Great War

Pte Edwin James Howell 
 
There is nothing quite so fascinating as a little intrigue. It certainly sends the detective in me into overdrive. Sometimes it only requires a snippet to unleash a torrent. In researching the life of Edwin Howell, I certainly discovered far more than I had bargained for – within the midst of unusual heartbreak there was also the hint of a family scandal of immense proportions.

When Edwin James Howell enlisted in the AIF, he insisted that he had been born in Ballarat. In fact, that was a long way from the truth – 1,480 miles to be exact. He was actually born in Dunedin, New Zealand arriving on 6 August 1887. Edwin was the third child of Frederick Howell and Caroline Filkins. He was one of five sons, with the eldest child, Winifred, being the only girl.

It is believed that Frederick Howell had immigrated to New Zealand around 1879, when he was 22. His birth at the Wiltshire village of Christian Malford on 3 September 1857 was shrouded by the taint of illegitimacy. Whilst he was raised as the son of Thomas Howell, his biological father was rumoured to be Henry Mildmay St John 5th Viscount Bolingbroke (later correspondence between Frederick’s daughter, Winifred Howell, and Henry Vernon St John 6th Viscount Bolingbroke, appears to confirm the connection). The family seat was the nearby Lydiard Park. Henry senior had a reputation for his dealings with much younger women that caused his family considerable distress. At the time he was said to have been involved with Eliza Edmonds (Frederick Howell’s mother) she was just 18 and he was 36. The constructs of such a situation are not possible to unravel, but it was one that the extended family appears to have well aware.

Frederick Howell quickly settled into his new life in Dunedin, where he established a thriving business. The Howell Piano Company, with a store on The Octagon plaza, sold its first custom-built piano in 1885.

In 1882 he had married Caroline Filkins (a native of Brentford in Middlesex) and their children were all born and raised in Dunedin. Caroline’s untimely death at Mornington on 6 August 1892, left Frederick with six children all still under the age of eight. As was customary of the era, and born largely out of necessity, Frederick quickly remarried. His second wife, Jessie Bertram Simpson, became the mother-figure for the young Howell children. She added a further two sons to the family before her own early death on 10 February. A third marriage in 1902 brought a degree of stability to the Howell household, but Edwin was by now 15 and ready to start the next stage of his young life.

From his studies at the Mornington School and the Arthur Street School in central Dunedin, Edwin had joined his father in the family business, where he undertook a five-year apprenticeship as a piano tuner. The store, which had moved to 78 Stuart Street, provided an element of luxury to the people of Dunedin – in 1895, with limited competition due to difficulties in bringing instruments in from overseas, an iron-frame, check-action Howell piano sold for £30. However, the growing availability of imported products saw a gradual decline in their business.

In 1910, Edwin moved across the Tasman to Australia using his talents as a piano tuner to gain employment. He represented the East Malvern Piano Repairing Works and also Sutton Brothers travelling around Victoria.

On 3 December 1912, Edwin married Victoria Euphemia Susan Ewan. “Queenie” was the only daughter of the late Captain Alexander Stuart Ewan, who had been harbourmaster at Westport, Dunedin. The wedding was consecrated in the Presbyterian Church by the Reverend W. Fraser B.A.

We all experience seminal years during our lives, for Edwin Howell, 1914 proved to be one such periods. Queenie gave birth to their first child on 3 March – Winifred Ewan Howell was born at the St Leonard’s Private Hospital in East Malvern. Shortly after they moved to Ballarat, where Edwin and his younger brother, Ernest Blair Howell, went into partnership establishing a piano repairing factory at 11 Albert Street – ‘four doors from Sturt Street.’ Edwin and Queenie’s first home in Ballarat was at 607 Macarthur Street.
And then the world went to war.
However, as a married man and father, Edwin initially held back on a decision to volunteer and continued to build his business. When he noted unfair criticism of competitors in the piano solos at Royal South Street during October 1914, Edwin offered some excellent clarification.

