Leslie Clive Hellmrich,
This photo was in my grandparents papers for many years and the younger generation didn’t know who he was. We do now. Pictured is Leslie often known as Clive. His parents were John Mathieson Hellmrich (1871–1928) and Hester Weaire (1883–1953). Born 1910 in Bunbury WA he was a cousin to our Helmrich’s. Clive was married to Edith Helen Chant with them residing in West Midlands, West Australia, where they had a young son. Clive enlisted as a Private in the AIF in 1940. He fought before and during the Singapore campaign. Leslie Clive Hellmrich was deployed directly to Singapore with the 2/4th. When Singapore fell in February 1942, he was captured by the Japanese forces. Following his capture at Singapore, he was moved by the Japanese military into Thailand as part of “F” Force to build the infamous Burma-Thai Railway. He survived the brutal conditions of the railway construction camps but ultimately succumbed to illness inflicted upon him at Kanchanaburi, Thailand, on 22 December 1943 at 33 years old. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1688959
Leslie Clive Hellmrich is named at The Australian War Memorial in Canberra..
https://2nd4thmgb.com.au/soldier/wx8638/
Clive was survived by his wife and son Geoffrey Clive Hellmrich
Lest We Forget.
13/6/26. During an enforced ‘injury lay up’, I’ve had the time to do some deep diving with research. There is so much more to Catherine Lattimore’s story. Enjoy.
Site Visit to Old Melbourne Gaol. April 2026.
2025
Central Hawke’s Bay Museum
I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Waipawa here in October 2025. (Just missed the duck derby by a week or so.) What an amazing place! Incredibly helpful volunteers and a great opportunity to access original source documents. Entry by donation which is turned back into the museum preserving local history.
I was able to source some fantastic source information for our Hall & Hancock story. Hall & Hancock
Names on the 1867 town census for Waipawa
Prebble memorial photographs
Today I was in Prebbleton visiting the grave of my four times great grandmother Ann Maria Stone, Whitehead, Prebble. While there I took some pictures of other Prebble memorials which may be useful to some and if so you are welcome to use.
Revised and Updated
William London and Matilda Mitchell. (London, Mitchell Family)
John London and Sarah London London Family
William London and Diana Riley London, Riley Family
New – Just Added – The Riach Family of Parish of Kirkmichael, Banffshire, Scotland, John Riach (1711-1765)& Janet Stuart – ( )The last Jacobite Uprising
Maternal grandparents of Robert Hay (convict).
John and Janet were the last in their line to enjoy life as simple highlanders before 1745. They would live their lives in Kirkmichael in the remote Cairngorm region of Banffshire. They would not be able to avoid being caught up in the last Jacobite uprising.
Enjoy. And as always if you can fill some gaps? Please reach out .
Web Site Redevelopment 2025
I’m not really sure after eleven years of designing and operating this website why I though it would be a good idea for me to engage with all the ‘new digital tech’. I think I may have suffered some delusional thinking that I actually was an IT mastermind. I have discovered I most assuredly am not. This has become forensically clear to me over the last month. However, between me, Chat GPT, You Tube, my new friends at WordPress Help, and my cat. We may just knuckle it together. I hope you enjoy the new look and thank you for your patience while I continue to work on my passion project.
2019 (Back River, New Norfolk) Cemetery Photos
Back in December 2019, I was travelling around Tasmania and came across a cemetery with some old graves. It was one of those rather warm days. Some of these might be useful to other researchers in our lines and your welcome to use these if they are of use to you? Whilst I didn’t/couldn’t find any of the particular graves I was looking for on this day, I did find enough connections and no reason not to expect that this was a familiar cemetery to our pioneering ancestors.
Want a ‘fly on the wall’ experience of the settlers to Hobart? (Hay family)
It’s a lengthy and comprehensive site that does mention our Robert’s start. Details of the other settler families who were instrumental in setting up what would become Hobart and New Norfolk. Normally I put this sort of link in the bibliography but it’s just such a great resource, thought I’d give it front page treatment. Enjoy.
The bushranger’s are at Hay’s House : Robert and Maria Hay’s story / Jean Turner.
Here is a terrific response I got from Colleen Baxter. Might be useful for other family members also. Thanks Colleen.
There are actually 5 books published by Jean Turner on the family.
They are:
Book 1
Title: It Started with Muslin: Elizabeth Hopper’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Openbook Publishers, 1995
ISBN 0646226835, 9780646226835
Length 64 pages
Book 2
Title: Unwilling Tasmanians: William Hazlewood’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Turner, Jean, 1995
ISBN 0646257498, 9780646257495
Length 103 pages
Book 3
Title: A Long Road to Hobart Town: Robert Hay’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Turner, Jean, 1997
ISBN 0646342894, 9780646342894
Length 122 pages
Book 4
Title: The Bushrangers are at Hay’s House: Robert and Maria Hay’s Story
Author Jean Turner
Publisher Turner, Jean, 2000
ISBN 0957813600, 9780957813601
Length 140 pages
AND
Book 5
Title: From London to the Bush: George Brooks’ Story
Author Jean Turner
Edition illustrated
Publisher Turner, Jean, 2001
ISBN 0957813619, 9780957813618
Length 104 pages
This book was published in 2000 and records the story of Robert and Maria Hay. I’ve tried with no real success to get a copy of this book. If anyone is able to help me secure a copy I would be most appreciative.
2019 – Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT.
Acknowledgement and Thanks – (Charles Hellmrech) Jim Fiddes.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Jim Fiddes of the http://www.skeneheritage.org/ Skene Heritage Org in Skene, Aberdeenshire, Scotland for his immeasurable goodwill and assistance with a longstanding issue for those of us with Helmrich (spell it how you please) bloodlines.
Charles Hellmrech, has been a longstanding brick wall for me for many years and Jim recently answered my queries with some very valuable information. Namely the correct spelling of Charles Hellmrech’s surname.
If there are other family members out there with information about Charles; I would very much like to hear from you.
Jim has published a book on the Skene area and it’s inhabitants and history. For more information re acquiring this book please contact Jim.
Thanks again Jim for your help and support!
Yews to Eucalypts 