HAFS Journal Vol 14 No 1 – May 2017 – Hungerfords in War and Peace

Contents:

The Life, Times and Family of Becher Hungerford [B] and Lucinda Sarah Norcott [B=], by Anton Ingarfield;

Farley Homestead, by Brett Harvey;

Sister Emily Connell [L.IX.v.2.4a], by Pauline Tyrrell;

The Battle for Nui Dat, Vietnam (1967) , by John (Jack) Hungerford;

The Life and Times of John Knight, by Alan Knight;

Editorial:

Peace and war are the ultimate contrasts in human experience. Both have occasions of danger, moments of humour and times of routine. Strong relationships are formed among ‘mates’ on the battlefield and between friends and relations in daily living.

This issue of the Journal contains insights from both edges of these contrasts. Pauline Tyrrell [E.2.4a.10b.1c.2d=] contributes the story of Sister Emily Connell [L.IX.v.2.4a] – a tragic hero in many ways. As it happens, it was Anzac Day when I worked on this, having led a dawn service on board ship earlier. It made the day even more poignant than usual. A further article from John (Jack) Hungerford [B.3a.4b.1c] offers readers more of his experiences as an Australian soldier in the Vietnam war. Jack reveals the true story behind a ‘battle’ that scared many but injured none.

But this issue is bookmarked by stories of the life and times of two families in peacetime. Both are related to the Hungerford line, one by blood and the other by friendship. Becher Hungerford begins the ‘B’ line in our Hungerfords Down Under coding system, so this account of he and Lucinda’s family life has special significance.

John Knight / Nite’s story takes us back to another Hungerford origin, the group who arrived in Sydney on the Alexander Henry with Emanuel and Catherine Hungerford, the progenitors of our Society. John’s long life was bound up in many ways with the Hungerford’s children, and illuminates several aspects of their life and times. We owe a considerable debt to Alan and Joe Knight, John’s great-great grandsons, for their extensive research which underlies this article. Thank you also to Lesley Abrahams for her footnotes and thoughtful editing, which brought a HAFS focus to Alan and Joe’s work.

Brett Harvey [E.1.1a.15b.1c.1d.1e=] continues his articles on Hungerford homes, giving an account of Farley homestead – a place of special interest in the story of John Knight.

On behalf of the Society, I thank our authors for the care in research and writing which each shows. HAFS Journal continues to o er material that not only opens new dimensions of learning, but is also interesting!

Charles Sherlock

Editor

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