Amy Ward, daughter of Manasseh and Madeline

Amy Ward, Red Cross volunteer, farewelling
soldiers who had been fed a meal at Gosford
Railway Station. The Red Cross girls fed thousands
of men who passed through on troop trains.

Amy Gertrude Ward was born at Ettna Street Gosford in September 1889, the ninth child of Manasseh Ward and Madeline Geary Henderson.  She had two older sisters, Josephine 13 and Madeline jnr 11. She had four older brothers, William nine, Robert seven, Roy two and Ephraim one. Another three brothers had died in infancy.

Amy was two when her family moved to their new home in Gertrude Street Gosford. The house was called Myee and was set on two acres of land. This would remain her home for the next 40 years.

Amy’s father was a prominent man in the Gosford community. He was an alderman on the local Council when Amy was born and would go on to serve as Mayor and Shire President for much of her childhood. He was also involved in many community organisations and Amy was encouraged to become involved in many, including the Agricultural and Horticultural Association, St John’s Ambulance and the Gosford Social and Patriotic Society.

When it came to education, Amy was sent away to a private school in Sydney. She later told her niece, Joan Taylor (nee Pearce) that there was a lot of teasing at the local school, mainly over some of the Henderson relations who were living at Woy Woy. Both Amy and her older brother Ephraim were sent to private schools.

Amy’s older sisters Josephine and Madeline married in 1896 and 1898 respectively, so at age nine, Amy found herself the oldest daughter in the household. This probably came with responsibilities in helping with the three younger children. She never married and became dedicated to looking after her parents. 

The Ward home in Gertrude Street Gosford was always the centre of family life. Many of Amy’s siblings lived at Myee until they married, and some returned to live for periods when circumstances required. When Amy turned 21 in 1910 the household included her parents, Manasseh aged 59 and Madeline 55, and her siblings Roy 23, Eric 20, Pat 18, Dolly (Doris) 15 and Bruce 14. Her older bothers Bill and Robert were also living nearby with their families at Maidens Brush and Manns Road respectively.

Amy’s brother, Ephraim Ward, was living at Junee in 1912 when his wife died leaving him with two young children. Ephraim’s work commitments with NSW Railways prevented him for caring for the children and they came to live at Myee with their grandparents. Amy was still living at home and probably took an active role in raising her niece Nell (Ellen) and nephew Frank.

Throughout the war years of 1914–1918, Amy volunteered with the Red Cross and the Patriotic Society. She organised fundraising and patriotic functions, dispatched comfort parcels to the troops at the front, and help provide meals for the thousands of travelling soldiers who passed through Gosford by train. She sometimes sent reports to the paper passing on news that she received in letters from the soldiers, including her brother Bruce who was serving with the Light Horse in the middle-east campaign.

Amy was still living at home when her father died in 1923. She was 33. Nell aged 13 and Frank 12 were also living there, with her mother, Madeline, now 68. While Roy, Eric and Pat had all moved from Myee, they were living close by and were in daily contact. Dolly and Bruce had both married and moved to Sydney.

Amy’s nephew Laurie Ward later recalled that Amy was always at hand when help was needed. He remembered one occasion in the mid-1920s when he was a small boy and vanished from their home in Dwyer Street just across the road from Myee. He had managed to to find his father (Eric) where he was working (his intention all along). Amy arrived in her Ford car to retrieve him. He was reluctant to go home, but Amy quickly changed his mind with the assistance of a whippy branch applied to his ankles!
Amy gradually assumed management of the Myee household as her mother aged. In the last years before she died in 1936, Madeline Ward rarely left her bedroom. 

Amy had an easy manner with people and a natural charm that some say was a characteristic of her family. She could also be strong and forthright when she thought it necessary and was not afraid to put her siblings straight if she thought they had stepped out of line. 

She was an early adopter of many new technologies, even when faced with resistance from her mother. She had electricity and the telephone connected to the home at Myee soon after they became available in Gosford. But her mother would switch off the electric lights and do her needlework by lamp-light and refused flatly to use the telephone. She would not even allow the telephone in the house, so it was installed on the verandah.

