taggerty

By 1903 James Beatty and family had moved to 23 Airlie St.,  South Yarra.  That year both James and Marcella Beatty fell ill, and a young Constance Forster came to nurse them. All the Beatty children were still living at home,  although the older children were now young adults. Charles Gordon and Alf were still teenagers. On October 24^th James died of an infection following kidney stones, and Constance moved on to another case. A few days later Archie wrote to her on appropriate black-edged paper:

Dear Con,

Just a few lines to let you know how we are all getting on since you left. Mater has got a little stronger and is sleeping much better, but we have the Doctor still attending to her. The nurse left last Wednesday, the same day that you went away. She has got a case at the corner of Walsh St. and Domain Rd. I am afraid that it will be very lonely for her as there are only two old women in the house and one of them is dying.

I suppose you will not believe me when I say that we all miss you in the house. The Mater was quite lonely after you left. I am afraid that you have mesmerised her, as she talks of no-one else. Kathleen slept with her the first night after you left, but in the middle of the night Emma got envious[?] and the lot of them slept in the one bed. You can imagine what a crush it was, Emma 16 stone.

I hope you have quite recovered from your weakness and that you are getting quite strong and fat. I want to see you put on a stone in weight, as I think you are not very strong and take too much out of yourself. I have quite recovered from that pain, and have been working very hard fixing up my Father’s business affairs. One of the mills have offered me a very good position to travel for them, and I think I will accept it.

There is one subject I would like to have a long talk to you about. In reference to what you told me the other night, I think Con, that you must have been mistaken, but when we get a chance we will talk it over.

Now Con, I must conclude, and I hope you are looking after yourself up there, and not taking too much out of yourself. You ought to rest as much as possible and not exert yourself.

With love from all,
I remain sincerely yours,
Archie

I’d say it was Archie who was mesmerised though. During January 1904 Constance applied for a position as probationary nurse at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and on February 12^th Marcella Beatty died of heart disease, having survived her husband by little more than 3 months. Con must have relayed the news to her sailor brother Harold who wrote:

Ship “Armadale”
Dunkirk
Sunday, April 10^th 04

 My dear Con,

And how are you old sock? I am in the best of health, and jogging along A1. I received your many letters from Antofagasta [Chile]. You are a real old brick tinwhiskers for writing so often, especially as you get so few from me, but you know dear, that one cannot write when there is absolutely nothing to write about. How very sad about the Beatties [sic] Con, remember me to them next time you see any of them…

 Evidently the two families were acquainted well before Con came to nurse the Beattys senior. Gwen said that Archie told her he had been planning to marry Con for some years. HAP used to recite a poem someone made up about them:

“[Something, something, something] pretty Consie Forster

Young Archie Beatty fancied her and oft did he accost ‘er”

Archie Beatty aged about 20

Connie Forster aged 21

Archie and Connie evidently did have the serious talk foreshadowed in Archie’s earlier letter, because there is no further mention of Con working as a nurse, and with a considerably more intimate tone Archie writes:

23 Airlie St.
South Yarra
7.30 PM

My Own Darling Con,

Just arrived home very tired when I had your letter given to me. You do not know how I have been thinking of you all day, and I believe dear, that I would have slipped up chair [sic] & gone up to see you if I had not got your letter.

Emma has just got a letter from George to tell her that he will not be down till tomorrow morning. I had a talk to Emma just now, and she showed me all the letters from Jordan. I really cannot understand the man. You would think by his letters that they were to be married in a few weeks, yet Emma tells me that “he has never spoken of marriage to her” I do not see how I can speak to Jordan tomorrow Con, as I will be at business in the morning and he will be gone before I come home. Anyway, I will try and strain a point to get home early to see him.

I have just had a very noisy row with Jim. I will let you know all the particulars tomorrow as I do not feel inclined to talk about them now. I will be up there, Con Dear, the first thing after dinner & I hope to see you with a good colour after a good nights rest. I must now close this short note as it is time for choir.

