William Thomas Darling

William Thomas Darling was a Redan bootmaker.

History
William Thomas Darling, known by the local kids as Capt. Darling. His real rank was private.

Darling was born in Reading, Berkshire, England in about January 1878, the son of agricultural laborer William Darling and Emily Daw. He was the eldest child, and only son, and had seven sisters.

He worked in Paddington, England, as a pawnbroker's assistant in 1901 and was living with his employer, George James Cook. He married Eva Harriett Cramphorn on 17 July 1910 at St John the Evangelist, Kensal Green, Westminster, England. Eva, born in Greenwich in 1879, was the daughter of carpenter Alfred Cramphorn and his wife Sarah. The Darlings had one son, George William, born in England in 1911. William was still working for the pawnbroker and was living at 121 Third Avenue, Queens Park, Paddington. The family left England on 24 December 1913, from London, for Melbourne on the ship Commonwealth.

Darling was a farm worker from Glenthompson. He failed to win a case for underpayment from a local farmer in May 1916, which may have prompted him to enlist the same month: "At the Willaura police court held on Thursday morning last, before Messrs C. Ford and F. B. Womersley, J's.P'. a case was heard in which William T. Darling proceeded against John Henry, of Glenthompson, to recover the sum of £2 claimed for work and labour done. The complainant stated that he commenced to work for defendant, wheat lumping on May 1st, and worked forty hours at 1/8 per hour. He drew £1 on the Tuesday, and when he applied for the balance of the week's wages on the following Monday evening the defendant refused to pay him. Defendant said he had already paid witness, and that he did not owe him any money. Questioned by defendant witness said he did not draw any money on that contract before he commenced work. He claimed that the wood cutting contract had nothing to do with the case before the court. The last money he drew from defendant for wood cutting was £3 on Easter Saturday John Henry, in evidence, stated that he had overpaid the complainant to the extent of £2 on a wood cutting contract, and put in a statement showing the wood cut and the payments made. Darling had worked for him for a considerable length of time, and he had always paid him regularly. Latterly complainant and a man named Scown were cutting wood for him at so much per ton. Owing to ill-health they did not get on very well, and he allowed them to overdraw. He thought he would give Darling a chance to cut that out, and put him on wheat lumping, and gave £1 on the second day he was at work. On the Saturday Darling wanted to draw the remaining £2 and still owe him the balance on the wood. No witnesses were called, and the bench dismissed the case."

He enlisted at Hamilton in May 1916. He arrived in France to serve with the 39th Battalion on 7 July 1917. On 31 July 1917 he was shot in the left leg which had to be amputated. He also became seriously ill with pneumonia. He was repatriated to Australia, and was living at 211 Ligar Street, Ballarat. He was granted a pension of 60 shillings a fortnight, his wife Eva got 30 shillings, and his son, George William Darling was granted 20 shillings.

The School of Mines taught boot making to injured soldiers after World War One.

His bootmaker's shop was a small room attached to his house in Ripon Street. He was living there in 1920, 1954 and 1967 with Eva Harriett Darling.

Eva died in Ballarat in 1969. His son, William George, a woodworker who had been living at 717 Skipton Street, Redan, also died in 1969.

Darling died on 18 December 1971 in Ballarat.

His shop was still standing in 2021.

The shop and property
The property was purchased c. 1968 by Bill and Gladys Russell who lived there until the 1990s. The property had been on a "Residence Area Right", which were common in Ballarat. Originally people who held a Miners' Right, were also entitled to lease land for their houses. The right was not freehold, and only included the land to the depth of the foundations. A small lease was paid annually. In the 1970s and 1980s, residents were encouraged to purchase the land and convert them to freehold titles. The Russell's did this about 1970. There had been loose horse yards at the back of the property used by a local horse trainer. There were quite a few horse trainers and stables in the area until c.2010 because of the proximity of Bray Raceway.

In the mid 1990's the was a large number of aviaries full of budgerigars in the backyard.

The property was redeveloped c.2010, and subdivided, with two units being built in the former backyard. Sheds and aviaries were demolished for the new buildings.

The house, with the shop, was sold in 2018 for $265,000. Unit 2, a three bedroom house with a double garage sold in June 2019 for $300,000. Unit 3, threebedrooms, with single garage and carport was sold in January 2012.