Andrews brothers memorial - Ma Ma Creek Cemetery

The Andrews brothers monument at Ma Ma Cemetery with St Stephen's Anglican Church in the background.  Photograph by Simon Hamlet, September 2017.

Plaque on the East facing side of the monument.  Photograph by Simon Hamlet, September 2017.

I have stopped several times at the Ma Ma Creek Cemetery to view this particular monument, a mother’s tribute to three sons taken by war.  There is little evidence of these men, either in Trove (The National Library of Australia's online newspaper archive) or via the Australian War Memorial’s (AWM) website.  What little I could gather I have collated into this post, and at the end I offer a small reflection.

The longest entry about these men that I have found anywhere is contained in a description of the township of Ma Ma Creek, published in The Queenslander in 1924.

The township has a store, School of Arts, an ornate Church of England (St. Stephen's), around which is the little "God's Acre," where many of the pioneers are sleeping. A monument, the figure of a soldier, has been erected by Mrs. David Andrews to the memory of her three sons, who made the supreme sacrifice in France in the Great War—James Martin Andrews, aged 26 years, George Henry Andrews, aged 28 years, and Bertie Reginald Andrews, aged 30 years. An organ has been donated to the church by the same lady in memory of her sons. The church is built of concrete bricks. And with its red tiled roof makes a pleasing picture against the background of the bush. [1]

The following two newspaper entries under a column named Our Ma Ma Creek Letter appeared in the Queensland Times.

LOCAL SOLDIERS.
News has reached here this week to the effect that Pte. James Andrews, fourth son of Mrs. David Andrews, has been missing in France since August 5. Pte. Bert Andrews, the sixth son, was recently reported as wounded, but is progressing. Pte. Geo. Andrews, third son, is also serving with the A.I. Forces. [2]

MILITARY MATTERS.

Mrs. D. Andrews has been notified that her son Pte. Geo. Andrews, has been wounded in France. A younger son, Pte. Bert Andrews, was wounded nearly a year ago and, as latest news, was still in a convalescent camp in England. A third son, Pte. James Andrews, has been reported "missing" since August 1916.

July 18. (1917) [3]

James Martin Andrews

State Library of Queensland

Source: Digitised from 'Queenslanders who fought in the Great War', created by Owen Wildman. Brisbane : Besley and Pike, [1919?]

From the AWM records:

• Service Number 4357
• Enlisted: 29 October 1915
• Unit: 25th Infantry Battalion
• Embarked: 31 March 1916 on HMAT Star of Victoria A16 from Sydney
• Killed: 5 August 1916, France

From Trove

THE LATE PTE. J. M. ANDREWS.

Mrs D. Andrews, Ma Ma Creek, has received word from the military authorities, advising that her son, Pte. Jame Martin Andrews, 11-25th Battalion (previously reported as missing), is now reported to have been killed in action on the 5th of August, 1916. Also conveying to Mrs. Andrews the deep sympathy of the King, Queen, and the Commonwealth Government, in the loss she and the army have sustained. [4].

ROLL OF HONOUR.

ANDREWS.—Killed in action, in France, on 5/8/1916, Private James Martin Andrews, aged 27 years, 11/25 Battalion, fourth son of the late David Andrews and of Mrs. Andrews, Ma Ma Creek. "He gave his life for his King and Country." [5]

CASUALITIES

James Martin Andrews, Grantham, 5/8/16 (prev. rep. missing).[6]

George Henry Andrews

From the AWM

• Service Number: 2127
• Enlisted: 27 March 1916
• Unit: 47th Australian Infantry Battalion
• Embarked: 16 August 1916 on HMAT Boorara A42 out of Brisbane.
• Killed: 9 June 1917, Belgium.

From Trove prior to the war

Mr. David Andrews, who has been a patient at the private hospital, Laidley, has returned home, and is now convalescent. Mr. Andrew's son (George) is still a patient in Dr. Hawkes's Hospital, Brisbane, where a successful, though critical, operation was performed on him last week, two goitre tumours being removed from his throat. The lad is doing as well as could be expected, and it is hoped that he will have a speedy recovery. [7]

From Trove during the war

Listed as wounded [8]

ROLL OF HONOUR.

