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Servicemens' wedding at Charlotte Street, Brisbane, 1917

By JOL Admin | 21 January 2014

Wedding of Troopers Lingwoodock and Geary, 11th LHR. Negative number: 60511, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Wedding of Troopers Lingwoodock and Geary, 11th LHR. Negative number: 60511, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

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).

11LHR, 20th Reinforcement - Embarkation Roll.

11LHR, 20th Reinforcement - Embarkation Roll.

Both of these men were stockmen from the Burnett Region who enlisted in 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 Attestation Form.

James Lingwoodock Attestation Form.

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. Tpr Lingwoodock served with the 11th Light Horse Regiment in the Palestine until his return to Australia in December 1919.

John Geary Attestation Form.

John Geary Attestation Form.

Tpr 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. Tpr 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 11LHR.

 

References:

Servicemens' wedding at Charlotte Street, Brisbane, 1917. JOL Negative No. 60511.

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.

 

External Sources of Information:

Australian War Memorial: Photograph ID P00889.007

Australian War Memorial: Embarkation Rolls 11LHR.

Australian Light Horse Studies Centre: 2429 Pte John Geary.

National Archives of Australia: Record Search B2455, GEARY, J.

National Archives of Australia: Record Search  B2455, LINGWOODOCK JAMES

 

Des Crump - Indigenous Languages Researcher, State Library of Queensland

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