Joseph Dee was the fifth of nine children. His childhood was one filled with hardship. In a court case widely publicized in Perth in 1908 his parents flung accusations of cruelty, adultery, prostitution, drunkenness and neglect across the floor of the Supreme Court before a judge and jury of twelve men. Joe spent most of his life in conflict and he had to look after himself from an early age. By the time he was 14 his father, George Dee, had custody of all the children after the jury believed his father was not guilty of the accusations leveled against him and his mother, Ellen Dee, nee Ellen Jane Saunders. She was believed guilty of all the accusations against her. In those days a man could get a divorce if he could prove his wife committed adultery. A woman had to prove her husband was guilty of adultery and cruelty. A doctor witness corroborating Ellen’s evidence of abuse said that the children were scared of George and on one occasion on hearing he was coming to the house one of the children," had a severe screaming fit." But basically the court decided that his mother was a drunken slut who couldn’t or wouldn’t look after her nine kids. The only mitigating factor the jury granted was that George Dee knew and "condoned" the adultery.

George Dee married Ellen Jane Saunders at St Joseph’s Church in Dongara in 1897. Nine children quickly followed as the Dees worked on farms around the mid-west of Western Australia in such places as Bowgada, Mingenew and Arrino. George bashed one of his employers, Bill Herbert, owner of Bowgada Station, because Bill hit Joe over the head with a bag because of his recalcitrance. Bill Herbert turned out to be the co-respondent in the Dee divorce which was to cause headlines in the state’s newspapers later.

Recalcitrance was a trait Joe had developed well by the time he joined the 16th Battalion of the AIF on May 9th 1915. He was 21 years old. He was typical of the generation of diggers; short thin and wiry. Joe was 170 cm tall weighed 62 kg had a fair complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. Unusually he had no distinguishing marks on his body. This would soon change.

On his attestation papers near a section for soldiers who had dependents he added, "Or sons who are the sole support of their widowed mothers." He allotted three shillings a week to his mother, the army put aside one shilling as a sort of early day superannuation and he had a shilling to spend. Unfortunately for Ellen she was to miss out on her weekly allotment in the years to come because Joe wasn’t getting paid. In those days families referred to deserted or divorced mothers as widows. George was still alive because he sent telegrams during the war seeking advice as to the health of Joe. In October 1917 George telegrammed the Army, "Advise urgently further advice my son 3442 private Joe Dee 16th Battalion."

Joe started the war badly he had a severe bout of pneumonia and spent the first few months of the war in hospital in England. He was fit enough just in time to return to his battalion in Belgium to participate in the Battle of Polygon Wood. The attack commenced at 5.50 a.m. September 26th, 1917 with the Australian 4th and 5th Divisions and 5 British divisions following an artillery barrage on a 10 kilometre front. The Australian 4th and 5th Divisions were responsible for a front of about 2,500 metres. One of the main objectives was Polygon Wood Buttes, which in peacetime was the Ypres district rifle range. From the Buttes the Germans commanded an excellent view of all targets with their machine guns. The Buttes is only about 20 metres high. This was taken. I have stood on this land and it is testimony to the stupidity of war that so many men were killed or wounded in taking it from the Germans. Casualties on both sides were horrendous. Joe’s battalion, the 16th was part of the Australian 4th Division which captured all its objectives and sustained a staggering 1,717 casualties. Joe received severe shrapnel wounds to the chest and was evacuated to the Edmonton Military Hospital in England where he slowly recovered from his injuries. Up until now Joe had an unblemished record but something went wrong during convalescence. Just before Christmas in 1917 he used "improper language" to a superior officer. He was found guilty and lost four day’s pay. After Christmas he was sent back to the front and he was soon in trouble. He failed to attend the 0700 hours parade and was given Field Punishment number two and lost his pay for 28 days. These two different punishments had a different effect. The fine had the family of the soldier suffer by. The latter was a sort of "scab" duty around the trenches. Ellen was at home in Australia depending on the regular allotment monies to keep her alive although she had two other sons in the A.I.F. Joe’s two brothers Henry and Albert served in the Army. They had excellent records apart from the fact that Albert received four days field punishment number two for urinating near the horse troughs.

