JAMES BASIL MINCHIN #358 James Basil Minchin (b.1894) went from a simple farm boy who had disciplinary problems when he first joined the Army, to become an ‘outstanding leader of an outstanding battalion’ . He landed on the morning of April 25, 1915 at Gallipoli and, for the next three and a half years, didn’t suffer a wound. He won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), the Military Cross (MC) and was Mentioned In Dispatches (MID) twice . He returned home to the farm, married and had a son, but by the end of the 1920s was asking for a pension and died a terrible death at the young age of 42, mourned deeply by all who had known him. His father, born in the colony mid-century, had been one of 5 Minchin boys to marry 5 Hitchcock girls . James had 11 siblings, and one of his elder brothers, Joseph Henry (b.1881) had enlisted in the WA contingent that went off to the Boer War (1899-1901), and he joined up again on his return to Western Australia (WA). (Picture of Joseph Henry Minchin (1881-1917) in WW1) (Credit www.boerwarwa.org.au) Though born in Middle Swan, he had moved at a young age to the farming area of Balkuling, near the township of Beverley. Here he grew up a smaller than usual Minchin , being only 5’5 ½’’ and under 10 stone at enlistment . But no doubt physical labour and fresh country air had kept him fit. And maybe the tales told by his big brother of war and far-off lands made him enlist at Helena Vale, WA on 29/09/1914 . The 16th Battalion was designed as a combined WA/South Australia (SA), part of the 4th Brigade commanded by John Monash. Its commander was Colonel Pope, a West Australian . After training at Black Boy Hill at the foothills of the Darling Range the WA contingent took ship for Melbourne, to meet up with the SA companies. Minchin was in ‘A’ Company. (Picture of James Basil Minchin at Black Boy Hill camp c1914. He is standing behind the bugler. discoveringanzcs.naa.gov.au) After some more Brigade wide training and a public march, the 16th embarked for 6 weeks at sea before reaching Egypt. Here there was more training, soon replaced by another sea journey and then the famous landing at Gallipoli on April 25th, 1915 . The 16th fought its way up what would be called Monash Gully and took up a fighting position at Pope’s Hill, overlooking some Turkish positions but, in its turn, being overlooked by others. Constant fighting and sniping took a heavy toll on the 16th . Not for the last time Minchin emerged without a scratch. Casualties had meant quick promotion for many at Gallipoli. Minchin had missed out but from now on he rose rapidly . Promoted to corporal in Egypt 22/03/16, he went to France with the 16th in June 1916 and took part in major fighting on the Western Front. By February 1917, having received his first MID ‘for continuously good and gallant service’, he was selected for officer training in Oxford, England with the 4th Officer Cadet Battalion. The 6 months there must have been a welcome respite. It also meant he missed the slaughter at Bullecourt that decimated the 16th. Re-joining the 16th on 22/08/17 he took part in the Battle of Passchendaele and was awarded an MC for his actions on 26/09/17 . More honours were to come. At the famous Battle of Hamel on 04/07/18 Basil, by now a full Lieutenant, had to take command when his company commander was mortally wounded . After his great mate Thomas ‘Jack’ Axford single-handedly wiped out the machine guns on their flank , Basil led his company forward, killing and capturing the enemy in great numbers and reaching their destination point. For this he received his DSO . At war’s end, Basil went back to farming around Balkuling. He married Jean McDonald in 1922 and they had a son . By the late 1920s, however, bad health was affecting him, and he asked for, and received, a pension due to his war service . He had lost the farm and was living in Beverley. What Basil had was syphilis . He refused to admit this when asked, even when he returned a positive test in 1931 . Finally, he admitted getting a syphilitic sore on his genitals in November 1916 in Mametz, France, but he had not reported it and not treated it . It had lain dormant for a decade, but his finals years were terrible. By October 1934 his wife said to a visiting doctor that ‘for the past 3 months he had had to be fed, clothed and looked after like a child’ . Surrounded by his close family, death came on 01/11/1936 (James Basil Minchin and fellow officers c1918. He is holding the child-not his own! www.discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au) (Lieutenant James Basil Minchin and his men c1918. They were referred to as Minch’s Ragtimes www.discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au) (Letter