FAMILY historians Marilyn Handley and Sue Hewitt have completed the massive task of researching the 431 names of men and women honoured on Sutherland Shire memorials for World War I service.
A book containing the stories of most of the 428 soldiers and three nurses, including 64 who died for their country, is being printed for the Gallipoli centenary.
Mrs Handley, of Heathcote, and Mrs Hewitt, of Gymea, are members of Botany Bay Family History Society and worked as volunteers on the five-year project.
After taking the names from 14 war memorials throughout the shire, they delved into a wide range of records from national archives to those kept by the council, schools, hospitals and community organisations.
They tracked down and interviewed descendants and Mrs Hewitt went to France for further research.
Cook MP and Social Services Minister Scott Morrison announced a federal government grant of $15,909 to Botany Bay Family History Society to fund the publication.
"The legacy of their work for the community is extraordinary," he said.
"When people look up at these names, as we do every Anzac Day and Armistice Day, there will be a real story behind all of them with which they can identify.
"That's a pretty precious gift that has been given and it's great to be able to support it and get the message out, so people can connect with those stories, particularly in this centenary year of Anzac."
Mrs Handley said they did not count the hours they had spent on the project, but it was "an enormous number".
‘‘We think it very important to get a full history of these men and women as best we can, including their family background, connection to the shire, education, occupation before they enlisted and what they did during the war,’’ she said.
‘‘We then followed them as far as we could after the war to their final resting place.’’
Mrs Hewitt said some family names would still be known in the shire, but the majority wouldn’t mean anything to today’s residents.
There were a lot of family connections between those who served, she said.
More details or to order a copy of the book, the price of which has not yet been set: sutherlandsoldiers@gmail.com
TWO OF THE STORIES:
Sergeant Norman Fletcher moved to Sylvania with his family when he was three and the family later moved to Miranda.
He attended Miranda Central Public School but left early to assist his father in supporting their large family.
He enlisted in the AIF in 1915 and served in France with the 14th Light Trench Mortar Battery.
In 1917 he received gunshot wounds to the side of his head, face and mouth and was evacuated to hospital in England.
He was twice mentioned in dispatches and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his long and faithful service.
Norman returned to the shire and worked as a labourer, stonemason, poultry farmer and market gardener.
For nine years, from 1920, he was a Sutherland Shire councillor.
2nd Lieutenant George Alfred Bentley.
Son of Charles and Gertrude Bentley, market gardeners and orchardists, of Menai.
He served in the 13th Infantry Battalion before he was injured at Gallipoli in July 1915 when a trench collapsed on him.
He returned home to Australia but recovered from his injuries and he sailed back to France to join his battalion on January 23, 1917.
Twelve days later he was killed at Stormy Trench, near Gueudecourt, when a shell burst near him and a piece of shrapnel hit him in the chest.
He was 29 and the father of a young daughter.
Pictures courtesy Noreen Burgess, Australian War Memorial
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