Maud Mary (Conisbee) Hamilton (1874)

Born 1874 in Wodonga, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Wife of William James Hamilton — married 1896 in Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Maud was born in 1874. She is the daughter of John Conisbee and Elizabeth KIng.

Wrote a letter to her Aunt on the 28th April 1884, copy follows :-

Bonegilla April 28th 1884 My dear Aunt I hope you are all well as it leaves me at present. Mama received Annies letter safely tonight. George has been home for his Easter holidays and has gone back again to Beechworth. Hilda cannot walk yet and she will be seventeen months old the fourth of next month. Ada is learning to play the piano now. We had a very hot summer and it dried up all the grass so that there none left for the sheep or anything else and there was no rain for months and I hope that you will have a better one.

I think that we are going to have a very cold winter I wish that all of you could come over and see us. I am going to Melborne with mama very soon. grandmama has returned from Sydney and she has been very ill since but she is all right now. I have no more news to tell you so I must conclude with fond love from Pa, Ma, Ada, Annie, Alice, Hilda and the same from myself.

So I remain your affectionate neice

Maude Mary Conisbee

PS tell Annie not to forget to write next and do the same yourself.

Letter from Bernard Pallet 1/ 3 /97

Incidentally, I now know that the Mrs Hamilton, last heard of 80 years ago at an address in Melbourne, was in fact Maud Conisbee, the little girl who wrote the letter. I found her full signature in Constance Hattons autograph book. Since Maude signed it in Australia, I would imagine the book was sent over for her to sign. I also have Maude Hamilton's signature on part of an old Christmas card. Therefore, I now feel it is safe to assume, that the Australian soldier who visted my family during the first world war, was Maude's son."

Letter from Janice Conisbee October 1998 :-

"MAUD was in LONDON during the WWI and she was addressed as NURSE HAMILTON - and she drove an Ambulance - undoubtedly she went to LONDON to be near her son

Are there any archival records available regarding people who did this kind of work during the war.

ALSO CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE FAMILY SHE STAYED WITH

The address given is

NURSE HAMILTON Care of MISS CONISBEE (no given or Christain name recorded) 17 Lordship Lane Tottenham London. - about 1917"

" From Bernard Pallett Nov 1998" Maude Mary Conisbee. was born during 1874 in Wodonga, Victoria, although at the time of her birth Maude's parents were residing in near by Bonegilla Park.

Maude married William James Hamilton in Rutherglen Victoria, some time before the birth of her only child; a son named David Glen Hamilton, born during 1897. The Hamilton family was well established in Rutherglen. and held substantial business interests in and around the district. By the time of their marriage, the Hamilton's were already on good terms with the Conisbee family. Her husband died in Rutherglen during 1908.

David Glen Hamilton enlisted in the Army during the First World War, and saw active service with The Australian Imperial Force, possibly in France and Belgium. Maude also took the opportunity to enlist, and served with the Australian Army Medical Service in Southern England as an ambulance driver and medic. There is a strong probability that she had been based at The Royal Victoria Army Hospital at Netley; a very large medical establishment located beside the Southampton Water, a mile or two down stream from the Southampton docks.

There is firm evidence to show that both Maude and her son were able to visit their Tottenham relatives, on at least one occasion during 1917, this can be substantiated by an Army leave application submitted by Nurse Maude Hamilton, during 1917. She stated on the leave application of her wish to stay with a Miss Conisbee. of 17 Lordship Lane Tottenham; the Miss Conisbee in question was obviously Ann Sarah Conisbee. However, the given house number should have been 31, not 17. On the August l2~ 1917, David Glen Hamilton wrote the following in Constance Hatton's autograph book:

"Many are called. Few get up. W.G.Hamilton A.I.F. 12/8/17

Subsequently Janice Conisbee has questioned this proposition, by saying that Maud was not a nurse, nor were there any applications for leave (This leaves the question as to how the original view came to pass?)

The last known whereabouts of Maude, is an address dated May 1 7th 1918. given as; 180 Holden Street, North Fitzroy, Melbourne. It is unclear if Maude had indeed returned Australia by this date.

Sources

• Reg No 29182 - Janice Conisbee April 1998.