RESTORATION OF THE GRAVE OF HENRI HEMENE TOVELL
Henri Hemene Tovell was a young French orphan who was “adopted” by the men of No 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps during their service in France in World War I. Henri was eventually “smuggled” to Australia where he was later formally adopted by Mr Tim Tovell (who had planned and conducted Henri’s journey to Australia). Tragically, Henri was killed in a motor cycle accident while returning to the Laverton Air Base.
Although not formally a member of the Air Force, he was accorded a military style funeral and the Australian Flying Corp erected a striking monument over his grave at the Fawkner Cemetery in Melbourne.
With the passage of time the grave site and monument suffered at the hands of vandals and general lack of attention. Ultimately the Air Force Association accepted responsibility for the grave site and recently instigated a project to renovate Henri’s grave site.
Aided by a contribution from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the grave site has now been restored.
View the attached pages to learn more of this wonderful story which is an essential part of the history of the Australian Flying Corp as well as a compassionate story in its own right.
WAR MASCOT’S DEATH
ROMANCE OF FRENCH ORPHAN SMUGGLED TO AUSTRALIA
An exact transcript of article from ‘The Argus’ Newspaper, 25th May 1928
Carried Aboard in a Basket of Bread
Fatal injuries received in a motoring accident yesterday morning have closed the romantic career of Henri Hemene Tovell, a French orphan who was adopted by the Fourth Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps (now the Royal Australian Air Force) on active service. After suffering cruelly in the war – and few Australians have any conception of the terrible privations which befell the French and Belgian peasantry while the battle raged all round them – Henri was “adopted” by the kindly “diggers” in the Fourth Squadron , and was actually “smuggled” by them from France to England, and eventually on a troopship to Australia. The “diggers” called Henri their mascot, and so great was the bond of affection between the soldiers and the homeless peasant boy that the men pitted their wits against those of the vigilant police and other officials, and succeeded in keeping him in their care. At the time of his death Henri’s age was only 18 years, although the official records at Point Cooke, where he was employed at the flying station as a mechanic, gave it as 20 years, his “official” 21st birthday falling on Christmas Day of this year.
There is more than a touch of pathos about the life story of Henri Tovell, as related yesterday by his guardian. Losing his parents in the early months of the war, the boy wandered about France from unit to unit. Twice he was wounded, but each time he returned to the lines and joined a new section. Finally he was “adopted” by the Fourth Squadron. Police officials made several attempts to prevent the boy leaving, but whenever necessary he was smuggled away, once being stowed among bags of official records, and once in a sack of loaves of bread.
Henri Tovell’s history, as Air Force men know it, commences in January of 1915 at the small French town of Seclin. The boy was then aged five years, and he lived with his mother, sisters, and his brother. His father was a French soldier in the front line. One week early in that year the father came home on leave, but the happiness of the reunited family was short-lived. A bombardment by a German heavy artillery unit began, and Henri, who had been playing in the street, hurried to his home to find that those whom he loved were dead. The house had been destroyed. Homeless, Henri wondered from Seclin miles away until he was taken and cared for by a French howitzer battery. Three months later the boy was wounded and admitted to hospital. After discharge he wandered away again, and then joined a field artillery brigade. He was wounded a second time. On recovering he found his way to the Royal Flying Corps. The boy went from unit to unit, until the middle of 1917, when he “joined” the Fourth Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps. He remained with that squadron until he reached Australia. The most interesting part of his life was that between 1917 and his arrival in Australia in June, 1919.
Avoiding the Gendarmes
With the Fourth Squadron the boy was in Cologne for three months, later going through Germany, France and Belgium, and spending some time at the demobilisation camp at Le Havre. In April, 1919, the Squadron left Le Havre for Southampton, and then the trouble with the gendarmes began. They knew that the boy was being taken away under cover, and they did their best to prevent his leaving France. The boy had become so attached to the men of the squadron that both he and they were determined that he should go. Accordingly, he was hidden among bags of official records, and in one of the bags he was smuggled on board ship. He arrived safely at Southampton, and went to the Hurdcott camp at Salisbury Plains. At Hurdcott the squadron subscribed about £60 for the boy, and at the suggestion of the commanding officer (Major Ellis) he was dressed in the uniform of the Australian Flying Corps. Although aged only nine years, Henri proudly wore two wound stripes.
The next difficulty was faced when the squadron left for Australia. The English civilian police and the military police acting in conjunction with the gendarmes again attempted to prevent the boy going with the Australians, and elaborate precautions were taken. It is said that Major Ellis wagered £25 that the boy would leave for Australia and the bet was “taken” by a sporting regimental transport officer on the understanding that if Henri once reached an allotted cabin on the transport ship he would be allowed to leave England.
Hidden Among Loaves
On the day of departure interest centred in “Young Digger”, as the little French boy was known. Military police and special officers examined everything taken on board the troopship Kaiser-I-Hind. There was a large pile of bags containing bread for the trip, and it was in one of these bags that “Digger” was hidden. Cottage loaves were packed into the sack, the boy went next, with loaves wedged around him, and with three tiers above his head. The bag was stitched up and the remainder left to luck. Anxiety was felt when each sack of loaves was thoroughly examined, but the all-important sack came late in line, when the special officers had become a little lax. Several loaves were taken from Henri’s bag, but he was not discovered. Soon he was standing in his miniature Australian uniform in Major Ellis’s cabin. The regimental transport officer was told that the boy was safely on board, and he frankly paid over the £25, and allowed the boy to take passage in the ship. The 1,500 “diggers” on the Kaiser-I-Hind quickly got to know him.