In an age when cars were still a novelty and mostly driven by men, Amy was one of the very few women who not only owned and drove her own car but drove it quite successfully in competition with the local men. She competed in trials and rallies, as well as hill-climb races where cars were timed over a set course. In the 1930 Terrigal hill climb, Amy was one of two women to compete, and both set very competitive times. Amy in her Ford sedan was placed third in her class with a time only one second slower than the winner. 

After her mother died, Amy had a house built at Wamberal.  She lived there for the rest of her life. She worked as a housekeeper.

During the second World War Amy volunteered as a ‘Coastwatcher’, which involved keeping watch on one of the local headlands and reporting all ship sightings.

Joan Taylor was Amy’s niece and goddaughter and loved her dearly. She remembered that she was always made welcome any time she visited.

Amy died in 1970, aged 80. She was survived by her sister Dolly (Doris) and her brothers Ephraim and Bruce. She is buried beside her father at St Paul’s Anglican Church at Kincumber.

Ephraim Ward, son of Manasseh and Madeline

Ephraim Ward was born at Etna Street Gosford in June 1888, the son of Manasseh Ward and Madeline Geary Henderson.  He had two older sisters, Josephine who was eleven and Madeline nine. He also had three brothers, William who was eight, Robert six and Roy one. Three more brothers had died in infancy.

Ephraim was named after his father’s older brother, Ephraim Mitchell Ward. The name Ephraim has biblical origins (Manasseh and Ephraim were the sons of Joseph).

The family remained in the Etna Street until 1991 when they moved into a new house in Gertrude Street. The house was named ‘Myee’ and was set on two acres. The home was surrounded by gardens, orchard, poultry pens and horse yards.

Ephraim’s father, Manasseh Ward, was very active in the local community and shortly after Ephraim was born, he was elected to the local Council for the first time. He would go on to serve as an alderman, mayor, and shire president for most of Ephraim’s childhood.

There are hints that Ephraim and his sister Amy may have suffered teasing and bullying at the local school, and they were both sent away to boarding schools in Sydney for their education. Ephraim later trained as a fitter and turner with NSW Railways and, once qualified, was posted to various country towns.

In 1910 he married Margaret Callaghan at Junee.  They had two children Ellen (always known as Nell) was born in Junee in 1910 and Frank was born in Goulburn in 1911. Margaret died in Cowra in 1912.  Ephraim was unable to care for two small children while working and the children were sent to live with his parents in Gosford. Nell and Frank remained with their grandparents for their whole childhood.

Ephraim married Rubena (Ruby) Alphic at Chatswood in 1914  and they had a son named Arthur, born in 1915.

Ephraim and Ruby remained in Sydney and by 1930 Ephraim had left the railways and was working as a lock fitter. They lived in Lakemba and Greenacre.

Ephraim was remembered by his nieces and nephews as an entertaining storyteller, with a love of tall tales.  Unlike some of his siblings, he readily shed the trappings of the bush life. He was a keen motorist, and even in later life, drove the best and latest model of car.

Ruby died in 1962.  Ephraim moved to Cabramatta after Ruby died. He died in 1975 aged 87. 

Roy Ward, son of Manasseh and Madeline

Roy Ward driving Gosford Lad. 
(Photo courtesy Central Coast Council)

Roy Archer Ward was born at Etna Street Gosford in April 1887, the son of Manasseh Ward and Madeline Geary Henderson.  He had two older sisters, Josephine who was ten and Madeline eight. He also had two brothers, William who was seven and Robert five. Three other brothers had died in infancy.

The family remained in the Etna Street until 1991 when they moved into a new house in Gertrude Street. The House was named ‘Myee’ and would be Roy’s home for 30 years. The Gosford of Roy’s youth was very different to the city it has become today. It was effectively a small country town and the family home was set in two acres of gardens, orchards poultry yards and horse yards. No doubt Roy’s childhood chores including feeding and caring for the family livestock, and he remained dedicated to horse-drawn transport for most of his life.

Roy’s father, Manasseh Ward, was heavily involved in many aspects of the Gosford community. Shortly after Roy’s birth Manasseh was elected to the local Council and he went on to serve as an alderman, mayor, and shire president. 