from James Basil Minchin 1928 seeking a pension for his ill-health NAA PP2/8 M13982) (Medical certificate of the cause of death for James Basil Minchin NAA PP2/8 M13982) APPENDIX I DECORATIONS MC This officer is brought under notice for coolness and capable leadership near Zonnebecke on 26th September 1917. While in the support line both before and after the attack he was placed in charge of various carrying parties to the front line. On one of these occasions, having to proceed with his party to the front line of the adjoining sector over very difficult and unknown ground., and through a very heavy enemy barrage, it was entirely due to his splendid coolness and ability to handle large parties of men under dangerous circumstances that he was able to bring his men back with the minimum of casualties. Also throughout the attack he specially distinguished himself by his fine leadership, coolness, personal example and control of his platoon. He at all times showed absolute disregard for personal safety. On arrival at the Red Line (our objective) he again distinguished himself in the work of consolidation and the great assistance he rendered in assisting to reorganise the Company under heavy shell fire. The success of his Company is largely due to his fine example and good work. He is strongly recommended for high distinction. London Gazette 19/11/1917 DSO Is brought to notice for conspicuous gallant conduct during operations against Vaire and Hamel Woods, east of Corbie on the morning of 4th July 1918. He led his platoon to the first wave of the attack. On striking the first enemy positions west of Vaire Wood, strong opposition was encountered. He personally killed one Officer and several other men, and the balance, including one Officer and 20 other ranks, he captured. In this encounter he took one machine gun and one heavy minenwerfer. In his advance he next encountered a machine gun nest near the south end of the copse in front of Vaire Wood. He again led his men in an important charge. Some 6 of the enemy were killed, two of whom Lieutenant Minchin himself accounted for. The balance of the crews, also the guns were captured. At this stage he discovered his Company Commander had been killed. He thereupon assumed command of his Company: superintended its operations, and brilliantly completed the task assigned to the Company. Throughout the whole operation, he set a magnificent example of gallantry and leadership. He is very strongly recommended for distinction. London Gazette 15/10/1918 Appendix II This essay had to be cut dramatically because there is so much information. There are 166 pages in Minchin’s medical file alone, and I had to struggle to get this part of his life considering his immense and long war record. This contributed greatly to my anxiety as I felt this man deserved as good as essay as I could do. Sorry for its lateness! Rob Smith BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Sources National Archives of Australia – B2455 MINCHIN JAMES BASIL (Service file) PP2/8 M13982 (Medical File) TROVE newspapers- BEVERLEY TIMES SUNDAY TIMES SWAN EXPRESS Secondary Sources Bean, C.E.W., OFFICIAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR 1914-18 Vol.VI ‘The AIF in France 1918’ (Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1942) Carlyon, Les, GALLIPOLI (Pan MacMillan Press, 2001) ‘’ ‘’ THE GREAT WAR (Pan MacMillan, 2006) Gill, Ian, BLOODY ANGLE, BULLECOURT AND BEYOND- 16TH BATTALION AIF 1914-19 (2008) Hatwell, Jeff, NO ORDINARY DETERMINATION- PERCY BLACK AND HARRY MURRAY OF THE FIRST AIF (Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2005) Longmore, Capt. C., THE OLD SIXTEENTH (1929) Minchin-Camm, Dorothy, THE BOOK OF MINCHIN- A FAMILY FOR ALL SEASONS (Trafford Publishing, 2006) Howie-Willis, Ian, ‘The Australian Army’s ‘Traditional’ Diseases: Gonorrhea and Syphilis- A Military-Medical History During the Twentieth Century’ in JOURNAL OF MILITARY & VETERAN’S HEALTH (Vol.27, Issue 1, 01/01/2019) pp.11-22

Alexander Lindo Henriques