‘…THE PIANO COMPETITION.
To the Editor "Evening-Echo."
Sir,—In reading through the columns of to-night's paper, I noticed Mr. Scharf's criticism of the work done in the piano section. His principal criticism on the work generally was the failure of the competitors to make proper use of the pedals. The fault of this lies entirely on the adjudicator himself, on account of his having ordered the horizontal grand piano to be used for piano solo work. Of the score of competitors in this section perhaps 90 per cent, of them had not played on a grand before, and as the pedalling system is much different to that of an upright piano, it is no wonder that the pedals were not properly used. There was no reason why the grand piano should have been used, as a very fine upright was supplied for piano solo and duet work. The grand was specially for the choral contests, which come later on, and should not have been used to the detriment of competitors. I met several, players who told me their failure was due to their not having used a grand before.—Yours,
EDWIN J. HOWELL .
Pianoforte Tuner, Ballarat…’

Life for Edwin and Queenie continued to blossom. On 10 May 1915, they welcomed the arrival of a son – Alexander Edwin Howell – and they moved to a new home at 418 Drummond Street north. The substantial and beautifully appointed residence seemed to indicate that the Howell business was also thriving. Indeed, Queenie had everything her heart could desire – Axminster carpets and rugs, a fine Lindahl piano, grand oak, walnut and leather furniture, and all manner of pictures, ornaments, glassware and china.
However, it soon became apparent to both Edwin and Ernest that the need for men at the Front was a priority – that it was ‘duty before business.’ The pair enlisted at Ballarat on 1 February 1916 (although Ernest’s paperwork was dated early May).

Doctor F. B. Crawford found Edwin Howell to be an excellent candidate for the AIF – he topped the 6-foot mark by half an inch, weighed 168-pounds and could expand his chest to 38-inches. Like his father, he had a fair complexion, striking blue eyes, and fair hair. He had been vaccinated in childhood and also had three scars on his abdomen – one at least was the result of an appendectomy. His eyesight was within the normal range.

Having successfully past the medical examination, Edwin attested on 26 February, taking the formal oath to serve King and his adopted country.

Before going into camp, Edwin set about putting his affairs in order. He organised for an allotment of three-fifths of his pay to be paid to Queenie and the children, and dissolved the partnership with Ernest. On hearing that the brothers were to relinquish their business, locals rushed to the shop to have work completed. As a result, Edwin had to take out advertisements to ask that ‘any work desired of him should be promptly brought along’ before he entered camp on 1 March.

Howell Brothers closed its doors on 25 February.
Having completed his leave, Edwin joined B Company of the 39th Battalion as private, number 474 (Ernest was 473), at the Ballarat Showgrounds Camp. Given he had no prior training in the military, the entire experience must have seemed quite novel. Perhaps the compulsory inoculations for typhoid proved less so.

As the date for embarkation approached, it appears that Edwin and Queenie had a serious discussion about where she should reside while he was away. They came to the decision that they would sell all the household furniture and effects and she and the children would return to Dunedin for the duration of the war. So, an auction was organised through Doepel and Chandler to be held at 2pm on 3 May.

At the same time a special farewell was arranged by a number of his musical friends in Ballarat. David Low, who was also in business as a piano tuner, presented Edwin with a smoker’s outfit and spoke of how highly regarded the young New Zealander had become. He also mentioned that ‘in answering his country’s call Private Howell had relinquished one of the best tuning connections in the State.’ The gathering expressed the wish that Edwin would ‘gain distinction’ and ‘return at an early date.’

The people of Ballarat had taken the 39th Battalion to their collective hearts. Farewells, concerts and church services were held throughout May in the days leading up to the battalion leaving for Melbourne. A public farewell at the Coliseum on 11 May proved a night to remember.

As Edwin was preparing to leave, he took the opportunity to write a jaunty letter of thanks to the makers of Cockatoo jams – it became an instant hit and was immediately used to advertise the company’s preserves.

