The Descendants of John and Mary Craig of Bruny Island, Tasmania
Introduction
John and Mary Craig
John Craig was born in Dalrymple, (a small village south of Ayr), Scotland in 1856. His future wife Mary Dunckel was born in Sawadden, East Prussia in 1864. They were married at Hobart in 1884. John died in 1933 and Mary in 1934. They lived all their remaining years on Bruny Island, at Adventure Bay. Mary’s sister Augusta married Lars Hansson and lived on Bruny Island. Mary’s other sister, Agnes married Ned Dillon and also lived on Bruny Island.
Decendants of the Dillons and Hanssons still live on Bruny Island. One Hansson owns the Berry Farm site and another owns the property just north of the Berry Farm where the Dunckels used to live. The property where John & Mary Craig lived, next to the Berry Farm on its south side, is owned by a person from Hobart.
The Craig’s house named Sea View was burnt down in 1940 by a massive bushfire that burned most things from the mountain ridge to the west down to the beach area. The Dunckels house just to the north caught fire several times according to Leigh Hansson.
The document downloadable above outlines the history and ancestry tree and list all the direct descendants of John and Mary Craig.
Descendants
These are largely spread throughout Australia with one descendant of Generation 2 living in Canada. There are large clusters in QLD, WA, some in Sydney, one in the ACT and many in Tasmania with a few still on Bruny Island, in Adventure Bay village.
Adrian Debnam
Adrian spent a lot of time researching and documenting the Craig’s history. Adrian passed away in Canada in Nov 2010. His daughter now lives in Hobart.
Fred Craig (WWI)
Three of the 2nd generation of 17 children went to France in WW1.
1821 Fredrick Norman Craig G2. Listed in AWM Honour Roll AWM 133, 11-144 – 12th Bn (3rd Bgde), 12.1.15, KIA 24.4.18
Location on the Roll of Honour – Frederick Norman Craig’s name is located at panel 65 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial (as indicated by the poppy on the plan).
Link to the Red Cross File on Fred’s death
Fred was a timber wagon driver in the bush at Adventure Bay. He was the first recruit to enlist from Bruny in WW1, and he left Tasmania on April 8th 1915 in the 4th reinforcements for the 12th Battalion. He was in the 12th Battalion from Tasmania (Adrian wrote 5th Battalion). The 12th was in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. He was killed in action in 1918 near Meteren, near Hazebrouch northern France. He was awarded a Military Medal which is now on display at the Bruny Island History Room in Alonnah. His commanding officer, J.J. Dwyer, told the family that Fred stayed at his post keeping the enemy at bay while others got away. J.J. Dwyer was awarded the VC for the action because only officers were eligible for this award.
However looking at the Australian Newspaper’s list of Australian WW1 VC recipients (no longer working) showed that of the 64 VCs granted to Australians in WW1 25% went to privates.
This was confirmed by Avril Madden whom I spoke to in Hobart in Nov 2014. However details on the award of the VC to Sgt J. J. Dywer states that he was in charge of machine guns with the 4th Australian Machine Company and he was awarded the VC medal for extreme bravery on 26th Sep 2017.
Fred’s award of the Military Medal details can be seen on this Australian War Memorial Honours & Awards Link. It includes a link to the actual digital pdf copy of the award. It was for bravery with another private in manning their machine gun under the face of an enemy attack at Lagnicourt on dawn 15th April 1917.
The Battle of Hazebrouck This article explains why the Australian 1st Division was sent north to help the Allies defend the north of France against a large push by the German Army. It was this battle that caused Fred Craig to be near Meteren, east of Hazebrouck on 24th April 1918. Strangely the Germans took Villers Bretonneux on 24 April 1918, but that night and the next day (ANZAC Day) it was recaptured by two brigades of the First Australian Imperial Force at a cost of some 1,200 casualties.
The battle of Villers-Brittoneux.
Fred Craig is listed on the VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL. He is also listed on a memorial at Alonnah Bruny Island. As far as I can tell his grave is as yet unknown.
Rex Peterson’s Document on Known Military History of Fred Craig. This is an 3 page pdf document with some original data Rex Peterson is one of my Great Uncles
K Caley’s 18 page Memorial to Fred Craig on the 100th Anniversary of his death and the other Craig Brothers. K Caley is one of my first cousins on the Oliphant side of my ancestry. Our grandfather was married to Ruth Craig. Her document contains many pictures and maps of France in WW1.
John James Dwyer – 4th Div, 4th Machine Gun Coy
These are the links to Sgt John James DWYER’s award of the Victoria Cross with link to the actual award document. Dywer was in the 4th Machine Gun Coy of the 4th Division.
http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1604779/
http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1586276/
This is the AWM’s information on J J Dywers and his VC which is held in the AWM
Karina Murphy (nee Kaden) daughter of Derolyn Wessing (nee Nichols) photograhic display of J J Dwyers VC and other medals and his brothers Thomas V Dywer’s medals which are mounted with their commendation behind. There is a connection between Karina’s husband and the Dwyers.
3075 William Lars (Lawris, also Lawes) Craig. Listed in AWM Honour Roll AWM 133, 12-004
He was in the 28th Bn (7th Bgde) 2nd Division from WA 2.9.15, RTA 31.3.19. Will joined the Army during WWI. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Pozières in 1916 and was awarded a medal. He remained a POW in Germany until Dec 1918 when he was repatriated to the UK then returned home to WA in March 1919. After the war he worked in the timber industry at Manjimup in W.A. He married Alma Homby in 1921 and they had seven children: Coral, Hazel (Dawn), Jean, Auriol, Terrance, Wilma and Kevin
3876 George Henry Craig. Listed in AWM Honour Roll AWM 133, 12-001.
He was in the 16th Bn (4th Bgde) 4th Division, 3.9.15, RTA 20.2.19 from WA – 7 to 17 Reinforcements (June 1915 – April 1916). He has written letters to the Red Cross about brother Fred and one letter says he accepted Fred died near Meteren.
Its interesting that one of the Commanding officers of the 16th Battalion was a Major General Edmund Alfred Drake-Brockman. At various stages he commanded the 11th & 16th Battalions, the 4th Brigade & the 4th Division. In modern times there is a main road in Canberra Australia that is called Drake-Brockman Drive. It was named after the officer above. The road runs along the south side of the suburbs of Higgins and Holt in the District of Belconnen. However this is common in Canberra where many people of note have their names on Streets or areas.
This is where one searches the Australian War Memorial records