With lots of kisses, which I wish I could give to you now,
I am yours only,
Archie

James had worked as a travelling salesman for flour milling companies in Melbourne. As Archie mentioned in the first of these letters, on James’s death he was offered a similar position. Gwen said he told her the family had expected that James’s flour milling interests would be wound up when he died, but Archie said “I thought I could manage it”.  I wonder if that was the cause of the “noisy row” with his older brother? He told Gwen that at the same time he had other worries, including having to confront a long term suitor of his sister Emma and demand to know his intentions! George Gawley Jordon was from Benalla, and Emma had presumably met him while visiting her grandmother and uncles at Baddaginnie.  It seems that this situation was resolved satisfactorily though, as Emma and George were married in 1906.

The news of Connie’s engagement came as an unwelcome shock to at least one young man:

Standard Bank
C[ape] T[own]
28/4/04

 My Dear old Con,

Steady on! You know I suffer from a weak heart. I have been having a little drop of something for it but it’s better now. I looked through your letters the other day and you absolutely have written it 37 times you would never marry and I’ll bet you a motor car to a pea nut[?] I have not said it once. … You ought to be jolly happy Con, with Archie, as he is a real nice chap by what I know of him….

By Jove Con, we have the Boer by the tail now & they don’t like it. I sat at an all-night sitting of the House the other night, & the way Dr. Jamieson stuck to his guns was fierce[?] What on earth is happening to Australia? I have just seen the new Ministry. What an awful lot of outsiders, but I suppose you do not take much notice of politics do you… Australia has been making an ass of herself with the Maie[?] contract & putting their spoke in about the Transvaal. Anyhow I won’t worry you….

Funny isn’t it. I have written I wonder how many letters to you & now I stop with a capital S.

Again, Good luck and a long life is the wish of,
Cecil

Archie and Con married at Rothbury, the Forster family home in Toorak on Saturday January 20^th1905, but there seem to be no wedding photos. Gwen said that Con’s old school friend May Hall was the bridesmaid. At some stage they moved to Bluff Road, Sandringham, and later to Black Rock.

Archie, Con and Harold(?) about 1904. Con in mourning.

It sounds as though his ship had called at Melbourne that year, because it looks very like Harold Forster with Archie and Con in this photo from about 1904, with Con in mourning. On Tues 12 Dec 1905 Harold wrote from Glasgow:

Dear old Con,

And how are you old sock? I received both of your very welcome letters on arrival, and was very glad to get them, as they are the first I have had from you since I left home. Well my dazzling potato, so you have had a change of residence. I was rather surprised to hear it, but I am sure that it will be much better for you. Well my dear old Con, here am I stuck in this place, unable to make any progress towards passing my exams. I have been trying to obtain a berth aboard a steamer, either as a B or quarter master, and have found it to be a bigger job than I expected. Officers are in great demand, but petty officers and men are a drug in the market. But I can hang out for a while yet, and will just keep on trying until I get something. I can tell you dear, that it was a great disappointment not being able to go up for my exams. I had just enough money to enable me to have a shot. Well Con, I have very little to write about. The passage home was a very long one, 133 days, and we have [sic] a lot of heavy weather, especially getting down to the Horn. For about a fortnight we had a succession of heavy gales from the south and south-west accompanied by snow storms, which made things very uncomfortable. The rigging, masts and yards were cased in ice, and the sails and ropes were as hard as iron. It was an all right job aloft, trying to make sails fast. After being aloft for an hour or so, you had absolutely no feeling in your hands or legs. I can tell you it was a treat to get into the tropics again, but we got very little fine weather even there. The winds were fair enough, but hardly a day passed without rain. After we crossed the line we got more rain than ever, with plenty of thunder and lightning. One or two nights we had were intensely dark, the air was full of electricity, the thunder was terribly loud, and lightning flashes magnificent. At each mast head there was a ball of fire, and in the wire rigging were little balls of electricity. It looked very weird. It is known among sailors as “Corpuscent fire” or the holy Body, sent from heaven to protect the ship from the lightning. It is caused by the air being charged with electricity, and the masts acting as a conductor into the sea. It accumulates there. When you are aloft, it appears to be resting on the mast head, but if you attempt to touch it, it jumps out of your reach, as your body acts as a conductor and it always keeps a little beyond your reach. If Archie has an Encyclopoedia (excuse spelling if wrong) it will no doubt give you an explanation of it there. Well old sock, I do not think there is anything else to tell you about the passage.