Roy had an accident as a child and lost an eye. He had been playing with his brothers when the accident happened. He coped very well with one eye, although it may have contributed to several accidents he had over the years. It must have been hard for him to watch his brother Bruce and many of his friends march away to fight in WWI. His eye would have prevented him from enlisting himself, but he was a loyal friend to those who went away. In September 1916 he placed an ‘In Memoruim’ notice in the Gosford Times:

In loving memory of my dear friend Trooper Tom Gardiner, 7th Light Horse, died of wounds, September 3rd, 1915 … Inserted by his sorrowing mate. Roy Ward. 

He continued to place similar notices every year on the anniversary of Tom’s death for the following seven years.

While his siblings and friends steadily married off over the years, Roy remained steadfastly single. He was said to have ‘kept company’ with the same young woman in Gosford for over seven years, but when asked about his intentions he replied that there was no sense ‘rushing things’. As it turned out he never married.

Roy lived in a small house on the Pacific Highway. His niece June Frewin nee Ward recalls that the house was little more than a shack. He was in constant contact with his extended family, many of whom lived within walking distance of his home. His nieces and nephews would often be sent to deliver produce from the garden or messages and would sometimes accompany Roy in his sulky when he did his mail run. It is likely that Roy was the only one of his family to remain in contact with his younger Brother Bruce after he left his family and moved to New Zealand.  Bruce was probably in disgrace within the family, but Roy remained loyal and passed on news to the rest of the family.

Like some of his brothers and nephews, Roy worked as an agricultural worker. He would take on contract ploughing, fencing or almost any farm work that was needed at the time. It was not always an easy life and Roy’s finances were often on the borderline. His name can be found in the court reports in local paper several times over the years, when he was taken to court for non-payment of debts. He sometimes worked for his brother Pat, carting coal for the boiler at Gosford Quarries. There would often be a convoy of horses dragging a dray of coal. 

Roy survived several serious accidents over the years. In 1924 he was struck by a crane while loading stone at the railway yards.  He received a nasty injury to his jaw. The following year, he was thrown from a trotting ‘spider’ at the Wyong show and suffered life-threatening head injuries (see below). Then in 1940 he suffered a broken leg and collar bone when hit by a car while riding his horse at Wyoming.  We can only speculate whether Roy’s blindness on one side contributed to some of these accidents.

He also worked as a mail contractor carrying mail between the Post Office and Railway Station in a horse and sulky. At the same time, he delivered mail to homes in the Wyoming area on horseback. He held the railway mail contract until 1950, but continued his mail deliveries for another four years, finally retiring in 1954, aged 67. On his retirement, the residents of Wyoming took up a collection and presented Roy with an armchair, rug, clock and an amount of cash in recognition of his long service to the community. 

Roy was also the caretaker at the Showground which would have fitted in well with his training of trotting horses.

Roy Ward was a well-known identity in Gosford and even in the 1950s he could be seen around the town with his horse Bonny harnessed to a sulky. He was so well known that when his neighbour wanted to sell a tractor in 1952, he advertised his address as ‘next to Roy Ward’s’.  His house was on the Pacific Highway, only a short walk from his old family home in Gertrude Street. It was little more than a hut, but he lived happily there until he died.

Trotting horses

Roy would have been encouraged to join in many of his father’s community activities including the St John’s Ambulance and the Show Society, but the activity that Roy took to with passion was the racing of trotting horses.

As a young man he frequently drove his father’s trotters in local races. In 1912 when a new trotting track was opened in Gosford, Roy drove his father’s horse Dot, which was placed second in the first heat of the District Handicap Trot. The ‘purse’ at stake for the final of the race was just that, a purse containing five sovereigns (a sovereign was a gold coin with a nominal face value of £1). 

He soon advanced to owning, training, and racing his own horses. By 1920 he was being described as ‘the most enthusiastic trotting man in the Gosford District’.  Through the 1920s he raced three horses named Hazelwood, Colorado and Gosford Lad. Gosford Lad was a particularly good horse and won many races in Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford and Maitland. In later times he also raced a horse called Johnny Mark.