ANDREWS.—Killed in action in France on the 9/6/17, Private George Henry Andrews, aged 28 years and 9 months, 4/47 Battalion, third beloved son of the late D. Andrews and Mrs. Andrews, of Ma Ma Creek. His country called, he answered, In God's name he rests. [9]

Mrs. D. ANDREWS and FAMILY desire to express their sincere THANKS to all kind and sympathetic Friends who sent cards and letters of condolence in their sad bereavement in the loss of their dear son and brother, George Henry Andrews, who was killed in action in France, on June 9, 1917. [10]

Bertie Reginald Andrews

From the AWM

• Service Number: 4358
• Enlisted: 29 October 1915
• Unit: 25th Infantry Battalion
• Embarked: 31 March 1916 on HMAT Star of Victoria A16 from Sydney
• Killed: 10 June 1918, France

Note that enlistment date, unit assigned and the embarking date are the same as for James Martin Andrews.  Bertie spent the first part of his war career with his elder brother.

From Trove

KILLED IN ACTION. ,

...

Bertie Reginald Andrews, Grantham, 10/6/18 (prev. rep. wounded). [11]

ANDREWS.—Killed in action, in France, on the 10th June, 1918, Pte. Bertie Reginald Andrews, 25th Battalion, aged 29 years and 10 months, dearly beloved seventh son of the late D. Andrews and Mrs. Andrews, of Ma Ma Creek, Deeply Mourned. [12]

From Mrs. D. Andrews, Ma Ma Creek, thanking the council for expressions of sympathy in the loss of her son, Pte. Bertie Reginald Andrews.—Received. [13]

A reflection

The reason I return to this monument is that it shows how deeply a family can be affected by war; the Andrews family is not unique in this respect.  But the sandstone monument is a strong and clear statement of that loss.  To then seek the story of these men and find so little is a further indicator of the cost of war.  The Andrews boys were names in lists.  Lists with hundreds of other names.  People (on only one side of the war) who were wounded, missing or killed by the events of war.  Even the lists of names were just one list in a sea of other lists (James list 220, George list 321, Bertie list 441).  I encourage my readers to look at the Trove lists referenced in this post because to see the lists is to glimpse the scale of loss that war brings.  I suggest the following references from the list below [6], [8], [11].

I further note that of the few references I found on Trove, two exist because Mrs Andrews chose to say thank you to those who have expressed their sympathy [10, 13]. This courtesy from a grief stricken mother is in fact a memorial in itself -- if we treat mentions in the public record as a memorial.

Mrs Andrews died in 1939, she was survived by 5 sons and 2 daughters, all of whom would appear to be the children of her marriage to Mr David Andrews who died in March 1907, leaving 11 Children [14, 15].

References

[1] MA MA CREEK. (1924, December 20). The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), p. 15. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25544467

[2] Our Ma Ma Creek Letter. (1916, September 22). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 7 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article113187129

[3] Our Ma Ma Creek Letter. (1917, July 19). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 7 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121958337

[4] THE LATE PTE. J. M. ANDREWS. (1917, August 15). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 4 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121953548

[5] Family Notices (1917, August 15). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 4 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121953526

[6] CASUALTIES. (1917, August 18). Daily Standard (Brisbane, Qld. : 1912 - 1936), p. 6 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article180914057

[7] Ma Ma Creek Letter. (1906, October 30). Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld. : 1861 - 1908), p. 12. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124384686

[8] Roll of Honour. (1917, July 12). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 14. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article177895246

[9] Family Notices (1917, December 13). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 4 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121970322

[10] Family Notices (1918, January 19). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 6 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119934909

[11] ROLL OF HONOUR. (1918, July 13). The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), p. 14. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22362866

[12] Family Notices (1918, June 29). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 6 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122012594

[13] LOCAL GOVERNMENT. (1918, August 16). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 3 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122008992

[14] OBITUARY. (1939, January 19). Queensland Times (Ipswich, Qld. : 1909 - 1954), p. 2 (DAILY.). Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118448056

[15] Our Ma Ma Creek Letter. (1907, March 14). Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld. : 1861 - 1908), p. 5. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124000109