Leicestershire ANZAC Don Cadoux KIA Gallipoli

[grantmal]

Hi All,

Another UK-born, 3rd Australian Field Ambulance man in need of some help:

Leicestershire native Donald Neville Cadoux (born Countesthorpe, 1884), emigrated to Australia about 1909, worked as an engineer in Perth, West Australia before taking up land in the WA wheatbelt in 1913. There he lived in a tent, dug the first well in the district and became secretary of the local Progress Association, during one of the worst droughts in the state's history. One day in August 1914, after a 30 mile journey to the nearest town, Wongan Hills, for supplies, Cadoux learned of the outbreak of war. Desperate not to miss a place in the contingent, he immediately rushed to Perth to enlist, writing his neighbour a few days later from Blackboy Hill camp, asking him to look after Cadoux's things and not expect his return for at least 6 months or a year. Pte Don Cadoux, stretcher bearer in "C" Section, 3rd Field Ambulance, is pictured a month or so later, 2nd from the left (beside Jack Simpson, The Man With the Donkey, hand to hat) in the photo below.

On April 25th, 1915, Don Cadoux was killed at the Gallipoli Landing, shot through the heart as "C" Section's boat reached the shore. His father Charles, in Melton Mowbray, received the grim telegram. A mate from C Section later wrote to Don Cadoux's neighbour back in WA.

In 1928, the small town that had gathered about the railway siding beside Don Cadoux's original selection was officially given his name. By the 1950s local knowledge of Don Cadoux was so slight the surviving members of "C" Section had a plaque installed in Cadoux's town hall to commemorate their dead comrade. The town of Cadoux was badly damaged during an earthquake in 1979, and the plaque is now missing. In its place hang Don Cadoux's photo, medals and 'dead man's penny'.

Hoping Leicester pals can offer advice about possible local sources of info.

I have a Cadoux family tree & other bits and pieces sent by family members to the town over the years, as well as info from the Perth YMCA, where Cadoux was a prominent member. He wrote to YMCA friends regularly, and, I'm hoping, to his parents in Melton Mowbray. Any ideas as to local newspapers that reprinted soldiers' letters, or are likely to have carried an obit?

Cadoux spent 4 years in the 1st & 2nd Vol Bns Leicester Regiment

5 years as apprentice with A Barron & Co. Leicester

Good on you,

Grant

[dave ricketts]

Grant,

Countesthorpe is about four miles away from Narborough & Littlethorpe. The Leicestershire and Rutland Records Office have most of the local newspapers, but it would be a slog to go through them. I am not too sure if there is a specific Melton newspaper. I will check when I next go. If there is, I might be able to skim through it, although quite when I don't know.

I also know the lady who is the Countesthorpe local history expert. I would think that as the Cadouxs moved to Melton, they weren't really local, but I will ask. I am sure that she would be interested anyway.

Regards,

Dave

[grantmal]

Thanks Dave. It would be great if you could have a word to the lady in Countesthorpe. I don't know when the Cadouxs left Countesthorpe - they did follow Don & his brother out to Australia at one stage, but returned soon after. The father, Charles Cadoux, worked in the lace trade.

As for the local newspapers, I emailed the Leicestershire and Rutland Records Office to see what help they can provide. I'll let you know if they come up with anything. There should (hopefully) be a grant coming my way shortly to help finish off the research - whether I can stretch it to include a trip to Leicester remains to be seen.........

Good on you,

Grant

[Krithia]

On April 25th, 1915, Don Cadoux was killed at the Gallipoli Landing, shot through the heart as "C" Section's boat reached the shore. His father Charles, in Melton Mowbray, received the grim telegram. A mate from C Section later wrote to Don Cadoux's neighbour back in WA.

Hi Grant, the war graves commission have Cadoux down as being killed 3rd May 1915, does your material confirm the 25th April instead?

[grantmal]

Yes, although it is a little confusing.

The 3rd Field Ambulance War Diary casualty list, based on a report by Capt Fry, for April 25th includes:

201 D M Cadoux Missing, probably drowned

"since reported dead"

Fry (B Section) landed 200 metres to the south of Captain McWhae's C Section and didn't really know the full details of C Section's wounded (five of them have a question mark to describe the "nature of wound") - he'd been called on to write the report after McWhae was badly wounded on the 27th April.

McWhae himself, in a later record of his experiences at the Landing, thought that Cadoux had died on a hospital ship a few hours after being hit.

Frank Gill (another recent post) was in the same boat as McWhae and Cadoux. He later wrote: "You have no doubt heard of poor old Don Cadoux's death. He, poor fellow, never even got out of the boat, he was shot clean through the heart."

It seems as though Cadoux was hit as C Section's boat emptied near the shore, and the boat, with his body in it, was then rowed/towed back to the transports.

Cadoux's service papers (AF B103) record his burial "at sea from 'Gascon' & 'Minnewaska' off Gallipoli" but then introduces the date of May 3rd.......

