Life History

Other facts

Notes

• Information from Military Records, BDM Certificates and Employment Records.
  
  Herbert Kenneth (Ken) Lawson was born on 5 February 1892 at Faulconbridge, NSW. He was employed by the New South Wales Department of Road Transport and Tramways as a Clerk for his entire working life (apart from his war service). He commenced as a Junior Clerk on 4 September 1911 at the age of 19 years. He was promoted to Clerk on 6 Feb 1913, immediately after his 21st birthday.
  
  Ken Lawson joined the Australian Imperial Forces on 24 August 1915, service number 3822, at the age of 23 years. He was sent to France on 7 January 1916, where he served at Etaples and Havre. He was wounded twice in action and suffered from a variety of illnesses common to soldiers during WWI. After several periods in hospital in England, he was finally repatriated back to Australia on the ship Gaika on 31 December 1918 and discharged from the AIF as medically unfit on 3 April 1919 at the age of 27.
  
  He married Margaret Tilley on 28 May 1921 at the age of 29 and they had three children over the next 6 years. They lived for many years at 12 Australia St, Croydon - the house was named Gaika after the ship which carried him home from France.
  
  Ken joined the Volunteer Defence Corps on 30 March 1942 at the age of 50 years, and remained a member until 30 September 1945 when the VDC was disbanded. He is listed as belonging to the 10th Batallion (Signals), having had experience with wireless and morse code. He was not then able to drive any vehicles, and probably never drove a vehicle in his lifetime.
  
  Ken retired on 14 February 1952, at the age of 60 years, his total service to the Tramways Dept. being over 40 years. He passed away suddenly in his sleep at 18 Bayview St, Mt Kuring-gai on 22 July 1955. He was 63 years of age and had been retired for just over three years.
  
  Personal memories from David Coggins:
  
  I was only seven years of age when my grandfather died, but I remember him as a very loving grandfather who had a lot of time for me. My favourite memories are when he used to catch flies with his hand for my captive spiders - as hard as I tried I could never copy the trick. He would also fill a matchbox with smoke from his cigarette, which I would take away and open later - fascinated to see the smoke still in there. He was not a well man in my memory; I believe that he was never in good health after WWI and of course he was a smoker, as so many people were in those days before the dangers of smoking were publically accepted. I remember him as a gentle kind man, in contrast to my grandmother Margaret who seemed very strict and tough. He was very fond of his children, particularly his first daughter, my mother Ruth. He wrote lovely letters to her during her time away in WW2, some of which still survive.
• Ken Lawson
• Ken Lawson

Sources

• 1. Australian Electoral Rolls, 1903-1954
  • Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.Original data - Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll]
• 2. Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922
  • Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data - Compiled from publicly available sources.Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources.
• 3. Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1949
  • Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data - Compiled from publicly available sources.Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources.