Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Thadeus (known as Ted or Edward) Barton Brosnan was the son of James John Brosnan of Lower Tully and his wife Mary Agnes (née Barton). The Brosnans were among the early banana growers along the Tully River where they had a 271 acre (110 hectare) property (Portion 10, Parish of Rockingham). James was inscribed in the council rate book for this block by 1914 and also appears on the electoral roll from 14 September 1914.

James Brosnan was born in London and came to Australia with his parents, John and Honora Brosnan at the age of two years. The family arrived on the Mangerton on 7 August 1861. The Brosnans moved around but eventually as a young man, James came north and met and married Mary in Townsville in 1884, where Ted was born on 29 November 1895.

Ted Brosnan joined up at Cairns on 23 February 1917, being then 21 years of age and a single man (service number 2363). When he enlisted he gave his name as Ted or Edward and the name Edward rather than Thadeus appears on his records. He had worked at the Mourilyan Sugar Mill before he decided to enlist. He was assigned to the 11th Light Horse Regiment, 19th Reinforcements and sent to Enoggera training camp. With his unit he embarked from Sydney on 9 May 1917. He debarked at Suez six weeks later to serve in the field in the Middle East. At this time the 11th Light Horse was engaged in Sinai against the Turks in the lead up to the Battle of Beersheba. Brosnan was hospitalized in Cairo on 27 August 1917 after he suffered shell shock. His father was informed by telegram that he was ill with a heart problem in late August 1917. He continued to serve in Egypt for some months but with periodic spells in hospital; he was a cook at the No. 2 Australian Stationary Hospital, Egypt in February 1918.

He sent several postcards from Egypt to his sister-in-law, Florence Brosnan. On one he wrote: I see by your letter that Jim wants to enlist – for god sake try to stop him if you can – it is terrible over here – the hardship. Ted left Suez on the Somali to return to Australia on 26 December 1918, an invalid due to debilities, and was discharged 24th March 1919.

He returned to the Soldier Settlement at Maria Creek (El Arish), where he was allotted block 233 in 1921. He cleared, brushed, felled and burnt off in order to plant cane and also cut roads. In November 1922, for example, he received £11/5 /- for planting five acres (two hectares) with 15,000 cane holes and £6/5/- for cutting 25 chains (503 metres) of road. The Government Gazette of 1927 lists E. B. Brosnan among those who transferred cane assignments from South Johnstone to the Tully mill. However, he left his soldier’s block in April 1927 and returned to Tully.

Ted never married, but remained resident in Tully and worked on the family farm until his death on 26 March 1946. Members of the Tully sub-branch of the RSSAILA marched to the graveside where the burial service was conducted by Rev. Fr. H. L. Leahy, O.S.A
Courtesy of The Cardwell and District Historical Society.