Coburg markswomen raise funds for the war

The thirty members of the Coburg Women's Rifle Club decided to raise funds to buy an ambulance by holding an open day at their range in Bell Street, Coburg in March 1915.

The article in the Weekly Times featured a photograph of the Society's Secretary and Treasurer Mrs A.C. Warren.

Weekly Times, 20 March 1915

The Herald also featured a photo of one of the members of the Club, this time at practice at the Butts.

Herald, 22 March 1915

If Mrs Warren has been identified by her husband's initials, as was the custom at the time, it is likely that she is Janet Warren (nee Anderson) who married Alfred Charles Warren in 1898 and was living at 164 O'Hea's Road, Coburg when the photograph was taken.

Courtesy Coburg Historical Society. It's described as the Coburg Ladies' Rifle Club and dated 1906. Miss A. Wood (3rd from left in back row) and Miss E. Wood (sitting on left in front row) and their mother Alice Wood (ran the local Red Cross Branch) were very involved in patriotic activities in the Coburg area. The sisters' four brothers served - Carlyle, Charles, Stanley and Edwin. You can read more about them here. And there is more on Mrs Wood's patriotic activities here.

I'd be very happy to hear from anyone who can identify Mrs Warren. Likewise anyone who knows anything more about the Coburg Women's Rifle Club or any of its members.

Clement Lane of Coburg dies at Gallipoli

Herald, 25 March 1915. The image shows Captain J.C. Stewart, Adjutant 5th Battalion, with a boat sunk in the Suez Canal. The caption reads 'The holes made by rifle bullets are plainly visible. Those of the crew who were not drowned were taken prisoner.' The photograph was supplied to the newspaper by Rev H.W. Lane, Rennie Street, Coburg. 

It is likely that Rev Lane's son Clement sent this photo home to his family. Lieutenant Clement Frederick Wills Lane, 6th Infantry Battalion, left Australia with the first contingent in October 1914.  

You can find more details about Clement Lane here on the Virtual War Memorial website. The photograph is courtesy Faithe Jones.

Clement Lane's was not a long war. A month to the day after the Herald published this photo, he was killed at the Anzac Landing. 

Roll of Honour Circular. Courtesy AWM.

He is remembered in the Memorial Avenue of Trees at Coburg Lake. 

Clement's brothers 3293 Sergeant George Gabriel Odiaone Lane and 36908 Gunner Tremayne Eustace Manley Lane served in France. George joined in February 1915 and served with the 6th Field Ambulance. Tremayne served with the Field Artillery Brigade, 29th Reinforcements and left Australia in November 1917. They both survived the war.