‘…Ballarat Soldier’s Farewell – ‘YMCA Military Camp, Ballarat 23/5/16, Cockatoo Preserves Ltd, Melbourne. Dear Sir, Before embarking, I wish to thank you, on behalf of No8 Section, B Company, for supplying our camp with such fine quality of jams. All hands speak in favour of “Cockatoos” Jam. When we entered camp, during February, the place was stocked up with ______ brand “jollop” until we refused to eat it, and consigned it to the pig tubs, and had to buy “Cockatoo” Jams for ourselves. The change has been greatly appreciated since your jams have been served out by the quartermaster. Yours respectfully, (Signed) E. J. Howell, B Company, 39th Battalion.’ The Company has not the pleasure of knowing Mr Howell, but hopes that he will receive a share of the two million two hundred and fifty thousand tins of “Cockatoo” Jams being supplied under contract to the British Imperial War Office…’

Early in the morning of 27 May, the 39th Battalion marched through the fog and frost to the Ballarat Railway Station. It was ‘a stinging cold morning,’ but the band, playing “Australia Will Be There,” and other musical selections, kept the men swinging along.
The train carried the men through to Port Melbourne, where they boarded HMAT Ascanius. Streamers maintained a tenuous connection to the shore as the ship pulled out from the dock, each breaking paper thread was a poignant reminder of the coming separation.

Travelling via Cape Town, the Ascanius (under escort by HMS Lanconia) made steady time and reached Devonport in England on 18 July. The 39th then travelled by train through to Wiltshire, arriving at the No7 Camp at Larkhill at 1:15am the following day.

Edwin and Ernest spent the next four months in extended training – bayonet fighting, musketry practice, tactical exercises, and night marches ensured the men were fit for the Front. At Bulford on 27 September the 3rd Australian Division was reviewed by King George V.

Finally, on 23 November, the Howell brothers sailed for France. But within days the pair were to be separated when Edwin was selected for detachment to the 10th Light Trench Mortar Battery (LTMB) making a complement of five officers and 59 other ranks. The unit was then at the French village of Strazeele, but was in the process of moving to nearby Armentieres where they were to relieve the 2nd New Zealand Light Trench Mortar Battery. Headquarters was set up at the Cotton Factory at Houplines.

Unfortunately for Edwin, the bitterly cold weather quickly undermined his health and he succumbed to a bout of influenza. He reported sick to the 10th Field Ambulance on 6 December before being transferred to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station (ACCS)at Trois-Arbres. It was nearly two weeks before he was well enough to return to duty. The 10th LTMB was still in the line forward of Houplines.

Edwin was in the frontline when he wrote to Miss May Yeates, of Bairnsdale.

‘…The Trenches, France, 14th April, 1917.
l have just been reading "The Bairnsdale Advertiser," an old copy of which I found in a dugout. It contained one or two interesting soldiers' letters from the front, giving very true accounts of a raid. I think the censor must have missed those letters. The paper reminded me of the times when I used to visit. Bairnsdale and Orbost on piano tuning expeditions for Messrs Sutton Ltd. Those were peace days, and I never thought I would be fighting in France to-day.

I had just started a small business of my own in Ballarat, when war broke out and I joined the army about 12 months afterwards, leaving Australia with the 10th Brigade. I had a few weeks in England and was able to visit one or two of the big cities.

We had a long dreary winter here for months. The cold, wet and snow, etc., has been very severe, so that so far I haven't got too good an opinion about France. The conditions of living and customs are vastly different and would take a lot of getting used to. It is often said in a joke that the first seven years of the war will the worst, so that we should be well versed in French by that time.

Apart from soldiers, we never meet English people, and it will be a treat to get as far as England again and of course much better still to be back in Australia —the finest place in the world.

I have had a fair amount of journeying in France, but have not seen the country at its best. There are fine old towns and villages in the travel from south to north.

You will be surprised to know I have quite a piano tuning connection here, various soldiers' clubs and Y.M.C.A's. and divisional cinemas having instruments much the worse for neglect, and in some cases, suffering from shell shock, as most of the pianos are from houses in towns that had come under the Huns' devastating bombardment in the early days of the war. It is terrible to see the destruction done throughout the country. Some of the French pianos are little beauties, and there should be no occasion for German pianos ever to be landed again in Australia.

Well, it is wonderful what we get used to. The trenches are by no means the most pleasant place of abode, as they are liable to get swamped or go heavenwards at times. We can't growl about the food, as little extras are so easily obtainable when we get a day or two's spell behind the lines. I am not free to write about military news, but you'll know as much or more about the war than we do. It is a funny affair, the censorship, but you will be pleased when you read of victories where Australians are concerned. They are great fighters. I am attached to the 10th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery, A.I.F.

