Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Lindsay was the third son of Richard Henry and Abi Jean Siviour. He was born in the New South Wales town of Holbrook on the 19th January, 1915. His siblings included Cephas Clyde, Donald Geoffrey, Doriel Clementine, Jennie Laurel and Erol Norman. He was the third generation of the family to live and farm on the Eyre Peninsula. His grandfather, (also called Richard Henry) was a pioneering settler in the area in 1903 with two of his sons. Richard Snr. was instrumental in developing the community, becoming a member of the Tumby Bay District Council, before eventually retiring to Adelaide. That same sense of duty was evident in his son, Richard Jnr who, as a 20-year-old enlisted in January 1902 to serve in the Boer War as Private 996 in the 2nd Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse Division.
The family lived at Murdinga, a strong farming community with a convenient local railway for transport of grain and sheep. Lindsay was a regular school attendee at Crystal Brook, being awarded a prize at the end of the ’24 school year. He also was an enthusiastic student, awarded a prize for his Monte Carlo one step with his partner, Margaret Steadman in the school ‘Frolic’ designed to raise much needed funds.

Lindsay was also a participant in the Wellington Road Home Project Club, with the results reported in the Chronicle of March ’35. He chose a joint project with his father, who was planning to purchase a cow. Lindsay suggested they go shares, purchasing a Jersey for £10 and shared that “together we built a shed which cost £10/6. We kept the cow in father's paddock at an estimated cost of 1/ weekly. The paddock is roughly one acre in area. The chaff for six months cost £1. I kept an account of all our receipts and expenses, and at the end of the year I found that we had made a profit of £4 11/6 on the project. Seeing that we had done well, we decided to keep the cow, which is now about three years old.” It was a particularly practical and useful assignment. Inevitably, Lindsay utilised his knowledge, following in his father’s footsteps in becoming a farmer.

With the outbreak of war, a huge recruitment drive was undertaken in country areas with the aim of attracting young, fit men to enlist. Lindsay’s older brother Don was an early enlistee at Port Lincoln on the 13th June ’40 and was allocated the number SX7186 in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. A year later, 26-year-old Lindsay enlisted at Lock on the 8th July ‘41 as SX13612 and by October, was allocated to the same 2/48th Battalion as Don. Lindsay was one of several country young men to enlist from the surrounding areas of Cummins, Poonindie, Cockaleechie, Tooligie, Elliston, Port Lincoln, Butler tanks but was the only enlistee from Murdinga.
On pre-embarkation leave, Lindsay and fellow enlistee, SX14127 Rob Kammermann were farewelled by the biggest crowd ever assembled in Tooligie Hall, visitors coming from Cummins, Lock and as far north as Pygery. Following speeches praising both young men, they were each presented with an inscribed wallet and woolens. Both men could have chosen not to enlist under the ‘reserved occupation’ category, but had not taken advantage of the exemption. Early in November ’41 Lindsay embarked for the Middle East, arriving in Dimra on the 24th November.
By January ’42 Lindsay was part of the Infantry Special Group, eventually re-joining the 2/48th Battalion in May. Early the following year he and the battalion were finally able to return home via Melbourne in February. Brief leave followed before training in the tropical conditions of Queensland followed, preparing the troops to face a very different enemy in New Guinea. Lindsay had only been in N.G. for two months when he contracted an unusually high temperature, (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin), spending several weeks in hospital over November ’43. Returning to Brisbane in February, Lindsay again developed a high temperature, which developed into an upper respiratory tract infection and malaria, treated in the local Cleve hospital. The locals were delighted to have Lindsay and a few other young men home on leave, organising a social for them in the Lock Hall. Unfortunately, by August ’44 Lindsay had further developed tendonitis and Achillies problems. The war had also affected his mental well-being, which all culminated in him being discharged as medically unfit in September.
Lindsay and Doris (Dorrie) Roberts of Peachna married on the 29th January ’47 in the Methodist manse at Port Lincoln. They were blessed with six children, Maurice, Shirley Anne, Noel, Phillip, Fay and Kym. Lindsay’s name became synonyms with the high quality of his entries in the annual Murdinga Hogget Competition in the early 60’s winning in three successive years, before coming second in the fourth year – by one point.
The family found time to travel to Coffin Bay for holidays, including successfully fishing for snapper. With time, the children became engaged and married, bringing the joy of an ever-growing circle of grandchildren.
The family were devastated by an horrific attack on 33-year-old Shirley in1985. She, her husband and a friend had been out snorkelling for scallops at Wiseman’s Beach when, within a matter of seconds, Shirley was brutally taken by a six-metre shark. Her loss to the family, her four children and the wider community was overwhelming.
Aged 77, Lindsay died on the 12th August 1992. He now rests in the RSL Happy Valley Cemetery at Port Lincoln, Row T. Plot 10 Nearby is his father’s plaque and that of his 72-year-old brother, Don who died in July ’84. Lindsay is also remembered in the Centennial Park Garden of Remembrance.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes, SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.