William Stewart Heard
| Town/City | Hurstville Grove |
|---|---|
| First name | William Stewart |
| Last name | Heard |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 1881 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1922 |
| Submitted by | Barbara Kernos |
Story
William Stewart HEARD and Daisy Lillian (Nee La Farre) Married in Epsom, Surrey, England in 1902. They had 6 sons, and one daughter, Sylvia Lillian Irena. All 9 travelled to Australia, on the Barrabool, recorded on 11th Nov 1922 going into Freemantle. There is a stamp on the Overseas Settlement Pass from England of Australia Customs, Fremantle for that day. They travelled on to Sydney and set up home in Auburn.
They did not bring many possessions with them, but one thing that survives to this day was a wedding present of a 100-piece Dinner Set.
What possessed the family to pack up 7 children and make the journey? We don’t know for sure, but it was probably the poor conditions in England after the war and a promise of a better life. William served in the first world war, for England. His sons served in the second world war for Australia. One of them, FREDERICK WALTER HEARD, Australian Army Service Number NX11166 died at El Alamein, Egypt on 1 Sep 1942. He is buried there, Grave/Memorial Reference: A I. B. 10. Rank Sapper, Posting on Death 2/13 Field Company WW2 . He is listed on the Roll of Honour at the Aust. War Memorial.
William died in 1944, leaving his family with no breadwinner, but Daisy and her children all had jobs and so survived and thrived in Australia.