THe following is the reply I received from the State Library of Victoria about Alexander Lindo Henriques. He was the uncle of Rosa Sara Smith nee Henriques. He came to Australia but I could never figure out why. From the reply it seems he was a trained printer. It also seems that his father came out too. Did they come because of the Victorian goldrushes? Dear Robert, Thank you for your query. I am guessing you have searched the digitised newspapers on Trove and would know most of Melbourne Punch is digitised up until 1939 (where it ended it's run having merged with Table Talk newspaper in 1925). The publication changed its name over the years -see here. There are various references to Henriques in the newspapers on the 1850s and 60s, including in relation to employment as a printer for both Melbourne Punch and the Herald. Search results for "Alexander Lindo Henriques" Search results for "Alexander L. Henriques" Search results for "Alex Lindo Henriques" Also: NOTICE.-I have this day admitted Mr. ALEXANDER LINDO HENRIQUES a PARTNER in the proprietary of MELBOURNE PUNCH. JAMES SMITH. August 29,1850. I beg to inform tho public that I have opened a JOBBING-OFFICE In connection with the above Publication, at 45 La Trobe-streetcast, corner Swanston-street, where all orders will be executed,with care, economy, and despatch. ALEXANDER LINDO HENRIQUES. Advertising (1859, August 29). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 8, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5687043 These articles provide some basic information about the publication: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Punch http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00951b.htm I have checked a number of biography card indexes and found one reference to an article in The Australasian Typographical Journal (April 1898, p.2) which included some information on Henrique: "Mr. A Lindo Henriques, employed in the publishing department of the Herald, was the purchaser of the jobbing office. He had a small plant of his own, which was worked by a young fellow, Richard P. Hurren, and he amalgamated both. I worked casually there [the author of this article being Mr. T.L. Work]. Henriques was of Spanish descent, a native of Cuba, tall, swarthy, somewhat saturnine, sparing in speech, and afflicted with a bronchial malady. He engaged as overseer Mr. Alex M. Gaul, who subsequently went to Fergusson & Moore's office, and while there, in 1872, executed the famous Thistle poster for the Kennedy concerts. This was a most unique job, printed in green ink, with red top - leaves, stalk and flower all type. The designer of the job was Mr. D. Kennedy, jun (sic?) himself a printer, who terminated his too brief career in South Africa, in 1885, a year before the death of his talented father. Mr. Henriques died in 1869, and the Herald job became a thing of the past. The plant was leaves to his assistant, Mr. Hurren, who afterwards had an office of his own in Post Office Place, where he printed Centaur's Index - a sporting record - and other work. He died a few years ago." Henriques' death notice on Ancestry identifies his parents as Benjamin Henriques and Sarah Sanguinetti.

A Medal for Robert Smith Across the Centuries

Many many years ago my father bought this old cycling medal because it had R Smith on it, which is me. Apparently he gave it to me, but I was 20 and didn't care. Luckily my mother is a hoarder and she put it away. A few months ago someone was asking about any old coins or medals we had and wanted to sell. Mum remembered this medal and said she would look for it. I have been looking at the Smith family off and on for years. A divorce between my grandparents in the early 1960s and my grandfather's disappearance meant that I knew hardly anything about them. Gradually I've been able to piece together a very interesting history which, like many of us, I want to turn into a book. My great grandfather Robert Strachan Smith died a decade before I was born. My father remembers little of him except that from the toilet of his house in Napier Street, Cottesloe you could see the train passing. In the last fortnight I have discovered a lot about his education days. He went to school at Fremantle School, then at 14 went to Alexander Scotch College (the forerunner of Scotch College). Afterwards he went to Glasgow, the birthplace of his father, to study Electrical Engineering at what is now the University of Strathclyde. In Trove I found mention of him at Scotch as a cyclist. From distant Jamaican cousins I had a copy of a faded photo showing him on a bike in a racing position. Today Mum found that medal. Its engraving is hard to make out but together we have deciphered it. Its sterling silver and maybe the name Cooper or Hooper is at the top. Then FS for Fremantle School. In Trove 18/12/1897 there is an article on the annual Fremantle School speech day. It also says that on the previous day there had been the Fremantle school annual sports day. In the boys 2 mile cycling race J Gallop (Fremantle School) came first and R Smith (Scotch College, Perth) second. The medal says 'Int Sch 2M' and below that '2'. So this is the medal my Great Grandfather won on a warm Friday in Fremantle 122 years ago as 14 year old boy. Roughly 90 years later my father brought it because it had my name on it. It wasn't worth anything as silver. Today I put all the evidence together.

Robert Smith, the unlucky sailor

Robert Smith 1857-1895 The name Robert Smith runs through my family. I am the third so far that I know of. My Great Grandfather was Robert Strachan Smith. He died in 1958 in Napier St, Cottesloe. I have a picture of my dad as a young boy standing outside the house. All he can remember is that if you sat on the toilet you could see the Perth-Fremantle train go past, a typical child's memory! It his uncle, Robert Strachan Wright Smith, who was the first of the name that I know of. He was born, so the records tell me, in 1857 on the 28/06/1857 in Rothesay, Scotland. However, when he died his wife put a notice in the papers in Sydney om 30/11/1895 saying he would have been 41. At the moment I can't explain this discrepancy. In the census of 1861 Robert is in Glasgow with his mother, Grace, and three brothers, Alexander, Thomas and John. His father isn't recorded. The 1871 census records Robert as still being in Glasgow with Grace, but only one brother, Alexander, is there too. In between these two dates there is a strange mention in the sources of the family arriving in NSW on the ship 'Racehorse' as assisted immigrants on the 22/09/1866. All the boys are there, and their mum. The person who assisted them is given in the newspaper as Robert. Had Robert gone to the NSW goldrush or emigrated in search of work, in the hope of bringing out his family once he was successful? If so, I assume he died, and they went back to be with the family support network in Glasgow. Strangely enough, Robert, Thomas and John would spend most of their adult lives in Australia. The families of Thomas and John, who hyphenated his name to Wright-Smith for some reason, are still living in Australia. Robert had a wife and son, but I haven't found a name for him yet, and so no record of his life. But I am getting ahead of myself! Robert's future career details come down in the short newspaper obituaries published shortly after his death. Note is made that he was the brother of Thomas Smith, then living in Fremantle with his own young son Robert Strachan. The Strachan comes from a beloved Aunt of Thomas and his brothers, the Robert I assume from his brother and, maybe, eventually from some more distant ancestor that I haven't been able to trace yet. According to the newspapers Robert worked on the 'SS MACEDON' (826 gross tons, 532 net. Lbd: 220'6" x 29'8' x 15'8". Iron steamship, built as a passenger vessel by W H Potter & Co, Liverpool, England. Barque-rigged vessel with one deck was powered by 96-hp 2 cylinder inverted engines. Built for W H Smith & Partners as the Melbourne Steamship Co. 1881 chartered out, with the option to purchase, to Anderson & Marshall & Lilly, Melbourne. Worked the coast of Western Australia on that State Government's mail run until 21 March 1883 when she drifted onto Transit reef off Rottnest Island. Remaining there overnight and, the next morning, with engines full astern she coursed backward onto Phillip Rock, sustaining damaged stern and holing the hull. To save live and cargo, she was thrust forward onto transit reef, becoming a total loss. All lives saved-from https://flotilla-australia.com/melbsc.htm#macedon-msc). According to The Western Mail 23/08/1895 he had been second officer on the MACEDON. The actual sentence is ambiguous and its hard to tell if it implies he was on the ship when it sank or not. The next ship he was on was the 'SS NEMISIS' (1,392 gross tons, 886 net. Lbd: 240'2" x 34' x 17'9". Iron screw steamship, built by Turnbull & Sons, Whitby, England. Built for this concern as a cargo vessel, with compounded engine producing 120 nhp. Entered Port Phillip Bay, 1st May 1881 after a voyage of seventy six days, brigantine rigged. She was intended to work as a collier on the Melbourne - Newcastle intercolonial trade, although at a later she was fitted for passenger accomodation and placed on the Melbourne - Sydney run. Later placed on the West Australian run upon the advent of the goldrushes of the 1890's. During the 1890's she was again converted into a collier on the east coast. Left Newcastle for Melbourne on 8 July 1904 with a cargo of coal and was last seen on the 9th of July, east of Wollongong. Her officers and crew numbered 32. There were no survivors-https://flotilla-australia.com/huddart.htm#nemesis-hp). He was the chief officer according to the newspapers, but I'm unsure whether that means first mate, master or something else. I am also unsure of when he actually served aboard this boat because I don't know when he left the ill-fated MACEDON. The papers then say he was 'master of a labour schooner in the South Seas' (The Western Mail 23/08/1895 and others) before he became Navigating Lieutenant on HMCS 'WOLVERINE' in 1884. There doesn't appear to be much space in his work timeline for this to happen. A labour schooner in the South Seas suggests to me that he was a blackbirder, kidnapping or luring islanders aboard to work in Queensland. I'd like to be wrong about this, as it is not a particularly nice occupation by today's standards. WOLVERINE is the last ship that I know he was employed upon. It was an old ship, originally built in 1863 and then given by the Royal Navy to NSW as a training vessel. (Here is the WIKIPEDIA entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Wolverine_(1863) also HMS Wolverene was a Jason-class three-masted wooden screw corvette, of