Polygon Wood Buttes, Belgium

Field Punishment number one was a more serious punishment and involved shackling. Joe’s punishment, "F.P No 2" allowed him to move around the battalion site. During his punishment for being late to roll call Joe was found on the light railway near the spoil bank. He was told to get off the light railway and get back to his duties. Joe mouthed off and was arrested. He was charged with neglecting to obey an order ( not complying with his field punishment), conduct to the prejudice of good order in that he was trespassing on the light railway and using insubordinate language to his superior officer.

An example of a spoil bank and light railway. The spoil bank was made from the dirt dug from the canal

A field court martial was held on February 21st 1917 and Joe was found guilty of the first and third charge and not guilty of the second. He was given a further 40 days field punishment number two and forfeiture of 40 days’ pay.

A month after the sentence was completed Joe deserted and was found at Calais on 10th of May 1918. He was returned to battalion headquarters and faced his second court martial. Surprisingly he was only given 90 days’ field punishment number one.

After serving the sentence he was immediately found absent without leave. He was absent for a period between late August and late October. When he was found he was court martialed once more. Ironically a week after the war ended Joseph Dee at his third court martial was sentenced to one year’s detention with hard labour. All his mates were heading home and Joe was headed Lewes Prison in Sussex England.

In September 1919 Joe’s sentence was commuted. George received this cable from the Army.

　

Joe was transported back to Australia on the SS Barambah the same ship as was his cousin, Tom Brady. A week after he returned from England Joe was discharged from the Army. His records show that he "automatically forfeited" any right to war medals. Besides that he had lost 499 days’ pay.

In 1925 Joseph Dee married his cousin, Maude Foran. On January 6th in the next year Maude died. The following article was published in the Geraldton Guardian of January 9th 1926, "On Thursday night at the Geraldton Hospital the death occurred of Mrs. Maud Dee, wife of Mr. Joseph Dee. Deceased, who was 26 years of age, was a native of Dongarra and Mr. Dee is employed on the construction branch of the Telephone Department. The funeral took place at the Roman Catholic Cemetery yesterday afternoon. Father Lynch officiating at the graveside."

In 1927 Joe signed a petition presented to the Governor; Sir Francis Newdegate. The petition seeking a licence for a pub to be opened in Arrino was also signed by Joe’s father George. By this time George and Ellen were living together again. On January 7th 1929 Joe placed the following In Memoriam notice in the West Australian, "In fond memory of my wife, Maudie, who passed away at Geraldton on January 7 1926. God’s greatest gift remembrance. Inserted by her husband Joe."

Maude’s mother, Fanny Foran, placed a notice as well,"In loving memory of my daughter, Maudie, who passed away at Geraldton on January 7, 1926. To a beautiful life came a sudden end. She died as she lived, everyone’s friend. Inserted by her sisters and brothers and mother, F. Foran.

On July 9 1930 A. G. Wallace proceeded against Joseph Dee for the recovery of £25/14/5, owing for professional services rendered. Defendant stated he was unemployed and could not pay anything off the debt. When working he only averaged between £2 and £2/10/ per week. If he worked he could 5/-a week off the debt. At the time he was living with his parents at Arrino and was returning there to look for work. The Magistrate made an order for the payment of the amount at the rate of 5/- per week the first payment to be made on August 8.

Joe left W.A sometime between this case and World War 2. Perhaps seeking redemption from his WW1 experience Joe enrolled in the Army in S.A. After the war he stayed in S.A. He was arrested for vagrancy in Broken Hill in the 1950s. He was given a week’s gaol.

In the latter part of his life Joe was working for the South Australian Government Railways and he was living at 48 Augusta Terrace Port Augusta. He died on August 8th 1975 and was buried in the Stirling North Cemetery, near Port Augusta, in Section 4, Block H, grave 3. He was 81 when he died. Stirling North is a small town located 7 km east of Port Augusta in South Australia. It acts primarily as a satellite town to Port Augusta with the town's railway station lying at a major rail junction linking the Port Augusta power station and the main east-west rail link to the coal rail link to Leigh Creek. Joe worked on this railway. We have called in at the huge servo at Stirling North many times as it is a huge and comfortable stop for east west travelers. In the same grave is Joe’s second wife Ella Elizabeth, Ella died two years before Joe on March 3rd 1973 she was 72.