Thomas The Missing Son Is Found! Incorporating a history of the Gadsbys' arrival in Australia in 1912

Thomas James Gadsby was the eldest of the 14 Gadsby children and the eldest son.

Born in 1889 in London, Essex having heard of his father's military exploits he was bursting to sign up for the army. In fact, his father was still in the Reserves when he was born. At the age of 2 he was listed in the 1891 census as living in West Bromwich but had already moved several times as his father sought building work.  By age 12, he was a well-travelled little chap with several moves around Stratford, Manning Park and Canning Town as his parents continued to grow the Gadsby clan and chase building work.

Gadsby Family on the 1891 census in UK

He joined the Busbys as they were called after they returned from South Africa in 1905. His attestation was 5/1/1909 at Stratford Essex. Officially they were known as the 7th Hussars. They were known to have spent a quiet 6 years in England before the Regiment returned to the subcontinent, namely India for another tour.  They were stationed at Bangalore and were left there at the start of World War I, moving to Secunderabad with detachments keeping order in Delhi.Proudly he set off wearing his tall black furry hat and red uniform. 

In 1911 his mother, Selina, gave birth to her 9th and 10th living children, Edith and William, who were sickly twins. In 1912, with the family fearing that there would be a war in Europe and heeding the doctors' advice to get to warmer climates, they prepared to leave for the warmer climate in Australia. Little Edith Laura didn't make it having died in London early in 1912 so Selina and Thomas senior were probably all to pleased to leave London and its miserably cold winter weather behind when they left in early October 1912. In the back of her mind Selina would have been glad that her two teenage sons, Harold 15 and John 13 would probably be spared the need to join up to fight in a war which was looming in Europe.

Thomas Senior’s family on the 1911 census (Thomas Jnr had joined the army)  

Selina travelled to Australia with the girls - Selina, Maude, Julia, Catherine and Grace and one year old William. Lena was 22 and leaving behind a fiance, a much older man known as Ben.  They travelled on the “Zealandia” arriving as unassisted passengers on 15/11/1912.  

Thomas and his older sons Harold and John travelled to Australia by some other means, possibly as crew on board a merchant ship. There is probably some truth in the rumour doing the rounds of Harold's family that “he jumped ship” in Sydney.

On board the ship, Selina and the girls met up with the Thurlows who were also travelling to make a home in Australia.  A relationship grew between a young Alex Thurlow and the young Selina. (Lena). Reputedly, her furious mother wrote to Ben back in England of the situation and advised him to make haste to Australia.

Meanwhile a Gadsby family reunion had taken place in Sydney and within 5 months of their arrival in Sydney, or perhaps because of the cold nights in Katoomba, Selina Snr was pregnant with her final child, Edith Fanny who was born early 1914

The girls began to settle into school in Katoomba and life in Australia. With the declaration of war in Europe, Harold and John quickly joined the troops to fight the War. Ben had arrived by this time and in a great shock to the family their mother began a relationship with him, leaving her husband and Lena to bring up her children and the new baby. At the end of the War, John returned home a little worse for wear having been gassed and Harold joined his father as a bricklayer. They began to anticipate the arrival of their brother Thomas who would be returning from a long spell in the military in India and Mesopotamia.

Having been in the Asiatic theatre of war since 13/9/1915 it was in 1917 that the frustrated 7th Hussar regiment sailed to the River Tigris near Basra to fight against the Turks. They moved to Baghdad from where the first attack was launched in March 1918 against the enemy in Khan Baghdadi. The 7th had the role of cutting off the enemy retreat, which they managed very efficiently, first destroying the baggage column, then routing the enemy division in fifteen minutes. Six months of stagnation around Baghdad took place as the Turks had withdrawn. Another offensive was mounted by the British where they again encircled the enemy at Sharquat. The 7th executed a brilliant piece of fire and withdrew. On the 30th October, as they were preparing to attack again, news came through that Turkey had surrendered but the 7th were to remain as an occupying force not arriving home until May 1919.

The London Gazette 15/8/17 reports that his services were brought to the notice of Lieut Gen Sir Stanley Maude KCB, Commander in Chief of the Mespotamian Expeditionary Force as deserving of special mention.  7th Hussars issued the British War Medal & Victory Medal and Acting Sergeant Thomas Gadsby of the 7^th (Queens Own) Hussars Corps was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal which was gazetted on 15/1/1920.

