Finding J Budd

The Port Melbourne Standard of 19 September 1914 carried a story about a send-off for three Port lads who had enlisted for the war.

On Friday 11 September 1914 about 150 friends and workmates assembled at the Ship Hotel in Bay Street to bid farewell to J Budd, J King and J Dalgarno.

After the singing of God Save the King, three young men entertained with musical items interspersed with toasts and presentations.  Arthur Hester JP who presided over the evening gave a stirring patriotic speech and made three presentations consisting of a silver wrist watch, silver-mounted flask and a gold ring to each of the departing soldiers.   Each item was inscribed with their initials.  The recipients responded thanking the donors for their kindness.

But who were these three men – Budd, King & Dalgarno?

The latter two were fairly easy to identify.  John Stockton Dalgarno enlisted at Albert Park on 18 August 1914 a day after his brother Percy had volunteered at Ripponlea. A third brother, Fred, later enlisted on 17 September 1914.

John King also volunteered at Albert Park but on 19 August 1914, the day after John Dalgarno.

Budd proved a lot more difficult to track down.  Of the four J Budds who volunteered for World War 1, two were from Sydney, one was from WA and the John Budd who enlisted in Melbourne didn’t do so until August 1915.

The most likely candidate was an Albert Edward Budd who enlisted at Albert Park on the 19 Aug 1915, the same day as John King. But how do you get a name beginning with ‘J’ from Albert Edward?  Perhaps it was an error in the news report.

The answer came in the epilogue of Welcoming the Wounded Anzacs, a recently published book by PMH&PS member Terry Keenan, primarily on the work of the Women’s Welcoming Committee (WWC).

The epilogue tells the tragic tale of a returned soldier, Albert Edward Budd and a founding member of the WWC, Annie Samson.  More of their story later but in setting the scene Keenan writes …

Annie was born on 21 June 1887 to Thomas and Elizabeth Anderson, long time Port Melbourne residents … Following the death of her parents she lived with two of her of her siblings … at 147 Farrell Street. Budd, who was called ‘Joe’, also lived there.

‘Joe’!  Albert Edward Budd was called ‘Joe’!  Mystery solved!

Sources and further information

Standard 19 September 1914 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91164569

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