James Neville Ewart VERNEDE
Born 25 January 1892 in Madras Presidency, South India [16] [30: item 8397857]
Son of Archibald William Lunel VERNEDE and Edith Elizabeth Helena EWART [30] [171]
He was born in India, however was a British subject and had a French grandfather [30: item 8397857]
Departed from Colombo, Ceylon on the steamship Roon and arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia in March 1914 [338]
Farmhand in Winchester, Western Australia in 1915 [50]
His brother Charles William Ewart VERNEDE also worked in Winchester in 1915 [50]
Either his or his brother's horse Buncle tied to win the Hurry Scurry at the Picnic Races in Carnamah on 24 June 1915 [39: 7-Jul-1915]
Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) in Perth on 16 October 1915[30: item 8397857]
Upon enlistment he was 5 feet 7½ inches tall, weighed 125 pounds and had brown eyes, brown hair and a fresh complexion [30]
When he enlisted his distinctive marks included a scar on his right forearm and two scars on his right shoulder blade [30]
After training at Blackboy Hill he was appointed to the 14 Reinforcements of the 11th Infantry Battalion on 7 February 1916 [30]
Embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia for active service abroad on the H.M.A.T. A28 Miltiades on 12 February 1915 [30]
Disembarked in Suez, Egypt on 10 March 1916 and received further training until being hospitalised on 5 April 1916 [30]
He was in hospital with influenza until returning to duty on 24 May 1916 and left for France five days later on 29 May 1916 [30]
Private 4615 in the A Company of the Australian Imperial Force's 11th Infantry Battalion in France during the First World War [30]
Married (1) Mabel Winifred TAYLOR on 24 February 1917 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England [30]
Following their marriage his wife continued to live with her grandparents at 84 Great Clarendon Street in Oxford [30]
Hospitalised due to being sick in France on 3 December 1917, and was removed to England with debility on 9 December 1916 [30]
Returned to Australia, suffering from neurasthenia on the H.T. A71 Nestor, disembarking in Fremantle on 13 September 1917 [30]
Discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 8 December 1917; received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal [30]
Following his discharge he resided in Perth, and received a fortnightly pension of 60/- from the Australian Imperial Force [30]
His wife in England received an official looking letter advising that he was already married and had two children [30: items 4794681, 8397857]
This was untrue and had been written by a man who had taken an interest in her, however she wasn't aware of this at the time [30]
In fear that her husband would get into trouble she wrote a letter in her grandfather's name advising of her non-existent death [30]
The Australian Imperial Force subsequently advised him that his wife had died in England at 6 p.m. on 27 October 1917 [30]
He received a letter from his wife, purported to be from her deathbed, encouraging him to make the most of life and remarry [30]
His wife, in disgrace thinking that she wasn't married, took off from her grandfather's home leaving only a note to explain [30]
Her worried grandfather wrote to the A.I.F. as he had no idea where she might be and wanted him punished for his bigamy [30]
The A.I.F. launched an investigation in which they eventually found his wife living under an alias and sorted out the mess [30]
He was to be advised his wife was alive in February 1918 but in the meantime had remarried thinking she had died [30]
Married (2) Rose Ellen RICH in 1918 [88]
After remarrying he received a letter from his wife, who was in good health, and wished to come to Australia [30: item 4794681]
In 1920 his first wife made a formal application for free passage to Australia as the wife of a repatriated solider [30: item 4794681]
Her request for free passage was denied as he refused to support it on account of the circumstances [30: item 4794681]
Presumably his second marriage was later nullified on account of his unintentional bigamy, as he married Rose again in 1928 [66]
Resided at 20 Higham Street in the Perth suburb of Fremantle in 1919 [6]
Resided on Humble Street in the Perth suburb of Plympton in 1920 [6]
In mid 1920 his address was Mon's Cottage on Engina Street in the Perth suburb of Mount Hawthorn [30: item 4794681]
Resided on Cleopatra Street in the Perth suburb of Palmyra 1921-1923 [6]
Resided at 14 Curedale Street in the Perth suburb of Beaconsfield 1924-1930 [6] [50]
He was working as a Tram Conductor 1925-1937, was a Tramway Employee in 1943 and a Hospital Employee 1949-1954 [50]
Resided on 112 South Street in the Perth suburb of South Fremantle 1931-1933[6] [50]
Resided at 36 Choral Street in 1934 and 1935 and at 2 Choral Street in 1936 in the Perth suburb of South Fremantle [6]
Resided at 240 South Terrace in the Perth suburb of Fremantle 1936-1938 [6] [50]
Resided at 23 Marmion Street in the Perth suburb of East Fremantle 1940-1947[6] [50]
Married (3) Sarah Louisa TANNER in Perth in 1946 [66]
Resided at 41 Olive Street in the Perth suburb of Subiaco 1949-1954 [50]
His third wife, late of Subiaco, passed away at the age of 58 years on 12 June 1955 and was buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery [2]
In 1958 he was living at 8 Malone Street in the Perth suburb of Willagee [30: item 8397857]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'James Neville Ewart Vernede' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 26 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/james-neville-ewart-vernede [reference list] |
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