Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

  We are coming to the end of 2024, and this blog is one of reflection upon all the blogs that have been published under “ Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries”. This year I have highlighted many people who gave their lives for others; those that turned their lives around and benefitted others; many tragic unfortunate deaths and of course those that went off the deep end and shocked us all! The most popular blog this year was the one devoted to Euphemia Bridges Bowes . Mother of eleven children, wife of a Wesleyan minister performing all the duties associated with her role as well as establishing the First Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and other organisations. She worked constantly until she died - at the age of 85! A woman we should all be proud of who until a few months ago had fallen through the cracks of time. Another woman that caught your eye was Ada Hannah Coffill, a woman who completed the full funeral parlour experience as being the first Australian born woman to receiv...

  For today's blog I wish to highlight a man, I believe, who used up all his nine lives in one go, became a successful businessman and the reason why a large memorial is situated on a busy road in the nearby suburb of Carlingford. CHARLES ALBERT HARRY FREESTONE Charles was born on 15th March 1896, the youngest child of four of Charles Freestone, a travelling salesman and his wife Harriet. Harriet died soon after his birth and Charles brought up his four children in Chelmsford Essex England. He joined the Navy as soon as he was able, and his first service date was the 23rd of January 1912 on board the ‘Impregnable’ as a "boy". Earlier at the beginning of the century, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Fisher, foresaw the need to develop submarines as an offensive weapon which was criticised as being the weapon of weaker nations and seen as underhand warfare weapon. However, they needed to be developed as other nations were doing so. By 1913 Fisher requested that the Direc...