Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Fromelles GALLANTRY

by Tony Young, 2022

 

1.1          Early Years & Education

Charles was born on the 31st of October 1885 in Sydney, and grew-up at his parent’s home ‘Purfleet’, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. That Charles’s family mixed with well-to-do families of Sydney can be demonstrated by the 1899 marriage of Charles’s elder sister Nellie, to John Thomas Toohey, the eldest son of Toohey’s breweries co-founder, James Matthew Toohey (1850-1895). Following his father’s death John became vice-chairman of the board of directors of Toohey’s breweries.

 

Charles attended primary school at St Aloysius' College, an independent Catholic primary and secondary day school for boys, located in Kirribilli, a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney.
Even at this early age, Charles demonstrated above average academic ability as demonstrated by the document fact that at the  16th December 1899 College Speech Day, Charles was awarded prizes for excellence in Latin & English
 

Charles was sent for his higher-school education, to the prestigious Saint Ignatius' College Riverview, an independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, conducted in the Jesuit tradition, located in Riverview, a small suburb situated on the Lane Cove River on the Lower North Shore of Sydney.

 

It is unknown if Charles was a boarder of day-boy at Riverview, however given it would have been an easy harbour ferry ride to the school from his parent’s home at Elizabeth Bay, as it also would have been for him when attending St Aloysius' College, the chances are that he was a day-boy.

 

It is equally unknown at this time, what sporting interests (if any) Charles might have had while attending Riverview, however at that time, rowing, rugby and boxing were popular sports at the school. Being the tall, strapping young lad that he was, it is highly likely he participated in one or more of these sports.

 

It is of course possible that Charles was not sports minded at all, and instead focused his energies on academic achievement. There are a number of newspaper articles mentioning that at the St Ignatius College ‘Speech Days’, Charles was awarded the prize for best in Greek, Latin Arithmetic, English, French, and Christian Doctrine, in consecutive years.

 

It is of interest to note that numerous leading contributors to Australian politics, arts, law, religion and sport were educated at Riverview.

 

Notable alumni include former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott; current Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Barnaby Joyce; the current Chief Justice of New South Wales, Tom Bathurst; the current Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher OP; former Premier of New South Wales Nick Greiner; seventeen former Wallabies, nine Olympians and eight Rhodes Scholars; as well as the first Australian-born astronaut, Paul Scully-Power, and numerous writers including poet Christopher Brennan, art critic Robert Hughes, playwright Nick Enright, and entertainer Andrew O'Keefe.

 

Following completion of his schooling at Riverview (1903), it is likely (but not yet confirmed) that he attended Medical School, at the University of Sydney.

 

In 1908, Charles sailed from Sydney aboard the RMS Ormuz, bound for the UK, arriving there on 2nd August 1908. Upon his arrival he was met at Tilbury by his sister, Mrs. Arthur Davies, and her husband. Charles stayed with his sister and her husband in London for one week, before they all went on a motoring tour, of the English lakes and Scotland.

 

Doing this makes sense for Charles, because in the years immediately following graduating from St Ignatius College, there appear a number of newspaper articles mentioning Charles as a keen Motoring enthusiast. After the motoring tour, Charles settled down in Edinburgh to resume his medical studies and eventually became L.R.C.P + L.R.C.S. accredited.

 

L.R.C.P represents diploma of Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. The LRCP is no longer awarded, and was a qualification used to be reserved for medical graduates, in practice mainly Bachelors of Medicine from Oxford and Cambridge, but in the mid-nineteenth century became part of a very popular initial qualification in medicine. L.R.C.S. is abbreviation for Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons (of England).

 

 

 

2.      AIF Service

2.1          Pre-Fromelles

Following his return to Australia, Charles set-up a medical practice in Sydney. He continued with this until he enlisted in the AIF - Australian Army Medical Corps, on 26th August, 1915, with the rank of Captain.

 

Interestingly, on his enlistment papers, Charles stated he has prior military experience -  three weeks with the British Army Medical Corps (Liverpool) where he held the rank of Captain.

 

On 11th of October 1915 he embarked upon the HMAT A71 ‘Nestor’, arriving in Egypt on 6th November 1915, and was immediately posted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital, which at the time was located at the Gezira Palace in Cairo.

 

Soon after Charles arrived in Cairo, the Gallipoli Campaign came to an end with the evacuation of all ‘British’ troops from the peninsular. Most troops had been evacuated by late December 1915, with the very last British soldier leaving on 6th January 1916.

 

After Gallipoli, and being evacuated to Egypt, the Australian infantry underwent a major expansion, with the original Australian infantry brigades (1st to 4th) being split in half to create 16 new battalions to form another four brigades.

 

These brigades were then committed to join the fighting in France and Belgium along the Western Front.

 

On the 16th February 1916, Charles was attached to the Australian 53rd Infantry Battalion, as the battalions Medical Officer.

 

The 53rd Battalion was raised in Egypt on 14th February 1916 as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 1st Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia.

 

Reflecting the composition of the 1st, the 53rd was predominantly composed of men from the suburbs of Sydney. The battalion became part of the 14th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division.

 

The battalion arrived in France on 27th June 1916, entered the front line for the first time on 10th July, and became embroiled in its first major battle on the Western Front, at Fromelles, on 19th July.

2.2          The Battle of Fromelles, and award of the MC

The Battle of Frommels was a disaster. The 53rd was part of the initial assault and suffered grievously, incurring 625 casualties, including its commanding officer, amounting to over three-quarters of its attacking strength.  Casualty rates among the rest of the 5th Division were similarly high, but despite these losses the 53rd battalion continued to man the front in the Fromelles sector for a further two months.

 

Extract from the Australian 53rd Infantry Battalion Official War Diary

19th – 20th July 1917

 

19th July

1100hrs                   Heavy bombardment by our guns on Enemy trenches and equally heavy bombardment by enemy on

our trenches and communications. Casualties by 1500 about 50.

 

1600hrs                   54th Bn took over & join the left 300 yards of our trenches and Bn closed in on its original front of 300

yards, with Right on River LAIES. A & B Coys (Capt’s Thompson and Murray) in the front line. C & D Coys (Maj. Sampson & Capt. Arblaster) in support trenches.

 

1743hrs                   Bn moved to attack in four waves. ½ Coy of both A & B in first and second wave. ½ Coy of both C & D

in third & fourth waves. Bn Hq with forth wave.

 

 

*  Author’s Note: 53rd Bn MO Charles Cosgrove advanced with the Bn HQ party, in the forth wave. *

 

 

First wave moved out from our trenches at 5:43pm, followed at 100 yards distance by second wave.

 

Lay down near German wire till 6pm, then charged followed by the third and fourth waves (C & D Coys).

 

Took German first and second line trenches & rushed on parties about 200 yards further on to hold back enemy’s bombers who were counter-attacking on front and right flank, while the remainder proceeded to consolidate the position on the German 1st and 2nd line trench.

 

Touch was obtained with the 54th Bn on our Left but none could be found over on our Right.

 

20th July

0900hrs                   The line was held throughout the night against violent attacks, until orders were received (about 9am) from OC 14th Brigade to retire from position won.

 

Our Right flank being in the air, enemy had already turned it and established themselves in their 1st line trenches in rear of our Right.

 

0930hrs                   Returned through with very heavy loss. Covered by fire from our own front line.

 

Battalion went into action with      -    Officers   -   28              Other Ranks    -     823

 

     Killed                  Officers   -      5                        Other Ranks   -           30

     Wounded            Officers   -    10                        Other Ranks   -        343

     Missing              Officers   -      8                        Other Ranks   -        228

                         

(Note:    As known on 26th July)

 

15th Brigade AIF was on our Right at time of attack.

 

The first line trenches, all communication trenches and all the ground in rear for 600 yards was under exceedingly heavy shell fire from 11am 19th to noon 20th .

 

Many heroic actions were performed and I have made recommendations of Officers and of the men for special reward – forwarded to 14th Brigade AIF on 25th July 1916.

 

Lt Col. Norris & Adjutant killed during first charge. Many returns and rolls lost in action – one of the clerical staff killed, and one wounded.

 

1230hrs   Remains of Brigade assembled Bde HQ (Lesfornex) where were field kitchens etc.

 

1630hrs   At about 4:30pm to billet Bae-se Maur (5 officers, 170 OR’s)

 

 

Australian War Memorial website article titled:    The Battle in Brief 
The attack on Fromelles on 19 July 1916 was the first major battle fought by Australian troops on the Western Front.

 

It was a feint designed to prevent the Germans reinforcing their troops on the Somme, where the Allies had launched a major offensive on 1 July. The ruse, however, was unsuccessful.

 

Towards the evening of 19 July 1916, the Australian 5th and British 61st Divisions attempted to seize 4000 yards of front line centred on the ‘Sugar Loaf’. However, the British bombardment, which commenced on 16 July, had warned the Germans that an attack was likely.

 

As the troops moved into position on 19 July, they were unaware that they were being watched by German observers a mile away. The Germans heavily shelled the assembly area and communications trenches, causing hundreds of Australian and British casualties before the attack even started.

 

The assault began at 6 pm with three and a half hours of daylight remaining. The front line to the north of the ‘Sugar Loaf’ was on average 200 metres wide and the Australians quickly crossed no-man’s-land, seized the German front line, and then pushed on for 140 metres in search of a supposed third and last line of the German trench system.

 

No such line existed and the Australians began forming a thin disjointed series of posts in the intended position.

 

Other Australians attacked opposite the ‘Sugar Loaf’ where no-man’s-land was 400 metres wide. The Germans had survived the British shelling and quickly manned their machine guns.

 

Within 15 minutes they had decimated the attacking waves of Australians, forcing the survivors to find shelter. British troops attacking south of the ‘Sugar Loaf’ suffered a similar fate and made no progress.

 

The British planned a second attempt to capture the ‘Sugar Loaf’ salient and asked the Australians for help. This plan was cancelled but the news arrived too late to stop the Australians mounting another attack with equally disastrous results.

 

The next morning the Australians that had breached the enemy’s lines were forced to withdraw to their own lines. The Australians suffered 5,533 casualties in one night, the worst 24 hours in Australia’s military history. Many fell victim to German machine-guns.

 

The Australian toll at Fromelles was equivalent to the total Australian casualties in the Boer War, Korean War and Vietnam War put together. It was a staggering disaster that had no redeeming tactical justification whatsoever. It was, in the words of a senior participant, Brigadier General H.E. “Pompey” Elliott, a “tactical abortion”.

 

Note of Interest:   It seems that Adolf Hitler, then a corporal in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment, was present at the battle.

 

2.3          Award of the Military Cross

For outstanding gallantry at Fromelles, in attending to wounded troops while under heavy enemy fire, Charles was awarded the Military Cross (London Gazette 26/9/16). His award citation reads:

 

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in action. He tended the wounded throughout and for many hours after the action. He was frequently under heavy fire but carried on quite regardless of personal danger.

 

 

2.4          Post-Fromelles

Following the Battle of Fromelles, the 53rd spent the freezing winter of 1916-17 rotating in and out of trenches in the Somme Valley.

 

In March 1917, the 53rd participated in the advance that followed the German’s tactical withdrawal back to the Hindenburg Line.

 

Just prior to this move, the battalion had earned the nickname "the Whale Oil Guards" after the CO, Lieutenant Colonel Oswald Croshaw, ordered the troops to polish their helmets with whale oil (issued to rub into feet as a trench foot preventative) for a smart turn out on parade.

 

Trench Foot led to a high number of medical evacuations of troops. To minimize the chances of contacting Trench Foot, the men were ordered to change into dry socks as often as possible, and to grease their feet with whale oil at least once a day.

 

Untreated, trench foot causes the feet to swell and go numb and then the skin would start to turn red or blue, which can rapidly result in gangrene, which often resulted in amputations.

 

It would be surprising, if as the Battalion Medical Officer, that Charles did not take a dim view of the waste of this valuable preventative, and thus it is possible that he made some incautious comment, which resulting in a degree of animosity towards him by Lt Col. Croshaw?

 

If indeed Lt Col. Croshaw had been ‘wounded’ by any such an incautious comment, then this could explain why on 19th March 1917, and clearly with minimal merit, Lt Col Croshaw charged Charles with ‘Drunkenness, when on active service’ - shades of The Light Brigade movie, ‘Black Bottle’ scene!