Roy was driving Gosford Lad in a race at the Wyong Show in 1925 when a tyre on the ‘spider’ blew out and the vehicle overturned. Roy had the reins wrapped around his arms and was dragged around the track underneath the overturned vehicle, with the horse madly kicking to try to get loose from the tangled wreckage dragging behind him. When Roy was finally freed, he had sustained serious head injuries. He was rushed unconscious to a small hospital run by a Wyong Doctor.  There was initial concern that Roy might not recover, but after several days he slowly started to improve and eventually made a full recovery.

The racing community quickly rallied to help Roy through his recovery, and several race meetings were organised with the proceeds handed to Roy in cash. 

Gosford Lad was not injured but he was put down the following year after an off-track incident. Roy was riding Gosford Lad while moving some other horses. While traversing a steep hill, he had to turn sharply, and Gosford Lad broke a leg. 

Roy’s financial difficulties plagued his racing and several of his horses were sold over the years to clear his debts. Colorado was sold to Western Australia where he had a very successful racing career. 

Endings

In August 1958, the baker called in to deliver bread to Roy and found he had died the previous evening. Roy was found sitting in his armchair. This was probably the same chair that had been presented to him by the Wyoming community four years earlier. He was 58 years old and was survived by his sisters Josephine, Madeline, Amy and Dolly (Doris) and his brothers William, Ephraim, Eric and Bruce. He is buried at Point Claire cemetery in Gosford and his grave is marked by a plaque erected by his nephew Les Ward (Eric’s son).

Robert (Bob?) Ward, son of Manasseh and Madeline

Robert Ward was born at Toorigal House, Kincumber in February 1882.  His parents were Manasseh Ward and Madeline Geary Henderson. Robert had two older sisters, Josephine who was five and Madeline three. He also had a brother William who was almost two. 

There was another brother named Thomas who died as a baby in March 1881, less than a year before Robert was born. Two more little boys, named John and Manasseh jnr, were born and died before  Robert’s fifth birthday.

When Robert was four his family moved to Balmain for a year before returning to the Brisbane Water district and settling in Gosford. Shortly after returning to the district, Robert’s father, Manasseh Ward was elected as an Alderman on the local Council. He would go on to serve many years in various roles on the Council, including multiple terms as Mayor and later Shire President.

Gosford was still a small country town, but with the arrival of the railway in 1890, it started to grow more rapidly. In 1891 the Ward family moved to a new house in Gertrude Street Gosford. The house stood on two acres and was surrounded by gardens, orchards, horse yards and poultry yards. 

The family continued to grow and by the time Robert was 14 there were 11 children all living at home. The boys all slept on the downstairs verandas of the house and frequently had to share their accommodation with visitors who were invited to stay the night. The Ward household was well known for its hospitality.

When he was old enough to start work, Robert was apprenticed to a local woodturner and learnt his trade while still living at home. 

In 1904 Robert married Ethel Parsons at St Leonards.  Ethel was 18 and Robert 22. Robert continued to work as a woodturner in Gosford and he and Ethel lived in Mann Street. Robert and Ethel had six children while they were living in Gosford. By 1930 they were living in Lilyfield. Robert continued to work in his trade. 

The children mostly remained living at home until they married, and the youngest son, Allan remained living with his mother even after he married. With his wife Dorothy, Allan lived with his mother until she died in 1963

Robert died in 1974 aged 65. He was survived by his wife Ethel, five of his six children and nine of his siblings. Ethel died in 1963 aged 77. Robert and Ethel are buried together at Rookwood Cemetery.

 

William Ward son of Manasseh and Madeline

William Ward was born at Toorigal House, Kincumber in February 1880, the son of Manasseh Ward and Madeline Geary Henderson.  He was the third child in the family, and he had two older sisters, Josephine aged three and Madeline aged one. Josephine was his mother’s child from a previous marriage. William was named after his grandfather, William Ward, one of the first settlers of the Brisbane Water area.

William lived at Kincumber, before the family moved to Balmain when he was about six years old. The following year they moved to live in Gosford where William remained for the rest of his life.

He trained as a shipwright.  We don’t know who he trained with, but it is possible it was with one of his uncles or older cousins who were prominent in the shipbuilding trade in the Woy Woy district. As it turned out, it was not a good choice for a trade that would see him through life. By the time William qualified, the building of wooden vessels at Brisbane Water was in decline. 

