Divided loyalties

With the Ascanius docked at Port Melbourne Pier, several hundred people gathered to farewell the original members of the 29th Battalion "for destination unknown".  Most civilians and soldiers assumed incorrectly that the troopship was heading for Gallipoli to join the ANZACs. 

Not everyone in Melbourne supported the decision for Australia to join the war.  Some members of the Irish Catholic community in Melbourne were opposed to Australia fighting alongside the British, who at the time were depriving Ireland its independence.  However, their voice was muffled by the dominant political discourse at the time that supported Australia's war efforts. The April 1916 uprising in Ireland, in which members of the IRA were caught and executed by the British, would have served to reinforce the views of the group of Irish-Catholics who opposed Australia becoming an ally with Britain.

The decision for Thomas to join the war appears to have been controversial among members of his family.  This view is supported by Thomas' nephew, Father Peter Carrucan.  In November 2010 Father Peter informed me that Thomas' mother, Margaret Lynch, opposed her eldest child's enlistment into the Australian Infantry Force because of her strong Irish Catholic political views at the time. At the risk of being too interpretative, this apparent division within the family may provide us with some understanding for why Thomas was treated in the manner that has been described (see cousin Bev's comment and and Draft Essay #1).

A photo of the troopship Ascanius prior to its embarkment on the 10th November 1915.  

Family Symbol: Eltham Copper Butterfly

I have appreciated the emails from cousins, aunts and uncles over the past few months.  I want you to know that there is a lot of information being generated behind the scenes that will assist us in fleshing out the story of Thomas' WW1 service.  If you want to pass on information about our (Grand) father, emailed me at rob_carrucan@hotmail.com or use the comments section in the blog.

My cousin, Matthew Carrucan, and I have exchanged several emails over the past few months.  Matthew has a keen interest in genealogy and has contributed to the Carrucan Family History Project click here.  Matthew also has an interest in our Grandfather's World War One service and has done some reading about the war(i), as well as attended lectures at the Australian War Memorial on the Battle of Fromelles.   We hope to work together when it is time to write about Thomas' role in the Battle of Fromelles, which remains the bloodiest 24 hour period in Australian history. But more about this topic in the months ahead.

Matthew recently designed a new family symbol for the Carrucan Family History Project.  The symbol uses the "Eltham Copper Butterfly", which until recently was thought to be extinct, with the family prayer set in and around it.  Matthew has given me permission to publish the family symbol he designed and created, so if you wish to view it click on the menu page in the blog.

(i)Matthew recommends the following books:

Black and Gold: The history of the 29th Battalion by Ron Austin

Don't Forget Me Cobber: The battle of Fromelles, by Robyn Corfield

Wednesday, 10th November 1915: Embarkment Day

On Wednesday 10th November, Thomas embarked from Port Melbourne on the troopship Ascanius ( known by its wartime codename 'A11') with the 29th Battalion. The Ascanius steamed its way around southern Australia before heading out into the Indian Sea.  The ship past the east coast of Africa (Somalia) before entering the Red Sea and heading towards Egypt. 
 

Below is the picture of the Ascanius embarking from Port Melbourne dock.  Our (Grand)father along with other soldiers of the 29th Battalion are waving back to port.  It would be 5 years before Thomas would return to Australia.   

Did you know that on 30th Jul, 1944, a German U-Boat (U-621) torpedoed the 9000 ton Ascanius in the English Channel whilst it was being used to transport army personnel.   The Ascanius was damaged and needed to be repaired at a Liverpool dock.