 

 

2.5          Charles’s Court Martial, and Subsequent Transfer

Rather than receive a disciplinary judgement from Lt Col. Croshaw, Charles instead made application for trial by Court Martial, which was a high-risk decision, for being found guilty by a Court Martial generally carried a very heavy penalty indeed.

 

The Court Martial was convened in the field on 23rd March 1917, with the president of the Court being Lt Col. R. A. Scott (56th Bn), and the other court members were: Major C. Lawson (54th Bn) and Capt. C.R. Lucas (56th Bn). After reviewing all evidence and hearing multiple witness statements, the court brought down a verdict of Not Guilty.

 

Despite this, on 31st March 1917, due either to a request from Charles, or by Lt Col. Croshaw, Charles was transferred out of the 53rd battalion.

 

Initially Charles was posted to the Aust. 15th Field Ambulance.

 

On 19th April 1917 he was posted to the Australian 9th Training Battalion, at Parkhouse Camp, England.

 

Charles was to remain in AIF Training Depots in England for the next 18 months, whereupon on 12th October 1918, he was again transferred to France, being posted initially to the 3rd Australian General Hospital, and then a few days later, to the 14th Australian Field Ambulance.

 

On 26th October 1918, Charles was temporarily attached back to the 14th Brigade, to the 56th Battalion, which was at this time, resting out of the line.

 

Charles was still with the 56th Bn on 11/11/1918, when the Armistice was declared.

 

It was also on Armistice Day 1918, that Charles also received promotion to the rank of Major.

 

It might be remembered that at Charles’s Court Martial, members of the court were drawn from officers from the 54th & 56th battalions, indicating that the battalions of the 14th Brigade were usually in close proximity to each other.

 

One might think that Charles’s return to the 14th Brigade might have been the cause of some awkwardness, however this was not the case, for during the preceding September,  Lt Col Croshaw had been killed in action.

 

On 29th November 1918, Charles was again temporarily transferred, this time to an ‘Advanced Billeting Party’, and then on 13th December 1918 to the Australian 32nd Infantry Battalion.

 

Finally, on 14th January 1919, Charles embarked aboard the ‘City of York’, bound for Australia, arrived in Sydney on 12th March 1919.

 

Although Charles’s service record states that on 6th of June he was officially discharged from the AIF, in all likelihood he returned to civilian life within days after arrival back in Sydney.

 

 

2.6          Finding Charles’s Military Cross, and Mention of a possible Bar to the MC

The Military Cross

In 2009 a group of four WW1 medals were found discarded in a cardboard box of rubbish.  One of the medals was a Military Cross, and the other three were the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal (1914-1918) and the British Victory Medal.

 

It was immediately apparent that the campaign medals were replicas, and indeed clearly stamped on the rear of the 1914-15 Star the word “COPY”. Naturally, it was initially believed that the Military Cross was likewise a replica. Despite being cheap replicas, because of what they represented, the group was rescued from the trash.

 

It was not until some years later that it was noticed that the Military Cross appeared to have some engraving on the rear. Upon unstitching the court-mounting ribbon to allow better inspection, if was found that engraved on the rear was:            MAJOR C. COSGROVE    

             A.M.C  ,  A.I.F.

 

Upon close inspection, it was now considered that this Military Cross was in fact genuine, for the following reasons.

·         Replica MC’s are generally of lesser quality than the genuine, and have several small but distinct differences from genuine MC’s.

·         This MC is of fine quality, and had none of the tell-tale replica signs.

·         The engraving on the rear is of the “old school” Hammer & Chisel hand style, which although still possible to have done today, is can be difficult to find an artisan to do such, and it is far more costly than modern machine engraving.

·         It seems highly unlikely someone would go to the cost & trouble of having a relatively low-cost replica expensively engraved.

 

After receiving advice further advice that the MC appeared genuine, efforts were immediately made to try and trace decedents of Major Cosgrove, with the aim of returning the MC to a family member.

 

Disappointingly, these original efforts were not successful, and the MC was retained in safe-keeping with the hope that one day, a breakthrough might be made.

 

A further ten years were to pass before, upon hearing of the Cosgrove MC, an experienced researcher offered his assistance to try and trace a family member. The researcher was able to establish that Charles Cosgrove had four children, three boys and one girl.

 

However, due to a marriage breakdown in the mid 1920’s, the two youngest children remained in Australia with their mother, whilst the two eldest boys went to live with their father, who had decided to return to medical practice in the UK.

 

It was eventually established that the two eldest boys never returned to Australia, and through the natural course of events, both eventually died in the UK.

 

Because of marriage surname changes, and restrictions in accessing contemporary ‘Birth, Death & Marriage’ records, it was not possible to locate any descendants of Charles’s daughter.

 

It is known that Charles’s youngest son remained in Australia eventually married and had one child, however despite concerted effort, tracing descendants of this line could not be progressed past 1980.

 

Having exhausted all avenues of inquiry in locating a direct-line descendant, efforts were then turned to trying to identify the next closest possible living relative, down the family-line of Charles’s uncle (Thomas Cosgrove, 1835-1902).

 

The result of these efforts, it that eventually contact was made with the closest identifiable living relative, this being the grandson of Charles’s cousin, John Nerus Cosgrove.

 

By pure chance, this person was themselves a recipient of a Military Cross, served for many year in the Australian army, and thus had full appreciation of the significance of the Battle of Fromelles to Australian military history.

 

Upon learning of Charles’s MC, this person agreed to accept the MC on a stewardship basis, for safe-keeping on behalf of the of the Cosgrove family.

 

 

How did the MC become Lost?

During the course writing this story, the question has naturally arisen - how did Charles’s Military Cross came to be separated from the Cosgrove family, and what happened to his other medals?

 

Due to the passage of years, it is now impossible to provide an accurate answer, however the following should be considered a strong possibility.

 

Regrettably, in years past, it was not an uncommon practice for families to split apart a deceased recipient’s medal group, in-order to share the medals amongst the deceased’s children.

 

Had only one of Charles’s children inherited the intact medal group, and regardless of the reason the group eventually left the family, the group would have likely remained (and thus been found) intact.

 

As the whereabouts of Charles’s other medals remains a mystery, this increases the likelihood that Charles’s four medals were in fact split, and distributed equally amongst his four children.