On arrival in Ardrossan, I received a good bunch of letters, among them being one from Capt. Duncan asking me to join the Torresdale at once, as third, and as the ship was not sailing until the middle of January I would have plenty of time to go up for my exams, and if I passed he would make me second, but I declined with thanks. Capt. Stiven had asked me to go back in the Armadale, and I would have gone back to the old girl with pleasure. She has carried me 136,455 miles, so I think that I ought to know her. The actual distance is much greater, that is the distance measured in a straight line, and does not include the thousands of miles we have had to beat against headwinds.

 I have had plenty of time to look around Glasgow, and I must say that I am very much surprised at finding such a fine city. I expected to see a rather dirty town with narrow streets ect. [sic] Instead of which, I find wide streets kept beautifully clean, splendid public and private buildings, magnificent parks and gardens, electric trams and underground railways. I have been to most of the places of interest, the art galleries, museums, university, Botanic gardens, cathedral, cemetery, Glasgow Green and Queen’s Park, and most of the public buildings. I went to see mrs. Duncan at her home in Uddingston. She has such a nice home, and the children are such darlings. Mrs. Duncan and children left for London on Friday to be with Capt. D. until his ship sails.

Well old sock, I think that is all I have to tell you, so my dazzling cauliflower, I will say goodbye. Give my love to Eileen and to all the Fitzpatricks. I have not had a line from Eileen so far. Remember me to the Gawlers. Give Mrs. Gawler my love, and Nora a kiss. I sent her a PC the other day. Remember me to all friends, and to Emma and the boys. Goodbye once more dear. With fondest love for your dear self and Archie, I remain

Your loving brother,
Harold

Harold Archibald Paget Beatty, named after his seafaring uncle, was born October 5^th 1907 at Sandringham. He was baptised at All Souls Church, Black Rock about four months later. On his son’s birth certificate, Archie’s profession is entered as “Traveller”

In 1908, Connie’s mother Mary Jane Forster died, leaving W. M. Forster a widower. Theirs had been a very good marriage, but, Gwen said, to the horror of his children, just six months after her death it was rumored that he was thinking of marrying someone who was a third cousin, much younger, another Alice from Sydney. Annie and Connie put a lot of pressure on their husbands Tom Littleton and Archie to accost their father-in-law and tell him that it just wouldn’t do. Archie told Gwen that both he and Tom had been extremely reluctant to go along with this, but “No” wasn’t an acceptable answer to the sisters, so the husbands worked up courage and went down to see William Mark Forster, only to find they were too late! W.M. had already married Alice.

Hilda, about 18 at the time, and living at home, was training to be a kindergarten teacher. Her new Mother-in-law was, in Gwen’s words, a strange, cranky character, and Hilda was very unhappy. Archie and Con invited her to stay with them while she completed her course. Gwen said that Hilda was very appreciative of their kindness and had a deep sense of obligation to them. She’ll have been with them when Margaret Constance Norris and her twin sister were born at their Black Rock home March 25^th1909. Sadly, Peg’s twin sister, Lysbeth, died aged just one month.

When Hilda was in her early twenties, Gwen said, she went to visit her sister Mabel, by then married to Stan Barker and living in Sydney. During the visit, Mabel later told Gwen, Hilda met and became romantically involved with a young British naval officer and they became engaged. When Con heard about this she sent Hilda a letter asking “However am I to manage without you?” Mabel, and Gwen, thought this was unfair and manipulative as the Beattys, at least later, had plenty of paid help. Whatever the exact feelings and motives of the two sisters, Hilda returned to live with Archie and Con.

About here, HAP’s own memories begin. He told us that aged about four he once nearly killed Peg. He was trying to stop her from following him into (or out of?) a shed, and heaved a crowbar against the door. Little Peggy pushed the door open and the crowbar fell on her head. HAP liked to give this story a Freudian, or is it Greek mythological spin – the elder, formerly only child, attempting to rid themselves of the interloper, and James remembers HAP telling a version of this story involving a hammer, which sounds even more like assault with intent!  Luckily Peg survived this possible attempted assassination, and in fact, Peg and Harold were always very fond of each other and stayed in close contact all their lives.