Veteran Notes/Bio
- Listed Bungendore War Memorial Hall WW 1 ROH (1917). Bygone Queanbeyan lists four " Lawless" individuals viz: Initials: C(11582),G (3168), J (58812), and S.J. (B).In this matter it is considered that the "S.J." was not a sibling of the other three individuals noted who are indeed commemorated on the Queanbeyan City Wall of Remembrance.
- AWM Embarkation Roll and Nominal Rolls do not list an "S.J. Lawless ". Here it is noted that neither of these Rolls are entirely complete and another expanation is that this individual did not sereve overseas.
- On the other hand Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer in two separate issues dated 9.12.1915 and 6.04.1916 and Queanbeyan Leader 3 Feb 1916, records the fact that , an "S.J. Lawless" from Captains Flat enlisted at Queanbeyan.Here it is considered that the list used in the subject paper was an ongoing update of the original text and was probably the basis for the Bungendore War Memorial Hall WW1 ROH ( 1917) that has been addressed elsewhere in this Record.
- Goulburn Evening Penny Post 5 August 1915 records a "Stephen Joseph Lawlis (Gundaroo) ", along withht others as having been accepted for the AIF at the Goulburn Recruiting Centre. NAA File indicates Lawlis joined the AIF at Goulburn on 01 August 1915.
- There is no Objective Quality Evidence to indicate that he actually joined the AIF at Queanbeyan on either 9.12.15 or 6.04.16 as indicated in press reports at those times. The fact that Lawlis was reported as having come from either Captains Flat or Gundaroo probably indicates that as a young 20 year old, he was always on the move,albiet generally around the Bungenore District that probaly accounts for his name being commemorated on the local Memorial.abeit as " Lawless".
- Monaro Pioneers:
- a. No obvious "S.J. Lawless" but records that a branch of the Lawless family changed its name to "Lawlis".Details of the most likely candidate for this record are as follows: Lawlis, Stephen Joseph born 1893, Cooma, NSW. Died 2 Apr 1955, Seaforth aged 61.Death Notice SMH 4.4.1955. Occupation: Labourer Religion: Catholic. Military Service: 1 Aug 1915-5 Mar 1919, WW1; as a Private, number 2703, 18th Battalion, Enlisted at Goulburn whence his address was stated as s Sharp St Cooma. He was a prisoner of war in Germany. Was court marshalled for disobedience. Embarked from Sydney, NSW, onboard HMAT A14 Euripides on 2November1915 Stephen married Pugh, Dorothy May 1920, Redfern, NSW. Dorothy died 6 Dec 1971, Seaforth, NSW. Children :Lawlis, Eric Raymond was born 15 Jan 1914, Cooma, NSW; died 21 Apr 1994, Cooma,NSW.
- Summary: Taking cognisance of the foregoing it is considered that the “ S.J. Lawless” commemorated on the Bungendore War Memorial should be " S.J. Lawlis" however there is no intention by the Bungendore War Memorial Committee to amend the existing inscription on the Memorial.
- Last updated December 2016.