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Casey Cardinia Commemorates: Our War Years

This blog is a forum for commemorating and recording the impact of War on the people in the region now covered by the City of Casey and Cardinia Shire. The blog started in January 2014 as a World War One blog, but we have now (December 2019) broadened the coverage to include all conflicts.
Excerpts:

The Frawley Brothers pay the Supreme Sacrifice

There are two Frawley's listed in the World War Two section of the Bunyip War Memorial - J.W. Frawley and K.D. Frawley. They are John William Frawley and his brother Kevin Dennis Frawley. They were the sons of James Patrick and Margaret (nee Bannan) Frawley of the Iona Hotel, Garfield.


The Frawley commemorated on the Bunyip War Memorial.
Photograph courtesy of the  Casey Cardinia Remembers website
www.caseycardiniaremembers.org.au

John and Kevin had five other siblings - Ada Mary, Kathleen Bridget 'Keenie', Francis James, James Patrick and William. See footnote (1) for more family information. According to the Electoral Rolls the family were living at Leigh Creek during the time most of the children were born, but around 1920 they moved to North Melbourne, where Kevin the youngest child was born. On May 7, 1928 James Frawley applied for the licence of the Floodgate Hotel in Port Melbourne (2). The Frawleys were at the Floodgate Hotel until March 1940 and a year later in June 1941, they took over the license of of the Iona Hotel in Garfield from Ellen O'Donohue. This time it was Margaret Frawley who held the licence (3).


The Floodgate Hotel, corner Ingles and Crockford Streets, Port Melbourne.
James and Margaret Frawley held the licence from 1928 until 1940.
Photographer: John T. Collins, taken February 15, 1969.
State Library of Victoria Image H98.250/2179

The Frawleys soon became involved in the community life at Garfield and in September 1941 a football match was organised to raise money for the Prisoners of War fund. This match was clearly organised by the Frawleys. This is from the report in the Emerald Hill Record - in ideal weather last Sunday, a large number of members of the Floodgate Social Party, Port Melbourne, and their friends visited Garfield, where a football match was arranged between a team representing the Social Party and the Garfield club. Two chars-a-banc conveyed over 70 players and friends, and as many travelled by train. The match ended in a draw, £20 was raised for the Prisoner of War fund and at the conclusion of the match teams and supporters adjourned to the Iona Hotel for dinner, after which presentations were made (4).


The Iona Hotel at Garfield. c. 1915, operated by Margaret and James Frawley in the 1940s.
Image: Berwick Pakenham Historical Society

Sadly, the Frawley boys did not have much opportunity to enjoy life in Garfield as they soon enlisted. Here are the details of their life and service (5).

John William Frawley (VX90347), born October 1, 1917 at Leigh Creek. He enlisted in the Army on September 24, 1942 and was Killed in Action in Papua on January 18, 1943. John's obituary in the Emerald Hill Record said that Pte. Frawley was a former pupil of the Christian Brothers' School, South Melbourne, and left a protected industry to join the A.I.F. (6). He had worked at General Motors-Holden. A Mass was offered for the repose of his soul at SS. Peter and Paul's Church, South Melbourne on Sunday, February 7, 1943 (7).

Kevin Dennis Frawley (VX67337), born May 12, 1920 at North Melbourne. Kevin enlisted on December 10, 1941 in the Army and was Killed in Action in New Guinea on September 4, 1943. His obituary in the Emerald Hill Record said that Kevin was educated at SS. Peter and Paul's School, South Melbourne, and later at St. Patrick's College, Ballarat. It was in February of this year that he returned from the Middle East after serving with the 9th Division, and left later for the battle station in the north where he met his untimely death (8). On October 3, 1943 a Mass was also offered for the repose of his soul at SS. Peter and Paul's Church, South Melbourne (9).

Another son of James and Margaret also enlisted - James Patrick Frawley (V71945), born September 23, 1919 at Leigh Creek, enlisted on January 21, 1941 and was discharged September 1, 1944.
 
The Emerald Hill Record wrote that Widespread sympathy has been extended to members of the Frawley family since the news was received that Private Kevin Dennis Frawley had been killed in action in New Guinea on September 4. Private Frawley was the second member of his family to make the supreme sacrifice, his eldest brother, Jack, having lost his life in New Guinea in January of this year (10). It must have been in the back of Mr and Mrs Frawley's mind that having lost two sons, they may well have lost a third and this fear was very real for Margaret Frawley as three of her brothers had died while serving in World War One. You could hardly blame her for perhaps thinking that her family had sacrificed enough for Australia's War effort.

These are the details of the service details (11) of Margaret's brothers -
Francis Thomas Bannan (SN 1878), enlisted at the age of 20 on June 16, 1915. He was a draper. Francis was Killed in Action in France on July 28, 1916.
William James Bannan (SN 1783), enlisted on June 7, 1915 at the age of 18. He was a bootmaker. William was Killed in Action in France on August 24, 1916.
Francis and William were from Kerang.
John Joseph Bannan (SN 1126) John was 24 when he enlisted on June 14, 1915 and his wife, Mary Ann, whose address was Berwick, was his next of kin. His occupation was Quarryman, so it is more than possible that he worked at Wilson's Quarry in Berwick. John died of Malaria at the English Hospital in Damascus on October 16, 1918. John is listed on the Berwick War Memorial in High Street.


