Above: The Blackman family grave, Dowling Forest Cemetery January 2005		Above: The Blackman family headstone, Dowling Forest Cemetery January 2005
The headstone reads: In/Loving memory/OF OUR DEAR/MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER/AND LITTLE JACK/ALSO LESLIE A.I.F./KILLED IN FRANCE 1916/AND GRANDFATHER

The Official Burial Book of Dowling Forest Cemetery (the cemetery for Miners Rest) records:

Note the transposition of Frances forenames and that she returned to Miners Rest for her burial. If it is assumed that John Blackman is William's brother and since it is known that William came from Kent then some tentative deductions can be made.

Frances emily Crompton

  b.1852, Victoria
  d.1923, E[lstern]wick, Vic[toria].
    Age at death given as 70.

Frances married William Blackman, of Kent England, in 1872 and who died in 1916.

1821info11a, sheet 2

William Blackman origins

The records of the General Registrars Office shows:

Source: GRO Marriages
Blackman John         2nd Quarter 1843  Bromley vol.5 page 73
Clackstone Charlotte  2nd Quarter 1843  Bromley vol.5 page 73 

Source: GRO Births
Blackman William  2nd Quarter 1844  Medway    vol.5 page 354 
Blackman George   2nd Quarter 1846  Dartford  vol.5 page  94 

From 1837 the district of Bromley spanned the boundaries of Beckenham, Bromley, Chislehurst, Orpington, Penge, Sidcup in Kent.

Though christened in Wilmington it appears that William Blackman was registered in the district of Medway, which comprises of the towns of Chatham, Gillingham, Grange, Lidsing and Rochester. Wilmington is in the registration district of Dartford. Above: William Blackman's GRO entry for the third quarter of 1844 Left: William Blackman's christening record from Wilmington, Kent for 13 October 1844

1821info11a, sheet 3

Left: An overview of the Medway area of Kent showing Wilmington in relationship to Dartford

Right: A modern map locating Wilmington

William Blackman, who as a young farmer from Wilmington, in Kent, settled at Miners Rest, in the Ballarat area, married and raised a large family.

Although the family enjoyed the simple country lifestyle none wished to remain on the farm later. Mother always said that they were not rich but they always had sufficient food and the basic necessities because her parents worked so hard to provide for them all. They grew a lot of their fruit and vegetables and they had milking cows. All the girls and two of the boys pursued careers as teachers. My Mother, Ida May Blackman, was very talented musically and learnt the piano, singing, and elocution — now called speech and drama. She won many prizes for elocution at competitions and later during my primary school years in Mildura performed publicly at concerts. Her star turn was a musical monologue.

Source: Wellington Pat, Memories 1913-1954, Clifton Press, Kensington, Victoria, page 1

1821info11a, sheet 4

Above: The Blackman family in 1914 - with permission of Pat Wellington's son, Geoffrey Hutson Standing left to right: Louisa (Mrs Wines) of Middle Park, Harry, Lyle, Thomas, Emily Sitting left to right: Ida may, William, Francis Emily, Mabel (Mrs Pearson), Leslie

The loss of Leslie and the virtual loss of Thomas, whose health never improved, and the loss of John, a younger brother who died from appendicitis at 11 years of age, led to serious depression in my Grandmother Blackman. After the war her health deteriorated very quickly as she grieved over these losses and eventually she was hospitalized in Elsternwick and according to the family died of a "broken heart" in 1923. ... I do remember visits to Ballarat in the 1920s to see Grandfather Blackman, then retired from the farm at Miner's Rest and who lived with Aunt Emily, a teacher and a spinster until she was nearly 60 years old and married Joseph Cox. Grandfather filled in his time as caretaker of the Ballarat showgrounds. He died at the age of 88 years having suffered severe burns from setting his night shirt and bed clothes alight smoking a pipe in bed. He was a very gentle man with snow white hair and a beard, frustrated by the fact that Aunt Emily was so deaf. ... Grandfather had to shout down her trumpet to communicate with her. He tended his hens in the back yard and looked after his garden and worked part-time at the showgrounds—a very simple lifestyle after so many years on the farm. He was a lonely man after the loss of his wife and three sons.