 

When medals from a split-group are passed down to successive generations, they tend to eventually lose their significance. This is particularly so when passed down to a female line, where because of marriage surname changes, such results in diminishing connection with the original recipient.

 

If the MC was passed down through sequential female lines, the Cosgrove ‘name-connection’ could have eventually been entirely lost (especially so, if the wife pre-deceased her husband), thus resulting in the MC being finally sold or otherwise disposed of.

 

At this point in time, it is unknown if the MC being found mounted with replicas of the correct campaign medal entitlements for Major Charles Cosgrove was simply a coincidence, or otherwise!

 

Mention of possible Bar to the Military Cross

Intriguingly, a number of newspaper articles have been located in which there is announced that Capt. Charles Cosgrove had been awarded a Bar to his Military Cross.

 

A search was made of the London Gazette but no mention could be found of Charles being awarded a bar to his MC.

 

There can be only three possible explanations:

1. Search of London Gazette records was not sufficiently thorough.  

2. The Bar was awarded but not Gazetted.   

3. The newspaper reports are not accurate.

 

As it seems highly unlikely award of a MC Bar was not gazetted, above explanations 1 & 3 seem the most likely.

 

The writer issues the challenge to others to now prove, or disprove the matter.

 

 

3.      Family’s Origins

 

3.1          Irish Origins

It is a truism to say that it is not possible to know how far a person has come, unless it is first known from where they started.  So, in providing this account of the life of Dr. Charles Cosgrove MC, it is worth taking a look at the people and events that would have had an influence upon him.

 

3.2 Thomas Cosgrove     1806 – 1864        -              Charles’s Grandfather

Thomas Cosgrove was born in 1806 in Kilskeery, County Tyrone, Ireland, and in 1831, married Maria Blakely in 1831, at Kilskeery.

 

During their marriage, Thomas Snr and his wife Maria had a total of eight children, who were:

 

·         John Joseph                       Born on 14th February 1831 in Ireland. He married Rosanna O'Hara

on 28th December 1852 in Wollongong, NSW. They had three children during their marriage. He died as a young father on 6th June 1862 in QLD, at the age of 31.

·         James                                   Born on 12th March 1833 in Ireland. He married Margaret Mary

Bruton on 30th January 1860 in Parramatta, NSW. They had 12 children. He died on 10th November 1902 in Marrickville, NSW, at the age of 69.

·         Thomas                                Born on 8th February 1835 in Ireland. He married Ellen Condon on

18th December 1857 in Shellharbour, NSW. They had 11 children.

He died on 23rd December 1902 in Kalgoorlie, WA, at the age of 67.

·         Patrick                                  Born in 1836 in Ireland. He died as a child in 1842 in NSW.

·         William Irving                    Born on 15th September 1842 in Wollongong, NSW. He married

Nora Maud Hourigan on 28th September 1872 in Sutton Forest, NSW. They had five children. He died on 19th November 1917 in Sydney, NSW, at age of 75 years.

·         Anne Maria                         Born on 4th August 1844 in Wollongong, NSW. She married Patrick

Kevin Downey on 5 July 1873 in Parramatta, NSW. They had five children. She died in 1927 in VIC at the age of 83, and was buried in Fawkner, Victoria.

·         Samuel Austin                   Born on 22nd June 1846 in Wollongong, NSW. He married Ellen

O'Keefe on 25th November 1876 in Balmain, NSW. They had two children during their marriage.

·         Mary Jane                           Born on 21st September 1849 in Wollongong, NSW. She married

Joseph Aloysius Guilfoyle on 28th November 1872 in Waverley, NSW. They had nine children. She died on 5th February 1918 in Tatura, VIC, at the age of 68.

 

Note of Interest

As Thomas and Maria’s third son was also named Thomas, and will shortly be mentioned numerous times, to save confusion, from this point onwards he will now be referred to as Thomas Jnr.

 

Immediately prior to marrying Maria, Thomas Snr. served as a Private with the 89th Regiment of Foot, from 1822 to 1830. During this period the regiment was based in India, and was actively involved in the 1st Anglo-Burmese War of 1824-1826.

 

It is family lore that while serving in this campaign, Thomas received a bullet wound to the elbow, which is what led to his discharge from the British army.

 

In 1841 Thomas, accompanied by his wife and four children emigrated to Australia, arriving at Sydney in 1841 aboard the sailing ship ‘Herald’.

 

Soon after their arrival, Thomas Cosgrove Snr established his family in the Shellharbour region of NSW, which is just south of Sydney.

 

For many years Thomas ran a variety of successful enterprises in the region, which included being a hotel licensee. Tomas, died at Shellharbour in 1864, and was buried there.

 

Around the 1870’s, the eldest son of Thomas & Maria, Tom Jnr. (1835-1902) built a house at Sutton Forest (NSW).  This house (pictured – above-right) still stands, and today is operated as a restaurant.

 

Note of Interest

Sutton Forest is later mentioned as the birthplace of a number of the Thomas Jnr’s children, it is possible they were born in this very house!

 

 

3.3          William Irving Cosgrove     1842-1917       -              Charles’s Father     

Was born on 15th September 1842 in Wollongong, NSW. He married Nora Maud Hourigan (1845-1920) on 28 September 1872 in Sutton Forest, NSW, and together they had the following five children.

·         Hilda Mary Pearl               Born on 7th December 1873 in Sydney, She married William Henry

Weston MD, DDS, in 1904 in Sydney. She died on 10th April 1942 in Sydney, at the age of 68.

·         Nellie Mabel                       Born on 22nd January 1875 in Sydney. She married John Thomas

Toohey on 27th September 1899 in Sydney. She died on 29 August 1949, at the age of 74, in Sydney and was buried there.

·         Muriel A.                              Born on 8th November 1879 in Sydney. She married Arthur Henry

Davies in 1904 in Sydney. They had one child during their marriage. She died in 1951 in Sydney, at the age of 72, and was buried there.

·         Charles Augustus              Born on 29th October 1885 in Sydney. He married Mary Frances

Toohey on January 23rd 1909 in London. They had four children during their marriage. He died in January 1947 in Sydney at the age of 61, and was buried there.

