Relationship: Maternal Great Grandfather When Justin Cleary was born on January 7, 1885, in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, his father, Charles, was 27 and his mother, Hannah, was 42. He married Mary Ann Bushby on March 5, 1907, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They had nine children in 15 years. He died on July 7, 1961,… Continue reading
Connection: me > Uncle (mother’s sibling) The following is the “Life Story of David Charles McCullough” as told in my Ancestry Family. When David Charles McCullough was born on December 4, 1941, in Seymour, Victoria, Australia, his father, David John, was 25, and his mother, Vera May, was 22. He has one son and one… Continue reading
Connection: me > Aunt (mother’s sibling) The following is the “Life Story of Jeanette Maree” as told in my Ancestry Family. Jeanette Maree goes by Maree in life. When Jeanette Maree McCullough was born on March 22, 1940, in Seymour, Victoria, Australia, her father, David John, was 24, and her mother, Vera May, was 21.… Continue reading
Earlier this year, I wrote to the Australian Department of Defence to seek a posthumous recognition of my grandfather’s promotion to Sergeant-Major with the Australian Army. Unfortunately, Australian law (as is currently written) prevents this option being possible. I will continue to explore the options for seeking this further.
Today, I submitted my request to the Australian Defence Department to recognize and award (posthumously) a promotion for my grandfather, Sgt. David John McCullough that he had been given prior to his death in the Fall of Singapore. Read the letter below.
Hello Mother. It is I, your number three son. I remember the first FB message I got from you. “Hello James … this is your mother.” I’d been trying to get you to set up a Facebook account for months, maybe a year or so before, and then one day, out of the blue I… Continue reading
Recently, I was contacted through my website by a gentleman whose grandfather (Major Lawrence) was the commanding officer of my grandfather who was killed in WWII. The letter he wrote explained the day that my grandfather was injured, and the attempts that were taken to save his life following the bomb that was dropped near… Continue reading
When David John Barlow was born on February 25, 1916, in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, his father, Stanley Victor Barlow, was 22 and his mother, Olive Martha Barlow (nee Veale), was 23. His father, Stanley, abandoned his mother (Olive) and David in approx. 1916, and Olive filed for divorce through desertion in 1919. Olive married Charles… Continue reading
When Vera May Cleary was born on January 16, 1919, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, her father, Justin, was 34, and her mother, Mary, was 31. At age 16, Vera gave birth to a son (Dennis John) who was conceived after she was raped; he died 15 days later. Vera married David John McCullough (formerly… Continue reading