Reflections on the passing of a WW1 veteran Anzac Day, 2024 This morning I attended the dawn service in Speers Point Park, a short walk from home. There were probably a thousand people there, as the familiar words were said, hymns were sung, and the … Continue reading A soldier’s life
Tag: charles holdorf
A Mosman connection
My great grandparents, William and Alice Ross, and my great grandfather, Charles Holdorf (Holford), lived in Mosman, arguably one of the most beautiful suburbs of Sydney’s North Shore, for many years. They were my father’s grandparents, William and Alice the parents of his mother, and … Continue reading A Mosman connection
Anzac Day then and now
The camp at Tel-el-Kebir Australian and New Zealand troops landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 in an ill-fated military operation intended to free the Dardanelles straits from Ottoman (Turkish) control in the First World War. The straits were of strategic importance as the sea … Continue reading Anzac Day then and now
Florence Stacey (Florence Holdorf) 1878-1908
My father never met his grandmother, Florence Stacey, who died in 1908, many years before Dad was born (1933). Writing about his family background in July 2013 Dad noted: My father was Charles John Stacey Holford, born July 7,1899 in Goulburn… He lived in Goulburn … Continue reading Florence Stacey (Florence Holdorf) 1878-1908
Egypt 1915
I have been thinking about Charles Holdorf’s journey from Sydney to Egypt in 1915. His departure is well documented on November 9th, but the exact route taken by the troopship Beltana is uncertain. Did the ship sail north via Brisbane and up over the top … Continue reading Egypt 1915
Forgotten tales 