·         John ’Jack’ Irving               Born on 29 December 1887 in Sydney. He married and had one step-

daughter. He died on 30 May 1921 in USA at the age of 33, and was buried in San Francisco, California, USA.

 

As has been previously mentioned, following his return to NSW, and funded by his profitable WA goldfields enterprises, Will Cosgrove commenced to wisely investing in real estate, and made a great deal of money doing such.

 

In addition to Will having been an astute businessman, he was also an enthusiastic sportsman. These aspects of his character being mention in the following 1917 Sydney newspaper notifications of his death.

 

Sydney Morning Herald 22nd Nov 1917.

Mr. William Irving Cosgrove, who died recently at his residence, "Purfleet," Billyard Avenue, Elizabeth Bay, after a long and painful illness, at the age of 76, was an ardent sports man, and up to the time of his illness was looked on as one of the best amateur shots in New South Wales………..With the death at the age of 76 of Mr. William Irvine Cosgrove a familiar figure passes from our ken. He was amongst the well-known sportsmen of this State in the early days. He owned race horses and was a crack rifle shot.

……………..Gradually the human links with the picturesque past are snapping. With the death at the age of 76 of Mr. William Irvine Cosgrove a familiar figure passes from our ken. He was amongst the well-known sportsmen of this State in the early days. He owned race horses and was a crack rifle shot. Two of his sons, each with the rank of captain, are at the war, and one of them has won the Military Cross. Mr. Cosgrove left a widow, and amongst his near relatives are Mrs. J. T. Toohey, Mrs. Weston, wife of Dr. Weston, and Mrs. Arthur H. Davies.

 

As seems often the case with long-term couples, William’s wife Nora passed away soon after Will’s death, notably almost exactly two years to the day after Will’s passing -  25th November1920.

 

Sydney & Purfleet

As a result of Will’s business acumen, his children enjoyed privileged childhoods, growing up in the family’s very comfortable home “Purfleet”, that was (and remains) located at 26 Billyard Avenue, Elizabeth Bay.

 

The advantages to the children in growing up at Purfleet, should not be underestimated for it allowed Will’s two boys to go to very good schools, which in turn undoubtedly aided in Charles going on to become a medical doctor, his younger brother John, a dentist.

 

Growing up at Purfleet also enabled the girls to mix in the ‘right circles’, with the result that all the girls married ‘very well’.

 

As Purfleet clearly had such an important influence on the lives of Will & Nora’s children, and from a purely historical interest perspective, a description of the home and it surrounds is provided.  ‘Purfleet’ stood (and still stands today!) what was once part of the highly impressive ‘Elizabeth Bay House ’ which was surrounded by a 54 acre estate.

 

Elizabeth Bay House was constructed in 1839 by the then NSW Colonial Secretary, Alexander Macleay, a noted amateur entomologist.

 

Elizabeth Bay had been the site of a fishing village established c. 1815 by Governor Macquarie for a composite group of Cadigal people - the indigenous inhabitants of the area surrounding Sydney Harbour - under the leadership of Bungaree (d. 1830).

 

However soon after Macleay’s 1826 arrival in the colony, Governor Darling granted him 22 hectares (54 acres) at Elizabeth Bay, which had commanding views of Sydney Harbour.

 

Although it was normal for grants of land to be made to prominent citizens in the colony, Macleay's grant generated some heated editorials in Sydney's newspapers, for it involved the alienation of public land, the former Aboriginal settlement of Elizabeth Town, and a site earmarked for an asylum.

 

In 1826 Macleay set about improving the site, using assigned convict labour. He employed his horticultural expertise, assisted from the late 1820s by gardener Robert Henderson, to establish a private botanic garden with picturesque features of dwarf stone walls, rustic bridges, and winding gravel walks. This was amid the existing native vegetation.

 

As a result of this, newspaper reports about the grant eventually changed from criticism to praise. This can demonstrated by the following extract from a May 1831 edition of The Sydney Gazette which enthusiastically reports improvements at Woolloomooloo Hill (Potts Point) and Macleay's neighboring estate at Elizabeth Bay…….."5 years ago the coast immediately eastward of Sydney was a mass of cold and hopeless sterility, which its stunted and unsightly bushes seemed only to render the more palpable; it is now traversed by an elegant carriage road and picturesque walks”.

 

The garden became known internationally through the letters and published accounts of local naturalists and visiting scientific expeditions, and another report states………..”The drive to the house is cut through rocks covered with splendid wild shrubs and flowers of this country, and here and there an immense primeval tree In this garden are the plants of every climate - flowers and trees from Rio, the West Indies, and even England. The bulbs from the Cape (of Good Hope) are splendid - you would not believe how beautiful the roses are here - Mr Macleay has also an immense collection from New Zealand”.

 

Although plans for ‘Elizabeth Bay House” were in hand from 1832, construction did not commence until 1835, with the house being finally finished in 1839.

 

Sadly, within a couple of decades, the Macleay family ran into financial difficulties which necessitated them selling-off portion of the estate, which resulted in a series of sub-divisions. The first took place, 1865, followed by further sub-divisions in 1875, and 1882.

 

By 1891, the 22-hectare estate had shrunk to 7.5 hectares through these successive subdivisions.

 

Members of the Macleay family occupied Elizabeth Bay House until 1903, and in 1927 the remainder of the land around the house was sold. In this final division the kitchen wing at the rear of the house was demolished to allow an access road for allotments behind the house.

 

In 1898 or 1899, when Will Cosgrove purchased ‘Purfleet’, Elizabeth Bay was a very well-to-do suburb, with only large single family ‘estates’, however, following the 1927 sub-division the character of the area began to gradually change with the construction of increasing numbers of multiple-dwelling flats. By 1934 the then ‘vacant’ Elizabeth House and eleven lots remained unsold due to the depression.

 

Artists squatted in the then house until 1935 when it was purchased, renovated and refurbished as a reception house. Five years later the house was again altered to accommodate fifteen flats.

 

3.4          Thomas  Cosgrove           1835-1902            -              Charles’s Uncle     

Was born on 8 February 1835 in Ireland. He married Ellen Condon on 18th December 1857 in Shellharbour, New South Wales. They had 11 children. He died on 23rd December 1902 in Kalgoorlie, (Mount Credo Gold Mine, Black Flag) Western Australia, at the age of 67.