the Royal Navy. Later she became flagship of the Australia Station, eventually being presented to the Colony of New South Wales as a training ship for the New South Wales Naval Brigade and New South Wales Naval Artillery Volunteers.HMS Wolverine was built at the Woolwich Dockyard and launched at Woolwich on 29 August 1863. After serving in the North America and West Indies Station in the 1860s, she was commissioned as the flagship of the Australia Station on 7 September 1875, under the command of Commodore Anthony Hoskins. In 1880, Francis Pringle Taylor was appointed lieutenant in command, a position he held until 1884. During its service Wolverine was present for the Royal Navy's Detached Squadron world cruise in 1881 when the princes Albert and George undertook naval training. The Wolverine left Sydney Harbour at the same time as the Detached Squadron on 10 August 1881, with Commodore John Wilson, Commander-in-Chief of the Australia Station, her destination being Brisbane and then New Guinea. The scientist Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay travelled to New Guinea on this voyage where, aided by the Rev. James Chalmers, he intervened with the Commodore to stop the destruction of the entire native village of Kalo in reprisal for the recent murder of some missionaries there. Wolverine's service came to an end was replaced by HMS Nelson and paid off in 1882 at Sydney. She was presented to the Colony of New South Wales as a training ship for the New South Wales Naval Brigade and New South Wales Naval Artillery Volunteers — challenging "enemy" ships at Sydney heads and "attacking" coastal and harbour fortifications. The ship was decommissioned in 1892, sold to a private firm (Peter Ellison, Sydney) for £2,200 in August 1893 and with the engines removed was used as a hulk. After refit and conversion to a barque, she commenced service as a merchant vessel. On a voyage from Sydney to Liverpool, England she sprung leaks and returned to Auckland for repairs, however upon docking she was found to be unfit. She was sold to G. Niccol, Auckland, for £1,000). Newspaper reports make it clear the ship mainly lay at anchor, so service as the navigator couldn't have been to strenuous. She made occasional forays to Jervis Bay and hosted important dignitaries, but overall it must have been an easy life, if maybe not well-paid. When the WOLVERINE was finally paid off Robert had to look for another job. He had a wife and child and, judging by reports after his death, little money. He took passage on a well-known vessel, SS CATTERTHUN, for China to look for new employment. His new career was never to be. In early August 1895 the ship hit Seal Rocks, off the NSW coast, and quickly sunk. Robert and another saloon passenger died, reports alleging that the in-rushing water must have overpowered them in their cabins, preventing their escape. It was a famous shipwreck, made the more so by the deep sea salvage that followed to recover a reported 10000 gold sovereigns that had been aboard. Robert's wife and child were left near destitution. A charity concert was arranged for them in September 1895 at the Sydney Town Hall. The bad luck hadn't stopped though. A downpour drastically cut turnout, and a crowd of only 4-500 came along. Nothing more has so far be found by me in newspaper or other records to track what happened to Robert's widow and son.

Writing exercises for Writing Family History @UTAS

Doing His Duty Wally Cope stood at the rail of his ship. Around him he could see the other ships in his convoy preparing to leave King George Sound. The warships were already steamed up, their funnels belching smoke, sailors visible at the side saluting as they left Australian shores for Suez and then Europe. Wally had been happy in his job as a junior clerk in an accounting firm. His father, Walter, had found him a good job in Perth. Wally’s boyish good looks, quick mind and influential family friends all promised him a bright future. But at the moment this future was on hold and a much more dangerous path lay ahead. Like many young men Wally had thrilled to the tales of derring-do and mateship from Gallipoli. His mother and sisters wanted him to stay but his friends had joined up. His father’s friend, the Bishop of Bunbury, had preached that it was time for all young men to enlist to help the nation in its first mission on the world stage. Walter, though long resident in Australia, was English by birth. His family had written often and Wally felt as English as he did Australian. Now that the casualty lists had confirmed the cost of the Gallipoli campaign Wally had decided to join. He felt comfort in his faith that God would protect him from the dangers ahead. Walter, that great sportsman, agreed that this was to be his boy’s chance to shine. So Wally had enlisted, a slender but fit lad and perfect for the infantry. Country boys were prime material. Wally could see that land was now out of sight. Ahead was the sea, then Europe and his new future. BADGEBUP My maternal Grandmother, Mavis Kemble, was born in 1920 in the small Western Australian hamlet of Badgebup. In 1921 this area was largely settled by families who had come over from South Australia around the turn of the century. Some were first generation Australians of German descent. All had come to a new state that was thriving after the goldrushes of the 1890s. New land was