He chose to remain in the Gosford district and in 1903 he took on the contract to move the old stone ‘Christ Church’ from East Gosford to Mann Street Gosford.  The stone church was dismantled stone-by-stone and rebuilt on the new site. Each stone was numbered and some of the numbers are still visible on the foundation stones. Several men worked on the project, one of whom was a stonemason.

In 1905 William Married Lillian Swan in Sydney.  His mother did not approve of the marriage, and this created a rift between them. He reportedly remained in contact with the rest of the family, but did not talk to his mother. 

William and Lillian lived out their married life at Maiden’s Brush where they raised their family. William is listed in official documents as a labourer, but he was well known in the district as an all-round bushman. He would take on any farming or bush work that was available. He also ran a small farm.

In 1835 William suffered a serious accident. In William’s own words, as reported in the local paper:

A cant hook is a traditional tool consisting of a lever handle with a metal hook at one end. It is used for handling and turning logs. 

I had been cutting logs to make posts and was standing on the slope of a gully looking for a piece of wood to prevent a log from moving. Before I could jump out of the way the log turned over and caught me across the waist, pinning me down. I could not move. Fortunately my son heard me call and ran across. He picked up a cant hook and was able to pull the log back sufficiently for me to crawl out and away. I tried to get up, but could not rise. The boy ran for his mother, and with their help I got to the top of the gully, crawling on two hands and my left leg. At the top they put me into a wheelbarrow and wheeled me to the house, but when we got there I was done and could not move. We waited to see if I could recover, but finally had to send for the ambulance. 

Praise was heaped on his 12-year-old son Jack for his quick-thinking and competent handling of the situation.

A postscript to the story of the accident was William’s stoicism in the face of pain:

Mr. Ward was taken to Dr. Paul's surgery and given medical aid, but he refused to go into hospital and was driven home by the ambulance. Later his condition became much worse and he was again brought into Gosford by the Ambulance and placed in the hospital.

Many of those in later generations of the Ward family would recognise this as a family feature, at least in Manasseh and Madeline Ward’s children and grandchildren.

William played the piano beautifully, although he could not read music. 

Lillian died in 1956.   William died in 1960 aged 80.  They were survived by six of their nine children.

Madeline Ward jnr

Madeline and Robert Lambert

Madeline Hannah Ward was born at Toorigal House, Kincumber in July 1878, the eldest daughter of Manasseh Ward and Madeline Geary Henderson. 

 Madeline grew up at Kincumber, before the family moved to Balmain for a year when she was about eight years old. The family moved to Gosford one year later. 

In 1898 Madeline married Irish immigrant Robert Lambert in Gosford. Madeline was 19 and Robert was 30. The wedding was held on the same day that the SS Maitland was wrecked at what is now known as Maitland Bay. 

Robert Lambert worked as a clerk with the NSW Railways. The couple lived in Gosford at first, but by 1902 they were living in Sydney.  They remained in Sydney, for almost 30 years, living at Campsie, St Peters and Marrickville. 

Madeline and Robert had five children born between 1898 and 1912.

Robert retired in the early 1930s and they moved to Wamberal where they lived out the remainder of their lives.

Madeline’s nieces and nephews remembered her as a kind and warm-hearted woman who was loved dearly by her family. 

Robert died at Wamberal in 1955, aged 87. Madeline died in 1967 aged 88. She was survived by all five of her children and four of her siblings.

Generations of war

A welcome home celebration at the end of WWI.
Hilton Law, seated left, and Bruce Ward, back row - 2nd
from right, both feature in the WWI list in this post.

As I was researching the children of Manasseh and Madeline Ward I was struck by the regular discovery of connections to the two World Wars. At first it was just the odd army hat in a group photo, or a mention of Manasseh's support for the returned soldiers. As I progressed, I started to look for evidence and slowly a picture emerged.

First World War

The only one of Manasseh and Madeline's children to enlisted for WWI was the youngest, Bruce. But that is not the whole picture. Two of Manasseh's nephews and three of Madeline's nephews also served. Then there was one grandson, one son-in-law and the husband of a granddaughter. In the following list, I have indicated the relationship to Manasseh and Madeline in brackets.

