Another soldier's story.
Charles and Mary Rose were also to lose a grandson to the Great
War. Their daughter Kezia, was seventeen or so years older than her brothers,
the two Charlies (part 1 & 2). Kezia married William Edward Cupit in 1895, and their first son was David. The two Charlies were still young boys when their nephew David was born.
Life sounds quite idyllic for a childhood in the Huon Valley
in the early part of the 1900’s where the Cupit children grew up. Eldest daughter Ada, was followed by Kezia and William's two more sons, Martin
and Albert (Top), then twin daughters Corrie and Ivy with Rene shortly after.
Bill, Dick and Slim completed the family. Confusingly for family researchers,
this family did not adopt the usage of their often very unusual given names but
reverted to either nick names or shortened second or third names.
A
chronological search of the name Cupit in the Huon Times newspaper, reveals William
running a Grocer’s store at Franklin, and the children all growing up in an
extremely community minded district. The girls did well in the local school,
Franklin State School, graduated to Secondary School and contributed in local
concerts, fairs and organized social events. The boys dominate the newspaper
reports however with their sporting participation. David, the eldest, appears
first. He is playing hockey, rifle shooting, playing football and cricket. As
the other boys get older, we see the majority of the over one thousand newspaper
entries are sporting based. Boxing, rowing, swimming, cricket, football,
badminton, cycling and yachting.
Franklin main street circa 1912 original online source unknown (pintrest)
David must have been a bit of a goer, as in October1913 he
was one of the fifty-four car owners to register their cars in the state that
month. He must have been one of the few car owners in Franklin at the time. He drove
for the local doctor, Dr Anderson. In September 1913, he was booked and fined,
not for driving an unregistered vehicle, but for having driven a motor vehicle
without lights. As soon as he was old enough, David enlisted for service. In
1916, he left home:
Private D Cupit, who was home in
Franklin for a few hours on final leave on Monday prior to leaving Hobart
shortly with the engineers, was the recipient of numerous presents from
friends, employers, fellow workers. Mr W.J. Thomas presented him with a
beautiful wristlet watch and case, and amongst other articles he received a
combination camp knife set, a balaclava cap and yesterday Mr Kennedy, his late
employer, presented Private Cupit with a cheque, and also on behalf of the
employers of the Franklin Exchange Stores with a soldier’s full-cased fountain
pen. In making the presentation Mr Kennedy said there was no more popular young
man in Franklin than Dave, and deservedly so, for he was willing and obliging
to a degree to assist in anything going on. He would be greatly missed by one
and all in the town. He was a promising cricketer and footballer, and his
companions and acquaintances felt proud when they heard of his enlistment and
acceptance, after so many trials to get into camp. He would be sure to give
good account of himself wherever placed and trusted he would be spared to come
back safe with honors which they all felt sure he would deserve.[1]
Dave was engaged to local girl Charlotte Coleman (Lottie).
No doubt she would have been there that day as Dave farewelled his friends and
family. When David enlisted for service, he stated his occupation as a driver
and was utilized for this purpose.
The local paper regularly published a Roll of Honour and
listed soldiers who had gone to the front. Dave was to spend about fifteen
months away from his home town before his return.
On Monday the 17th of February, 1918, Dave Cupit,
Sergt V. Gallaghaer and Pvt Hunt were welcomed home by a large gathering of friends
outside the Franklin Town Hall. Councilor Griggs said a few words on behalf of
the crowd and wished the men a bright and prosperous future.[2]
A
few days later a night of entertainment was held at the hall. Songs, speakers
and musical items added to the pleasure of the evening that ended with dancing.
It must have been difficult for the boys to begin to slot back into their old
lives.
Dave did, happily, return home but not to the bright future Mr.
Griggs had hoped. Dave would never again be the sport loving and healthy young
man who was planning a future with Lottie that he once was.
