Servicemen and brothers William and Jack Dungey with Jack Clarkson. Photo: From the collections of Wollongong City Libraries and the Illawarra Historical Society – P25/P25212.
Mt Kembla’s Mary Dungey had already lost her husband Frank when she farewelled her two boys to fight in World War I.
Frank was one of the 96 men and boys who died in the Mt Kembla mine disaster in July 1902.
He also left behind two sons, William and John, known as Jack.
Both boys followed in their father’s footsteps and became miners until the Great War broke out in 1914. Sadly, after enlisting and being sent to fight in France, both were killed in action.
Their stories and hundreds of other Illawarra residents can be found on the Illawarra Remembers 1914-1918 digital archive, which has been given a makeover and relocated.
Illawarra Remembers started in 2014 as a project to mark the centenary of WWI.
Members of the public were invited to share images and stories to create the archive and through a series of “scan and share” days, the project accumulated an extensive collection of photos, journals and local history material documenting people of the Illawarra area from 1914-1918.
What started as a joint project with the NSW Government, Library Council of NSW, Kiama Library, Shellharbour City Libraries, Illawarra Family History Group, and University of Wollongong, the site is now under the care and management of Wollongong City Libraries.
It now boasts more than 2000 records of information and stories and features names and profiles of those who served, war memorials and honour rolls, photographs, postcards from the front, diaries and links to other online memorials and guides.
The stories of William and Jack Dungey tell the heartbreak suffered by so many Illawarra families who lost loved ones.
William was fighting at Pozieres in France with his unit in July 2016 when he received a gunshot wound to his right eye. He was evacuated to hospital but died on 16 August 1916, aged 28.
During Jack’s military service, he was shot and wounded in action four times. According to the archive, he was killed in action on 22 August 1918 at the Battle of Braysur, Somme, aged 25.
He was initially listed as wounded and missing which resulted in a court enquiry according to documents listed on the National Australian Archive. An official statement was released on 5 March 1919 including his official date of death.
Jack is commemorated at the Villers Bretonneux Memorial while William is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery in France.
Wollongong City Libraries Local Studies team leader Juliet Beale described Illawarra Remembers as a “living archive” and encouraged members of the public to continue to add to the record.
“It takes a community to assemble this kind of collective memory, to find these old photos and letters and bring them out into the light. These details matter, and we thank everyone who contributed,” she said.
“In the face of great loss, it’s important to preserve what we can – to preserve these records and details about people, ordinary people who all did their part against terrible odds.
“Not just to commemorate their service and sacrifices, but to remember the stories and details of their individual lives.”
Click here to visit Illawarra Remembers 1914-1918.
