The National Archives, catalogue reference - ADM/188/653records, Philip Elmhirst DUCKERING, entry J3382, Portsmouth, born 22 December 1881, Banstead, Epsom, Surrey, occupation late RMA 10329. Date and period of engagement 16 October 1908 - 12 years, age ?, height 5' 8" 7/10", chest 38.5", hair bro, eyes grey, complexion fresh, wounds, scars or marks - scar on R shin. Ships served in - Powerful, rating - teleg., period of service -16 Oct '08 to 8 Nov '09, character - good 31.12.08. Dischared reason: Run. Remarks, 10/5082 G S Fransferts R R, as telegraphist approved. MArine services with engl. Run 8.11.09 Powerful Sydney. See attached copy on record.

Philip enlisted ino the 15th Battalion of the Australian army on the 19th August 1915 and was returned to Australia on the 4th May 1919. He was a Corporal, his service number was 3727. His place of birth is given as Banstead, England, next of kin wife, Mrs E. Duckering. (From the Australian War Memorial on the web November 1999)

Australian Military Forces, Australian Imperial Force, Attestaion Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abraod. No. 3727 Name Duckering, Philip elmhirst, Unit 18th of 18th, Joined 19.8.15. Questions answered before attestation. Name, Philip Elmhist Duckering, born Banstead, London, Surrey, are you a natural born British subject, yes, age 34 years 8 months, trade carter, ever an apprentice, no, are you married, yes 1 child, address of next of kin Mrs E Duckering, Duek Street, Grafton, New South Wales, ever convicted no, ever discharged from the services no, have you ever served (Puchased) Yes Royal Marine Artillery 8 years, stated whole service yes, ever rejected unfir no, are you prepared to undergo inoculation for pox & enteric fever yes.Signed P E Duckering 19-8-15. (See copy on file)

Statement of Service of no. 3727, Name Duckering, Philip Elmhirst. Unit in which served: 12th/15th Battn Reinfcts. Promotions, Reductions, Casaulties etc.
Taken on strength fm 6.3.16, Remarks 2789 24.3.16,
Sgt Reverts to rank on joining Btn fm 6.3.16, Remarks P4265 3.4.16
Lance Corporal fm 5.4.16, Remarks 5004 20.4.16
From: Tempy Sergeant France fm 21.8.16, Remarks P2/72-8852 7.9.16
Wounded in action France 28.8.16, Remarks P2/73-8900 12.9.16
Wounded - reverted to L Corporal France fm 28.8.16, Remarks P2/73-9016 12.9.16
Emb on HS St Denis at Boulogne for England fm 31.8.16
G S W face & leg
Adm to ? Hostel Birkenhead fm 1.9.16, Remarks P2 74/9075 14.9.16
H B 1660 J R 73, Remarks PtII 61/1226E 27.11.16
Absent from Unit for over 3 weeks placed on supervisory list E R 9587 to 6.1.17, remarks P2 14/1186E 21.2.17
Promoted Cpl vice Cpl Power A Prom: Sgt 15th E R 9587 to 13.8.16, Remarks P2 14/1187E 21.2.17
? No 2 ? ? from Porham Downs L R 150, Weymouth to 23.2.17, Remarks P2 18/19407E 19.3.17
Cp Ret: to Aust. per N T? for chnage from Devonport 4.5.17, Wasting R. leg G S W? LR 2455 JB222R, Remarks P2 31/3433E 18.5.17
Discharged 1st M.D (M.U.) 21.8.17 B.R. L 101/17

'He served for 8 years with the Royal Marines before emigrating to Australia. When he married Elizabeth in 1912 he was working as 'carter'. Then in 1915 he joined the Australian Military Forces to fight overseas. He enlisted in Queensland and was sent to the Middle East. I remember one story he told, he said "he had been sent to Gallipoli but the ship he was on was not disembarked. They stood off the beach watching the horror on shore for a week before they sailed, much to the relief of those on board". He arrived in France where he received a field promotion on the 26.8.1916 just before he was severly wounded,in action, in the head and left leg. He was sent to a hospital,first in Boulogne, France, then Birkenhead & Perham Downs in the UK where he recovered sufficiently to be repatriated to Australia on the 15.4.1917 arriving in Devonport, Tasmania on the 9th of May 1917. I always assumed it probable that he saw' something' of his family whilst in the UK.'