In a Supplement to the London Gazette on 3/2/20. ....The his name was are brought to the attention of the Undersecretary of State for War for valuable services rendered with the Bushire Force in Persia 1/4/18-31/3/19 and again in the London Gazette 31/1/20  Supplement

"His Majesty has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the Meritorious Award to the undermentioned in recognition of valuable services rendered with the British Forces in India S Persia Bushire Force Hussars H3726 Pte A/ Sgt Gadsby TJ 7th (Canningtown)"

Thomas was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald as arriving in Sydney on 9^th August 1919 on the Steamer Janus from Calcutta.

Thomas Jnr’s war medals from his time in 7^th Hussars

He arrived in Australia after a long absence from his family to be greeted by his sisters who had become women complete with war time boyfriends and his brothers who had also had their own war time experiences. His sister Lena was married to Alexander Thurlow who she met on board the ship. Edie, his little Australian sister was 5 years old when he met her for the first time . A few adjustments had to be made. He was 22 when his family had come to Australia and now he was 30. Having led a life for 10 years or so in the Army in India, he was used to having servants to attend to his needs. He saw no problem with getting the same treatment at home and felt that his little brother William and little Edie could fill in as servants when he left his shoes out for them to shine. This created much resentment amongst the littlies.

Lena’s wedding 1918 –Maude Rose Gadsby, William Thurlow, Alexander Thurlow, Selina Charlotte (Lena) Gadsby, Selina Gadsby, John Robert Gadsby, Julia Nellie Gadsby

The family unit was much different when Thomas arrived back from the war

Meanwhile Thomas, a deeply religious man, was not happy with what he saw when he returned home. His mother had taken up with his sister’s ex fiance, Ben, and his sister Lena was left to bring up the girls and the younger children while his father earned a living. He told Julia, before her wedding in 1921 that he wouldn’t see any of his family again. True to his word, he didn’t and amazingly given his beliefs married a young divorcee, Violet Emma Harrison in Ashfield, and moved with her to New Zealand. It appears he met this young divorcee Violet Emma  nee Harrison (previously Stewart) who was born in England , moved to NZ and then came to  Australia with her mother and brother after the death of her father. 

Thomas and Violet’s wedding certificate

Until 2011, nearly 100 years after his family came to Australia no one knew what happened to Thomas. That passing comment to his sister Julia remained somewhat of a family secret. Julia passed it on to her daughter, Marlene, who recorded it in her family history notes. Twenty years had passed when Julia’s granddaughter-me- came across the message and began a search. Remarkably with very little to go on a marriage was found and certificates from both NSW Birth Deaths and Marriages and New Zealand Registry were obtained. During my investigations there were rumours he had made contact and was living in Australia but this cannot be substantiated. 

Thomas Jnr’s death certificate gave comfort to the older members of the family

Messages went out to the family at large. The mystery of the missing son, Thomas, has been solved. He is/was alive and well. Unbeknown to the family Thomas had met and married Violet Emma Harrison who was born in England and came to Australia via New Zealand. She was living at Ashfield. They had married in Sydney in December 1921 and moved to NZ where he lived and worked as a Tramways conductor until his death in 1953. They had been childless. Violet lived on to 1986.  Why hadn’t he written or kept in contact?

You can’t help but think that Thomas’ life and relationship with his family would ever be the same again when he arrived in Australia in 1919. A new country and previously unknown siblings who resented cleaning his shoes would have been difficult enough. His other brothers and sister were almost strangers after his long absence away from the family. The war had changed everyone. Perhaps his family would not have approved of his new love- a divorcee in the 1920s. Certainly he was at odds with his opinion of his mother’s carry on with his sister’s ex-fiance and her new life and lover.  Perhaps his mail never quite caught up with a constantly moving family. History can be unravelled but not undone. There is a kind of comfort in knowing that he lived a long life in Grey Lynn NZ and although childless he had created a new life with Violet probably living through the memories of all the places he had experienced.  Not bad for a kid born in London in 1889.

The only known photo of Thomas until........

Thomas and Violet .... thanks for sharing Patricia Ahmu nee Harrison

A couple of years ago Patricia Ahmu approached me after seeing his details on Ancestry. She was the great niece of Violet. She had met her Great Aunty Violet  when she was on holiday in NZ in 1970 and again when she lived in Auckland in 1972.  She often dined with her at her new place at Birkdale on the north shore of Auckland.   Violet told her that she and Tom had no children but she had twin boys and they were born dead.  Patriciat said that she was a bright and kind lady who would have been a wonderful mother. 

I was excited to receive this news and even more excited when she shared photos of Thomas and Violet.

More Stories in this series:

Two brothers from Nuneaton- the story of William and John Gadsby

Weaving The Family Tree -Gadsby Life In Attleborough, Nuneaton,Coventry,London and Sydney