 

During their marriage, Thomas Jnr and his wife Ellen had the following children.

·         Mary Cosgrove                                  Born (together with her twin sister Isadora) on 2nd September

1858 in Shellharbour, NSW, and died the same day.

·         Isadora                                                 Born on 2nd September 1858 in Shellharbour, New South

Wales, and died the same day.

·         James Francis                                     Born in 1860 in Shellharbour, NSW. He married Elizabeth

Bennett and they had two children together. He then married Mary Agnes O'Leary and they had two children together. He died on 29th November 1904 in Sydney, New South Wales, at the age of 44, and was buried in Waverley.

·         Agnes                                                    Born on 27th October 1861 in Shellharbour, NSW. She died

in November 186, at Shellharbour.

·         Ann                                                        Born on 22nd January 1863 in Kiama, NSW. She married

John McCarty on 24th May 1881 in Sydney, NSW. They had eight children. She died on 8th September 1936 at the age of 73, and was buried in Lidcombe, NSW.

·         Thomas William                                Born on 17th July 1865 in Shellharbour, NSW. He died on

24th January 1936 in Sydney, at the age of 70.

·         John Nereus                                       Born on 12TH May 1867 in Shellharbour, NSW. He was

married three times and had two sons and four daughters. He died on 8TH August 1925 in Sydney, at the age of 58, and was buried in Waverley.

·         Ludovina V.                                         Born on 18th June 1869 in Shellharbour, NSW. She married

William Duggan on 29th September 1890 in Randwick, NSW. They had six children. She died on 4th April 1953 in Randwick, at the age of 83, and was buried in the Waverley Cemetery.

·         Mary Jane                                           Born on 31st July 1870 in Shellharbour, NSW. She married

Edwin Gibbins Rudd on 30th November 1891 in Randwick, NSW. They had eight children. She died on 2nd May 1958 in Sydney, at the age of 87, and was buried there.

·         Ellen Maud                                         Born on 8th December 1872 in Sutton Forest, NSW. She

married James Francis Keon in 1895 in Randwick, NSW. They had three children. She died in 1934 at the age of 62, and was buried in Sydney.

·         Thomas Ambrose                             Born on 22nd November 1875 in Sutton Forest, NSW. He

married Mary Elizabeth Hassall in 1915. He died on 22nd January 1938 in Sydney at the age of 62, and was buried there.

 

3.5          Tom & Will on the WA Goldfields

In the late 1800’s, Tom Jnr and his younger brother William (1842-1917), moved to the Western Australia gold fields, where at Coolgardie, and later Kalgoorlie, they operated a highly successful horse & cattle auctioneering business.

 

Following are extracts from a book titled ‘The Flying Cosgroves” written by the Great Granddaughter of Tom Cosgrove Jnr, Jenny Rudd O’Neill. The book is a compilation of nine years of her research on her Cosgrove ancestors.

 

…….On the wall of the tourist information office and museum in Coolgardie, there is a large panorama showing the town as it was in the 1890’s. There towards the front, is the premises of Cosgrove and Mitchell. This was Tom Cosgrove’s auctioneering business.

 

…….He later moved to premises in Bayley Street. His brother, William Irving Cosgrove, already had a stock and share broking business and auctioneer mart in Bayley Street near where it joins Ford Street, next to the Mutual Stores.

…….These building were burnt down in the great Coolgardie fire of 1897. Today a historical marker with a photograph of the building marked “W. I. Cosgrove, Stock and Station Agent”, is all that remains of Wills business.

…….Both brothers also had business in Kalgoorlie in the 1890’s. They auctioned cattle, camels, horses and just about anything anyone cared to give them. Disillusioned diggers always brought their equipment to be auctioned before they left for home.

 

…….One character, know as Arizona Bill even brought an antique silver pistol – he was supposed to be using it in a duel against Captain Bennet, but decided to cash in the pistol and drink the proceeds instead.

 

…….Tom claimed to have walked from Perth to the Eastern Goldfields in the 1890’s. Whether or not it was true, his family never knew. After all, he was Irish and they’re not ones to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

 

…….Will Cosgrove made money, returned to Sydney and shrewdly invested in property in the Eastern Suburbs, but Tom never returned. He dropped dead from a heart attack on Dec 23rd 1902 at a pub near Broad Arrow. His death certificate says that he died at Credo, which is a station near Broad Arrow. There was a coroners inquest held at Broad Arrow on the 29th December, the verdict was ‘Sudden death due to heart attack’.

 

…….On Christmas Day a funeral procession marched from the horse bazaar in Hannan Street to the cemetery where Tom was buried by Father Thomas Robinson. His decorative headstone, not far from the main entrance to the Kalgoorlie Cemetery, is lavish with Irish shamrocks and bears the inscription, ‘The ways of men are narrow, the gates of heaven, divinely wide’.

 

3.6          John Nerus Cosgrove     -              Charles’s Cousin

…….Tom’s son, John Cosgrove, was one of Australia’s well know actors in the last century. He also had connections in the Goldfields.

 

He spent two years there as a theatre manager, producing everything from tear jerking melodramas like ‘East Lynne’ to comedy and Shakespeare. Sometimes he wrote his own shows and they did well because successful  miners were looking for a good time and they had money to spend.

 

In Kalgoorlie the only theatre John could obtain was an open air section of the Tivoli wine saloon in Dugan Street. It was in an appalling condition but the publican was keen to see it in use, as it would bring in customers. So he offered John a five year lease for only a shilling a week.

 

John set to work and installed electric lights, enlarged the stage and put up a canvas roof. Unfortunately the roof wasn’t water tight and some patrons, in their beautiful evening clothes, got drenched if it rained.

 

As well as staging his own shows, John rented his theatre out to companies like J C Williamson. According to legend, he cunningly fixed a pipeline from his dressing room to the brewery close by. Visiting stars like, Tyrone Power and Edith Crane, could not believe it when they saw that John had a tap in his dressing room that ran beer.  

 

Once John was amazed when an ex-priest called Slattery whom he had known in Melbourne, turned up in the Goldfields to lecture on religion. John immediately gave a lecture himself on the immorality of the man.

 

A group of hefty miners in the audience, mostly Irish Catholic, organised a riot, wielding hurley sticks (a popular game then) and literally pulled the hall apart. Slattery was run out of town and John had a riot to quell at the end of the show.

