The Dalgarno Family

Frederick Joseph Dalgarno, aged 37, enlisted just over a month after the above advertisement for the Clare Castle appears in the Standard.  His twin brother John Stockton Dalgarno also known as Jack enlisted in the first days of the war, just 10 days after this advertisement was printed.  He gave the Clare Castle Hotel as his place of residence.

In Fred’s absence, serving abroad, the licence of the hotel was transferred to his wife, Ethel and only a very subtle change was needed to the advertisement as we can see from the version that appeared in the Standard on 10 October 1914 (below).

A third brother Percy Alexander Dalgarno enlisted on 17 August 1914, again during the first month of the war.  He gave his age as 30 years old.   Research by Brian Membrey shows that Percy is in a rare group of Australians who served in all three major conflicts spanning the first half of the 20th Century.  He travelled to South Africa at his own expense and subsequently enlisted for the Boer War in February 1902 serving for a few months before hostilities ceased.  He served right through WWI, enlisting, as we have seen in August 1914 and finally being discharged in January 1919.  Percy fronted up again for the Second World War, enlisting in July 1940 and remaining in the Armed Forces until August 1952.

Brian’s research indicates that Percy was born in Williamstown yet his WWI Attestation Papers state he was born in Geelong.  Perhaps this discrepancy is to obscure his real age or perhaps it is just an error that has been passed down through time.  It makes sense that he was born in Williamstown. His older brothers Fred and Jack were born in Williamstown where the family has a strong connection including a street bearing their name.

From the Nott Street School Roll of Honour we know that all three boys attended the school.

References:

1914 ‘Advertising’, Port Melbourne Standard (Vic. : 1914 – 1920), 8 August, p. 1. , viewed 25 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91166243

1914 ‘Advertising’, Port Melbourne Standard (Vic. : 1914 – 1920), 10 October, p. 1. , viewed 25 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91169227