1911-1920

Tom returned to Weston to work at the Hebburn mine. He enlisted at West Maitland on 6th September 1915 and was allocated to the 3rd reinforcements of the 30th Battalion. He left Sydney on 16th February 1916, aboard the transport ship, Ballarat for Egypt.  

In June 1916 the battalion was transferred to France. Tom saw fighting in the Battle of Fromelles and in the Flers region in late 1916. He was wounded on 1st November 1916, and died from an infected bullet wound on 11th December at the 9th General Hospital in Rouen. He is buried at the St Sever Cemetery extension in Rouen, France.  [See Weston Roll of Honour page.]

~ Kathy Wright

1913:     In 1913, Electric lighting was installed at the Weston Fire Station for the first time.

1913:     21 Dec 1913:  The Weston School school building was destroyed by fire. Lessons again had to be held in local halls and portable classrooms transported from East Maitland.

1913:     

1914:     An indignation Meeting was held at Weston's Thomas' Hall to protest at the inadequate state of the Weston Public School.

1914:     The second Weston Post Office was established on the corner of Station and Third Sts. Weston in 1914:

1914:

'Hebburn Limited with the influx of capital from the new company formation in 1914 and plus the enthusiasm of its principal shareholder, Huddart Parker Limited, looked to expand into the interstate coal markets, particularly the Victorian region. It was soon realised that there was rich rewards, if coal was available for sale. With this in view, surface rights to 56 acres on mining lease No. 79, Parish of Stanford were sought from the Lands Department on the 23rd February 1916 to erect a pit-top building and rail sidings yard to operate a new mine. To meet the steel rail requirements on this project, an order was placed in 1916 with Hoskins Brothers Steelworks.

In 1917 Hebburn Limited commenced the construction of a large dam on mining lease No. 79. Country Concrete Company, of Marickville, NSW, erected a unique colliery chimney stack. Further on the 9th August 1918, the same company won the contract to construct the splendid reinforced concrete pit-top. The fine white concrete structure presented a clean appearance somewhat unexpected when associated with the coal industry. Meanwhile A. Goninan and Company had erected two 75 feet high steel-lattice poppet heads. With a Lancashire boiler installed to provide steam for a winding engine, the sinkings of the shafts were commenced on the 28th November 1918, and were completed in September 1921.

A single track branch railway from Hebburn No. 1 Colliery to the new workings had been completed on the 11th November 1918. Other necessary plant, buildings and equipment had also been arranged. Morrison and Bearby of Newcastle supplied the shaft cages; Gibson Battle and Company of Newcastle the "creeper chain"; and on completion of the pit-top structures, A. Goninan and Company had supplied the screens, picking belts, etc., etc.

First full train of coal production from the new mine was despatched on the 1st December 1921.'

[A HISTORY OF THE GRETA COAL MEASURES:  Hebburn No. 2 Colliery]

1914:     'When Britain declared war against Germany in August 1914, Australia, as a dominion of the British Empire, was automatically also at war. While thousands rushed to volunteer, most of the men accepted into the Australian Imperial Force in August 1914 were sent first to Egypt, not Europe, to meet the threat which a new belligerent, the Ottoman Empire, posed to British interests in the Middle East and the Suez Canal.

After four and a half months of training near Cairo, the Australians departed by ship for the Gallipoli peninsula, along with troops from New Zealand, Britain, and France. On 25 April 1915 the Australians landed at what became known as Anzac Cove, whereupon they established a tenuous foothold on the steep slopes above the beach. During the early days of the campaign the allies tried to break through Turkish lines, while the Turks tried to drive the allied troops off the peninsula. Attempts on both sides ended in failure and the ensuing stalemate continued for the remainder of 1915. In fact, the most successful operation of the campaign was the large-scale evacuation of troops on 19 and 20 December. As a result of a carefully planned deception operation, the Turks were unable to inflict more than a very few casualties on the withdrawing forces...'   [Australian War Memorial].

1915-18:   Anzacs and other Allied Forces landed at Gallipoli.   Approximately 7,600 killed, 19,000 wounded. 

See Roll of Honour page for the names of WWI servicemen from Weston.

See THE MARCH OF THE WALLABIES.

            The man behind the Legend of "The Lamp Above The Bar"

  Joseph Henry Littlefair was born to parents Joseph and Sarah at Merewether in 1891. Sometime following his birth the family moved to Weston, settling in Harle Street. Harry, as he became known, eventually secured work at the Neath Colliery.

On an afternoon at the end of August 1915 Harry called in to the Neath Hotel for his usual black pint before proceeding home. Calling the landlady over and handing to her a small brass oil lamp and brass oil container Harry said "Put these up on the top shelf. We'll collect them when we come back".

