Lumen Summer 2015 - Flipbook - Page 9
story by Genevieve Sanchez
The Great War was a terrible conßict marked by
enormous tragedy and loss. But it was also the
source of wartime romance and enduring love.
E
leanor Ahern is writing one such
story for her PhD thesis in Creative
Writing at the University of Adelaide
– a story that began in 1916 near the
battlefields of the Somme in France.
It’s a tale of a young doctor fresh out
of university who survived some of the
war’s bloodiest battles to be the longest
standing medical officer of his battalion.
He returned home with the Military Cross
and a French bride.
Major ‘Jack’ Roland Stanley Grose
Beard was Eleanor’s grandfather and
she is writing a novel inspired by his
experiences at war and the love that
kept him alive.
Jack studied medicine at the University
of Adelaide from 1910 to 1914. Following
his graduation in 1915 he spent a short
time working in the Royal Adelaide
Hospital before applying for a commission
to join the Australian Army Medical Corps.
He was headed for his first posting at a
hospital in Cairo when the boat was diverted
to Gallipoli. However, he never made it
that far after suffering an inflamed gall
bladder which required surgery in London.
Following his recovery Jack rejoined the
troops for training in the Middle East and
in July 1916 he arrived at Fromelles to
be part of the first major battle fought by
Australian troops on the Western Front.
The conflict resulted in the 5th Australian
Division suffering 5,533 casualties.
In the following years Jack worked
behind the frontlines, tending to the dying
and wounded amid the carnage of battle.
Then romance blossomed. Jack was
on his way to the Somme when he was
billeted at the family chateau of 16-year-
I have been hearing
about the story of my
great-grandparents my
whole life and it means a
lot to our family that
someone writes it.
old Andrée Raquet. By the end of the
week he had pledged his love for the
young French girl and promised to return
when the war was over.
Fortunately, Jack survived and made it
back to Andrée and they were married in
France in 1921.
“Grand-mère didn’t talk to us about
when she met Grand-père, but it was
always obvious that they were madly in
love,” said Eleanor.
After the wedding Jack and Andrée
travelled to England where Jack undertook
specialist training in gynaecology and
obstetrics. Following the birth of their son
Roland – Eleanor’s father – Jack brought
his family home to Australia.
“Things were so different for Grandmère in Australia and it was hard for her at
the start, but she stayed in touch with her
family and in the 1950s she, Grand-père
and my father went back to France to
visit,” Eleanor said.
Jack died in 1975 following a prolonged
battle with Parkinson’s disease and his
beloved Andrée passed away in 1993
aged 93.
But the family’s long connection with the
University still continues today.
Eleanor’s father Roland followed in his
father’s footsteps, studying medicine
at Adelaide before becoming a medical
officer in prisoner-of-war camps in post-war
Japan. He later became a gynaecologist.
In 2010 Roland died, aged 86.
Eleanor started at Adelaide as a medical
student before transferring to a Bachelor
of Arts degree.
Following her graduation in 1985
Eleanor went to Switzerland where she
worked as an au pair before joining the
United Nations in Geneva.
Eleanor’s brother John also studied
medicine at the University, graduating in
1978. He first worked in primary health
care and is now the Director of the Ageing
and Life Course Programme for the World
Health Organization in Geneva.
Eleanor returned to the University to
study a PhD in Creative Writing in 2013,
a decision spurred on by her desire to
write a story inspired by Jack and Andrée
before it was too late.
“I started researching their story and
realised the University would be a fantastic
environment in which to work on such a
project,” said Eleanor. Her supervisors are
Professor Brian Castro and Dr Phil Butterss.
Eleanor hopes to complete her PhD
in 2016. Her research has been aided
by a field trip to France where she spent
time in the family village and at various
locations where her grandfather travelled
during the war.
“It has been a wonderful experience
learning about my grandparents,”
says Eleanor.
Eleanor’s daughter Katharine is now
also at the University studying her second
year of a Bachelor of Arts majoring in
Creative Writing.
“I love the fact that my mother is here
studying with me,” said Katharine. “I have
been hearing about the story of my greatgrandparents my whole life and it means a
lot to our family that someone writes it.”
Above: Katharine and Eleanor Ahern
(photo by Michael Mullan)
Left: engagement photo of Jack Beard
and Andrée Raquet, 1921
|e University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 7