That was not the end, however, for on the following day the captain of the ship recognised the boy as he walked along one of the decks, and he made arrangements to have him arrested. The late Mr. T. J. Ryan, a former Premier of Queensland, who was a passenger, and Colonel Oswald Watt, the O.C. Troops, paid the fine for the stowaway, and finally ensured the boy’s departure. The present Minister for Defence (Sir William Glasgow) and Sir John Gellibrand, M.H.R., were on board the Kaiser-I-Hind.
In Australia Henri went to a suburb of Brisbane with Mr. T. Tovell, a member of the squadron, and lived with him as foster son for 18 months. At the end of 1920 the boy, then aged about 11 years, came to Melbourne and lived with friends at Gardenvale until he could be employed at Point Cook. He became a mechanic with the Royal Australian Air Force, and was there at the time of his death.
Tovell will be given a semi-official funeral this afternoon. The cortège will leave Moor Street, Fitzroy, at 2 o’clock, arriving at the Fawkner cemetery before half-past 2 o’clock.
Subsequent to the foregoing “Argus” article, Henri was formally adopted by Tim Tovell. An account of this and other events in the short life of Henri was published in 2002 by “Penguin Books” in “The Young Digger” by Anthony Hill (the book is still available).
During the restoration planning process the Association was able to contact Mrs Edith Lock, the adoptive sister of Henri. Mrs Lock was able to confirm that the quote selected for the new Headstone were words that had a special significance for Henri and her Father, and believes that is what her father would have wanted.
A Happy Ending
Henri Tovell’s history, as it was known to members of 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, commences in January of 1915 at the small French town of Seclin. The boy was then aged five years, and he lived with his mother, sisters, and his brother.
His father was a French soldier in the front line. Early that year while the father was home on leave, a bombardment by a German heavy artillery unit destroyed his home and killed the other members of his family.
Homeless, Henri wondered from Seclin miles away until he was taken and cared for by a French howitzer battery. Three months later he was wounded and admitted to hospital. After discharge he wandered away again, and joined a field artillery brigade. Recovering from a second wound he found his way to the Royal Flying Corps.
Via a succession of British units Henri joined 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps on Christmas Day 1918. Adopted as the squadron mascot, he became know to the members of the squadron as “Digger”.
He was smuggled to Australia, by Air Mechanic Tim Tovell, with the connivance of officers of the squadron (including a Capt G Jones, subsequently Sir George Jones KBE CB DFC, Chief of the Air Staff (1942-1952)).
Permission was obtained for Henri to immigrate and he was adopted by Tovell and his wife. Henri could not be naturalized until he turned twenty-one years of age and he could not join the RAAF while he remained a French citizen. However, the Air Force engaged him as a civilian apprentice at Point Cook pending his naturalization.
Seven months before the date of his majority Henri died as a result of injuries sustained when his motor bike and a taxi collided outside the Windsor Hotel on the night of May 23, 1928. The Argus newspaper recorded that Henri was accorded “a semi-official” funeral on the 25th.
No volley was fired nor was the Last Post sounded, because Henri was not formally a member of the Air Force. However, his coffin was draped with the colours of the Australian Flying Corps, uniformed airmen were his pall-bearers and his coffin was conveyed to Fawkner Cemetery on an RAAF wagon and trailer. Nine former members of 4 Squadron and the Secretary of the Air Board attended, but the speed with which the funeral was arranged did not allow the family to travel from Queensland to be present.
The Squadron members decided that a memorial was required and with the assistance of a public appeal through The Argus an impressive sandstone monument was erected in 1932. It was topped by a statuette of a boy dressed as Henri had been dressed when he came to the Squadron in 1918. The family was not made aware of this and learned of it six weeks after the event.
During the 1950’s the statuette was stolen and the grave vandalized. The Tovell family repaired the damage to the grave but the cost of replacing the statuette was beyond them. Subsequently, the sandstone monument deteriorated and the ground subsided, so that the monument leaned. The condition of the sandstone was such that restoration was impractical.
The Air Force Association Victoria received a number of approaches to repair the grave decided that a new, modest memorial would be appropriate. The Association and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs jointly funded a new kerb and ledger, the inscription on which was approved by Henri’s surviving sister and includes words which his father had wanted on the original grave.
On Sunday, 29 November, Digger’s grave was re-dedicated in a service conducted by Chaplain Squadron Leader Keith Lanyon, in the presence of the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon Alan Griffin, MP, members of the Tovell family, serving and former members of 4 Squadron RAAF, including the current CO, WGCDR David Paddison, Mr Peter Colliver, President of Air Force Association Victoria, Mr Leo Hammond, representing the Deputy Commissioner for Veterans’ Affairs, WOFF Gina Goninon, representing CDR-AFTG, CO 21 Squadron, SQNLDR Marcelle Mitting and members of Air Force Association Victoria.
Digger’s adoptive sister, Mrs Edith Lock, now 89 years of age, and her niece, Sally Elliot, were flown to Melbourne by the Air Force Association, niece Marilyn Elliot travelled from the Gold Coast to attend and nephew Rick and his wife Carol travelled from country Victoria.
Prior to the service, Mrs Lock kissed a bouquet of roses before placing it upon the grave. During the service, Mrs Lock spoke eloquently of her “big brother” and expressed her gratitude to the Association and the Department for making possible the restoration of the grave.
Speaking after the service she thanked the Association for arranging the service and her transportation and accommodation. Mrs Lock observed that during one’s lifetime many memories are created, but she said that the memory of the re-dedication of Digger’s grave was one of the happiest occasions in her life and the memory of it would remain with her forever.