Western Australia - stamped lead sheet, detected a few inches buried near an old WW2 convalescence camp which later became a migrant camp.
- Thread starter Hilux
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If it is related to the time it was used as a WW2 convalescence camp, maybe the Australian war museum could help with info.
Good point. There's a war museum in Fremantle - they might be worth emailing.
Cheers
Edit. I've emailed the Fremantle army museum.
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My guess is it’s just Mr O’Neill’s way of marking his possessions prior to the invention of commercial label makers.
not military as not enough detail.
not military as not enough detail.
Disappointing result but did the army museum offer any suggestions as to further research which might identify who R O’Neill was.
Just thinking the value of the plates would not be in them as objects but the story behind them which may be of great value to the relatives of R O’Neill if they could be linked to an actual person.
Maybe a local historical society if there is one might be prepared to spend some research time.
I wonder if they marked graves.... or persons bodies in graves.
No, all the museum curator said was that he did not recognise them as being military in nature. I'll hang on to them and do some more looking.
I wondered the same thing though I'm very certain there are not any graves in the area. I've looked at maps of the army camp and the surrounding area as well as aerial photos from around the 1940s. The area I found them was just bush land that they may have used as a path way.
I've found quite a few lead scraps /. trimmings which is odd as the ground has never been built on.
I know J O’neill ltd was a locksmithing company started around 1945 or so.Not sure if connected or not.
Just noticing that the lettering seems different on different plaques. That may indicate that they were done or organised by individuals rather than an organization using the site as we may expect such an organization to use the same dies for each. Just a thought.
Yeah it could well be.
I thought that too, the stamp sizes and the base metal tag sizes are all different.
I might be going back there this afternoon, maybe I'll find some more!
Lead may have been reasonably easy to obtain, it is malleable and stamps easy.
All the pieces seem to be cut to fit the name in perspective of size.
They all have different fonts and impression depths.
In a local workshop they would likely be all the same font and depth.
So maybe they are test pieces and thrown out along with other scrap, or made in different places maybe as temporary name tags for trunks or something like that. The end product could have been a brass plate with the stamped name.
Interesting
All the pieces seem to be cut to fit the name in perspective of size.
They all have different fonts and impression depths.
In a local workshop they would likely be all the same font and depth.
So maybe they are test pieces and thrown out along with other scrap, or made in different places maybe as temporary name tags for trunks or something like that. The end product could have been a brass plate with the stamped name.
Interesting
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Hi Hilux!
I did something fairly simple to search your names, and put the 3 names in together on a Google search, and it came up with a document called 'Complete Index to Pardey photos - Cowra family history group'. In there I found the following info on the names which was interesting...
Pte Alfred E. Masotto - 5th Battalion B Coy A.R.T.B. (Photo image of him April 1945 in Cowra) Alfred was a hairdresser from Geraldton WA. Born in Sicily in Feb 1927.
Pte John T. O'Neill - 19th Battalion C Coy Tank Division Depot, Cowra. (Photo image of him in April 1942 in Cowra). John was a labourer at a saw mill from Guyra NSW. Born Oct 1922.
Pte William R. Brydon - M.T.T.D (Motor Transport Training Depot) (Photo image of him from June 1943 in Cowra). William was from Dunedoo NSW. Born Sept 1917.
https://www.yumpu.com/it/document/r...x-to-pardey-photos-cowra-family-history-group
Co-incidence? They're not exactly common names, and to have the three of them all in the one document was hmm...
Not sure how this would help you at all, but the 'Cowra' link might be something for you there.
Cheers,
Megsy
I did something fairly simple to search your names, and put the 3 names in together on a Google search, and it came up with a document called 'Complete Index to Pardey photos - Cowra family history group'. In there I found the following info on the names which was interesting...
Pte Alfred E. Masotto - 5th Battalion B Coy A.R.T.B. (Photo image of him April 1945 in Cowra) Alfred was a hairdresser from Geraldton WA. Born in Sicily in Feb 1927.
Pte John T. O'Neill - 19th Battalion C Coy Tank Division Depot, Cowra. (Photo image of him in April 1942 in Cowra). John was a labourer at a saw mill from Guyra NSW. Born Oct 1922.
Pte William R. Brydon - M.T.T.D (Motor Transport Training Depot) (Photo image of him from June 1943 in Cowra). William was from Dunedoo NSW. Born Sept 1917.
https://www.yumpu.com/it/document/r...x-to-pardey-photos-cowra-family-history-group
Co-incidence? They're not exactly common names, and to have the three of them all in the one document was hmm...
Not sure how this would help you at all, but the 'Cowra' link might be something for you there.
Cheers,
Megsy
I found another one today about 3 inches down in some scrub.
I have four of them, they are all different sizes and there are 3 different stamp fonts used across the four tags. They were all buried a few inches under in scrubby bush - not near large trees. They were spread over a distance of nearly 1km.
About 500m away is an area where 20 or so 'honour' trees for WW1 soldiers are located. These are large trees with concrete plinths and cast brass memorial name plates at the base.
I'm wondering if they are part of an old memorial project by scouts or school kids.
I think I might return them to where I found them.
Sorry I posted the above before I saw your post.
Good idea with the search technique. Probably more than a coincidence.
The one I found today had the name "Garside" on it. Unfortunately that name is not in the document you found.
I've got the feeling I should pop these back in the dirt tomorrow.
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I "put the 3 names in together on a Google search"
"I've got the feeling I should pop these back in the dirt tomorrow."
I don't think it would be any sort of unmarked grave site especially for Australian service men.
Maybe somehow just mark or plot where you found them for now.
I think there is a story coming together here.
"I've got the feeling I should pop these back in the dirt tomorrow."
I don't think it would be any sort of unmarked grave site especially for Australian service men.
Maybe somehow just mark or plot where you found them for now.
I think there is a story coming together here.
Hi Hilux. Maybe send the pics to Warren from NTExplorers for his thoughts? I’ve watched a few of his youtube videos detecting old military camps and he seems to know a lot about Australian military artifacts. Just a thought. Cheers Col
Hawkear, there are plenty of unmarked service graves in Australia, some lost due to distance and abandonment, some due to works by unthinking or caring.
Even in the East Tce Cemetery here in Adelaide there are unmarked service graves outside the fence, and with Kato's project there are unmarked service graves in that cemetery scattered around the place.
Her work with Tillets gave her more information as to just how many there possibly are in SA.
Thanks Megsy, I am beginning to think these were tempory tags for lockers and maybe discarded upon discharge of the men.
Hilux, can you measure them please and pop those measurements up? Maybe next to a picture of each one?
Even in the East Tce Cemetery here in Adelaide there are unmarked service graves outside the fence, and with Kato's project there are unmarked service graves in that cemetery scattered around the place.
Her work with Tillets gave her more information as to just how many there possibly are in SA.
Thanks Megsy, I am beginning to think these were tempory tags for lockers and maybe discarded upon discharge of the men.
Hilux, can you measure them please and pop those measurements up? Maybe next to a picture of each one?
