Ewing Family of Renfrewshire/Greenock/Paisley

[OZScot]

*** Footnote below to this earlier piece from a letter by Earnest James Ewing about his mate in the trench called Woodsbey. I looked up his Army record for anyone related to him for future reference.

" You will no doubt remember a man named Woodsbey, who used to work in the yard gang at the works. He came over in the contingent after ours. We were in the trenches together and in the same Battalion. On the 28th of June last we had orders to charge the Turkish lines, and Woodsbey said to me as we were filing into our places,' I wonder what the boys at the Creek would think if they saw us now?' [the Creek he is referring to is Lakes Creek where the meat works were]

These were the last words that he spoke to me, for he was killed in action within seven yards of me. I was only wounded that day, but I shall never forget it, as I lost several of my best friends in that charge. "

*** Wife, Edith Ellen May Woodsbey, Elphinstone Street, Rockhampton, Queensland. Enlisted 28th December 1914. Embarked from Brisbane on board HMAT A15 Star Of England on 8 April 1915.
Killed in Action 28 June 1915, Age at death from cemetery records   45. Place of burial, Shell Green Cemetery (Plot I, Row E, Grave No. 19), Gallipoli, Turkey. Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial 58. Parents: John and Ester (nee Parkes) WOODSBEY; Wife: Edith E.M. WOODSBEY. War service: Egypt, Gallipoli. Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.

[OZScot]

When I first found out about my GG-Grandfather John Ewing who Landed in Australia with his wife Mary and five children, I had this romantic idea that they were off on an adventure to the new world, Australia, and a new start. The last few weeks I have been doing some research and I was so wrong.!!

I will do a basic timeline which will tell a far different story. One of struggle and desparate survival for him and his family. Whilst it's the story of my GG-Grandfather, it's also the story of thousands of other migrating Scots to this country and in particular South West Queensland. I never knew about this part of our history at all.

John Ewing B:24/12/1835 - Paisley Renfrewshire. Son of John & Margaret. John was a Cotton Hand Loom Weaver. John living with the family 1841 census age 5yrs.

John marries Mary McKinnon 27/11/1855 age 20yrs. Living in Erskine 1861 census.

Financial crisis starts in Britain 1857 Western Bank closes it's doors.

American Civil War commences in 1861. Cotton exports from America to Scotland start to be cut back. Seven Cotton Mills have closed from 1857-1861 in Renfrewshire. Work times are cut by 33.3% to 50%. I'm presuming John was also a Cotton Weaver like his Father and Grandfather. Found it hard to find his job description. Now I'm presuming here that amongst all this doom and gloom, workers being put off or working fewer hours, prospects in Renfrewshire and indeed Scotland are very low and few. Things are probably getting desparate with now 5 children.

Railway Bill passed by Queensland Government on 18/8/1863 to raise 1,230,000 pounds in loans from Great Britain. Loans are secured by the Agra and Masterson Banks to build a rail line from Ipswich to Toowoomba.

John and Mary have child number six Jane on 16/12/1864. Queensland Government award Railway contract to Peto, Bassey and Betts who need as many navvies as possible for the job, and select only the best people for the job, and hire John sometime before December 1865. To entice these workers to a new land they are offered Land Orders, paid for by the Qld Government.

John, Mary and their five children [the first had passed away] board the Light of the Age on the 9/12/1865 and sail for Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Australia, and arrive on 26/3/1865. These voyages particularly sailed by the Black Ball line were virtually in squallid conditions. I have just come across a voyage to Hervey Bay[where I live] where 78 mainly children died on board the Sultana.

Meanwhile news travelled very slowly back in the day and trouble was brewing back in Queensland out on the Railway. Indeed it had started in November 1865 just before they were leaving. The navvies who were mainly city working immigrants went on strike to have their 10hr days reduced to 8hr days. They were physically unfit for such hard work.

Worse was to follow!

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After the first section of line, seven and three-quarter miles from Ipswich to Grandchester had been completed on 31/7/1865 they celebrated the official opening with a Grand Parade. The usual overabundance of back slapping Politicians attended and much feasting and celebration was had. A strike started 3 months later during the construction of the next section of line. The navvies were paid 7s 6p per 10hr shift and wanted 8s for an 8hr shift. I don't know how long the strike lasted, but things were about to become very grim.

Only a few months after the Ewing family landed, the world recession had followed them. Estimates for construction blew out because of the lining of the tunnels, land purchases and flood damage. Qld Government loans and debentures with Agra & Masterson Banks were suspended and money supply stopped. All Public works either ceased or suspended and a thousand plus workers were unemployed by August 1866. Wives and children were depending on them.

Navvies who once asked for more were willing to work for 6p per hour. Around 200 starving navvies commandeered a Train from the Station Master near Ipswich and were told only a few representatives would be spoken to by a Government representative. They were given assurances and left only to be let down.  More trouble followed and eventually work recommenced slowly and by 12/4/1867 the line from Ipswich to Toowoomba was completed.

I don't know how much involvement John Ewing had in the 8hr shift strikes later, because it started before he left, but his daughter Jane Quince [Ewing] wrote in the Courier Mail on 19th May 1936 under the heading 'The First Railway', "My late Father also was one of the organisers of the 8hr movement in Ipswich".

The line from Toowoomba to Dalby was under a new contract and again a dispute between the Contractor and the Government meant that the Navvies weren't paid again, but the dispute was finally resolved in favour of the Contractor.

Next: Living conditions.

