Allchin Bros and one enormous tent

Ballarat Courier, Monday 26th October 1914

The above article attracted my attention as turned the pages of the 100 year old Courier.  Messrs. Allchins, the firm known as Allchin Brothers, have made a very large tent for the YMCA, in order that the YMCA be able to support and assist the troops in training at Queenscliff.

In the very next column is a letter from the secretary of the YMCA thanking various dignitaries for their donations to the YMCA fund, and suggesting to the general public that they might like to donate more as well! The YMCA aims to raise 200 pounds.  I wonder how much this tent cost.

Allchin Brothers operated at 14 and 16 Doveton Street North, and the building is still there - now the RACV - although the numbering has changed.  It is somehow appropriate, the RACV looking after our transport needs via the motor car.  Allchin Bros looked after the transport needs of people at the time, via the horse.

They claimed to be the largest manufacturers of saddlery in the colony.  But this isnt all they did - as we see above they worked with canvas, making tents, tarpaulins and horse rugs, they did all kind of leatherwork, not just saddles but collars and harness, all kinds of bags "from the dainty lady's handbag to the solid leather trunk". Perhaps the most interesting bit of canvas work they did was making firemen's helmets and buckets!  They also made footballs - in the 1900 season they made almost 4000.

So such an enormous tent probably didn't tax them at all.  Here is a photograph of Allchin's from the book Ballarat and District, 1901 from where the above information is taken. Ballarat and District, 1901 is one of our most important resources in the Australiana Room; if you would like to look at it any time, just ask a member of staff.

Allchin Bros, Doveton Street North from Ballarat and District, 1901

The Wiles Cooker

The Ballarat Courier, Tuesday,  August 18 1914, p. 4, gives a splendid description of the 70^th regiment in camp in Queenscliff.   Its wonderful reading, very Boys Own, chin up, what-ho stuff. 

They must have been having a lovely time.  There was a footy match between the Infantry and the AMC*, and as the Infantry had in its ranks many prominent League, Association and school players, the results were foregone, the AMC going down by 33 points.  There was the first lady visitor to the 70^th Regiment Officers’ Mess “at the first camp while on active service”.  Importantly, there was duty in Melbourne guarding various institutions, as well as the cordite factory and artillery magazines.

And here is the blot on the landscape.  Those on duty returned to Queenscliff unexpectedly early, and dinner had been ‘off’ for some hours.  Were the troops to go without their tea?

Not at all!  Here steps up “the dauntless Sgt-cook J. Wiles” and utilising his patent cooker he had a hot meal ready for the 150 men in 15 minutes!

James F. Wiles was born in Clunes in 1883, and was educated in Ballarat.  He definitely sounds like a “character” eventually getting himself to the Boer war by subterfuge, having been rejected 3 times. In South Africa he had many adventures including working as a rough rider to break remounts, and surviving the Woolmarannsrust disaster. (I don’t know what that was but I am going to have to look it up!)

Back in Ballarat in 1903 he joined the 7^th Australian Infantry Regiment, retiring years later with the rank of sergeant.  It was during this time that he determined that the system of cooking in the field needed improvement, and this led him to invent and patent the Wiles Travelling Kitchen – an object which gave “keen satisfaction to brigade and battalion C.O.s and men.”  It was utilised for the troops throughout WW1, but was also very useful to farmers.  He established a cooker manufactory in Doveton St South in order to keep up supply to the Federal Government during the War. 

             

From “Citizens and Sports at Home and Abroad” in the Australiana Research collection, Ballarat Library

Wiles evidently had a fine baritone, and won prizes at various competitions, and he sang at charity concerts. As could be expected, he was an excellent shot with the rifle, winning many shooting matches.  He also served with the City Fire Brigade. 

However, after the First World War, his life became rather complicated.  James Fletcher Wiles died in Adelaide in 1939, just prior to the Second World War.  WW2 saw further adventures of his family with steam cookers; it is a wonderful story and you can read more about James, his sons, and steam cookers here.  James Wiles is undoubtedly one of Ballarat’s heroes.

You can read the article ”With the Troops at Queenscliff” from the Ballarat Courier, August 18 1914, here

* I think AMC stands for Army Medical Corps, but please do correct me if I’m wrong