Edward James Busbridge (abt. 1892 - 1967)

Biography

Edward James Busbridge was born in about May 1892 at or about Essendon in the Colony of Victoria, in what would later become Australia. He was registered as James Edward Busbridge, but he used the name Ted. Ted Busbridge was the son of William Ethebert Busbridge (1861-1937) and Margaret Jane Busbridge (1870-1895), née Smith.

He was the younger brother of noted Australian Rules Footballers Bill Busbridge and Norm Busbridge. Who both played at the top level in the Victorian Football League (VFL), with the Essendon Club. And Ted himself played football for the Williamstown Club, in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).

During World War I, Edward James Busbridge enlisted on the 17th of July 1915 at the age of 23 years and 1 month. Which would make his birth date somewhere in June 1892, not May as listed in some records. He was listed as an Electrician by trade and was initially assigned to the 14th Infantry Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force. His unnit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A40 Ceramic on 23 November 1915. Eventually he was taken on strength with the 46th Infantry Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force in France.

Sergeant Edward James Busbridge while stationed in England was slated to play for the Third Australian Divisional team in the famous "Pioneer Exhibition Game" of Australian Rules football, held in London, in October 1916. However, he was not selected in the final 18 and would have watched the game from the sidelines. Note a news film was taken at the match and can be seen on YouTube.

E. J. "Ted" Busbridge was wounded in action in France on the 11th of April 1917, and he was captured and spent the remainder of the war as a Prisoner of War in Germany.

Ted Busbridge married Isabel Amelia Watson in 1919 on return from Europe. But unfortunately Isabel passed away in December 1937 at the age of 46, and they had at least one daughter, who was known as Nell.

Ted Busbridge passed away in about May 1967, at the age of 74 years, at or about Heidelberg in Victoria Australia. And was laid to rest in the Springvale Botanical Cemetery, in Springvale, Victoria (not the Fawkner Memorial Park in Fawkner, Victoria, Australia. as listed on Find a Grave)

Sources

• Victorian Births, Deaths & Marriages. BIRTH: BUSBRIDGE, Jas Edwd - event: Birth - mother: Margt Jane SMITH - father: Wm Ethelbert - place of birth: ESDON - registration year: 1892 - registration no. 22752/1892. first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2023 from the Victorian Family History Search searchable database at: https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history

• Victorian Births, Deaths & Marriages. MARRIAGE: BUSBRIDGE, Jas Edw - event: Marriage - spouse: WATSON, Isabel Amelia - registration year: 1919 - registration no. 5617/1919. first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2023 from the Victorian Family History Search searchable database at: https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history

• Victorian Births, Deaths & Marriages. DEATH: BUSBRIDGE, Edward James - event: Death - mother: Margaret Jane SMITH - father: BUSBRIDGE, William Ethelbert - place of birth: Essendon - place of death: Heidelberg - spouse at death: <Unknown Family Name> - age at death: 74 - registration year: 1967 - registration no. 10497/1967. first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2023 from the Victorian Family History Search searchable database at: https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history

• NAA: B2455, BUSBRIDGE E J his World War I Attestation papers. from the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA. first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2023.

• Private Edward James Busbridge his First World War Embarkation Roll from the AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2023.

• Sergeant Edward James Busbridge his Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files from the AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2023.

• Sergeant Edward James Busbridge his First World War Nominal Roll from the AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2023

• BillionGraves.com record for E J Busbridge (12 May 1967), Billion Graves Record Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne, City of Greater Dandenong, Victoria, Australia, Oceania. first accessed online on the 2nd of January, 2022 at: https://billiongraves.com/grave/E-J-Busbridge/9548429

• 1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. first accessed online on the 28th of June, 2022 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1916_Pioneer_Exhibition_Game

• Edward James Busbridge (Virtual War Memorial Australia, https://vwma.org.au : accessed 7 Mar 2024)

• Edward James Busbridge (The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/ : accessed 7 Mar 2024)

Further Reading

• FOOTBALL NOTES from the Footscray Chronicle (Vic. : 1914 - 1918) of Saturday 21 July 1917, Page 3. first accessed on TROVE on the 2nd of January, 2023 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/154140974?searchTerm=%22Ted%20Busbridge%22

• FOOTBALL NOTES. from the Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. : 1856 - 1954) of Saturday 29 March 1919, Page 3. first accessed on TROVE on the 2nd of January, 2023 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69682497?searchTerm=%22Ted%20Busbridge%22

• (his wife's death) from Family Notices in The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) of Saturday 4 December 1937, Page 11. first accessed on TROVE on the 2nd of January, 2023 at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205550130

• Find a Grave, database and images accessed 02 January 2023, memorial page for Edward J Busbridge (unknown–15 May 1967), Find a Grave Memorial ID Find A Grave: Memorial #212250212, citing Fawkner Memorial Park, Fawkner, Moreland City, Victoria, Australia; Maintained by ! woowoo (contributor 49949980). (This appears incorrect and no gravestone photograph exists as yet of this memorial)