|
a.
|
Note: Gladstone Circuit Court. A Circuit Court was held at Gladstone by Mr. Justice Gordon on Thursday. The Crown Solicitor prosecuted Joseph Vickers Tesseyman pleaded guilty to having attempted to commit suicide, and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, but was discharged, to come up when called on on condition that he signed the pledge, which was done in the Judge's book. (source Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail (SA), Saturday 28 November 1908, page 3)
Local Man On Ship Sunk By Nazi Raider
Five months after she had been notified by the authorities that her husband was a member of the cargo vessel Mareeba. which had been reported over due, Mrs. J. V. Tesseymnn. of 584, Blende Street, was told yesterday of the announcement that the ship had been sunk. This was the first indication she had had of the fate of the vessel.
Her husband Joseph Vickers Tesseyman, (53), was one of the crew of 41 on the Mareeba which the authorities announced yesterday had been sunk.
Early In June or this year Mrs. Tesseyman received a letter from her husband written at Singapore. That was the last she heard rrom him. On June 24 she was informed by the authorities, that the Mareeba was 18 says overdue. Since then she has been living in hope that her husband and other members of the crew on the Mareeba were not lost at sea but taken prisoner aboard the raider which was responsible for the sinking of the ship.
In the letter to his wife Mr. Tesseyman said that the journey back to Australia would be his last. All going well he would have been home last month.
Mr. Tesseyman has been at sea for two years, and during that time has been home only once.
He was well known in Broken Hill, having been employed at the British mine for many years and later carrying on business as a contract carpenter in the town. He left Broken Hill to go to Whyalla, where he was employed as a carpenter by the Broken Hill Proprietary Co. He left Whyalla for Newcastle as a member of a B.H.P. Iron ore boat, the Iron King. Soon after the arrival of that ship in Newcastle he joined the Mareeba as carpenter and had made several trips around the Australian coast ports before making the trip to Singapore about six months ago. It was on its way back from Singapore that the Mareeba fell foul of the raider. There is still hope that the crew may have been picked up by the raider.
Mrs Tesseyman has two single daughters residing with her. Others in the family are Mrs. Pellizza, Argent Street (daughter), Vic, Whyalla, and Harry, Iron Knob, (sons).
"We are still clinging to the hope that he is still alive even if only a prisoner of war." said Mrs. Tesseyman. (source Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill, NSW : 1908; 1941 - 1954) Thursday 4 December 1941 p 2)
U-BOAT SINKS GERMAN SHIP
MANY OF MAREEBA'S CREW LOST
Sixteen members of the crew of the Australian freighter Mareeba are believed to have been drowned when the German ship on which they were being taken to Germany had itself been sunk in mistake by a German submarine in the North Atlantic on January 31. Twenty two others reached Germany safely, but Captain N. D. Skinner and several members of the crew were lost after taking off from the sinking ship in a life boat.
The submarine searched for them without success.
These details have been pieced together by the Commonwealth Marine Branch, largely from information received from a Red Cross officer who interviewed the chief officer (D. J. Freeman) at a German prison camp. The Mareeba was intercepted in the Bay of Bengal by the steamer Kormoran, which was later sunk by H.M.A.S. Sydney.
From information from Freeman and other sources the Commonwealth Marine Branch has pieced together the folowing story:
After the capture or sinking of the Mareeba, the crew was apparently transferred to a raider, believed to be the Kormoran, later sunk by H.M.A.S. Sudney, and transferred to a prison ship, which headed for Germany. Two of the crew died from natural causes at sea. A.B. C. Gunnerson died on October 16, 1941, and A. Mathieson, a trimmer, died on December 31, 1941.
This ship was herself sunk by a German submarine by mistake in the North Atlantic. (source Singleton Argus (NSW), Friday 10 July 1942, page 5)
Efforts To Trace Mr. V. Tesseyman
Efforts made by Capt. Jack Mallyon, of the headquarters staff of the AIF reception group to trace Australian personnel in prison camps in Germany have been revealed in correspondence to Mr. W. Anderson, secretary of the Returned Soldiers' League.
Mr. Mallyon, who is well-known in Broken Hill, communicated with Mr. Anderson and indicated that he would be only too willing to help in tracing Australian personnel.
Mr. Anderson cabled Capt. Mallyon, whose last known address was Eastbourne, England, asking him to trace Mr. Vic. Tesseyman, father of Rose Tesseyman, a member of the staff of the Palace Hotel. Mr. Tesseyman was taken prisoner over four years ago when the Mareeba, on which he was a ship's carpenter, was torpedoed while on its way to Ceylon from Australia.
A reply came in the following terms: "Can find Robert James Francis Vivers, RAAF, not Tesseyman. Give POW number if possible. Mr. Anderson, although he gave the number in his previous communication, will repeat the number in another cable.
In a letter to Mr. Anderson written in December. Captain Mallyon said that for some weeks they were dealing with 12 and 15 prisoners of war who had escaped through neutral countries and got back to England. These men have to be fitted out and settled down in some sort of normal life until a ship is available to bring them home.
Captain Mallyon pointed out that money matters were a big problem as some of the men had hundreds of pounds to collect. Most want to draw all they have but in many cases they are persuaded to take £20 or £30 at a time as those in charge of the pay office realise that they might be robbed right and left. They would try and help them to get home with as much money as possible. (source Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), Monday 7 May 1945, page 2)
Vic Tesseyman Is Safe In England
"Arrived England safe, love. Will write immediately." These were the glad tidings conveyed in a cable received today by Mrs. J. V. Tesseyman, of 584 Blende Street, from her husband, who has been a prisoner of war since June 6, 1941.
Mr. Tesseyman, who was ship's carpenter on board the Mareeba, was captured when the vessel while on the way to Ceylon from Australia was intercepted by a German raider.
Later Mr. Tesseyman and other prisoners were transferred to a German submarine and taken to Germany. Since then he has been in Camp Malag and Malag North, Wehrkreist, 15 miles from Bremen.
Prior to joining the Mareeba as ship's carpenter, Mr. Tesseyman was employed at his trade in Broken Hill and Whyalla.
Members of the family were overjoyed at the news of his safe arrival in England. (source Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), Wednesday 16 May 1945, page 8)
VIC TESSEYMAN HOME AFTER 5½ YEARS
Mr. Vic. Tesseyman, of Blende St., arrived home by the Comet last night after an absence of five and a half years, four of which were spent as a prisoner of the Germans.
Ship's carpenter on the Mareeba when it was sunk in the Indian Ocean in May, 1941. he was prisoner on German ships. The one he was on was sunk and the prisoners were taken on to a submarine which took him to Germany.
After four years in prison camps he was released last May. He reached Sydney again less than a week ago.
One son (Harry) arrived by this morning's Adelaide express from Iron Knob, another son, Vic, lives at Whyalla. (source Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), Tuesday 24 July 1945, page 1)
Departed first class May 1945 from Liverpool for Sydney, Australia on S.S. Sarpedon (Blue Funnel Line), age 55, occupation shipwright, last address Victoria League Club, Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1.
|
