The comment ‘not another Lionel’ is a long-standing joke, between a good friend of mine and fellow historian, Graeme Sisson, who was the Archivist of the Police Historical Soc of WA at the time. It came to refer to any research inquiry that we were working on that was more than a little complicated and involved.
This is the story of the first ‘Lionel’.
Lionel Bradley Sgt Major in the Victorian Mounted Rifles in Ballarat VIC – 1892
Lionel Bradley in full uniform in Ballarat Vic c 1892
In 2007, I entered into a correspondence that was to last some time. It started with an inquiry from Michael Evans of Victoria who was searching for his Great Grandfathers grave in Menzies. He said he was a serving police officer in the West Australia police. As I have copies of the Menzies Burials and my friend Graeme Sisson, was the archivist at the WA Police Historical Soc, I thought that this would be a very straightforward inquiry. With a name like ‘Lionel Bradley Pilkington’ it would suggest this would also make a search easy. So no problems there!!!
The first hurdle was, there was no death registered for a Pilkington in the Menzies Cemetery. So on to Graeme’s efforts with the Police Historical Soc records on Mike’s behalf, this is what he found:
Lionel Bradley Pilkington joined the WA Police Force as ‘Lionel Bradley’ it is not known why he dropped his surname preferring to use his middle name as his surname instead. The Western Australian BDM’s have his surname as Bradley, all other particulars are ‘unknown’ except his age of 30yrs at the time of his death in 1896. With the date of birth that Michael had given me, he should have been 40 yrs at least. To add to the confusion the police records have him as age 34 in 1895. The English 1861 census shows Lionel as a 5-year-old with a DOB of about 1856. On the police records he gave his wife’s name as Agnes McMillen (which is correct) and his birthplace as Yorkshire England, he was however born in Ireland. On his daughter’s birth certificate, he gave his place of birth as Doncaster, England.
Grave of Lionel Bradley, Menzies Cemetery WA supplied by Michael Evans – (nothing remains of this grave)
The photographer of Lionel’s grave was Albert Rossell of Menzies, who had a photography business in Menzies between 1897-1900, when he moved to Day Dawn. So this fits the photograph.
There has been no last will for Lionel that has been found. His mother-in-law left nothing to her daughter Agnes and granddaughter Ida, in her will which seemed surprising, as they were living together when she died and was presumably being looked after by Agnes from 1896 to 1908. They could possibly have had a falling out maybe to do with the illegitimate child, a boy, Agnes had who died aged 5 months, the same year she married Lionel in 1891. It may or may not have been his child. Or possibly she may have been left money by Lionel, so she was well provided for.
We may never know!
My husband and I took a trip to Menzies and scoured the cemetery, but there was no trace at all of Lionel’s headstone. I could see that the fencing in the photograph looked like wood and would not have lasted, but the memorial in the photograph looks quite substantial, and others from the same era are undamaged. It’s a mystery. Usually, if a tall headstone falls it remains there. I can see no reason why it would be removed completely. However the Police Historical Soc have now placed a plaque at the cemetery’s entrance for Lionel, it is not possible from current records to find an unmarked burial plot.
Lionel’s last letter to his daughter Ida, then aged about 4, late in 1895 from Western Australia:
My darling little Girlie
I am writing to wish you a merry Xmas and hope that you will be a good girl next year and the years after and love Mama and Papa and be a good little lady and not do naughty things. You must be a great big girl now, and I don’t suppose I will know you again. Good Bye my pretty little dear – Your loving Papa
Ida Bradley Pilkington age 3 yrs – Photo Michael Evans
‘I think that his words ‘I won’t know you again’ were not because he knew that he was ill and would die, but perhaps that she would have grown a lot by the next time he saw her.’
Ida Bradley Pilkington age 20 -Prahran VIC – Photo Michael Evans
Lionel Bradley Pilkington (1856-1896) from information by his Gt Grandson – Michael Evans
My grandfather was born into a prestigious English family. His grandfather, Henry Pilkington Esq, of Park Lane was a Barrister at Law. His father, Henry Foster Pilkington Esq was Capt of the 21st Riding of the Yorkshire Rifle Volunteers (1860). In 1848 Henry Foster married Maria Dunsford (born Guignard) widow of Harris Dunsford MD and lived in Ireland for a time, where census records state all his children to Maria were born (including Lionel).
By 1861, the family were living in West Riding Yorkshire. Maria was to die in 1863 and Henry re-married Hannah C Hoyle, taking her to Celyon where he became the acting Post Master General.
Lionel and Agnes Bradley (Pilkington) married in Fitzroy VIC 1891 – Photo Michael Evans
Lionel, his third son, attended boarding school in Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. In 1871 Henry Foster died on his return voyage to England. At some point between 1871 and 1891 Lionel travelled to Australia while serving in the British Army. This possibly was when they were recruiting Drill Instructors. In 1891 he was living in Lygong Street, Ballarat Victoria. That same year he married Agnes Catherine McMillen who was born in Liverpool England and who had travelled to Australia in 1871 at the age of three and had settled with her family in Queenscliffe Victoria. Agnes was living in Nelson St, Ballarat at the time of her marriage which took place in the Fitzroy Town Hall. Lionel always preferred to be known as Lionel Bradley, although he never legally changed his name, thus the references to ‘Pilkington’ on official documents. On his marriage certificate Lionel states his occupation as a Clerk, however, on the birth certificate of his only child, Ida, born in Wendouree Parade, Ballarat on the 22nd May 1892, he gives his occupation as ‘Drill Instructor’.
Lionel Bradley Pilkington taken at Gt Grimsby England where he attended boarding school in his 20’s – Photo Michale Evans
In the midst of the depression in the 1890’s, Lionel changed vocations and joined the police force in Western Australia. He left his family in the care of his mother-in-law in Queenscliffe. Lionel commenced as a constable in the WA Police
force on 1st January 1895 and was transferred to Menzies in August of that year where he contracted typhoid fever and died on 27th April 1896 and was buried in the Menzies cemetery.
A few weeks after his death, the following article appeared in many newspapers all over Australia. It’s not known if these claims are true or if the letters have survived:
Western Argus 14 May 1896
The Pilkington Coat of Arms
A memorial service was held in 2005 at Kanowna for Lionel and the other members of the force struck down by this typhoid epidemic. It is not possible to change the police records to the correct name, but all this information and the photographs are stored in their archives. This was without a doubt one of the most complicated enquiries I have ever dealt with. Im sure Graeme will agree with me.
Moya Sharp
Latest posts by Moya Sharp (see all)
- Elphinstone Davenport Cleland – a mining man - 27/04/2024
- The Ghost of Goya River - 27/04/2024
- Parker Range on the Yilgarn - 27/04/2024
Thank you Moya for this intriguing life story.