Wyndham History

Cyril Kingsbury (1899-1967)

Item

Placeholder image - Veteran.png

Dublin Core

Type

Title

Cyril Kingsbury (1899-1967)

Contributor

Date

1918

Publisher

Wyndham City Libraries

Format

text

Language

eng

World War One Veterans Item Type Metadata

Name

Cyril Kingsbury

Birth Date

Birthplace

Service Number

V80999

Enlistment Date

Next of Kin

Mrs Hannah Kingsbury,
Watton Street, Werribee.
Mother.

Address at time of Enlistment

c/- Mr Hollingworth,
3 Davies Street,
Newport, Victoria.

Occupation

Marital Status

Single

Death Date

Place of Burial

Altona Memorial Park

Biographical Text

No.V80999  Private Cyril Kingsbury
Cyril Kingsbury was born at Drysdale in 1899 to Charles Kingsbury and Hannah Parsons. They had married on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria in 1879, and had the following fourteen children:

  • John Henry Kingsbury - born 1880 at Bellarine, died 1881 at Bellarine
  • Minnie Mary Kingsbury - born 1881 at Bellarine
  • Alice Ellen Kingsbury - born 1884 at Bellarine
  • Eliza Hannah Kingsbury -born 1885 at Bellarine
  • Charles Clarendon Kingsbury-  born 1887 at Bellarine, died 1888
  • Clarice Kingsbury- born 1889 at Bellarine
  • Laurence Kingsbury - born 1891 at Bellarine
  • Charles Edwin Kingsbury - born 1893 at Bellarine, died 1894 at Bellarine
  • Daisy Kingsbury- born 1895 at Bellarine
  • Violet Kingsbury - born 1895 at Bellarine, died 1895 at Bellarine
  • Linda Kingsbury - born 1897 at Bellarine, died 1897 at Bellarine 
  • Roystone Kingsbury - born 1898 at Bellarine
  • Cyril Kingsbury - born 1899 at Drysdale
  • Ivy May Kingsbury - born 1901 at Bellarine

Pre War
Cyril's father, Charles, was a well-known blacksmith at Drysdale, and he died at the young age of 50 years. This left his mother to bring up their eleven surviving children.  
Geelong Advertiser, 30 May 1903, p.8.

In 1906, Hannah Kingsbury put the Blacksmith business up for sale, along with the families seven roomed house and land, which were in the centre of Drysdale.  
Geelong Advertiser,  7 April 1906, p.4.

The Kingsbury family were living in Watton Street Werribee from about 1911.  Three of the Kingsbury girls attended the Little River Ball in that year. Werribee Shire Banner, 12 October 1911, p.3.

Prior to his enlisting in the A.I.F. Cyril was working for the Victorian Railways, possibly at Newport.  Some of his brothers were operating a bakery at Drysdale.

Cyril nominated his mother, Mrs Hannah Kingsbury of Watton Street Werribee, as his next of kin, and also added Mr Hollingworth, 3 Davies Street Newport, as a contact, and his postal address.

On his application to enlist in the A.I.F. Cyril stated that his previous military experience was one year with the Citizen Force. The 69th Infantry at Williamstown, and three years with the 69th Battalion Senior Cadets "A" Company at Williamstown.

War Service
Cyril Kingsbury swore his Oath for enlistment in the A.I.F. at Melbourne on 15 October 1918.  The end of the war was less than a month away.

He was sent to the "C" Company, Recruit Depot Battalion, at the Broadmeadows Camp, for initial training, which he completed on 28 October 1918.  From there he was transferred to the Railway Unit.

Cyril remained at Broadmeadows until he was discharged on 24 December 1918, after completing 71 days service.

Post War
Referring to the Victorian Electoral Rolls, Cyril Kingsbury worked around Newport as a labourer until 1921.  In that year, he married Sarah Ann Isabell Wallace (or Wallis) and the couple lived at 3 Aston Street in Yarraville.

After he married, he returned to the railways, and remained in their employ for the remainder of his working life.  They lived at various addresses around Footscray in the 1920s, and then moved to a permanent home between 1930 and 1967.  That was at 2 Parker Street, Footscray.

Sarah Kingsbury's name was taken off the Electoral Roll in 1967, and Cyril's name is missing from rolls after that date.

Cyril Kingsbury died on the 11 July 1967, aged 68 years.  His cremated remains were interred at the Altona Memorial Park on 13 July 1967.

Medals and Entitlements:

  • Nil awarded
Notes
The name "Kingsbury, C., of Werribee" first appeared in the Roll of Honor, Werribee Shire Banner, 13 February, 1919, p.3.
[That was three months after the Armistice had been signed].

"At the special afternoon court session on Thursday, E.S. Love, C Gambrell and C Kingsbury, three cadets, were ordered to the Queensland fortress for 20 days each, owing to having failed to render the necessary personal service. Lieut Elliott was the presenting officer."  
Williamstown Chronicle, 22 September 1917, p.3.

"Mrs Hannah Kingsbury (mother of Cyril) died at the home of her son-in-law (Mr W McLaren), in Gibbons Street Werribee, on 30 August 1940.  She was a loving mother of Minnie (Mrs E Reynolds), Alice (Mrs W McLaren), Ida (Mrs F Beamish), Clarice (Mrs B Morrow), Laurie, Daisy (Mrs L McLaren) and Cyril."  
The Argus, 31 August 1940, p.4.

Bibliography

Embarkation
https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/

Unit War Diary
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection

Death
http://www.gmct.com.au/deceased-search.aspx

Service Record
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au

Pioneer Index Victoria 1836-1888 CD
Federation Index Victoria 1889-1901 CD
Marriage Index Victoria 1921-1942 CD

Trove.com

Citation

“Cyril Kingsbury (1899-1967),” Wyndham History, accessed September 22, 2023, http://www.wyndhamhistory.net.au/items/show/2176.

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