Author Topic: CLOSED - AUSTRALIAN sweetheart -soldier from WW1  (Read 1155 times)

Offline earlybird

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CLOSED - AUSTRALIAN sweetheart -soldier from WW1
« on: Sunday 03 April 11 08:15 BST (UK) »
I know I'm looking for a needle in a haystack, but...has anyone's mother, grandmother or -g-grandmother spoken about corresponding with and receiving visits from an Australian soldier, Private Clive GILLESPIE while he was on leave during WW1?
He's my grandfather and apparently while on leave in England in 1917 and 1918 he visited a young girl (woman), possibly Scottish. His intention was to marry her. Family folklore has it that he was visiting family but that was not the case.
In his diary he indicates he went to Glasgow in early Sept. 1918 which makes me wonder if the girl was Scottish. On both visits he also travels to London & Bristol but we have no details as to whom he met or what he was doing there.

Maybe the girl was a nurse? Clive travelled to the Norwich Military Hospital to collect his brother's belonging in 1916 after his brother's death. I really don't expect to find out anything but now the facts (well, the very limited info) have come out I'm intrigued as to whom this young lady might be? Clive was approx 19-20 years of age when the war ended (he put his age up when enlisting).                              Earlybird
RULE - Cornwall,  SMITHAM, Smitheram (and variations of spelling) - Cornwall,
Elizabeth Jane HARRIS - Kapunda,South Aust/Wentworth,NSW/Mildura,Vic & HARRIS in Kalgoolie/Coolgardie region - West Aust., Thomas KNIGHT - BURRA, GILLESPIE

Families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts.

Offline sancti

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Re: AUSTRALIAN sweetheart -soldier from WW1
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 03 April 11 11:09 BST (UK) »
Is there any mention of her name?

Offline earlybird

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CLOSED -Re: AUSTRALIAN sweetheart -soldier from WW1
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 03 April 11 12:34 BST (UK) »
Sadly, no. His dairy has pages missing and parts of it were overwritten. What was legible (written in pencil) did not hint of any sweetheart except "the ten wonderful days" in London & Bristol. His diary is now with the Australian War Memorial.

In fact we had no idea he had been visiting a girl until my grandmother let the "cat out of the bag" not long before her death in 2002. Obviously my grandfather had told her at some stage (this all happened years before they met) but all along we'd been led to believe he was visiting family while on leave.  Early
RULE - Cornwall,  SMITHAM, Smitheram (and variations of spelling) - Cornwall,
Elizabeth Jane HARRIS - Kapunda,South Aust/Wentworth,NSW/Mildura,Vic & HARRIS in Kalgoolie/Coolgardie region - West Aust., Thomas KNIGHT - BURRA, GILLESPIE

Families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts.