Rupert Arthur Dunne (1889-1974)

1916

Wyndham City Libraries

text

eng

Rupert Arthur Dunne

11717

Mrs Muriel Mary Dunne
Wife

35 Dalgety Street,
St Kilda, Victoria

Married

Karrakatta Cemetery,
Perth, Western Australia

No. 11717  Private Rupert Arthur Dunne
Rupert Arthur Dunne was born in 1889 in Williamstown, Victoria to Patrick John and Ada Dunne (nee Goodwin).  He had four brothers:

• John William
• William Joseph
• Charles Hilder
• Albert Edward 

and four sisters:

• Lilian Ada
• Elsie May 
• Agnes Maud
• Jessie Mabel

Both William Joseph Dunne and Charles Hilder Dunne served in World War 1. Charles Hilder came back to Australia, however William Joseph did not survive, he died of shell wounds on the 2 October 1917. Electoral rolls in 1912 record that Rupert is living with his parents at 6 Lennox Street, Yarraville, and that he was a railway employee. In 1914 and 1915 he is still with his parents in Lennox Street and his sister, Elsie is living there as well. There is a record of him living at 35 Beaconsfield Parade, St Kilda West in 1917 from the Electoral Rolls, although records in his army documentation have him serving overseas in that year.

Rupert married Muriel E. M. Wheatley in Gunning, New South Wales in 1915, and is listed as his next of kin at enlistment. She is living at 35 Dalgety Street St Kilda.  

War Service
Rupert enlisted into the Army at Melbourne, Victoria on 6 of March 1916.  He was aged 26 years and 9 months and was five feet nine and a half inches tall.  Rupert weighed 165 pounds and had a chest measurement of thirty seven to thirty nine inches.  His complexion was listed as fresh, with blue eyes and dark brown hair.  All of this was recorded at the time of his enlistment.

Rupert embarked at Melbourne on H.M.A.T. A19 Afric on 5 June 1916, as a Private. He disembarked in Southampton on 24 July 1916 and was attached to the 3rd Sanitary Section from 3rd Division Supply Column. He was appointed driver on 22 September 1916, and on 18 November 1916 he embarked overseas to France.  He had leave from 14 January to 31 January 1918, and went to Scotland. On 12 March 1918, Rupert joined the 3rd ADMTC, and again had leave from 12 November to 22 November 1918 where he went to Paris.

Rupert was granted an extension to his leave in from 11  to 28 February 1919 and he rejoins his company in Serlo United Kingdom on 6 March 1919.  He is attached for duty on 3 April 1919 and continues his service until 3 May 1919, where he ceases his service because of an offence in the field on 14 April 1919. It seems he made use of an N.D. Ford Box Bar without authority and was AWOL from 0900 on that day until 2200 on 16 April 1919.  For this, he forfeited 17 days pay.  

He marched out for Demob 3 May 1919, disembarked in Southampton 9 May 1919, returning to Australia on 15 June 1919.   Rupert's wife, Muriel wrote a letter dated 6 May 1917,  to the Base Service Record Department, that shows her address at the time to be Longueville Chambers, 50 Young Street, Sydney, New South Wales.

Post War
After the war, according to the 1925 and 1926 Electoral Rolls, Rupert and his wife are living at 35 Park Road Perth, with his occupation stated as a Manager. In 1931, they are living at 42 Guildford Road, Perth and he is listed as a contractor. 1936 sees them living in Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, and he is a health inspector, which is something he continues to do until his death.  

In 1943, his daughter Bernice is noted to be living with them at 28 Sanford Street Geraldton.  Bernice married Ronald Charles Edwards on Saturday 10 March 1945, according to an article published in the Geraldton Guardian and Express, 10 March 1945, p.1.

Rupert and Muriel also appear to have had a son – Bryan Rupert Dunne - who is mentioned in a death notice for Muriel’s mother, Annie Barber, who passed away on 15 November 1946.
The West Australian (Perth), 28 November 1946, p.1.

In 1936, an article in The Geraldton Guardian and Express on 21 May 1936, p.6 says that he proceeded in the Municipal Council a case against Alfred Waller, butcher, who sold him food, which was not of the substance and quality of the food demanded by himself, namely sausage meat. The hearing was adjourned to a later date.  At the subsequent hearing in August 1936 the charges were dismissed. Geraldton Guardian and Express, 6 August 1936, p.3.

An article published in the Geraldton Guardian and Express, 23 April 1936, p. 1, details the prosecution of several butchers by Mr. R. A. Dunne, health inspector of "...having sold sausages, which it was alleged contained a greater amount of preservative than was allowed".

In an article in The West Australian (Perth), 17 June 1942, p.3
stated the adjourned application for a discharge of bankruptcy of Rupert Arthur Dunne was refused.  The following day an article appeared in The West Australian (Perth), 18 June 1942, p. 3 correcting the mistake made in the previous days article regarding the refusal of the discharge of bankruptcy.  Mr Justice Dwyer had granted the discharge, subject to Dunne consenting to judgement being entered against him by the Official Receiver for £140, payable at £3 per month.

Rupert Arthur Dunne passed away at the age of 85, on 29 August 1974 in Geraldton, Western Australia.

Medals & Entitlements:

• British War Medal - 25 October 1922
• Victory Medal - 25 October 1922

War records:-

National Archives
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/ItemsListing.aspx?page=5
http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/search?type=search&name=Dunne&surnameOnly=n&start=50&pageSize=50&totFound=90


AIF project
http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/index.html

Family records:-

Ancestry
http://search.ancestry.com.au
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/

Trove
Harvard/Australian citation
1936 'SAUSAGE MEAT', Geraldton Guardian and Express (WA : 1929 - 1947), 21 May, p. 6. , viewed 20 Aug 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article67324469
Harvard/Australian citation
1942 'BANKRUPTCY COURT.', The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), 18 June, p. 3. , viewed 20 Aug 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47336616
Harvard/Australian citation
1945 'WEDDING BELLS', Geraldton Guardian and Express (WA : 1929 - 1947), 10 March, p. 1. , viewed 20 Aug 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-
Harvard/Australian citation
1946 'Family Notices', The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), 28 November, p. 1. (SECOND EDITION.), viewed 20 Aug 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46243787

British War Medal

Victory Medal