[OZScot]

This is Ballards Camp.

It was situated at the foot of the range below Toowoomba and named after the Engineer building the Railway line. The scene is a quintessential Australian bush landscape except it's black and white. It's called Ballard today but not a lot there to see.

This is where my G-Grandfather, James Alexander Ewing was the first born Aussie-Queenslander-Scot, to John and Mary Ewing. Yes, I said born. They lived, worked, slept, ate and had children along the Railway lines they were laying. It was July in Queensland and just 4 months after arriving and our winter had not long begun. They would have felt reasonably warm considering Scottish winters and how cold it gets there, but believe me, this area is the coldest by far in Queensland and it gets sleet and occasional snow. They would have had to snuggle and rug up close to a camp fire for sure.

This was a main camp where food and supplies would have been stored and sent to, and smaller tent camps following the progress of the line. It would have been quite a nice green, damp area this time of the year with plenty of strange birds, kangaroos and beautiful earthy smells from the trees and shrubs.

I have looked closely at this picture for some time and apart from some horses, I can see only three men posing in it and I always wonder is that John Ewing? I am still looking for the elusive photo's of John Ewing and his son James Alexander Ewing born here and grew up to be a Railway worker as well. Those two photo's are still my Holy Grail.

P.S. The photo had to be downsized unfortunately for fit. It is much better enlarged.
       It is what it is and I'm sure you will still be able to smell the wonderful bush.

[OZScot]

This a picture of the Grand Opening celebration of the first Railway line in Queensland. It went from the town of Ipswich to Bigge's Camp which is now called Grandchester. Looking pretty smart all the 'toff's' back in the day I must say, after all it was 150 yrs ago.

[OZScot]

In stark contrast to the Opening celebrations, have a look at the working conditions of the men on the railway construction. [see below] I have found details of their working hours and conditions from a book titled 'Living on the Line' by Marylin Bitomsky & Lee Mylne,1995.

All camps had to be formed in a suitably picked spot at the nearest waterhole or creek. This meant that the camp was sometimes six or seven miles from the headworks and the men had to walk to work in their own time for a start of 6am. [YOU'RE KIDDING ME !!!... WOW.!!!]

A typical day: Up before daylight, walk for 4 miles or so to work for a 6am start. [I'm sorry, I'm out]. At 8am stop work for an hour for Breakfast, [that's more like it] another of one hour for Dinner [I'm back in again], work until NIGHT! [I'm out again] Knocking off at 6pm, he would have to walk back for his meat and supplies. In bed by 8.30pm. On Saturday's [What!] they knocked off at 4pm. This meant a worker would be up 93.5hrs hours a week in connection with his work.

Shifting camp was always done on Sunday's, without pay or overtime of any kind.!!! [I wonder why they went on strike? beats me. Sounds like they were just cry babies].

These men were all brought out from Great Britain by contractors and were purely and simply navvies, were all able, reliable and honest workers.  In their first summers, they were tortured by the sun and some of them suffered sunstroke. [there goes my cry babies theory  ]

I cannot believe what these men and women went through. Talk about a new respect. My poor old ancestors went through all of this just to survive and eke out a modest if not a poor living standard.

Not only did my GG-Grandfather John Ewing go through all of this, he virtually worked right up until his death, according to his Daughter Jane's letter to the editor of the Brisbane Courier Mail, 19th May, 1936.

*** The term 'navvies' for workers comes from England where labourers who built the canals were jokingly called 'navigators'.

I have recently found and received some more news about our little Ewing Clan here. Will post ASAP. Still waiting for the mailman to come, posted daysago from Brisbane. He must be walking all the way with it!!! 2 weeks wait for a letter and it's not a cheque.

[OZScot]

I still wonder if, as I look at those last two photos of Navvies, Plate Layers and Gangers, is my GG-Grandfather John Ewing one of them? and indeed is one of these gentleman one of your ancestors as well? Just might be.
 

[OZScot]

These are the Navvies, Fettlers & Gangers. Big thick Mustaches were all the go back then.

[OZScot]

I've just posted the much quoted, by me, letter that I discovered on Trove that Jane Quince [Ewing] wrote and sent to the letters to the editor in the Brisbane paper, The Courier Mail on the 19th May 1936.

This is, if I may say, my 'Hand of God' letter. If Jane had not written this letter and sent it to the paper, I or we would never have known when they arrived, what ship and all the pieces of information she put in there. It's not a long letter but very succinct on facts I would never ever have known. It now seems certain that the passenger list for this voyage and landing in Moreton Bay have been lost or destroyed by flood over here and I'm fairly certain they were not kept from where they departed.

It couldn't have contained any more facts had I sat with her and ask the questions. The answers for me were all there. Spooky I say. Well I guess she could have supplied a few photos. 

She is the beautiful strong woman on the left in a previously posted photo so graciously sent in by Victorious about the 'Four Generations'. My family now all have copies to share for generations to come. Alas, still none of John and James Alexander Ewing, my GG & G-Grandfathers. Where do all these treasures go? or end up?. I guess some people find them in a dusty old box handed down to them and they say 'who are these people?, I don't know who they are?' and just throw them away.

Such is life.

*** note for people who don't know this little computer short cut. If you want to see an image larger or indeed smaller [such as my posted letter], press and hold the control key [Ctrl] and the plus key [ + ] and the print or image will become larger with each press and if you want to decrease it or bring it back to the usual size, press the control key [Ctrl] and the minus key [ - ] and it will get smaller.

Cheers.