THE KITCHENER FAMILY
BERTRAM JOHN KITCHENER (1885-1966)
BESSIE KITCHENER (1883-1965)
Mr & Mrs Kitchener lived at Corio Bay Villa in 1912 and 1913, with their two children Donald (aged 4) and Eva (aged 2). They seemed like a close family, who stuck together throughout their lives.
Bertram John Kitchener (1885-1966) and Bessie Smith (1883-1965) were born and raised in England. They met and married in Northampton, England in 1908, when they were 23 and 25 respectively. Seven months after their wedding their first child was born: Donald Thomas Kitchener (1908-1985). Two years later they had a daughter called Eva May Kitchener (1910-1966), just before the whole family moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1910. The trip by sea may have taken up to four months and no doubt they were happy to land on dry land with their young family.
After Bertram's father left for World War I, Bertram's younger brothers Laurie John (1895-1982) and Raymond John (1891-1962) followed Bertram, leaving for Australia in 1911, with their mother Elizabeth Jane (1853-1932). Their father, John Thomas Kitchener (1854-1911) was killed at sea, not 20 days after Laurie, Raymond and Elizabeth set sail for Australia. Perhaps they had the news ahead of time.
Bertram John Kitchener was a boot-maker and sometime labourer. By the time he was living at Corio Bay Villa, he was about 27 years old and may have been going by the name John. He is not to be confused with James Kitchener who is listed in the Sands & McDougall's Victorian street directory of 1912 (shown below).[1] John was incorrectly listed as James, which did throw me off course for a short while. There was no James Kitchener living at Corio Bay Villa.
After leaving Corio Bay Villa, the family moved to nearby Mailing Road in Canterbury. The family continued to moved around a lot, living in Dromana, Seville, Dandenong and Healesville, South Melbourne and Croydon. In 1926 Bertram built a beautiful home called Tudor Lodge in Yellingbo, and six years later his daughter Eva was married there and continued to live there, where she ran a boarding school for young ladies.[2]
Image: Tudor Lodge in Yellingbo, Yarra Valley, 2011, accessed 25 April 2022, https://www.stockandland.com.au/story/3560485/yarra-valley-gem-for-sale/
Bessie and Bertram Kitchener remained together until the end of their lives. Bessie died in 1965, aged 82 and her husband died less than a year later, aged 81, perhaps of a broken heart. They had lived together for fifty-seven years and were both cremated in Croydon. Their daughter Eva also died in Croydon during 1966, and it was sometime after this that their son Donald relocated to Tasmania. They appear to have been a close family and no doubt Donald missed them after they were gone.
Incidentally, Bertram Kitchener had a number of things in common with Charles Emberson, the builder of Corio Bay Villa. Apart from having both lived a Corio Bay Villa with their young families in the early part of the 20th century, each of them also built a beautiful house which still stands today. Although it must be noted that Tudor Lodge is larger and grander than Corio Bay Villa, and was built about 36 years later. Both houses are protected by a heritage overlay so they cannot be knocked down. Also like Charles Emberson, Bertram Kitchener was rumoured to be a great sea captain, despite little evidence to support this claim.[2] In Bertram's electoral records, of which there are many, his employment is listed as labourer or boot-maker. Perhaps in Bertram’s instances it was his father that was the sea captains. Regardless, both men left lasting legacies through the beautiful homes they built for their families.
REFERENCES:
[1] Sands & McDougall's Victorian street directory, 1912, obtained via Ancestry Library.
[2] Preece, Louise, "Yarra Valley gem for sale", Stock & Land, 4 September 2011, viewed 25 April 2022, https://www.stockandland.com.au/story/3560485/yarra-valley-gem-for-sale