Sailing to Australia

Nine days before the outbreak of World War One John Henry was on his travels again, this time bound for Australia.

The RMS Otway was built for the Orient Steam Navigation Company by Fairfield & Co. She left Tilbury for Suez, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on her maiden voyage on 9th July 1909. She had five sister ships; Orsova, Osterley, Otranto, Orvieto, and the Orama, which allowed the Orient Line a prized attraction to the travelling public of a fixed sailings every other week to Australia. Evidence from the passenger list suggests that  Otway sailed into Melbourne on 14 July 1914. Evidence from the shipping line suggests that John Henry stayed onboard until the Otway docked at Brisbane.

Above right and below right: RMS Otway When war was declared in 1914 the British Admiralty requisitioned the Otway for use as an Auxiliary Cruiser and armed her with four seven-inch guns and made her part of the Northern Patrol. She was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat in the North Atlantic on July 22, 1917. Of the 376 men on board ten men were killed by the initial explosion, but there were no further casualties. The inquiry found the officers and men behaved in exemplary fashion.

1805info8b, sheet2

The RMS Otway arrived in Melbourne in September 1914. The Website for Source: Victoria State immigration does not show a John Henry Crompton as landing. There is evidence, from Queensland archives, on 22 March 1911 the Otway did dock in Brisbane and may, therefore, have continued her journey in September 1914.

Farming in Elimbah, Queensland

The surviving part of letter sent by Thomas Crompton's 1939 letter sent to his daughter-in-law Eileen Crompton, in Kenya records John Henry's travels before arriving in Australia. 'Harvey Crompton [John Henry] - Farmed in S. Africa for a time, then in Canada. He was killed in France in Australian Army.' Little is known about this part of his life. However his army enlistment papers show him to be a farmer of Elimbah, Queensland, on the road north of Brisbane. Later papers suggest he was a labourer. Right: a map locating Elimbah north of Brisbane	Right: The red square shows the location of Elimbah

A montage of modern Elimbah Top: The general store, Soldier's Hall, church Centre: An aerial view of Glasshouse Mountain Bottom: An aerial view of Elimbah, farming for fruit, farming trees Source: Top row -Sharon Jospeh of Ipswich, Elimbah web pages

1805info8b, sheet 3

Right: Elimbah station, where John Henry farmed, suggesting a family member made a pilgrimage to Queensland. Circa 1953. Source: From a family album.

From John Henry's enlistment papers, in to the 42^nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force (AIF), we know a great deal is known about his life in the army.

Back to TOP Back to John Henry Crompton's content page Close info window
This page was created by Richard Crompton and maintained by Chris Glass	Version A7 Updated 05 August 2010