On the 23rd of September 1903 in Gwalia Street, Leonora Western Australia an event would take place that would start a string of family tragedies. The event was the death of a little girl, Eileen Margaret Doyle. She died of Tonisilitis and Bronchitis and was only 2 ½yrs old. She had only been ill only for a few days when she died and hadn’t been taken to hospital. At this time it was thought that children should be looked after at home when ill. Sadly, this was an all too common cause of death for young children in the early part of the 20th Century.
Her father was a young Irishman called Bernard Doyle who worked for the brewery as a driver. He married a young girl from Rheola in Victoria, Matilda ‘Tilly’ Jane nee JAMES who had just arrived in Coolgardie WA the year before at age 17yrs. Bernard himself was only aged 22 years old when they married in the Coolgardie Roman Catholic church on the 6th June 1900.
Roman Catholic Church Coolgardie
They were soon expecting their first child who was born the following year on 14th April 1901 at their home in MacDonald Street, Coolgardie. She was christened Eileen Margaret Doyle. Bernard and his young family traveled to Leonora not long after Eileen’s birth to take up a position with Mr. McArdle as an agent for a local brewery on commission with a small salary.
They set up a home in Gwalia Street, Leonora and for a time things went well until Bernard became ill with stomach pains. Appendicitis was diagnosed but in those days operations were not carried out unless the condition was serious.
However, the little family was happy for a time but there were to be no more babies. Thie first of a string of tragedies was then to take place. Little Eileen, who had been suffering from Tonsilitis contracted Bronchitis as well as died within a week.
Mt. Leonora Miner 26 September 1903, page 3
The couple was heartbroken, but it was Bernard who seemed to be the most despairing. On top of this, the business he was working for was not doing well and was not paying him what they had agreed on.
On the evening of the 17th December 1903, Bernard was not to be found. Earlier that evening his wife Matilda had wanted him to accompany her to a Christmas concert in the town but he declined as he said he had scratched his face and didn’t want to be seen. Earlier that day Bernard had received several letters from his family back in Ireland who had only just found out about the death of little Eileen. Reading these had greatly upset him. He blamed himself for the child’s death saying he should have left them ‘below’ eg in Coolgardie.
When Matilda returned home at about 11 o’clock Bernard was nowhere to be found. His clothes were still in his room. She had searched for him everywhere and thought he may have gone to the Cemetery to Eileen’s grave as he often did. He had been worried about business for some time as his accounts were behind so he wasn’t receiving his pay and the commission of 2 ½% on sales brought in very little. He had not eaten during the day and his wife thought it was because of a ‘turn’ with his appendicitis, but he did have one glass of beer.
When at dawn the following day Bernard still hadn’t returned and Matilda had been searching all night she went to a neighbor, a blacksmith called Alexander Lamont who she roused from bed. She told him that Bernard was nowhere to be found and asked if he would go and check the water tank on the hill. Mr Lamonts’ wife said she thought she heard someone stealing water during the night. When Alexander checked the tank he found the body of a man, he went straight to the police. He had been a friend of the couple for about four months. He said that two days prior, Bernard had told him he intended to give notice to Mr. McArlde his employer.
Constable Patrick O’Halloran was on the scene not long after 4am. He summoned the doctor and a JP, Mr Snell. Before removing the body from the tank they measured the depth of the water which was 18 inches. They had to cut open the tank to get the body out. He identified it as Bernard Doyle, as he knew him personally. The tank itself was 12 feet from the ground so it was impossible for anyone to fall in accidentally. Bernard had deliberately climbed in through the manhole.
Kalgoorlie Western Argus 22 December 1903, page 10
Dr. Bertram Wills carried out a post-mortem on Bernard’s body. He said the cause of death was drowning and there were no other marks on the body. He said he examined the appendix which was not active at the time of death. He gave his opinion that Mr. Doyle was not strong, mentally and the death of his daughter, who he was devoted to, and business worries could cause depression. The verdict of the jury and Coroner was that death was by suicide while temporarily of unsound mind.
Bernard was buried with his little daughter in the Roman Catholic section of the Leonora Cemetery. There is no headstone for them.
Matilda was now destitute and despite the help of kind neighbors she decided to return to Coolgardie where she may have had friends from when they lived there. However, fate was not done with this family and Matilda became ill with Phythisis and died in Coolgardie on 26th September 1904, almost exactly a year from the death of her daughter. She died in a house in MacDonald Street which is the street where her daughter was born, so perhaps they had family or friends there. She is buried alone in the Roman Catholic section of the Coolgardie cemetery.
Bernard Joseph DOYLE was born in Tullow, Co Carlow, Ireland in 4 June 1876, He arrived in Australia in 1896. He was the son of Dennis DOYLE, a farmer.
Matilda Jane JAMES was born in Rheola, Victoria in 1881. She was the daughter of John JAMES, a Blacksmith, and Mary Ann WAY. She came to Coolgardie in 1898 aged 17yrs where she met and married Bernard Joseph DOYLE.
Moya Sharp
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