War Service Homes

32 Gelling Avenue, Strathfield

War service homes. Holt. Strathfield, February 1930. Courtesy State Library of NSW

This slightly blurry photo from the collection of the State Library of NSW is labelled only ‘War service homes. Holt. Strathfield.’ It was taken in February 1930.

But where was the home? And who was Holt?

A little research can paint a much bigger picture.

This neat brick home was built for Frederick Henry Holt on the corner of Gelling Avenue and Chalmers Road in 1928 by the War Service Homes Commission, at a cost of £800.[1] The house stood on Lot 19 of the Strathfield Park Estate, and the extensive backyard adjoined Strathfield Park itself. The auction of 38 lots was held on 11 May 1914, with 23 lots sold on that day.[2] Most of Gelling Avenue was settled during the 1920s. It’s likely that Frederick Holt had to wait until he was married to qualify for a War Service Home, by which time he was in his early 40s. Today the house would stand at number 32 Gelling Avenue. Holt’s home, which was later extended on the Chalmers Road side, stood here for 90 years until 2018 and valuation records show that it was named Kamala. A new home now occupies this site.

Strathfield Park Estate, 1914. Courtesy State Library of NSW                  Daily Telegraph 8 May 1914 p.4  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/238801487

War Service Homes were built throughout Sydney during the 1920s for servicemen returning from World War I, enabling families to pay off their own home, with an average cost of £800 for house and land.[3] The demand was great and the wait was often long. There were many such houses built in nearby suburbs such as Belfield and Belmore,[4] but even among the grander homes of Strathfield, permission to build 20 war service residences was granted during September 1920 alone.[5] During the year ending 30 June 1929, 2,075 War Service Homes were built throughout Australia.[6]

Born in Townsville in 1887, Frederick Holt, a carpenter and joiner, had enlisted for war in Sydney during August 1915. He embarked with the 7th Field Company of Australian Engineers in November that year but transferred to the Australian Flying Corps in 1917, serving with the 5th Training Squadron, [7] as a rigger and mechanic. He was promoted to Sergeant on 1 June 1918, as noted in the Squadron’s unit diary, and returned to Australia during May 1919.

5th Training Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, June 1918. Hangars at Minchinhampton Airfield, England. Courtesy Australian War Memorial

This one page from the 5th Training Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps’ unit diary gives some indication of the accidents and forced landings that were common place. Corporal Holt was promoted to Sergeant on 1 June 1918. Courtesy Australian War Memorial.

Holt married Frances Harding at Waverley in 1928, the same year that their new home was built in Strathfield. The following year, during August, the house was burgled and the newlyweds lost a lady’s 18-carat gold and ruby ring, as well as clothing, tablecloths and cutlery.[8]

It’s clear from the photo that the Holts enjoyed their garden and plants. You can also see that Chalmers Road was largely unsettled at this time and the now mature street trees had not yet been planted. The couple also had an Airedale dog, which went missing in 1933. A reward was offered for his return but it’s unclear whether Don ever made his way home.

Sydney Morning Herald 5 October 1933 p.1 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17012563

During mid-September 1946 Sydney was hit by bushfires after several continuous days of severe temperatures and months of little rainfall. Newspapers reported on a great number of separate fires across the city and regional areas. According to the National Advocate of Bathurst, 50 bushfires were burning ‘scattered over nearly all suburbs’ of Sydney. [9] Locally, a large building in the timber yard of J. Leckie in Kingsbury Road, Enfield was destroyed by fire in half an hour.

‘Hero of the fire was Mr Frederick Holt, foreman, who risked his life by dashing into the flaming building to retrieve the firm’s payroll of £180.’ [10]

Holt’s photo was featured in The Sun. Mr Leckie estimated the damage at £7500 and stated that 17 irreplaceable machines for joinery work had been destroyed. Realising that they could not save the building, firemen had concentrated on preventing the fire spreading to thousands of feet of timber stacked in the yards, as well as to an adjoining factory housing £30,000 of machinery. Fortunately the casualties were few, although Mr M. Harris of Mintaro Avenue was struck on the head by a piece of falling timber.

The Sun 13 September 1946 p.1 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231572596

Fred and Frances Holt remained in Gelling Avenue, Strathfield. Frances died in May 1962 and Frederick died during October of the same year.

 

By J.J. MacRitchie

Local Studies Advisor

 

References

[1] Construction and Local Government Journal 26 April 1928 p.4 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/109728975

 

[2] The Sydney Morning Herald 11 May 1914 p.13 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15506958

 

[3] Smith’s Weekly 16 October 1920 p.13 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/234223715

 

[4] ‘War Service Homes’ https://anzac.cbcity.nsw.gov.au/?page_id=1497

 

[5] Smith’s Weekly 6 November 1920 p.13 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/234218369

 

[6] Report of the War Service Homes Commission 1 July 1928 to 30 June 1929 https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2587281432

 

[7] No. 5 Training Squadron, Australian Flying Corps | Australian War Memorial (awm.gov.au) https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51021#:~:text=5%20Squadron%20AFC%20was%20formed,Australian%20squadrons%2C%20in%20January%201918.

 

[8] NSW Police Gazette 28 Aug 1929 p.611 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/251747094/27989580

 

[9] National Advocate (Bathurst) 14 September 1946 p.3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/161343074

 

[10] The Sun 13 September 1933 p.1 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231572596