 

John Cosgrove made a great deal of money but then lost most of it again, being too fond of drinking and gambling. He ran up so many debts he decided to leave West Australia secretly. His way of leaving was unusual to say the least. He persuaded a butcher to wrap him up to look like a side of beef then had a friend hoist him up over the side of a ship bound for Sydney.

 

Of his time in the Goldfields John later wrote, ‘they were rough days, but full of excitement, it was a mans’ life, and I enjoyed it’.

 

Back in the East, John Cosgrove made a name for himself as a producer and actor in some of Australia’s earliest silent films. The most famous of these were ‘Silks and Saddles’ and ‘Sunshine Sally’ which have been re-done from nitrate and copies are now in the Canberra Film and Sound Archives.

 

John died of a heart attack in 1925. He was remembered in the ‘Bulletin’ on Aug 20th as a ‘stout and cheerful presence, familiar to theatre goers from Kalgoorlie to Cooktown …. a prince of green-room jesters and a very good actor withal’.

 

 

4.      Marriage to Mary (Molly) Toohey

On the 23rd of January 1909, less than six months after his arrival in the UK, the then 23 year old Charles married 20 year old Mary Frances Toohey (Born Sydney, NSW, 11th May 1889), in London.

 

Briefly mentioned previously is that in 1899, Charles’s older sister Nellie married a John Thomas Toohey. It just so happens that this John Toohey (1874-1932) was the older brother of Charles’s bride, Mary Frances Toohey.

 

This means that Charles and Mary did not just meet by chance for the first time in in 1909 in London, but had indeed previously known each other for some years.

 

It is probably that the first time they met was ten years earlier, at Nellie & John’s 1899 wedding, when Charles would have then been 14 years old, and Mary 10 years old.

 

Undoubtedly Charles & Mary would have met each other at family gatherings numerous times subsequent to Nellie & John’s marriage. There is equally little doubt that a tall, good looking and intelligent Charles would have seemed a highly attractive prospect to a young girl such as Mary.

 

Given Charles’s apparent studious & serious nature, it seems improbable that he would have asked Mary to come to London to marry him whilst he was still heavily focused on medical studies.

 

It therefore seems more likely that Mary decided to take the initiative to travel to the UK, for the express purpose of marrying Charles, before he might become involved with someone else, and so, on January 23rd 1909 they were married at the London Registry office.

Prior to their return to Australia in 1914, Charles & Mary had two children together, these being Willian and James. Throughout their marriage, they had the following four children:

·         William Charles      Born 1911, Scotland.

·         James Irving            Born on 19th November 1913, UK

·         Colin (Richard?)      Born 4th December 1919, Sydney, AUST.

·         Mary (Molly)           Born January 1922, England.

 

 

5.      Post WW1 Life

5.1          Return to Australia, and Sydney Medical Practice

Following his return to Australia, Charles settled back in to civilian life with his wife and two boys, recommenced medical practice in Sydney, and in December 1919, Charles & Mary’s third son Colin was born.

 

As it appears that things were going smoothly on the domestic front, it must have come as a shock to Charles when in 1921 Mary insisted on taking a trip to England with the three children, saying that she wanted a change after living in Sydney during the war.

 

Due to receiving a large inheritance from her father’s estate, Mary was financially independent and thus had the means to travel whenever and wherever she wished, and so together with her three boys, she promptly boarded a ship and sailed for the UK……without Charles!

 

This is appears to be the first obvious indication that Charles & Mary’s marriage was in trouble.

5.2          Marriage Breakdown

After being able to close-down his Sydney medical practice, in 1922 Charles sailed to the UK to re-join his wife, three boys, and recently UK born (January 1922) Mary (Molly), in London.

 

It must have soon become apparent to Charles that Mary had no intention of returning to Australia any time soon, for he soon began practicing medicine again in London.

Sadly, the marriage broke down irrecoverably in 1924, when Charles found a letter written to Mary by another man, resulting in a serious quarrel and Charles moving out of the family home.

 

5.3          Mary Returns to Australia with Youngest Children

Shortly after this Mary decided that she did (after all) wish to return to Australia, and did exactly that, taking with her the two youngest children, but leaving the elder boys in the care of Charles.

 

Officially Charles and Mary remained married however following reports of Mary having formed a romantic relationship with a young writer in Sydney, in the early 1930’s Charles initiated divorce proceedings.

 

Remember all the prizes Charles won at school for ‘Christian Doctrine’, it can be reasonably assumed that he was a fairly devout Catholic.

Divorce during the 1930’s was widely considered a very shameful thing, especially among Catholics.

 

Given the social standing of both Charles & Mary, their divorce case made sensational news which was extensively written about by Sydney newspapers;

 

It takes little imagination to appreciate how upsetting this would have been for both Mary & Charles.

 

Whilst embarrassment might well have been a factor in the reason Charles did not return to Australia for many years, during the divorce proceedings he stated that it had never been his intention to remain permanently in England, but did so to supervise the education of the two eldest boys.

 

Yet another emotionally devastating blow for Mary in 1932 (which no doubt resulted further social embarrassment), was the suicide of her brother John Toohey, who at the time was Vice-Chairman on the Board of Directors of Toohey Breweries Ltd. During these times, suicide was considered by Catholics to be a mortal sin.

 

Demonstrated by the following newspaper articles, until at least May 1945, Mary continued to live in Sydney, did not re-marry, nor following the divorce revert to her maiden name of Toohey, but retained the Cosgrove surname.

 

Queensland Times (Ipswich), 8th June 1934

Result of the No. 2 Grand Centenary Golden Casket Art Union (sic. lottery) – 5th Prize, £1000, Mrs. M. F. Cosgrove, 2 Roslyn Road, Roslyn Garden, Sydney

 
The Sun (Sydney) 23rd March 1938
By cable from London comes the news of the engagement of Mr. James Irving Cosgrove, son of Dr. Charles Cosgrove, who is now practising in London, and of Mrs. Cosgrove of Sydney, to Miss Gwendoline Rushton, youngest daughter of Mr. George Rushton, of Maidenhead, England.

