Several
months ago I was chatting about my families military history in Australia with
a new FB friend and how I am in the process of writing a family saga based on
all our military history in Australia.
I
told my new friend about Leslie Dogworth Tunks who was a Trooper in the NSW
Lancers and went to the Boer War where he died of disease, not Battle Field
injuries. The NSW Lancers were in existence prior
to Federation.
My
new FB friend mentioned that she and her husband had just retired from the NSW
Lancers and began to help me finding information. All I had was Leslie's basic
details and a photo of the memorial to the Boer War Soldiers that is in
Parramatta, where the Tunks family had settled after William Tunks arrived on
board the Sirius, Flagship of the First Fleet.
Not
long after this discussion with my new FB friend the Tunks
Descendants Association Inc approached
me to write and article for the Tunks Talk Newsletter in relation to the
Australian military history from my line of the family.
One
irony occurred when I shared the newsletter with the family association, they
didn't know that Leslie had even existed, he died without kids and in a foreign
land, so he'd never been documented as part of the family. The good news is he
is home, and part of the family albeit in our records.
Leslie
was the grandson of John Tunks, son of George Henry Tunks. and he was the Great
Grandson of William Tunks the Marine.
William
Tunks and Sara Lyons had three children, Ann Tunks, John Tunks and Charles
Tunks.
Just
last week I thought to share this article with my new FB Friend. Her reply was
'oh I have a Tunks in my family tree' ...
I
downloaded the family tree to show her, she is a descendant of Ann Tunks. She
is my family.
And
more significantly she and her husband never knew how they were honouring
Leslie Dogworth Tunks' memory through their service in the NSW Lancers.
I
have a new cousin, Sue Akela - Day.
Thank
you to all those family members who've gone to the Great Cricket Ground in the
Sky for orchestrating my friendship with Sue. If there are others your planning
to reunite can you spread them out a bit time wise, just so we can manage the
birthdays etc