I often meet Bairnsdale boys here and have a talk of old times. Please remember me to Mr Hurley, my old contemporary…’

During May 1917, the 10th LTMB was in the line in the Ploegsteert-St Ives Sector. On 22 May, the unit worked in conjunction with the 37th Infantry Battalion on an attempted raid on the German trenches. Two mortars fired 30-rounds onto the enemy machine-gun emplacements. A stray bullet caught Edwin in right arm – he was the unit’s only casualty. After being treated at the 9th Field Ambulance, he was once again evacuated back to the 2nd ACCS at Trois-Arbres. He was out of action for a four weeks.

Just a month later, Edwin was dead.

The 10th LTMB was in the line at Gapaard near the Messines Ridge on 31 July. Around midnight an enemy shell landed near the gunpit. According to Lieutenant George Albert Fidler (39th Battalion on detachment to the 10th LTMB), Edwin was struck by a piece of shell just under his heart and died immediately. Despite a special party being organised, it proved impossible to get his body out, so he was buried where he fell.
Edwin's final resting place was never located and his name was later recorded on the Menin Gate in Ypres.
Interestingly, the 10th LTMB suffered one other death on that day – Private Stephen Bernard Woodbury 2674. Whilst his death was recorded under his original unit, the 37th Battalion, Edwin Howell was not, although he was technically still on detachment and had not been transferred.

Official notification of Edwin Howell’s death reached Australia less than two weeks later. Base Records immediately communicated with their sister office in Wellington, New Zealand, asking for Queenie Howell to be informed.

When Edwin enlisted, he had his Last Will and Testament drawn up and lodged with Ballarat company, A. S. Gates, Estate, Insurance, Finance and Commission Agents of 19 Lydiard Street south. He named his wife as his sole legatee. In his pay book he made a note of his Will’s location, but included a note that ‘loose money be given to Ernest B. Howell, 39th Battalion, and any belongings he may want.’

In May 1918, Queenie received a package of her late husband’s belongings. It was a microcosm of Edwin’s life at the Front. It contained his identity disc, cards, letters, photos, a sports programme, badges, diary, a damaged note case, dictionary, numerals, Testament, tobacco pouch, two pipes, note book, holdall, razor strop, tooth brush, comb, shaving brush, towel, purse, two electric torch cases, five razors, map, two match-box covers, a religious medallion, nail scissors, handkerchief, pencil, pen, bullet, a small Gospel, a leather letter case, two brass caps, a copper souvenir, and a waterproof bag.

Edwin was not forgotten in his adopted city of Ballarat – tree 2169 was planted in the Ballarat Avenue of Honour in his name. And the Ballarat City branch of the Australian Natives Association included him in their end of year report.

‘…In the course of his remarks at the meeting of the City ANA last night, when moving the adoption of the half-yearly report, the ex-president (Mr H. Woodfine) stated that 166 members of the branch had enlisted since the outbreak of the war, and during the past six months nine of them had made the supreme sacrifice…The report added: “We sincerely sympathise with the relatives of the brave lads who have fallen, and trust that the sick and wounded will speedily recover.”…’

Edwin had been a member of the branch and his name was read alongside those of Wallie Hicks, Martin Kinnane, Jack Letcher, Otto Davies, John Tregenza “Jack” Dixon, William Laherty, Raymond Dawson Vaughan, James Brown and George Herbert “Bert” Greenwood whose deaths were confirmed during 1917.

Ernest Howell, who had served throughout the war with the 39th Battalion (he was gassed at Bray on 26 August 1918, returned to Australia on 22 September 1919. As a part of the post-war employment and education opportunities, Ernest spent a period in the employ of piano manufacturer, J. J. Hopkinson of Fitzroy Road, London. He resumed his career as a piano maker and tuner and, with his wife Eva, lived for many years in the Sydney suburb of Burwood. He died on 30 June 1968.

Queenie Howell never remarried and continued to live in Dunedin. World War II brought further tragedy when her only son was killed. Flight Sergeant Alexander Howell, flying a Hurricane with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, was shot down over Gazala, Libya, on 3 April 1942. His body was never recovered.

After her daughter’s marriage, Queenie took a room at the Leviathan Hotel. She lived there until her death on 16 August 1971.