My mother’s aunt, Mary Knighton, married Henry William Miller in Richmond, Melbourne,Victoria on February 15, 1916, during the time of the First World War. He was 21, she was 20 years old.
Mary was the daughter of William Knighton and Margaret “Maggie” Torpey. Her mother had died giving birth to Mary. Her elder brother, James, was my grandfather.
Mary and Harry had four sons: James Henry, Edward Vivian, Henry William and Bruce Leonard. My mother was close to Ted her cousin and I remember him and his wife Ann.
Harry’s father, also called Harry, but nicknamed “Darkie” lived on the west coast of Tasmania. He was a well known athlete and boxer.
Young Harry Miller 1864-1953
He is also said to have been a circus circus performer but I have no evidence of this.
His first wife Lydia died young.
He remarried Isabella Kalmbach and had three more children with her in Zeehan on the west coast of Tasmania.
Ted Miller was the grandson of Harry Miller “Darkie”and the second son of Mary Knighton and Henry Edward Miller. Ted was born in 1919 and died in 1992 in Victoria.
Electoral records show that in 1942 Ted was working as a polisher and living at 126 Elizabeth St Richmond with his parents and brother James. His father worked as a masseur with a football club. Not sure which one?? anyone know…probably Richmond. James was in the boot trade. Ted lived here until his marriage to Ann Edwina Tribe. They lived in Bentleigh until after 1977 when they moved to Arthur’s Creek Diamond Valley Victoria.
During the Second World War Ted was in the medical section of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Ted was injured during the war. While he was convalescing he decided that he wanted to train as a nurse.
He was an early graduate of the St Vincent’s School of Nursing. He went on to hold senior nursing positions including nurse in charge of the Microsurgery Unit and of the Bolte Rehabilitation Center His career also included several years spent in British Columbia Canada in the early 1960s to obtain obstetric nurse training.
His wife Ann was also a nurse. They met while they were training at St Vincent’s Hospital.
Ted is also mentioned in Mary Sheehan’s “A Professional Pathway: Nursing at St Vincent’s since 1893” 2005:
“Another St Vincent’s early male graduate was Edward (Ted) Miller. After graduation in 1951, Ted worked in all the male wards at St Vincent’s, with the exception of St Columba’s, then seen to be fellow graduate Gerard Hennessy’s domain.
In 1960 Ted, determined to further his skills, was keen to commence midwifery training. When he approached the matron of the Royal Women’s Hospital, he was advised to drop nursing and study medicine – the idea being that, in his fourth year of medicine, he would be sent to the Royal Women’s for six weeks to do obstetrics, and then he could quit medicine and go back to nursing. Ted was similarly rebuffed by the Victorian Nursing Council. He and his wife Ann (nee Tribe, also a nurse) resolved to travel to Canada where Ted was accepted for a course in obstetrics in British Columbia.”
The article below was published in a Canadian B.C. newspaper on September 23 1962 and kindly sent to me by the St Vincent’s Hospital archivist:
Below are photos of Ted’s three brothers:
Harry and Jimmy Miller Boxing
All of the Miller brothers, Ted, Harry, Jimmy and Bruce, enlisted and served in WW2.
Descendants of Charles Miller Report 2015
thankyou so much these photos of my granpa jim boxing as a child are awesom
Cheers Danielle Miller
Dear Kathleen
I have been enjoying reading through the Miller family history, my parents were Henry (Harry) and Shirley Miller, so am especially interested in the photos of my Dad and uncles in boxing and military attire.
There are some inaccuracies in the post which I would be happy to amend if you are interested. I think you have been in contact with my older brother Bruce in the past, we both recall meeting Winnie my father’s cousin at our house in East Bentleigh probably after our grandmother Mary’s funeral. Is she your Mother?
Would love to hear from you, I am in the Hunter Valley south of Cessnock.
Pamela
Hi Pamela,
Great to hear from you. We must be cousins of some degree, second cousins?. Winnie was my mother. She passed away in 2000.Your grandmother Mary was her aunt.
Bruce and I corresponded and talked about our mutual family history. If you have anything extra you think would be relevant or you would like added or as you say some amendments that would be fantastic. I wonder if you remember or heard any stories or comments or anything about my grandfather, Jim Knighton, your grandmother’s brother. He died before I was born and I wished I had asked my mother more about him.
My sister found a box full of photos when she moved, 10 years after my parents died, and there were lots of old photos I had never seen. It seems every branch of each family has some old photos but no one has them all. The internet is providing a great way of sharing family photos. I am glad you enjoyed seeing them. They are wonderful photos.Looking forward to hearing from you. regards Kathleen
Hello Kathleen,
I couldn’t believe when I stumbled on this last night. I am the eldest daughter of Ted and Ann. I have fond childhood memories of spending nights sharing dinner at your family home in Essendon and many happy holidays at Torquay. As you have stated your mother Winnie and my dad, Ted were very close. My younger sister Kate and myself attended your mother’s funeral in Heathcote.
I remember you although you were much older than me, then there was also your brother John and your younger sister Rosemary. I would be very interested in obtaining some copies of the photos you have posted here.
Anne- Marie
Hi Anne-Marie,
What a lovely surprise to hear from you.
I think these photos were in a tin my sister Maureen found among my Mum’s things.
The one of your Dad and all the nurses is wonderful but you probably have that one.
I think you can save them directly from my site. If not I can send you the ones you’d like via email.
Sorry I didn’t get to chat with you at Mum’s funeral. Dad was so sick and I took him home out of the cold.
Danielle Miller left a comment and I have had quite a bit of contact with your uncle Bruce, although not recently.
Let me know how you go with the photos
I would love to see any photos you have that you think might be of interest and related to your Dad and his family.
My email is kathleenmfanningAThotmailDOTcom
Regards Kathleen