George Joseph Wallace (1902 - 1958)

Born 1902 in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1958 at about age 56 in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Biography

George was born in 1902. He is the son of George Wallace and Margaret McNamara. ^[1][2]

In November, 1933, George, and several other members of the Wallace, Wighton and Morley families were involved in a tragic road accident in the outer-Melbourne suburb of Ferntree Gully.

MOTOR COACH SMASH
ELDERLY WOMAN KILLED
OVER 20 PASSENGERS INJURED.

Melbourne ,Nov. 27.

An elderly woman was killed and more than 20 passengers were injured when a parlour motor coach struck an embankment last night at Devil's Elbow. on the Olinda road, near Ferntree Gully. The coach, which was carrying 30 persons, was completely wrecked. It had been hired for the day by Mrs. Esther Wighton to take a party of her friends to a picnic at Ferny Creek.
One of the passengers said the brakes failed coming down a steep hill and the driver, Fred Rice, tried to head the coach into the side of the embankment. It hit the embankment a glancing blow which broke the windscreen. A moment later the coach swerved round and struck the bank head-on. The coach was completely wrecked and the passengers were hurled against the splintered glass and crumpled bodywork. Fortunately it did not overturn.
Dr. C. H. Farrow, of Ferntree Gully and Dr. Simpson, hurried to the scene and rendered what aid they could by the light of a hurricane lamp. Two ambulances, which had been summoned from Melbourne, and several private cars, took the injured to various public hospitals in Melbourne.
The woman who was killed was Mrs. Sarah Martha Moon (55), of North Fitzroy. The names of the passengers were as follows:- Mrs. Esther Wighton (55), Lily Wighton (16), Mavis Wighton (23), Violet Wighton (25), Madge Wighton (29), Jack Wighton (27), James Wighton (19), William Wighton (21), and Kevin Wighton (11), of Albert Park; Jessie Wharton (15), Mary Ekland (14), Madge Ekland (20), and Mrs. Mary Ekland (50), of South Melbourne; Margaret Wallace (29). George Wallace (31), Jack Wallace, Margaret Wallace (6), and Madge Wallace, of Auburn; Lancelot Robinson, of Newport; Margery Hummerford, of Footscray; Edward Morley, of Auburn; Ena North (25), and Jock North (28), of South Melbourne.; James Crook (16), of South Melbourne; Jim Rush (21), of Moonee Ponds; Jim Maher, Ada Maher, Mr. Maher and Mrs. Maher, of Albert Park.^[3][4]

Sources

1. ↑ Death Notice of father, George Wallace. Additional information provided by niece of George (Ted), Joan (Wallace) Perry.
2. ↑ Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia - BDM Online
   [ https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history ]
   Birth: registered 190210920
   Marriage: registered 1936/5547
   Death: registered 1958/1546
3. ↑ "MOTOR COACH SMASH" Western Argus (Kalgoorlie, WA : 1916 - 1938) 5 December 1933: 27. Web. 22 Apr 2016 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article34626140>
4. ↑ "MOUNTAIN ROAD TRAGEDY" The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) 27 November 1933: 11. Web. 22 Apr 2016 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203350759>