Servicemens' wedding at Charlotte Street, Brisbane, 1917

This image from the State Library Collection featured in another blog post on Queensland Aboriginals in the 11th Light Horse Regiment.  I was curious to find out more of the story behind the photograph identified as Negative Number 60511.

The double wedding features two Aboriginal members of the 11th Light Horse Regiment outside St Luke's Church of England, Charlotte Street, Brisbane. Wedding party members from left to right: 2433 Trooper (Tpr) James Lingwoodock, an Aboriginal serviceman from Gin Gin, Qld; Mrs Daisy Lingwoodock (nee Roberts); an unidentified Bridesmaid; 2429 Tpr John Geary, an Aboriginal serviceman from Tantitha via Bundaberg, Qld; The Reverend W P B Miles; and Mrs Alice Geary (nee Bond).

Both of these men were stockmen from the Burnett Region who were assigned to the 11th Light Horse Regiment and embarked for service overseas with the 20th Reinforcements aboard HMAT 'Ulysses' from Sydney on 19 December 1917. The wedding took place on 21 July 1917 prior to their departure for training and embarking for Egypt.

James Lingwoodock was the son of a Solomon Islander, Jim Tabby who was captured by Blackbirders to work on Queensland cane farms; his father's original name was Lingwoodock Tabby (aka Tabby-Lingwoodock). James' mother was Sarah Lloyd, an Aboriginal woman of the Kabi people near Bauple. Trooper Lingwoodock served with the 11th Light Horse Regiment in Palestine until his return to Australia in December 1919.

John Geary was wounded in action in Palestine on 7 May 1918 and was reported as dangerously ill with a gunshot wound to the head and remained on the dangerously ill list until 10 June 1918. After hospitalisation in Egypt he was repatriated to Australia sailing from Port Said on board the Port Darwin on 11 July 1918. John Geary was discharged from the AIF in Brisbane on 4 September 1918.

I acknowledge there are descendants of these two men and encourage them to add to the history and story of these two men who served in the 11th Light Horse Regiment.

Read more ...

• Servicemens' wedding at Charlotte Street, Brisbane, 1917. Negative 60511, John Oxley Library
• Wall, C. (2010) A Quick Journey through Kabi Country: 'Muruba'Kgula - the Heart of Our Country - 2006'. in Queensland History Journal, Vol. 21, No. 2.
• Australian War Memorial: 11th Light Horse Regiment
• Service record: GEARY, John
• Service record: LINGWOODOCK, James

Watch ...

• Queensland’s Indigenous Servicemen [digital story and oral history, 12 mins, mp4]
• Video of 'With the Australian forces in Palestine' by Frank Hurley - courtesy of the Australian War Memorial [35mm/b&w/silent]

The information in this blog post has been researched by State Library staff and volunteers, it is based on available information at this time. If you have more information that you would like to share or further research uncovers new findings, this post will be updated.