George Harold Johnson (1883 - 1966)

Born 29 Dec 1883 in Glebe, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Cecilia (Cussan) Johnson — married 1919 in West Maitland, New South Wales, Australia

Died 17 Apr 1966 at age 82 in Guildford, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

George was born at Glebe Point Road, Glebe, Sydney on 29 December 1883 the fourth child of Joseph Johnson and Esther Randall.

After his father Joseph deserted the family George was admitted to the Sydney Benevolent Asylum in February 1887 at the age of three along with his mother and his brothers. In September 1887 he was placed with foster parents at Willoughby, Sydney where he remained until 19 February 1892 when he was eight years old. After this he was placed with further foster carers at Balmain (then Five Dock) and Hawkesbury until he was thirteen and then he was sent out to learn a trade. He was discharged from state care in December 1901 when he turned eighteen.

His mother Esther passed away sometime after 1904, althought the exact date and circumstances of her death have not been found.

Afterwards he moved to Newcastle and worked as a labourer and rigger at the BHP Iron and Steel Works until he enlisted in the A.I.F. at Newcastle on 30 November 1915.

After enlistment and training George arrived at Southport, England in July 1916, proceeded to France in November and then to the front line on 17 January 1917. On 16 March 1917 he was taken to a field dressing station suffering from shell shock and then admitted to hospital. He was able to rejoin his unit a month later but soon after went back to hospital in France still suffering from shell shock and later transferred to a hospital in England also now with bronchitis. He was repatriated to Australia in September 1917 and was discharged from the army in December 1917.

Mrs. Beauchamp who had fostered George in Five Dock, Sydney wrote to him while he was serving in France. On his enlistment papers George gave his next of kin as his "friend" Mrs. P. Stone of Mayfield. Mrs. Stone lived near George at Mayfield, Newcastle and she also maintained contact with him.

George returned to live at 25 Elizabeth Street, Tighes Hill, Newcastle and he received a war pension of 15/- a fortnight until the pension was cancelled on 11 September 1918 as he was "Not now incapacitated."

In 1919 George married Martha Cecilia Vovil (nee Cussan) at West Maitland. George and Martha were both aged thirty-five and Martha already had three daughters from her previous marriage to Edward John "Mick" Vovil. Edward Vovil passed away in April 1919 when he was only thirty four. His death was caused by lead poisoning resulting from his work at the Sulphide Corporation in Newcastle.

Martha lived at Islington not far from Tighes Hill and after her first husband's death she was treated "handsomely" by the Sulphide Corporation although her claim for worker's compensation was dismissed.

In 1922 George invested in a small mixed business at Islington which was run by Martha, however the business did not go so well and George who was unable to find work was declared bankrupt in June 1924.

They moved several times in the next twelve years living at Hamilton, Islington and New Lambton where George found work as a labourer and iron worker. George and Martha's first child, a son, was born in 1921 and they went on to have another three children born near Newcastle. Martha's three daughters from her first marriage had all married by 1935.

In 1937 George, Martha and children moved to The Rocks in Sydney. George signed a lease in February 1937 to rent a house from the Maritime Services Board at 71 Harrington Street paying rent of £1.5.0 a week. George found work as a labourer.

At this time the Rocks was a working class area and the Maritime Services Board rented out many old terrace style houses to workers. Work could be found locally at the wharves, factories, hotels, bond and cold stores at The Rocks.

George put in requests to the Board for the house to have the hall and kitchen renovated, have a gas stove connected, to build a verandah and porch and to have a new entrance built to Harrington Street. A front entrance to Harrington Street was never built and the Board spent little money on maintaining the rental houses preferring instead to spend funds on commercial development.

Martha passed away at Sydney on 4 October 1956 at the age of seventy-three and she was buried in the Catholic Portion of the Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney.

George's rent by 1957 had increased to £2.16.0 a week and it was recorded that on a number of times he had fallen behind in paying the rent.

George retired on a Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) pension granted due to his war injuries. He lived at 71 Harrington Street with his son, George James Markham Johnson, until around 1963 and he passed away at Guilford, Sydney on 17 April 1966 at the age of eighty-two and was buried in the Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney.

Sources

• New South Wales Government, Justice, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Index). Birth JOHNSON GEORGE Registration No. 5406/1884 Father's given name(s) JOSEPH Mother's given name(s) ESTHER F District CANTERBURY
• New South Wales Government, Justice, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Index). Marriage Registration No. 15323/1919 Groom's family name(s) JOHNSON Groom's given name(s) GEORGE H Bride's family name(s) VOVIL Bride's given name(s) MARTHA C District WEST MAITLAND
• New South Wales Government, Justice, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Index). Death JOHNSON GEORGE HAROLD Registration No. 19837/1966 DIED AT GUILDFORD AGED 82 YRS District PARRAMATTA
• Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001) Fri 1 Dec 1967 [Issue No.133] Page 4497 IN the Supreme Court of New South Wales.—Probate Jurisdiction.—In the will of GEORGE HAROLD JOHNSON. [1]

Research Notes

• National Archives of Australia. Discovering Anzacs. Johnson George : SERN 462 [2]
• Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954) Sat 10 May 1919 Page 6 Deaths. VOVIL.--Died at Newcastle Hospital, on April 20, Edward John Vovil, aged 34 years and 4 months, beloved husband of Martha Vovil and father of M. E. and U. Vovil. [3]