Friends and Relations

In my grandfather's letters and diaries, he mentions lots of people. I will try to list them here, updating when necessary and providing any information I have about them. If anyone else in the family can shed light on any of the people that we can't identify, please get in touch.

Bee - my grandfather's older brother, Bertie, with whom he went to Britain to join up

Mim - my grandfather's sister, Mildred

Freyda Shaw (who marries Pyman) - Thank you to Liz Landy for providing this information: "Lawrence Lee Pyman was born on the 13th March 1917 to Ronald and Catherine Freyda Pyman (nee Shaw). She came from a family of Australian sheep farmers who owned a large station in Victoria, Australia and was brought up in the correct manner, dressing for dinner each night. Catherine was sent to Germany before the Great War 'to grow up' and have an education, under the watchful eye of a devoted governess who was very keen on German opera! On the outbreak of WW1 she returned to Australia, where she met an Englishman, Ronald Pyman (known as George by his family), who worked for Asiatic Petroleum (Shell) in Melbourne, and after a short whirlwind romance, they married in 1916.
Ronald volunteered to serve 'the old country' and enlisted in the army with the Middlesex Regiment. Catherine meanwhile joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment as a nurse and was sent to France. Lawrence would never see his father, who was tragically killed in action on the 3rd May 1917, whilst serving as a Lieutenant on the Western Front with the 15th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. On this day, the British attacked the Germans on a 12 mile front just east of Arras. Lieutenant Pyman is buried in Bay 7 of the Commonwealth War Graves plot in Arras Cemetery, France. " etc.   This is taken from the web page www.bbm.org.uk/Pyman.htm

I have a collection of Purrumbete photos I have been working through and I had noted Freyda Pyman and her baby son Lawrence  in one of them. The photos are mostly of  John Manifold (son of W.T. Manifold), Barbara his wife  and their  young son John Streeter Manifold in 1916 - 1917. John was 5 years older than Uncle Wal.  He enlisted in the Royal Horse Artillery in 1916. Some of the photos are  named but sadly many are not.

Russells from Carngham - a family whose property, Carngham, was in the Western District of Victoria (there are other Russells from other properties in the district, who may pop up later in the narrative).

211 Piccadilly - Carlyle Club (Thank you, Bim Affleck)

McArthurs - also from the Western District, from a property called Meningoort

Dunstulls

Dan - possibly Dan McKinnon?

Rutledges - graziers from near Bungendore. Their son Foster eventually married Mildred

Bo Fairbairn - lived in Queensland

Uncle

Mr Gilliard

Siggers. Cruikshanks, Grant Suttie and Evans - fellow officers with whom my grandfather became close friends (Cruikshanks was from South Africa)