With such a distinctive surname I thought that the search for this family would be reasonably. However, through the records there are different spellings of the name. Variations I came across include Devis, De-Vis, de Vis and even Deuis which is also how the medal is named.
What I did discover was that of all the children of this large family, five enlisted for WWI. They were:
LT Charles Edwin De Vis MM,
PTE Frederick Selwyn De Vis,
PTE Herbert Walter De Vis, and
Sister Gertrude Julia De Vis.
Charles and Frederick would also serve during WWII.
Of all Leslie's siblings, I could only determine that Gertrude, Frederick and William had children. I couldn't track down Gertrude's children.
Frederick's only son, Selwyn George De Vis served in the RAAF and was killed in action during a bombing mission over Germany on 19 March 1945. Frederick De Vis was a Commonwealth public servant and lived in Canberra for many years. Selwyn worked for the CSIRO before enlisting. This link to the ACT Memorial page gives a synopsis of Selwyn's life.
The only other of Leslie's siblings I could find who had any children was William. In the 1930s William was a miner in the WA gold fields. I lost track of him through the official records but I found a William De Vis buried in Rockingham, WA. I quick search of the White Pages showed that two families with this surname lived in that area. I took a punt and cold called one of the numbers.
The punt paid off and I ended up speaking to William's grand son. To my very pleasant surprise I was told that William's son, Leslie's nephew was still alive. We have since spoken and the family military history is well known and documented in the family.
Thanks to Karyn and Rob for giving me the medal. The returned medal tally is now 1439.
In the last week I have been contacted by William De Vis' daughter, Margo. She has kindly provided me a composite photo of all the the De Vis siblings who served during WWI.
Excellent stuff !
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ReplyDeleteFor many years I have been looking for ancestors and family who fought in WW1.
A few years ago I found out that someone with the same name as I had died in Ypres.
Leslie Holmes De Vis, an Australian soldier from Queensland.
In your blog post of May 3, 2014 I read that you have been in contact with the family of Leslie.
Today on ANZAC Day (April 25) the victims from Australia and New Zealand are commemorated. Unfortunately, the ceremonies are canceled this year because of the corona virus.
From the moment it is allowed I will definitely go to the Menin Gate and pause at Leslie's name plate to express my respect.
With kind regards
Dirk De Vis
Belgium
I doubt that Leslie De Vis is the true owner of this medal. This medal looks as if it really belongs to Leslie Deuis (my grandfather), as it is stamped on the medal and commented in the article. His service record number is the same as stamped on the medal (6972) and he also served in the 1st Bn. I have the service records from NAA. I would dearly like someone to contact me regarding this medal.
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