Great War Ephemera

First posted August 2006. Edited 17 March 2010.

I had long thought that this image dated from grandfather's time in basic training at Enoggera Barracks in 1916 as "Fraser's" refers to Fraser's Paddock, one of the four blocks that made up the Enoggera Army establishment.

Who Les was is a matter for the historians, but he was obviously a 'bit of a lad' in order to be immortalised in such a fashion. The moustache, pipe and beer (XXX, if I recall correctly, because XXXX was not yet being produced - I will check and correct if necessary) suggest someone who was worthy of a well-penned cartoon.

The original is a negative image on a glass plate, and this leads me to believe that it was created in order to be used as a cartoon in a newsletter or maybe some form of card or postcard.

The quote "Could you keep one down" is, of course, from the pen of C.J.Dennis in his work Digger Smith, specifically VII. A Digger's Tale. A similar quote appears in Song of a Sentimental Bloke.

Recent research indicates that the artist "Vasco" is actually Vasco Louriero, son of the Portuguese-Australian artist Arthur Loureiro. Vasco enlisted  in WW1 in May 1916 (under the name Louis VASCO) in Brisbane, so would have trained at Enoggera, as a Sapper in the Engineers, 12th Field Company.

I still cannot completely explain how "Jack" came into possession of this caricature, but it certainly does seem as if it originated in Fraser's Paddock.

He died of disease (Haemorrhagic pachy-meningitis) following a minor spinal wound in  St Albans (Napsbury War Hospital) on 3rd August 1918.


He left little in the way of worldly personal possessions. This image has been lifted from his digitised records at the National Archives of Australia. The items appear to have been placed in the care of the Australian War Memorial.

I have asked the State Library of NSW, which holds some 200+ Vasco drawings, for confirmation of the signature. As of 31 March, I have received no reply.

Labels: 12th Field Company, Arthur Loureiro, Artur Loureiro, Australian War Memorial, Engineers, Enoggera, Fraser's Paddock, Great War, Louis Vasco, Napsbury, Sapper, State Library of NSW, Vasco Loureiro

How Jack came to have this pass in his possession, I do not know. He was a fellow artillery signaller, that is clear.

Some research at the Australian War Memorial and National Archives websites turned up the following information.

SERN 22208 Clement Vaughan MOODY.

8th Field Artillery Brigade, 30th Battery.

Foster son of Charles and Annie Lawrence, of Bevis St., Adelaide, South Australia. Native of Mount Gambier, South Australia.

Killed in Action 18/10/1917, which was the the day after my Grandfather's 30th birthday.
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That was some 30 months ago. Today, I looked into the digitised files for Clement Moody at the National archives of Australia. What a sad story they told.

Here is a quick summary. A little boy, 7 years old and with an unmarried mother, is left in the care of an elderly couple whose family had all long ago left home. The mother leaves Adelaide for Perth, promising to send money for his upkeep. She does, for 4 months, then nothing for the next 12 years. The Lawrences have become attached to the lad and raise him as his own. He is contributing his pay of 30 shillings a week to the household when he joins the Army just before his 20th birthday. During his service, Annie Lawrence banks his Army allotment dutifully, awaiting his return. When he is killed in action, his foster parents receive his personal effects and, eventually, his medals and photographs of his grave site from the War Graves Commission. The search begins for his mother, and when she is found she states that the Lawrences can have his medals. Then, comes the problem of the gratuity. As his birth mother is his legal next of kin, and despite a very sympathetic investigation of the circumstances by the Army, his foster parents are deemed not to be eligible for the gratuity, despite the fact that they are 80 years old, receive a weekly pension of 13 shillings, pay 13 shillings in rent, and live off Mr Lawrence's capital of just over 24 pounds. Annie Lawrence still hasn't touched the bank account containing Clement's allotment, now with a balance of over 123 pounds (a lot of money for the early 1920s).


Note (30 March 2010): I have found an account of Gunner Moody's death in the book "Death Sat on a Pale Horse" by Alison Miller, published by Hudson Publishing.


Further investigation into the Red Cross records at the Australian War Museum website shows that Gunner George Ridgway (who was with my grandfather on the day they both won the MM) was a recorded witness to Moody's death. George Ridgeway also witnessed the death of the Red Baron. 


See the post in Jack's Diary.

Labels: 30th Battery, 8th FAB, C V Moody, Clement Vaughan Moody, Field Atrillery, Great War, Gunner Moody