“Vote Yes!” – Kapunda’s WWI Conscription Battle

“Vote Yes!” – Kapunda’s WWI Conscription Battle

Kapunda Herald, 13 Oct 1916

In August 1916, Australian Prime Minister William Morris Hughes announced that the question of compulsory overseas service would be put to the people in a referendum.
Hughes was under pressure from the British to provide extra reinforcements from Australia in Europe.

In Kapunda, conscription meetings were held for the yes vote and the no vote. A No vote meeting, held at Kapunda Institute and hosted by Kapunda mayor S. E. Hancock, saw a very large turnout of Kapunda’s population, with a large base of women.
Arguments for either side were very heated. Those who opposed conscription were labelled as disloyal to Australia.


The feeling toward those who were voting yes to conscription in Kapunda was much worse. Posters and banners promoting the yes vote were torn down by no voters. Eggs were thrown at shop fronts and townsfolk chose to vote with their money, with shops that displayed a “vote yes” banner feeling the economic pinch when “no voters” refused to use their services or buy their goods.


The referendum was held on 28 October 1916 and resulted in 1 087 557 votes for and 1 160 033 against. New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia voted ‘No’.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2019

References:

1916 'National Service Referendum. Alleged Victimization.', Kapunda Herald, 13 October, p. 2. , viewed 06 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124986543

1916 'National Service. Anti-Conscription Meeting at Kapunda.', Kapunda Herald, 20 October, p. 3. , viewed 06 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124986644

1916 'National Service.', Kapunda Herald, 27 October, p. 3. , viewed 06 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124986721

State Library of New South Wales (2014) Australia’s Conscription Debate, https://ww1.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/australias-conscription-debate

Kapunda Snow

Kapunda Snow

In June 1909 Kapunda, Allendale and Eudunda Ranges were covered in snow!

In our modern times, this is almost unheard of, but in the early 1900s, it would seem it was a regular occurrence.
 The snow was reported in the Kapunda Herald (newspaper) in 1901, 1906, 1908 as well as 1909 falling steadily, and in enough volume around the district for locals to build snowmen!

 photo Source: State Library of South Australia: B69054/114

Kapunda Herald 13 August 1909, page 1.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2018

Bibliography

1909 'SNOW AT KAPUNDA.', Kapunda Herald (SA : 1878 - 1951), 30 July, p. 4. , viewed 19 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108430017

1909 'Snow Scenes at kapunda', Kapunda Herald (SA : 1878 - 1951), 13 August, p. 1. (Kapunda Herald Illustrated Supplement), viewed 19 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108430204

1906 'General New', Kapunda Herald (SA : 1878 - 1951), 31 August, p. 5. , viewed 19 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108378502

Kapunda People: Henry Fairclough

Henry Fairclough

1911 'Advertising', Kapunda Herald 1 September, p. 3.

Mr Fairclough was born in Liverpool England in 1849. His family moved to Norwood, South Australia in 1850. As a youth, young Henry attended school at “Holdsworth School” in Norwood and also learned to be a caterer, later, he learned the trade of ironmongery as an apprentice of F. & S.Sach, who were located in Adelaide on the corner of Gawler Place and Rundle Street.

In the younger years of his adult life, he moved to New Zealand, and then later to the north coast of New South Wales.

Upon his return to South Australia he moved to Georgetown to work in the local hotel, and eventually fell in love, and married the sister of the publican. Soon he became a farmer near Moonta, but farming was dirty work with long hours, so he uprooted his family and moved to Kapunda.

Mr Fairclough had The North Kapunda hotel for 14 years and earned for himself a reputation for quality, unfailing courtesy and upholding the establishment to the strictest details of the licensing laws.

In 1903 Mrs Fairclough (nee Kewson) suffered a nasty injury when the cork in a bottle of aerated water she was trying to open, popped suddenly and hit her eye. The injury was so severe that she eventually lost her sight in her left eye.

In 1912 Mr Fairclough became very ill, and by November of that year, he had been confined to his bed as his sickness grew steadily worse. His liver was in failure, and his days, unfortunately, were numbered.

On Monday the 17th of November 1912, Henry Fairclough lost his battle with illness and passed away in the Kapunda hospital.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2012

Bibliography

1912 'OBITUARY.', Observer (Adelaide, SA: 1905 - 1931), 30 November, p. 41. , viewed 16 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163087430

1912 'Family Notices', Kapunda Herald (SA: 1878 - 1951), 22 November, p. 4. , viewed 16 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108342497

1903 'HAY-CUTTING.', Kapunda Herald (SA: 1878 - 1951), 13 November, p. 5. , viewed 16 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110277272