 

The Sun (Sydney), 22nd May 1938

Sign of Zodiac Decorates Cake

Because she is an ardent student of astrology, Taurus the Bull, symbolical of the month in which she was born, decorated the top tier of the large birthday cake, at a farewell and Birthday party, given oy Mrs. M. F. Cosgrove, at Elizabeth Bay House last night. Mrs. Cosgrove, who was assisted in entertaining by her daughter, Miss Molly Cosgrove, wore an American model of black and silver metal-run satin, with a matching cape. Her daughter chose a youthful frock of nattier blue and white taffeta. Mrs. Cosgrove and her daughter will leave early in August for England, where they will remain for some time.

 

Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 24th April 1942, POW Postcard
Delayed In Transit….”WELL and Happy” was the message received by card yesterday by Mrs. M. F. Cosgrove from her son, Sergeant James Irving Cosgrove, who has been a prisoner of war for the past year.

Sergeant Cosgrove is in a prisoners of war camp at Sulmona, Abruzzl, Italy, and the card was mailed to Mrs. Cosgrove on December 26 last year.

 

Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 17th May 1945

Wonderful news for Mrs. M. F. Cosgrove of Byron Hall, this week — a cable from her son, Sgt. James Irving Cosgrove, back in England with his wife after years in a German P.O.W. camp. His wife is an English girl, to whom he was married only a short while before he went to Libya, where he was taken prisoner.

 

5.4          Charles Returns to Sydney, and 1947 Death

The March 1942 newspaper announcement of the engagement of his youngest son Colin to Miss Patricia Locke (next page), shows that Charles remained in England well beyond the intended  completion of the education of his two eldest boys. However, by 1947 Charles has returned to Sydney, for it is recorded that he died there on 27th November  1947, and was buried at South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, Sydney.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 3rd December 1947

In the Estate of CHARLES AUGUSTUS COSGROVE late of Sydney, in the State of New South Wales, Medical Practitioner deceased. Intestate Application will be made after 14 days from the publication hereof that Administration of the Estate of the abovenamed deceased may be granted to Colin Cosgrove a son of the deceased and all notices may be served to the under mentioned address All creditors in the Estate of the said deceased are hereby required to send in particulars of their claims to the undersigned And further take notice that application will be made that the usual Administration Bond may be dispensed with THOMAS JOSEPH PURCELL, Proctor for the Administrator 66 King Street, Sydney NSW.

 

5.5          Charles & Mary’s youngest Son, and Grandson

In March 1942, Charles & Mary’s youngest son Colin became engaged to a Miss Patricia Joan Locke, and that they were married later that same year, in Melbourne.

 

 Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 16th March 1942

THE engagement is announced of Miss Patricia Locke, only daughter of Major-General and Mrs. W. J. M. Locke, of St. Kilda, Melbourne, and Mr. Colin Cosgrove, younger son of Dr. C. Cosgrove, of London, and of Mrs. Mary Cosgrove, of Potts Point. Miss Locke is well known in Sydney, where she lived until recently, when she went to Melbourne with her parents, after her father was given command of the 2nd Cavalry Division in Victoria.

 

The Daily Telegraph Sydney (Sydney) 19th November 1942

MARRIED IN MELBOURNE

Captain Bert Oldfield, A.I.F., former international cricketer, proposed the toast of the bride and bridegroom at the reception held after the wedding of Miss Patricia Locke with Sergeant Colin Cosgrove, R.A.A.F., at St. Mary's Church, St. Kilda, Melbourne. The bride is the only daughter of Major-General and Mrs. J. Locke, of 8 Charlotte Place, St. Kilda, and the bridegroom is the third son of Mrs. M. Cosgrove, of Byron Hall, Macleay Street, Sydney. Mrs. E. Nolan was matron of honor and Sergeant W. Nolan, A.I.F., best man. The reception was held at the Grosvenor.

 

During WW2, Colin served in the RAAF (Service No. 66079), and at the time of his discharge (22nd June 1945) he held the rank of Flight-Sergeant, and was posted to the No. 1 Wireless & Gunnery School, at Ballarat.

 

Confusingly, Colin’s service record summary states that when he enlisted on 14th June 1942, his ‘Locality of  Enlistment’ is records as Potts Point (which makes sense). However, the summary goes on to state that his place of enlistment was Tamworth. Without being able to access his full record, which is not presently available on-line, a possible explanation is that he initially enlisted part-time in the RAAF reserve, and while training at RAAF Tamworth decided to enlist full-time. 

 

On 1st December 1947, Colin‘s wife Patricia gave birth to a son at the King George V Hospital (Melbourne), whom they named Christopher.

 

5.6          Charles & Mary’s Daughter, Mrs. Molly Truby

Little is known Charles & Mary’s youngest child Mary (also aka Molly) Cosgrove other than in 1939 she attended finishing school in Switzerland, and in 1952, her engagement to marry an Edgar Truby (of Singapore & London) was announced.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 5th January 1939

Finishing School Abroad.

Mrs. M. F. Cosgrove, of Byron Hall, Macleay Street, and her daughter, Miss Mollie Cosgrove, and son. Mr. Colin Cosgrove, will sail for England by the Oronsay on February 11. Miss Mollie Cosgrove will go to Switzerland to a finishing school. Mrs. Cosgrove will visit her elder- son, Mr. Irving Cosgrove, who was re-cently married in London to Miss Gwen Rushton. They are at present spending their honeymoon in Paris, and their home will be at Osterley, in the south of England.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 25th March 1952

TRUBY—COSGROVE

The Engagement is announced of Mary Cosgrove, daughter of Mrs. M. F. Cosgrove, Byron Hall, Macleay Street, Potts Point, to Edgar L. Truby of Singapore and London.

 

5.7          Charles & Mary’s Two Elder Sons, William & James

Nothing further is known about Charles & Mary’s eldest son William, other than he remained in the UK, and eventually died in Hertfordshire, England.

 

Apart from the newspaper articles announcing his engagement, & POW news, the only other facts currently known about James Irving Cosgrove, is that he died in 1996, and was buried in West Wittering, Sussex, England.

 

-ooOoo-

 

 

 

Enlisted and served under Charles Cosgove

Military Cross

'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in action. He tended the wounded throughout and for many hours after the action. He was frequently under heavy fire, but carried on quite regardless of personal danger.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 184
Date: 14 December 1916