Married: Ada
Evelyn
Quittenden on 10 November 1914. Ada was born on 16 August 1887, in
Prahran, Victoria, the daughter of Charles Quittenden and Alice
(Elsworth) Quittenden. She died on 7 August 1976, in Kew, Victoria.
Death: 7 June 1933
Sources:
Birth:
John Nichols
Marriage: John Nichols; Ada details from John Nichols
Death: John Nichols
George Vear
Birth: 30 July 1853,
in Prahran, Victoria, Australia
Death: 3 October
1917, during the Battle
of Broodseinde Ridge in Zonnebeke,
Belgium. Ken "had just laid out the
white tape used
to mark the jumping off point when he was hit in the abdomen by a
sniper's bullet" and he died very soon after.
White House Cemetery in Belgium where
Kenneth is buried
Buried:
White House
Cemetery, Ieper,
West-Vlaanderen, Belgium; Grave Reference: III.
L. 7. The inscription on his headstone reads "Good old Ken. A blokes
bloke"
Notes: Kenneth was
a
sergeant with the 37th
Battalion,
Australian Infantry, A.I.F. (Australian Imperial Force). His service
record has been researched by Len Kelly:
37th Battalion, 5 Platoon, B Coy
10th Brigade
3rd Division
Name, rank & number:
513 Sgt Ken William Vear Reinforcement batch:
Original 37th Bn Date & place of
enlistment: 1 February 1916,
Melbourne Age on enlistment: 24 Year & place of birth:
1891, Burwood,
Victoria Occupation:
Orchardist Religion: Methodist Physical Description:
6' ¼" , fresh brown eyes,
brown hair Marital status:
Single NOK & address:
Father, Frederick Vear,
Burwood, Victoria Embarkation date and ship:
3 Jun 1916, Persic Repatriation date & ship:
- Date of discharge: - Total service: 1yr
8mths Overseas service:
1yr 4mths Fate: Killed in
Action 3 Oct 1917 Sicknesses:
Nil Crimes:
Nil Battle honours:
Messines 1917, Ypres 1917,
Polygon Wood.
Poelcappelle Broodseinde Ridge, France & Flanders 1916-1918 Service Outline: 15 Apr 1916 Enlisted in the AIF
3 Jun 1916
Embarked for England
1 May 1916 Promoted to corporal
23 Nov 1916 Promoted to Lance Sergeant
22 Nov 1916 37th Bn sailed for France
1 March 1917 Promoted to sergeant
7-8 Jun 1917 Wounded
in action,
Messines, GSW cheek
10 Aug 1917 Rejoined 37th Bn
3 Oct 1917 Killed
in Action near Broodseinde Ridge Summary:
Ken Vear was a keen and intelligent young man who would almost
certainly have been commissioned as an officer had he not been killed
in action. An original member of the 37th Bn he was quickly promoted to
Sergeant. His first major action was at Messines where he took a bullet
wound to the cheek. This kept him out of action for two months. His
next major action was Broodseinde Ridge during the Passchendaele
offensive. He was now commanding 5 Platoon and was doing a
reconnaissance with his peers and his company commander on 3rd Oct
1917. They had just laid out the white tape used to mark the jumping
off point when he was hit in the abdomen by a sniper?s bullet. At over
6' Ken may have well been the obvious target for a German
sniper.
He mates evacuated him by stretcher but he died very soon after and was
buried on the battlefield. His friend Sgt Grey of A Coy summed Ken up,
"He was a particular friend of mind and gee whiz he was a fine
fellow". His possessions including field glasses, religious
book,
fountain pen, watch & chain were returned to his father. Ken
was
exhumed and is now buried in the Whitehouse cemetery near Ypres. In the
early 1920's his father received a letter from the Commonwealth
inviting him to provide an inscription for Ken's headstone up to 66
characters long but reminding him that the cost of each letter to the
Commonwealth would be 3 ½ pence. The inscription reads "Good
old Ken. A blokes bloke".
Married: Emma
Rainey Hill
on 16 December 1914, in Burwood, Victoria, Australia. Emma was born on
8 May 1893 in Lilydale, Victoria, the daughter of Frederick Jesse Hill
and Sarah (White) Hill. She died in 1953, in Frankston, Victoria, and
was buried on 10 August 1953, in Springvale, Victoria, Australia.
Death: 28 March
1978, in Frankston, Victoria,
Australia
Buried: 30 March
1978, in Springvale, Victoria,
Australia
Sources:
Birth: John Nichols
Marriage: John Nichols; Emma details from John Nichols
Death: John Nichols
Burial: John Nichols
Sophia Annie (Vear)
Muir
Birth: 6 May 1855,
at Union Estate, Burwood,
Victoria, Australia
Death: 10 January
1878, at Fakenham Road,
Burwood, Victoria,
Australia
Buried: 11 January
1878, in Burwood Cemetery, Burwood, Victoria,
Australia
Notes: William
sailed from London, England
on 9 January 1850
to Durban
(then Port Natal), Natal on the Edward
(passenger
list), arriving 2 May 1850. On the same ship was
Richard Tyzack
and his wife Louisa Hawkins, the sister of the woman he would marry 2
years
later. It is unknown if the Vears knew the Tyzacks and Hawkins before
leaving,
and deliberately sailed on the same ship as his friend, or if the
chance
encounter on the boat was the start of the relationships that led to
his
marriage.
Also on board the Edward was a shipwright, George
Vear. There
is no
proof, but it seems very likely, that George and William would have
been
related.
William and Sophia didn't stay long in Natal. Eight months
after the
wedding, they arrived in Australia.
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