David Angee shares the story of his grandfather, Herbert William Mawman

Herbert William Mawman was born on 1877 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. In 1896 he enlisted in the Imperial Army, Service Number 17531 Royal Field Artillery and did service in Ireland, India and Africa. Herbert wrote a letter to his parents in 1901 describing his travel and army service in vast detail, a letter his grandchildren have still.

In February 1911 Herbert immigrated to Victoria on the ship “Wilcannia” aged 33. His wife and three children followed the following year. On 10th September 1915 Herbert once again signed up entering the 1st remount Unit, Squadron No. 2 at Maribyrnong and was appointed acting bombardier. He stated on his papers that he had spent sixteen years in R H and R F artillery serving throughout the Boer War. Leaving Australia on 12th November 1915 he disembarked at Alexandria. Herbert then embarked on the HMT Ionian for his first posting in Marseilles, France. In the field as acting bombardier he was appointed to the Field Ambulance. During his service in France and Belgium, he succumbed to malaria and was in and out of the field. In October 1917 he re-joined his unit as a gunner and was again promoted to acting bombardier until 14th December 1918 when he went on leave from France to his family in the U.K. In March 1919 he returned sick to Weymouth and on 1st May embarked for Australia per ship “China” and was finally discharged 31st July 1919. He was awarded the 1914/1915 Star, British War medal and the Victory medal.

Herbert was my maternal grandfather. As a little boy he would take me for walks in the bush near his retirement cottage in Upwey. It could get very cold in the Dandenongs and when we visited him Grandpa would always sit by the fireplace with his dog Algie. He and my dad would fish for eels in the creek at the bottom of the property; they would then fry them and eat them. Grandpa often came to visit us in Hampton and would take me to the Sandringham football ground to follow his favourite team. Neither of us had a telephone so he wrote lots of letters to my mum. He sent collector cards from the cereal packets to me and my brother and stamps for my stamp collection which I still have today. A July 1932 edition of a gardening journal called ‘The Home Gardener’ had a picture of grandpa under the heading of ‘prominent horticulturist’. Inside was an article about how he learnt horticulture under a master gardener in West Yorkshire, before he joined the Imperial Army.

During his time spent in foreign lands he observed the methods used there to cultivate the ground. On returning to England he worked in landscaping and as head gardener in South Cliff, Scarborough and finally in the service of Mr J G Bourne of Sneaton.

While he was deployed overseas during World War I, Herbert sent beautiful floral postcards to his wife and daughters containing loving sentiments. He sent the same to his family back home in England. They are in perfect condition to this day and I have an album full of them. After his service in the war he continued his love of horticulture by setting out the gardens of Sandringham residents. In 1923 he was engaged by Mr C H Mylius as curator and caretaker for ‘Semco Park’ in Black Rock. He was given the job of setting out the gardens and by 1924 the family had moved into Semco house in Bay St, Black Rock.