• Private Bruce Ward (son) served in the the Light Horse and was wounded in action in the middle-east campaign. He was repatriated to Australia and discharged from the army as medically unfit.
• Sergeant Henry Lambert (grandson) served in France.
• Private Hilton Law (married granddaughter Marjory Lambert) had served in France and served much of the war as a POW in Germany.
• Private Fred Pearce (married daughter Doris Ward) served in the Light Horse in Egypt.  Fred also served in Australia in WWII.
• Lance Corporal Manasseh Ward (Manasseh's nephew) served in France with the Army Service Corps (Railway Supply Detachment).
• Private Ephraim Ward (Manasseh's nephew) served in France with the Army Service Corps (also in railway supply).
• Captain Rupert Henderson (Madeline's nephew) joined towards the end of the war and was on a troopship recalled to Australia when the war ended.
• Private Ernest Henderson (Madeline's nephew) served with the lLight Horse towards the end of the war and probably did not see action.
• Private Harold Henderson (Madeline's nephew) served in France before being discharged with heart problems.

Amy Ward (and probably  many others) worked in the Red Cross and with the patriot's society, sending packages and corresponding with the soldiers serving overseas.

Second World War

Madeline and Manasseh's children were mostly too old for WWII, but many of their grandchildren's generation served in some capacity. Doris Ward's husband, Fred Pearce, was the only one to serve in both wars as far as I have found so far. The grandchildren of Manasseh and Madeline that served in WWII included the following.

• Private John (Jack) Ward, Service Number N286154, served in Australia.
• Leading Aircraftman Bruce G Ward, RAAF Service Number 137129, served in Borneo.
• Private Harold Ward, AIF Service Number NX43298, served in the middle-east, PNG and Borneo.
• Private Eric M Ward, Service Number N151441, served in Darwin and islands off northern Australia.
• Private Lawrence (Laurie) Ward, AIF Service Number N151441, served in PNG and Borneo.
• lance Corporal Wallace Ward, AIF Service Number NX116211, served in the 1st Australian Field Coy.
• Private Allen Ward, AIF Service Number NX194978, service file not available.
• Private Marjorie Ward Jardine (nee Lambert), Service Number R47077, served 3 months in AWAF before being medically discharged.

Then there were those who had married into the Ward family:

• William Jardine (married Marjory Lambert), Service Number 70085, Served at RAAF Bradfield but other details are not available.
• Private George Fuller (married Madeline Ward), AIF Service Number NX48279, service details not available.
• Private Ernest Hubbard (married Ena Ward) – AIF Service Number NX45481
• Private Sidney Frewin (married Agnes Ward) – AIF Service Number NX52142
• Private Donald Claydon, (married Eileen Ward), AIF Service Number NX5748, service details not available.
• Private William Robinson (married Doris Mary Ward), AIF Service Number NX30224, served in PNG with 2/14 Field Coy
• Private Reginald Burbury (married Ethel Ward) AIF Service No NX56719 – POW in Thailand.
• Private Raymond Back (married Nell Ward) – AIF Service Number NX79096, Served in PNG with Army Service Corps.
• Private Arthur Gavenlock (married Daphne Ward) – Service Number N286166. Assigned to AA Battery, but discharged after a few months being required for essential occupation.
• Leading Aircraftman William Corner (married Betty Pearce) Service Number 32019. Transferred to reserve list shortly after enlistment and worked in aircraft manufacturing.

I am sure that the women of the family don't get the recognition they deserve in this discussion and I probably missed some service records because of the changes in name that traditionally went with getting married. There were also volunteer roles that are not so easily identified, such as the Land Army and the Coast Watch service (which Amy Ward was a member of).

A difficult legacy

The effects of war service on a family are difficult to measure. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is better understood today than it was when these people went away to war. The service records (where they are available) sometimes record the physical injuries, but more often just record admissions to field hospitals and the like. It is probably no coincidence that of the first four men listed in the WWI list above (being those most closely linked to Manasseh and Madeline Ward, we know that three went on to broken marriages and deserted children. 

The legacy is not so clear in those who served in WWII, but I know from several that there is evidence of PTSD there as well.

Disclaimer

This is not the result of specific research, but more a side product of my research into the children and grandchildren of Manasseh and Madeline Ward of Gosford. I do not claim that the above lists are complete of definitive.