'Philip & Elizabeth (Lizzie) returned to England in 1919, they were living/staying at 43 Elgin Crescent, Ladbroke Grove,London, when Philip's mother Betsy died on the 8th of February1919. They returned to Australia and were living at Nambour, on a farm named 'Burnside', when Mum was born in 1920. I don't think the depression years were kind and they later returned to Brisbane where he worked as a Clerk, I believe it was with the Brisbane City Council, both during and after the depression years. When WW2 started Philip taught young women who wanted to join the Armed Forces how to use morse code, enabling them to gointo service without a great deal of further training. It was his way of serving his country again.'

'Grandad was a wonderful poet, and many of the letters he wrote were in prose. I had several for many years after Mum died,however during all the moving we had done, somehow they have been lost. In retirement he made fishing rods for Robinsons 'Sport's Store in Queen Street, Brisbane. The store is still there today. Grandma used to make the little calico bags he sold them in. He also played the violin and I often wonder whathappenedto his violin. He smoked a pipe and always retired for a smoke after a meal, there was an impressive wall rack of pipes in his workroom. I wonder where they went too, but I remember Mum saying once that 'the relatives had helped themselves'. As far as I know there were no other Duckering relatives so they had to be Grandma's - what a nerve.'984, 984, 984

From internet website www.adoptadigger.org June 2016: “English born Philip Elmhirst Duckering was the only son and third child of Charles Elmhirst Duckering (1843 – 1913) and Betsy Johnson (c.1840 – 1919). According to the 1901 England Census, he was at Epsom and employed as a railway office clerk. On 01 December 1902, Philip enlisted with the Royal Marine Artillery. He transferred from the R.M.A. to the R.N. (Royal Navy) where he served as a telegraphist. Philip served aboard the “Powerful” from 16 October 1908 to 08 November 1909, when he took a discharge whilst in Sydney, New South Wales. One newspaper cutting of January 1909 had the Excelsior Team versus the H.M.S. Powerful Team to a game of cricket at the Domain in which Philip was a member. His conduct on entry to the R.N. was good and his conduct on discharge was very good. On Christmas Eve 1912, Philip married Scottish born Elizabeth (Lizzie) Williamson (1884 – 1964) at the Church of England church at Grafton, New South Wales. Lizzie was a child of James and Janet Williamson. In the 1913 Electoral Roll, Philip was living at Toowong, Queensland and employed as a lorryman.
Philip was a man of 34 years and 8 months when he enlisted for the Great War on 19 August 1915 at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. His occupation was a carter and driver at the time. He was described as 5 feet 9 inches (173cm) tall. He weighed 10 stone 8 pounds (67kg) and had a dark complexion with grey eyes and brown hair. He also had a distinctive mole in the centre of his stomach. Philip noted his religion as Church of England. He listed his wife, who was living at Duke Street, Grafton, New South Wales, as his next of kin. Philip also states he has one child, a daughter named Phyllis Mary, who was born in 1913 at Grafton.
On 30 November 1915, Private Philip E. Duckering of 12 Rfts/15 Battalion, boarded the HMAT “Suffolk” at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia to serve his King and country. It was 06 March 1916 when the reinforcements joined the battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. In April, Philip was promoted to Lance Corporal and his son, Gordon Elmhirst Duckering was born at Brisbane. In August, he was promoted to Corporal and made Temporary Sergeant. On 28 August 1916, Philip was wounded in action at France. His rank was immediately reverted to Corporal as he was evacuated to England. He embarked the H.S. “St. Dennis” at Boulogne, France on 31 August 1916. Philip had a gunshot wound to the face and right leg.