Dave had been
gassed and had TB. By the 1st of July 1918, a Welcome Home Committee
was formed in Franklin. By 1920 the committee had a balance of £82 in their
kitty when it was decided to divide the funds between Pvts A Fulton, L. Wicks
and Driver Cupit.[3] The
local ladies also gave Dave a travel bag as his brother Top, took Dave to South
Australia thinking the climate might improve his health, but it was obviously
no help as Dave and Top were to return. Lottie became part of the Cupit family, helping them to nurse Dave till he died in 1926 at age 30. She lived until she was seventy-three and
never married. Family members recall that Lottie would weep whenever she saw
Ivy, Dave’s sister, perhaps they were alike.
Obituary
Mr David Cupit, son
of Mrs and the late Wm. Cupit, of Franklin, dies at his sister’s residence,
Gordon, on Wednesday morning. Deceased was, prior to the war a popular member
of the Franklin Football and cricket club. He was one of the first to answer
the call for volunteers to the war and spent three strenuous years on active
service. Unfortunately, he was one of the victims of that cruel method of
warfare- gassing, and was invalided home a physical wreck. He had an
indomitable spirit, and though his lungs had both been severely affected he
fought hard to regain his strength and at brief intervals surprised even his
medical advisers at the apparent progress he was making. The strain however at
last became too great and a few weeks ago he had to take to bed and never
rallied. He suffered considerably during the last stages of his illness. The
funeral took place at Castle Forbes Bay cemetery this afternoon in the presence
of a very large following of his former associates who deeply mourned the loss
of a generous hearted companion. Many beautiful wreaths were placed on the
grave as tokens of affection, including one from the Franklin Football Club.
“The Last Post” was sounded by Bandmaster W. Vincent and no soldier on the
battlefield better deserved the tribute. Deceased was in his 31st
year. He was unmarried.
In the earlier decades of the 1900’s, steamers provided
daily transport for the southern waters and areas of Bruny Island, The Channel
ports, Hobart and Huon. It was one of these steamers the SS Excella that
transported Dave Cupit on his final journey.
His funeral began on a Friday afternoon on the arrival of
the SS Excella to Jackson’s Point. The boat left at 3:30, headed up the Huon
River to Castle Forbes Bay Cemetery. David had died at his sister Ada’s home at
Gordon.[4]
SS Excella online source unknown
It would have been a much longer route to travel by road
from Gordon, north, up through
Cygnet to Huonville where a bridge crossed the river.
The road then headed south again down through David’s
hometown of Franklin and on to Castle Forbes Bay. SS Excella had a reputation
as being a slow steamer, a bit of a plodder, but she did the job of
transporting David and his mourners to his final resting place.
Charles and Mary Rose both reached old age in their hometown
of Dover, Tasmania. Mary died in 1924, from accidental drowning at age 74.
Charles snr died two years later at age 81, six months before David’s death.
Photos Arthur Garland www.monumentaustralia.org.au
The Port Esperance Soldier’s War Memorial was unveiled by
the Governor Lord Allardyce on the 21st May, 1921. A local committee
had been working for some time to raise sufficient funds for a memorial to
honour the brave lads who gave their lives. Out of the forty men who left Port
Esperance to serve, twenty lost their lives and are memorialized on this monument.[5]
The impact on this small community must have been catastrophic. Every family would have been affected. For Mary and Charles it touched two generations of their family.
While Dave Cupit's name is not memorialized here with his Uncle Charlie (L.C.G. Rose), he is remembered as one of Franklin's boys who gave their life in this war.
[1] Huon
Times Tues 2 May 1916
[2] 1919
'FRANKLIN RETURNED SOLDIERS', Huon Times (Franklin, Tas. : 1910 - 1933),
18 February, p. 2. , viewed 16 Mar 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article135716302
[3] 1920
'FRANKLIN WELCOME HOME COMMITTEE', Huon Times (Franklin, Tas. : 1910 -
1933), 23 April, p. 2. , viewed 16 Mar 2018,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140943804
[5]http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/multiple/display/70227-port-esperance-soldiers%60-memorial/
It is a shame that David Cupit’s name is not on this list. Eleanor Cupit
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