John Bannan's obituary in The Advocate of November 23, 1918.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article152180895

As a matter of interest another of Margaret's brothers enlisted in the Army in World War Two. He was Vincent James Bannan (VX92045) who served from April 1943 until February 1946.

James Frawley died September 7, 1947 at the Iona Hotel at Garfield. He was 63 years old. I don't have a date for when the Frawley's left the Hotel but in 1949 Margaret and her son James were listed in the Electoral Rolls at 237 Blyth Street, Brunswick East. James' occupation was a barman. Margaret Frawley died on July 4, 1973 at the age of 80. She is buried with her husband at the Melbourne General Cemetery (12).

As an aside the Frawley family were well entrenched in the Hotel industry - this is from James' obituary in 1947 - Well-known hotel keeping families at South Melbourne and Port Melbourne have been bereaved by the death of Mr. James Patrick Frawley, of the Iona Hotel, Garfield, which occurred suddenly at his home on Sunday night. He commenced his trade career at the Floodgate Hotel, Port Melbourne. Surviving sisters are Mrs. W. Bell (Freer's Hotel, South Melbourne), and Miss Agnes Frawley and Miss Millie Frawley (Railway Club Hotel, Port Melbourne). The late Mrs. J. Fisher (Town Hall Hotel, South Melbourne) was a sister, and the late Mr. R. S. Frawley (Station Hotel, Port Melbourne) was a brother (13).


Bell's Hotel, also known as Freer's Hotel (14) corner Moray Street and Coventry Streets, 
South Melbourne, c. 1970-1974, operated at one time by Annie Bell (nee Frawley), 
an aunty of John and Kevin.
Photographer: Committee for Urban Action, Melbourne
State Library of Victoria Image CUASM264/2-3 Image 7


Town Hall Hotel, Bank Street, South Melbourne, c. 1970-1974, operated at one time by
 another aunty of John and Kevin, Margaret Fisher (nee Frawley).
Photographer: Committee for Urban Action, Melbourne
State Library of Victoria Image CUASM179/5 Image 2

Trove list 
I have created a Trove list of various articles connected to the Frawley family, access it here.

Footnotes
(1) Family information
This information is from the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com, family notices in the newspapers (see my Trove list, here) and Victoria, Australia, Cemetery Records and Headstone Transcriptions, 1844-1997, also  on Ancestry.com
James Patrick Frawley was born c. 1884, in Bungaree, to Patrick and Bridget (nee McDermott) Frawley. I can't actually find a record of his birth in the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages Index. Margaret Ellen Bannan was born in 1893, in Kerang to Dennis and Mary (nee Maher) Bannan. James and Margaret married in 1913, I believe. They had the following children. 
Ada Mary - born in 1913 and birth registered at  Port Melbourne. Ada married Stewart Plumridge in 1936 and had two boys, Frank and John, perhaps named for Ada's uncles who died in the First World War.
Kathleen Bridget 'Keenie' - born in 1914 and birth registered Bungaree 1914.  She married Stephen James Holland in 1946. They were living in Garfield until at least 1954, but I have no other information.
Francis James - born in 1916 and birth registered at Bungaree 1916. He died at Warrenheip at the age of 11 months in 1917. I suspect that Kathleen and Francis were actually born at Leigh Creek, like the next two boys were. 
John William - born October 1, 1917 at Leigh Creek. Killed in Action on January 18, 1943. See above.
James Patrick - born September 23, 1919, at Leigh Creek. Served in the 2nd A.I.F. In the 1954 Electoral Roll James was still living with his mother at 237 Blyth Street, where they moved to from Garfield in 1949. In the 1963 Electoral Roll, a Ursula May Frawley is also living with them, so I presume James got married, between 1954 and 1963. I have no other information about him.
William - William is listed in his father's death notice ad being deceased, but I can find neither a birth or death record for him. 
Kevin - born may 12, 1920 at North Melbourne. Killed in Action on September 4, 1943 See above.
(2) Notification for application of licence transfer was in The Herald, April 27, 1928, see here. The address of the Hotel was listed at Raglan Street in the transfer notice, however it is on the corner of Ingles Street and Crockford Street, Port Melbourne.
(3) Licence transfer of the Floodgate Hotel in The Argus, March 19, 1940, see here. Licence transfer for the Iona Hotel was in The Age, June 10, 1941, see here.
(4) Emerald Hill Record, September 27, 1941, see here.
(5) Details of life and service come from obituaries in the Emerald Hill Record, death notices inserted by family and friends - see my Trove list, here, for these. Also the WW2 Nominal Rolls   https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/home
(6) Emerald Hill Record, February 6, 1943, see here.
(7) Emerald Hill Record, February 6, 1943, see here.
(8) Emerald Hill Record, October 2, 1943, see here.
(9) Emerald Hill Record, October 2, 1943, see here.
(10) Emerald Hill Record, October 2, 1943, see here.
(11) World War One service details from the National Archives of Australia, www.naa.gov.au
(12) This information is from the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com, family notices in the newspapers and Victoria, Australia, Cemetery Records and Headstone Transcriptions, 1844-1997, also  on Ancestry.com
(13) Emerald Hill Record, September 13, 1947, see here.
(14) I came across this photo and was fairly sure that it was Freer's Hotel, but it was confirmed by this article, which also includes an 1880's photo of the building  https://melbournewalks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/SOUTH-MELBOURNE-HOTELS.pdf

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