This fraction of Don Cadoux's service record also shows May 3rd. Perhaps that was a date on which a report or telegram was generated/arrived/stamped etc concerning Cadoux, and the date was erroneously entered here as the date of his death? I obviously know nothing of the mechanics of it, but the bloke doing the job must have been working like a trojan......can anyone decipher this document? Any ideas for the M.F.C 2384/223 or the A.F.B 2090A ?

I know sometimes correspondence does not appear on this sheet, but surely Cadoux's NOK were notified of his death before March, 1916? His record used to be available online, but seems to have disappeared.

Back to the 3rd Field Ambulance casualty list - not only was it inaccurate and incomplete (one man reported as killed showed up two weeks later!), it seemed to fracture even further as it went through the channels. Back in Tasmania the parents of Alf Eccles and Frank Hudson (C Section) began hearing rumours of their sons' deaths. Eccle's fiance was beside herself. In late July 1915, after enquiries from the families, the army finally confirmed that Eccles & Hudson had been killed in action on April 25th. Somehow the news had gone astray.

Good on you,

Grant

[Auimfo]

I'm not certain about this case Grant, but fairly often the date in the records is simply the date the entry was made and not the date of the actual event.

Shame the online records have disappeared, it would have been easier to follow the entire record.

Tim L.

[Auimfo]

I just checked the NA and you're right - his digitized records are missing. I did see his brother Charles' records. Charles served in the 3rd Battalion and was wounded at Gallipoli on 19/5/15. As a result of this GSW to the chest he was discharged from the AIF in 1916.

I assume that Charles would have found out about his brother's death and notified the family well before the 1916 date indicated by the record.

Tim L.

[Auimfo]

It's also interesting to see his entry on the AWM's Roll Of Honour. It also states him to be KIA on 3/5/15 but lists the place as "landing at Gallipoli".

Perhaps if there was some doubt or confusion (as there most probably was) about what happened to him and it could not be established conclusively then the date may simply have been nominally selected when the fact that he had died (but not necessarily when) was confirmed.

Tim L.

[grantmal]

Hi Tim.

It's highly likely that other members of C Section would have written also. Frank Gill knew Don Cadoux before the war from the Perth YMCA. Another C Section stretcher bearer, Bert Potter, was wounded on the 26th and later met Charles Cadoux in Aden, in July. He mistook him for Don's twin. At that stage they were both under the impression that Don Cadoux's body had not been found. Potter later wrote to Mr Booth, Cadoux's neighbour in the WA wheatbelt, so he must have been fairly conversant with Cadoux's story.

good on you,

Grant

[Krithia]

a link I have just come across on the net, has a few details and also the 3 May date which is probably taken from the CWGC date, etc.

http://deepthought.hass.adfa.edu.au:8080/s...erson?pid=42683

an interesting, but sad story.

[grantmal]

Don Cadoux's parents' headstone (just in - thanks Trevor) includes Don on it, and his date of death is recorded as May 3rd, 1915:

The person arranging the headstone has used the official date........surely Don's parents knew!?

[grantmal]

A further note on the confused date of Cadoux's death - May 3rd was the date the 3rd Field Ambulance received confirmation of Cadoux's fate in the form of a note from Chaplain Green on board the Minnewaska. Cadoux's body - and 3 badly wounded comrades - were taken aboard the Minnewaska when C Section's boat returned to the fleet from North Beach.

Thanks,

Grant

[Jan Nix]

Grant

Just checked the local phone book - no one by the name of Cadoux currently listed in Leicester or Leicestershire.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Family History Society publish a quarterly journal. You may find that someone is already researching the Cadoux family by putting details of your man in the "Query Box" section, and appealing for any info. Editor's email is editor@lrfhs.org.uk. Next issue due out March/April 2007.

Good luck

Jan

[grantmal]

Hi Jan,

Thanks very much for that. I have recently made contact with members of the Cadoux family in the UK, including a great-neice who made a trip out to Western Australia in 2000 to visit the town named after her uncle. During a recent visit to Cadoux I met with the descendants of Don Cadoux's neighbours, one of whom had a copy of the letter Don sent from camp (mentioned above). They were able to provide some very interesting info on the district. Don's well and the site of his camp have since been located - it seems the enquiries have renewed interest in Don Cadoux and his role in the opening of the district.

Good on you,

kind regards,

Grant

[Guest waeve48]

Not sure whether anyone's still reading this as its nearly 10 years later for my reply and I've only just come across it, but all the same I'm very interested in all that's been said above as I married into the Cadoux descendants some years ago now and have been steadily working my way through their family tree. Donalds trip to Australia and death at Gallipoli was well known within the family but great to confirm and learn some new fine detail and photographs, and his more likely death date, incidentally, his brother Charles that is mentioned eventually married a lady called Patricia Bryce-Smyth in New South Wales, then travelled to Auckland, NZ where Charles died in 1954. Also their Uncle Alfred Henry Cadoux farmed in British Columbia, Canada, before also travelling to Perth in WA where he died in 1941 aged 92!

Their family tree as far as I know can be seen at http://waeve.co.uk/genealogy/cadoux/Cadoux_Dynasty.jpg on my website.

Thanks to all

Wallis Kidd