opened up to agriculture to feed a population that had surged. The Kembles had come as a family unit. The patriarch, John Kemble, had come from a broken family. His father had been a violent drunk who had deserted his family early on. John had not shown much promise until a family tragedy saw him turn to Methodism. Reports from family friends and in the local South Australian newspapers seem to have encouraged the mass migration. At first things were good. The boys found a farm each, the girls found a husband each. Sam, Mavis’ father, was a middle child but a natural leader in the community. He worked hard and the farm thrived. Mavis was surrounded by a loving extended family. At the end of primary school she was sent to the best private school in the regional town of Katanning. Then the depression hit. Rabbits came in huge numbers. Money was tight and no matter how hard a man worked he struggled to provide for his family. Mavis was withdrawn from the posh school. Memories of how quickly fortunes could change haunted the rest of her life. Le State c’est Moi It was a hot November night in Broome. In a makeshift tent a group of men are drinking and laughing. Some will describe them as Italian, others as Anglo-Indian, but they were trouble. Not far away Captain ‘Meda’ Smith, a short, avuncular Scotsman, but with a strong belief in himself, was finishing a whisky with friends. He was the master of the Government Revenue Schooner whose name gave him his nickname. He wore many hats in the northern half of the colony of Western Australia- Inspector of Pearl Shell Fisheries, J.P.- but at the moment it was his position as Protector The men in the tent had been plying the local native women with drink and then, so the whispers had it, having their way with them. Nothing was likely to inflame racial tension as the sexual use of women of one race by another’s men. Smith knew this well. A few drinks had made the issue burn in the front of his brain. Action was required. Saying goodnight to his companions, Smith purposely strode to the tent of the troublemakers. Reaching the tent he puffed on his cigar. It was dark, almost midnight, and those inside didn’t notice they were being observed. Decision made, Smith strode forward. His right hand reached out to the roof. The tinder dry grass and timbers were lit up by the cigar. Satisfied with his work Smith turned on his heel and headed back to his vessel. Inside the tent voices were raised in alarm and men tumbled out the door just as the roof fell in. THE ISLAND OF HOY James Taylor Sinclair was born on the Orcadian island of Hoy in the middle of summer 1868. Orkney is a long way from Geraldton where he died, but there is one weather factor that they share- the wind. Anyone who has driven to Geraldton can see the affect the wind has on the vegetation just south of the town. Trees are stunted and grow bent over, showing the strength and direction of the wind whipping in from the Indian Ocean. The Orkney islands too are products of the wind. Indeed, the islanders are too. The local joke is that Orcadians are nothing but blown away Norwegians. From time immemorable the islanders have farmed and fished. Scapa Flow sits between the main island, called Mainland, and Hoy, a great natural harbour used by the Vikings and the Royal Navy. Hoy is, like the other islands, flat with low vegetation and little in the way of trees. At the north end of the island it rises into sheer cliffs. On the western side of this stands a sea stack called The Old Man of Hoy. The lower half of Hoy has small farms and a couple of hamlets. Low stone walls divide the small holdings of the locals. Sinclairs, Taylors, Gunns and Sutherlands fill the desolate cemetery at Longhope. Many of the graves are empty, as the men drowned at sea. Many of the houses are empty, as the families moved away in search of an easier life. The Jamaican For many years I had heard that we had Jamaican blood in our family. How else did a family that was from the UK get such a great tan in summer? It seemed a good story. There was even an old wooden letter opener with ‘Jamaica’ on it that my paternal Granny gave to me as a boy. But this same Granny was the keeper of the secrets, because it was her long-divorced husband who was the descendant of the Jamaican line. And Granny hated him. Supposedly she had burned everything when he left in the early 1960s. One of my Aunt’s berated me when I dared say I was interested to know what had happened to my Grandfather. One day my mum was reading the paper. ‘Hey Rob, read this, I think its about your missing Jamaican family’ she said to me. And it was. A couple were coming from America and one of them was looking for descendants of Thomas Smith and Rosa Sara Henriques. Thomas I knew about, an old sea captain from Scotland known as ‘Meda’ after one of his ships. Rosa, she was new. And such an exotic name to be found in the Smith family! Even the disapproving Aunt was keen to meet our distant relative. It was the wife we were related to, and yes, she had been born in Jamaica. She had heard from her elders how Rosa had gone to Australia, done the Lord’s work in opposing drink and even met royalty. Then she and Thomas had gone back to the family plantation to die, leaving a son and grandson in Australia. This grandson had in turn deserted his family and disappeared into thin air. He was my missing Grandfather.