Source: ibid, page 8

Left: William Blackman's signature

1821info11a, sheet 5

Right: The Dowling Forest Cemetery register shows that the body of Frances emily was brought from Cole Street, Elsternwick, Melbourne for burial in a common grave at 12 o'clock, on 11 December 1923. Her name is implied at the beginning of the headstone on the family grave. She was a member of the Church of England buried in grave 8, of Section 1 by Rev BH Dewhurst. Frances emily died of senile decay at the age of 71. Click on the image to open a full image of 28Kb.

John Blackman (Little Jack), William and Frances' first child

Little Jack, their first child, died of appendicitis aged nine years.

Emily Blackman, William and Frances' second child

Emily lived in Ballarat and looked after William when he retired from the Miner's Rest farm. She married Joseph Cox when she was 59 8/12 years old and they had 27 years together. She was deaf following complication from measles acquired early in her career, while teaching at a country school.

Louisa Blackman, William and Frances' third child

Louisa married William james Wines, and lived at Middle Park.

William Henry (Harry) Blackman, William and Frances' fourth child

Harry didn't go to the war. His first wife died and he married his house keeper and thereafter had very little contact with the rest of the family. After the First War he lived in South Melbourne.

Mabel Blackman, William and Frances' fifth child

Mabel became Mrs Pearson. This is a different Pearson from the Cox/Pearson of 1821info12a.

1821info11a, sheet 6

Leslie crompton Blackman, William and Frances' sixth child

Leslie crompton Blackman's war and death in Belgium has its own Information Sheet.

Ida may Blackman, William and Frances' seventh child

Ida May Blackman, was very talented musically and learnt the piano, singing, and elocution — now called speech and drama. She won many prizes for elocution at competitions and later during my primary school years in Mildura performed publicly at concerts. Her star turn was a musical monologue.

Source: Wellington Pat, 'Memories 1913-1954', Clifton Press, Kensington, Victoria, 2007, page 1

In 1911 Ida married Nelson frederick Wellington who was commissioned Captain and awarded the Military Cross, with 21st Battalion, 1st AIF in World War 1. In the Second World War he rose to the rank of Lieut. Colonel and was awarded the DSO for service in Syria, where he was wounded. He later served the staff of General Douglas MacArthur, in the Pacific War.

Walter thomas john (Thomas) Blackman, William and Frances' eighth child

Whilst serving with the 2nd Field Ambulance, attached to 55th Battalion, Walter received a field commission. It is thought that this occurred at Bellicourt on 30 September 1918, when 55th Battalion attacked the second line of defences on the Hindenburg Line.

Thomas suffered from 'shell shock' and was transferred to England for treatment, but did not respond.

Thomas's health never recovered and he spent the rest of his life at Mont Park Hospital in Melbourne. My family visited him regularly over many years. We would take him out for a drive and have a picnic lunch or afternoon tea. He was a very dignified and polite man and seemed fairly normal when he was out with us until it was time to return to the hospital. Then he would ask my Father to take him to athletic training as he was preparing for the Stawell Gift. As a young man he had been a good athlete with an ambition to compete in this race. It was this obsession and many other problems that prevented him from ever leaving institutional care. Every visit would leave my Mother upset for days.

Source: ibid, page 9

'Tom is certainly Walter John Thomas. He was always known as "Uncle Tom" to us. He visited us a couple of times when we were children, always in a suit and hat and he always brought a bag of lollies for us. Marion Brown, mum's sister, took him out for trips now and then.

Source: Heather Schoffelen by email

Lyle aubrey Blackman, William and Frances' ninth child, in war and peace

Lyle aubrey Blackman has his own Information Sheet.

1821info11a, sheet 7

Blackman's remembered at The Victoria State Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne

Top: One volume of The Book of Remembrance situated in The Crypt. Above: The Shrine of Remembrance, west of St Kilda Road, adjacent to Government House. January 2005.		Above: The page dedicated to JR Blackman, L[C] Blackman, LA Blackman and WJT[homas] Blackman, brothers and cousins.

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This page was created by Richard Crompton and maintained by Chris Glass	Version A.8 Updated 09 December 2009