Community
1 November, 2024
Research yields interesting info for Remembrance service
CAMPERDOWN Returned and Services League (RSL) sub-branch president Kevin Murray has been looking into the service of another Camperdown family in the lead-up to Remembrance Day on Monday, November 11.
The service will mark the second year of the research, which had been done on the service of members of the Boyd family during World Wars One and Two.
Mr Murray said he came up with the idea to focus on the service of a local family when he began noticing repeated family names on the Soldiers Memorial cenotaph.
“It’s a great opportunity to localise the ceremony so it’s specific to Camperdown on Remembrance Day,” he said.
“Anzac Day is different, because we have a guest speaker, and the guest speaker is free to speak about whatever they want to talk about.
“On Remembrance Day, certainly while I’m president, I’m going to try to stick to this program of picking a name off the cenotaph and making sure the audience knows who these people are.
“There’ll be others on the board in the future we can look at – isolating one family each year is sufficient.”
Mr Murray said the Boyd family presentation from last year was made easier by his personal connections through his father, as well as discovering the Boyd family was the only name to come up four times on the cenotaph.
This was the start of Mr Murray’s search in to the lives of those who served from Camperdown, with many being difficult to find information on.
“Then I discovered the Errey brothers – I knew there was Errey Street here, so I knew it was a Camperdown name,” he said.
“I was absolutely fascinated when I looked into it.
“While the older brother Edwin was an ordinary soldier and an ordinary chap – he signed up like so many others and did his bit and unfortunately was killed in action – his younger brother Leonard George Prentice Errey was quite extraordinary.
“He was a young man that I think everyone in Camperdown ought to know about because he was recommended for the Victoria Cross, which was subsequently downgraded, and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order instead.
“He had already been awarded a Military Cross and then even after he died he was mentioned in Despatches.”
Despatches are official reports written by senior commanders in the field to send information about the progress of military operations during war, with names included for those who have committed a specific act of bravery or for a period of outstanding service.
Mr Murray said he was amazed to trace Leonard Errey’s journey from a carpenter at the family-run Leura Nursery to an officer in the Australian Army with an “extraordinary” record.
“I was quite staggered to learn all this, and I’m hoping later on at the RSL we’ll make a tribute to this young fellow because we should all remember his name,” he said.
“I think people will be surprised to learn about this young man.”
Mr Murray said, while he does hope numbers will be better than the previous years’ service, he is mainly focused on being able to pay respect to those who served in war and peacekeeping operations.
“I always believe that the people that need to be here are here,” he said.
“We’ve got the newly-elected school captains from Mercy College will be doing the first reading.
“The second reading will be done by the captains from the junior campus of the Camperdown College.
“It’s always great to have the kids involved.
“I know the kids from St Patrick’s will be coming along and laying their wreaths and paying their respects, which is always good to see.
“They’re the future – they’re the ones who will keep the memorial going.”
The Remembrance Day service will be held from 10.30am at the Soldiers Memorial in the Avenue, with refreshments available at the RSL Hall at 14 Pike Street following proceedings.
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