Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Excerpt from "A History of the Mudge Family 1300 to the present", compiled by Peter James Philip Mudge © November 2002.

Horace Lyle Mudge was born on 12th March 1897. Horace left school in about 1911 aged 14 and chopped down trees for the North Coast Forestry Commission around Mullumbimby and the surrounding area. He enlisted for World War I on 6th January 1917 when he was 18 years and 10 months old. At that time his occupation was listed as Butcher and previously a Labourer with next of kin being his father Robert Charles Mudge of Federal Richmond River, NSW.

Horace had been living at Clunes, Richmond River NSW. His medical papers tell us that he was 5 feet 7 inches talll and weighed 11 stone 13 pounds, with a chest measurement of 34 inches. Fair complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. He did not serve for any length of time in a particular place but moved from one conflict zone to another. Initially Horace was appointed to the 11/11th Machine Gun Company 41st BN and was eventually appointed to the 5th Machine Gun Battalion. His only active service was in France but he was gassed and also afflicted by appendicitis for most of the time. He marched out of Rouelles France on 30th December 1917 and on 29th June 1918 was admitted to the Field Hospital near Rouen, France with appendicitis. Possibly he was disappointed in not seeing more active service at the Front or elsewhere, but perhaps he was one of the lucky ones who came back alive from the Great War.

Horace returned to Australia after the end of the war and departed England via Suez on 28th June 1919. Horace arrived back in Melbourne on 6th September 1919 his time away from Australia being 2 years and 2 1/2 months. Upon his return, Horace went onto a farm with his soon to be brother-in-law Harry Coleman and tended a healthy herd of Jersey cows. The two men maintained this partnership until the drought of 1921-22. He married Dulcie Margaret Coleman, (born 2nd December 1899) daughter of James Coleman and Catherine Finn on 4th January 1921 at St. Thomas' Church, Mullumbimby. Horace was converted and baptised before his marriage into the Catholic chuch. Horace may have been Presbyterian or Church of England but definately had a high esteem for the Salvation Army, which makes sense given earlier family involvement as Salvationists. After their marriage the couple moved to a farm at Goonengerry outside Mullumbimby, comprising a few paddocks on a sizable acreage.

With the drought of 1921-22 most of the cattle died so Horace took up a job as a fettler, then later as a train guard. The couple had five children: James Robert (B 13th August 1921). His father was reputed to have said: 'Gee, you're a Billy Muggins!' and from that time onwards James was known as 'Bill'. Mary Catherine (b 8th October 1922) born at Mullumbimby. All the cattle on the Goonengery property died during the drought. Horace then obtained a job as a fettler (one employed to maintain railway tracks), and then became a train guard. In about 1924 the family moved to Kyogle near the railway stater, where their next child, Glen Francis (b 7th November 1924) was born. With their fourth child Joan Carmel (b18th December 1926) at Lismore, the Kyogle climate did not suit Glen's health as it aggravated Glen's chronic asthma, so around the end of 1926, beginning of 1927 the family moved to Werris Creek. Their last child Kevin Anthony (b 5th February 1929) was born at nearby Quirindi Hospital. Shortly after this, in around 1932 the family moved to a cottage they had purchased at Glenreagh. The children's schooling began at this time at Glenreach. They were there for a few years, after wchich they one again transferred to another railway location. 1934 and they moved to Lewisham and lived nearby at Summer Hill, from where they managed a grocery store in Victoria Street Lewisham. Some of the children were educated at St. Thomas' and Christian Brothers, Lewisham. In April 1941, the family moved to Swete Street, Lidcombe. At this time Dulcie owned a grocery shop for some time. The shop was located at 24 Victoria Street, Lewisham, the second or third shop from the end of the street. Horace died on 20th January 1953 while working as a guard on a train travelling to Mudgee. Others account that Horace died at Mudgee station while he was tallying up the wages in the stationary train. He was aged 56 years. His son James had to travel from Sydney to Mudgee to arrange for Horace's burial. He recalled having difficulties with the parish priest who refused to give him extreme unction (viaticum or last rites - why - because he was affiliated with the Church of England) and described his wrenching conversation with the belligerent priest who was eating his breakfast and had egg running down the front of the napkin tucked under his chin.

In talking about her husband Horace's death, Dulcie remembers that he died while on his job as a train guard. Apparently the train had berthed temporarily at Mudgee station for the usual mail and passenger stop so some of the rail staff went over to knock on Horace's window. Seeing their mate slumped leaning back against the glass, they believed 'Mudgee', as they called him to be asleep. Sadly, he had died from a heart attack. Dulcie was only 54 years old at the time. She then resided at 25 Swete Street, Lidcombe, until her death on 5th September 1985. Both are buried at the Rookwood Cemetery.