Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Gordon Devereux was born on New Year's Day 1890, together with his twin brother Stanley, at 4 Avenue Cottages, in the quaint little market village of Beccles on the Waveney River in Suffolk about 200 kms north east of London, to Edward and Maria Waterton Devereux.  The twins had two older brothers Stanley and Roland, as well as older sister Edith.

The children attended the local Peddar's Lane School,  and Gordon always told of the fun and mischief they all used to get up to in the village as children, and he came to love playing soccer along with his siblings.  He  later belonged to the Beccles Soccer Club, winning medals for his talent in the sport.  Then became an apprentice to Mr Poll, the local painter, which became Gordon's trade. 

In 1911, when Gordon was 21, Gordon's half brother Edward (Ted Waterton,) and Ted's mother May, were migrating to Western Australia, so Gordon decided that he would join them in their adventure, and they sailed from Tilbury Docks in London on board the Rangatira for Fremantle arriving in August 1911.

On arrival in West Australia, Gordon and Ted travelled south to Harvey to help clear land for farms.  Gordon then resumed his trade as a painter in the district, and Ted became a builder.

At the outbreak of World War I, Gordon enrolled in the Army at Harvey, passed his medical with the local Dr, and sold all of his tools of trade, and paints etc, but on travelling to Blackboy Hill Army camp near Midland in Perth, was examined again by two Medical Officers and classed as "unfit for overseas duty" because of a slight varicose vein in one leg.

Gordon was furious, as he had sold all of his work equipment at Harvey, and duly wrote to The West Australian Newspaper objecting to his treatment.  He later enrolled again at Harvey in 1915, and was once more, passed by the Doctor as being fit, and this time he was accepted into army camp at age 25.

After training, he was made an Acting Sergeant, along with quite a few others, and was allotted to the 28th Infantry Battalion, and sailed aboard HMAT Ulysses, arriving in Alexandria, Egypt and attended The NCO's School of Instruction at Zeitoun. 

In March 1916 he was allotted to the 51st Battalion and reverted to the rank of Private, and they were shipped to the south of France.  On arrival at Marseilles the soldiers were sent by train to the north of France to the Belgian border near the front line, where his unit served at Fleurbaix near Fromelle, and Sailly-sur-Lys, then later Pozieres and Mouquet Farm. 

He was then detached for to the 27 ASC (Australian Service Army Corps) who supported the troops with supplies of food, fuel, mail etc using horse-drawn and vehicular transport.  He was with the ASC during the horrific winter of 1916.

In June 1917, he suffered an inguinal hernia, and was shipped to London for surgery at Queen Alexandria Hospital, Millbank, and after a month, he was then transferred to Caen Wood Towers in Highgate (northern London) for convalescence, where he met a young 24 year old volunteer, Ellie Young, who worked locally as a live-in nursemaid to an elderly lady in Hampstead, (the next suburb to Highgate), and a romance began to bloom.  

He was then transferred to Harefield Park House - the 1st Australian Auxilliary Hospital, north of London, then south to Hurdcott Command Depot on the Salisbury Plains, and then to Perham Downs.  Finally he was posted to Codford camp, and attended the 4th Divisional Signals School for six weeks' training.

Gordon continued to court Ellie during his time in England, and on 21st March 1918, (ten days before he was shipped back to the Western Front), they were married at St John's Parish Church in Hampstead. On his arrival back in France, he carried with him a postcard with a photo of Ellie with a message on it which said: 

"Apr 1918 - Should I be killed in Action whoever finds this photo case, kindly return the same to my Dear Wife -

Mrs. G. Devereux, 6 Frognal Lane, Hampstead, London, N.W.3 England."

Gordon rejoined the 51st Battalion near Villers Bretonneux, a week after the Australians' legendary battle on the 25th April, pushing the Germans out of the village.   A few days later, the 51st were on the front line in the village and then moved to Sailley-Le-Sec. 

In August 1918 Gordon won a Military Medal as a "runner" for "bravery in the field" together with his running partner, near the village of Etinehem on the Somme River. Their citation read:-

"On the night of 12/13th August 1918, during an attack on enemy position East of Etinehem near Bray-sur-Somme, these men did excellent work carrying important messages through hostile shell fire and thereby were responsible for maintaining communication between the Company and Battalion Headquarters.  

Signed Lieutenant Colonel Christie"

However, a week later, Gordon was "wounded in action" i.e. "gassed" and sent back to England where he remained until the war ended in November. 

He and Ellie awaited a "family ship" to Australia, and during that time, their baby girl Joan, was born in Portsmouth in November 1919.  They finally sailed to Fremantle on the SS Zealandic arriving in May 1920, and settled in Armadale, a small town at the time, just south of Perth.

About 18 months later, they also had a son Eric (Ricky) and the family became a very active part of the little community.  Gordon joined the RSL, and was on the committee for many years.  He helped form the local Soccer Club, and was President and player for quite a few years. 

He became the "picture show man" running the silent pictures business in Armadale in 1926/27 in the local hall, with Ellie playing the piano for the shows.  Gordon also later helped run the pictures for the local hall committee, of which he was also a member. 

During the Depression, he was Chairman of the fundraising committee for the Unemployed Relief Fund for the families who were doing it hard, and in the 1940's was also Chairman of the Fundraising Committee when the community purchased the local Cottage Hospital for the district.  Then he was involved in negotiations to purchase land for a newer bigger hospital quite a few years later. This hospital, was named the Armadale-Kelmscott District Memorial Hospital in honour of the fallen in the World Wars, and still serves the area today.

Sadly, Ellie and Gordon's son Eric "Ricky" Devereux was lost in WW2 when HMAS Sydney II was sunk off the WA coast in November 1941 when he was just 20 years of age.   Gordon would always tell his grandchildren that Ricky was lost on Sydney, and "not even a cap floated!" 

Yet through all of this, Gordon never lost his amazing sense of humour.

The locals called him "Toosdee", as that is how he pronounced "Tuesday" in his Beccles accent.  He was quite a larrikin and a real character. 

He was a Foundation Member of the Armadale Bowling Club, and in later years in his retirement, having always liked a good yarn, he would get up and tell some of his funny stories and jokes in the clubrooms over a beer or two after the game with his mates, and according to some of them, would have them all laughing, and "in stitches!" 

After smoking in the trenches all those years ago, he was never able to give up his "roll your own" cigarettes with his tobacco tin and cigarette papers, with one "rollie" behind his ear ready made, and one already lit, hanging out of the corner of his mouth, or on the ashtray, with Ellie running around fussing about his ash going everywhere, especially on her precious oak table in the front room.

He passed away in January 1970 at the age of 80, and to his grandchildren, he was a lovable, colourful character, who liked nothing better than to show them how to grow vegies in his "patch'', and feed his "chooks" ready for the Christmas table. 

He was full of fun, and entertainment, with his French songs and phrases he'd learnt on the Western Front, like "parlez vous Francais madamoiselle?" and ""merci beaucoup!".

This was the wonderful legacy he left behind for his grandchildren who loved him dearly.