It was the 30th August 1915 and Harry had enlisted to serve his country. He embarked on the transport ship "RMS Osterley" on the 15th January 1916. Harry was wounded by shrapnel in France in 1916 and sent back to England to recover. Although approved for his repatriation to Australia Harry elected to return to the front to be with his old battalion.

The 3rd Battalion together with the rest of the First Division had been sent north to plug the holes where the Germans had broken through the British lines. The British Army was in retreat. Lance-Corporal Harry Littlefair was killed in action on 15th April 1918, at the Battle of Lys, near the village of Strazlee. He was buried close to where he fell. His remains were not exhumed after the war and his name is listed, together with those Diggers who have no known grave, on the Australian Notional Memorial at Villers-Brettoneux, France.

Today Harry's old miners lamp and oil bottle are still on the top shelf in the bar at the Neath Hotel. Harry was one of those who did not come back. Over the years the licence of the Neath Hotel has changed hands, and each time the little tokens have been solemnly passed to the new hotelier for safe keeping.                     

        See Roll of Honour  and  LEGEND OF THE LAMP       

1915:     On 10 Feb 1915, a serious outbreak of Smallpox broke out at Hebburn and Weston. Over the next few months the disease spread alarmingly throughout the settlements, abating in May.

'The little settlement of Hebburn, which once lay across on the opposite side of Hebburn Dam from the town of Weston, was a collection of huts and humpies occupied by miners and other employees of Hebburn Colliery.

It sprang into national prominence in February, 1915, when it was discovered that no less than twelve cases of smallpox had been found there by Kurri Kurri's local Government Medical Officer, Dr A.R.Heupt...'  

11 Feb 1915:     All towns within a radius of 20 miles of Weston were quarantined and isolated by the police. This put a temporary bann  on military enlistments from the Coalfields

See SMALLPOX AT WESTON

1915:.

19 Apr 1915:      A 4-roomed house with outside kitchen and dining room in Second Street was completely destroyed by fire.

1916:

David Dial, in his book THE MARCH OF THE WALLABIES, provides the following description of the afternoon tea held to entertain the 'Wallabies'  at the Olympia in Station Street Weston, on Monday, 3 January 1916:

‘At Weston

Weston people had always done well in public movements, but for the “Wallabies” they excelled all their previous efforts. They were received at the town boundary by a large crowd, and marched through crowded streets to the Olympia Hall, where afternoon tea awaited them. The interior of the hall presented a bright and attractive appearance, with its tables artistically decorated, tables laden with all that the soldier dearly loves when tired after a weary march. The streets, too, were gay with flags and streamers waving their welcome. The function in the hall was quite informal, but a few speeches were made. “The King” was toasted at the call of Councillor Morgan, who presided. “Our Guests” were eulogised by Messrs. Charlton and Kearsley, and Sergeant-Major Lee again responded  with another appeal, which brought four recruits. The Rev. Varcoe Cock proposed “The Ladies” for whom Mr. T. Hadfield responded. A number of children, trained by Mesdames Davies and Malcolm, gave two delightfully rendered patriotic songs, which, with the pretty Allies’ costumes of the children, were much appreciated. The arrangements were carried out by a committee of ladies and gentlemen, with Councillor Morgan, Chairman, Mr. T. W. Hancock, Treasurer, and Mr. W. Williams, Secretary, but to the ladies for their untiring zeal and splendid work, a special need of praise was due, for upon them rested the responsibility of making the visit a success, and it was a success in every sense.  The Hebburn Colliery Band, which assisted at Cessnock on Sunday, was again in service and did much towards the success of the day. Highland pipes also gave a helping hand.'

 1916:      3  Jan:   During World War I, recruitment or 'snowball' marches to Sydney were a feature of volunteer recruiting drives for the Australian Imperial Force in rural New South Wales.  Between October 1915 and February 1916, nine marches were held starting from various points throughout the state; the most notable was the first march from Gilgandra, known as the Cooee march.  The 'March of the Wallabies' passed through Weston on 3 Jan 1916 and recruits were entertained at afternoon tea in the Olympia Hall.  

See THE MARCH OF THE WALLABIES.

1916:     1 May 1916:  The new Weston School building opened. The construction of a new brick school building commenced in 1915 and was completed and occupied on 1 May 1916. The new school had 8 classrooms, a Headmaster's room, and a Staff Room. There were also two weather sheds and two separate sets of lavatories.

1917:     The Masonic Centre in Second Street Weston was constructed.

1918:     Weston Bears Football Club won the Hemmings Cup.

1919:     Weston Bears Football Club won the Hemmings Cup.

1920:     On 11 Jul 1920, Edna Bertha Chalmers, aged 6 years, drowned in a waterhole at Deep Creek, Weston.

1920: Population figures collected by the police in Weston in 1920 show the number of residents had increased to 2,738.