Just after Christmas 1916, Philip was discharged from hospital. He had been away from his unit for over three months and placed on a supernumerary list. In February 1917, Philip marched in to No. 2 Aust. Command Depot, Weymouth, England from Perham Downs. Philip embarked Plymouth, England aboard the H.T. “Thermistocles” on 04 May 1917. On 05 July 1917, Philip disembarked at Australia. He hadn’t recovered as well as hoped, his service record noted that his right leg was wasting. Philip was discharged from the A.I.F. medically unfit on 21 August 1917.
By 1919, Philip and his family had moved to Burnside, Nambour, Queensland where Philip had turned his hand to farming. The Perwillowen Creek Provisional and State School records show Phyllis attended in 1919 and 1921 and Gordon attended in 1921. Philip and Elizabeth’s third child, Elizabeth Jean (Betty) Duckering was born on 25 December 1920 at Nambour. They had moved to Indooroopilly, 7km west of Brisbane by 1925 and Philip was now a miner. In 1934, Philip was living with his family at Kurilpa in the Griffith electorate of Queensland and was working as a clerk. By 1936, Philip and his family had moved to Toowong and then Auchenflower the following year, still employed as a clerk. He kept up his telegraphist skills which came in handy to help a lot of young ladies learn morse code before they enlisted during WW2. One of the ladies was his youngest child, Betty.
Eldest child, Phyllis married Henry Victor (Harry) Messinbird on 05 February 1938 at Brisbane. Philip watched his son enlist in the army in March 1939. World War 2 began on September 1939 whilst Gordon was a member of 5 Fd. Bde. (Field Brigade) and he discharged from the 2nd A.I.F. on 14 May 1940. The following day, he re-enlisted at Brisbane. Gordon married Jean Blanche Jamieson on 09 October 1940 at Brisbane and soon after, was deployed overseas as a member of 2 A. A/Tk. Rgt. (Aust. Anti-Tank Regiment). Gordon was killed in action on 15 June 1941 along with 3 other men from his unit at Merdjayoun, Syria while fighting against the Vichy French. They were buried at the Damascus Commonwealth War Cemetery, Syria. Gordon and Jean had no children. The month following her brother’s death, Betty enlisted in the W.A.A.A.F. (Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force) and served as a telegraphist. Prior to her enlistment, Betty announced her engagement to Victor John Russell who was serving in the R.A.A.F. (Royal Australian Air Force). The engagement must have been called off, and in 1943, Betty married Bruce Andrew Smith, a soldier in the army. In February 1945, Betty discharged from the W.A.A.A.F. on compassionate grounds.
After the war, Phyllis and Harry went on to have 4 daughters. Bruce and Betty had 3 girls and 3 boys. Philip and Elizabeth remained at Auchenflower and Philip continued his work as a clerk until retirement. He enjoyed being a cricket umpire, which his grand-daughter, Pamela, has a picture of. Good with his hands, Philip would make fishing rods out of bamboo, which he sold to Robinson’s Sports Store in Brisbane. Pamela recalls him making her a smaller version of the fishing rod. Philip was also quite a poet, but unfortunately, nothing remains in his writing. He was also quite a good violinist. Philip was a keen gardener, having a long line of green thumbed ancestors before him. Lizzie passed away at her daughter, Betty's place in Toowoomba, Queensland on 07 July 1964. There was a service at the St. James Church of England, Toowoomba the next morning, before she was cremated at the Mt. Thompson Crematorium, Brisbane in the afternoon.”

FS: Newspaper notice: Duckering, Mr Philip Elmhirst, 327 Milton Road, Auchenflower (Ex 1st A.I.F., 15 Btn). The relatives and friends of Mrs E Duckering, Mr & Mrs H Messinbird and family, Mr & Mrs B Smith and family are respectfully advised that the funeral of her beloved husband, their father, father-in-law, and grandfather, is appointed to leave the parlour, 400 Wickham Street, tomorrow (Tuesday), for Mt Thompson Crematorium, after service commencing at 1.45pm. Sheaves of flowers preferred. Metropolitan Funeral Services. 4th Feb 1957