History Notes - some info about the May family
History Notes
Winter has arrived a week early – frosts and cold days and we haven’t reached June yet. The May committee meeting is being held this week – a week later than usual. I have also been told that the furniture change around in the Dean Room looks good – even the history folders are now upright! There will be even more room when the storage shed is completed.
Manilla has finally managed to move forward on their project to save the railway viaduct and they are asking for Barraba’s support. It is about 40 years since the line to Barraba was closed but there are still people around who travelled on that train. The school children in particular loved to cross the viaduct as the next stop was Barraba and home.
This week Margaret Mudford, nee May, visited the museum in search of her father’s name on an Honour Board in Barraba. John Thomas May was born at Bundarra in 1908, son of Minnie and the Rev Thomas May who served at the Church of England churches in Bundarra, Bingara, and Barraba during the early part of the 20th century.
In 1940 John enlisted at Paddington, Sydney, although he was born at Bundarra and lived in Barraba at the time. He enlisted on 5/3/1940 (NX1343) and was part of the 2/4battalion. Later he was moved to Australian Infantry Battalion. He was not a prisoner of war.
Sadly, because he was moving around when he enlisted and the War Records Office spelt Barraba as Bannaba, he probably does not exist on any Memorial Board. Any further information about John May would be helpful – for example – did he work with your grandfather?
As someone who had heard of the racehorse, Wollun, and had seen a photo, I found Peter Spencer’s article on Wollun very interesting – the beginning of the Capel race horses. My grandmother was very close to her brother, Henry, but sadly he died before I was born.