The Thirloway Boys – grave tales

Billie and Jack Thirloway – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock

Young William ‘Billie’ Edward Thirloway died aged only 8 years of age and was buried in the Kalgoorlie cemetery on the 22nd November 1931.  Billie’s parents must have been devastated when six years later, on the exact anniversary of Billie’s death, a tragic accident took the life of his brother, Jack Carlson Thirloway aged 14 years.

Kalgoorlie Miner 21 Nov 1938

Billie and Jack were the sons of William ‘Bill’ Kellat Thirloway from Dunolly in Victoria and Mary Ellen ‘Nell’ O’Donnell from Broken Hill NSW. They had one sibling, Janet Margaret, who was the eldest, born in Coolgardie in 1922. Both Billie and Margaret were born in Coolgardie and Jack in Kalgoorlie.
The boys father was one of the first to sign up in WW1 and joined the 11th Battalion and was one of the first to land at Gallipoli. The family were living at 17 Charlotte St, Kalgoorlie when he joined up. His mother was to receive notification at this address in Sep of 1918 to say Bill had been wounded. He recovered and returned to WA to marry Mary in 1922 in Coolgardie.

The boys grandfather is also buried in the Kalgoorlie Cemetery, but in a separate grave, William Coulson Thirloway is also in the Anglican section in grave 4843, he was 56yrs old when he died in 1916. His wife, and the boys Grandmother, re married to William Eddy in Perth WA in 1927. No doubt Billie and Jack’s sister Janet was named after her. Her maiden name was Peart of which there are still members of that family in Kalgoorlie today.

Mary, the boys mother, is in the Roman Catholic section of the Kalgoorlie Cemetery in grave 10263, she was buried on the 7th Nov 1946, she was 53yrs old. The boys father Bill, died in Geraldton WA on the 25th Jul 1951 aged 63, and is buried there.

Billie and Jack Thirloway – Kalgoorlie Cemetery – Photo Danelle Warnock

Its not know what the cause of Billie’s death was, he was not admitted to hospital and probably died on many of the childhood diseases at the time. We do know however what the cause of death of Jack was, and as you will see from the following article. the circumstances and the date it occurred could not have been more tragic.

Coolgardie Miner 8 Dec 1938

Billie Thirloway in his boy scout uniform – Photo T F MacKay

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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