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Lee, Alfred John Edward (1895 - 1965)

Gallery

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    Alfred John Edward Lee, by Hodkinson, Stanley W., High St, Maryborough, courtesy of C. Lee (private hands).
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    Wedding photograph of Violet Ah Gee (nee Lee Wah) with husband and descendants of James and Mary Victoria Lee Wah, c. 1915, courtesy of C. Lee (private hands).
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Born
31 January 1895
Sandhurst, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Died
30 November 1965
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
plumber, gas fitter, lead light artesian and farmer
Alternative Names
  • Le Wah, Alfred John Edward (also used)
  • Lee Wah, Alfred John Edward (also used)

Details

Alfred John Edward Lee was the youngest of James and Mary Lee Wah's seven children. As a child he lived in Bendigo and Maryborough. He told stories of being in the Bendigo Chinese processions where he was the 'tail in the dragon'. He was a fine athlete and competed in swimming and boxing competitions in the Bendigo and Maryborough districts.

He was a volunteer in World War I where was awarded the highest award given to non-commissioned officers for his service in the 58th Battalion of the Australian Army - the Military Medal. The inscription on the award reads: 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during operations N.E. of Bellicourt [France?] between 29th September - 1st October 1918'.

After the war he lived in England for some years. He trained as a plumber, gas fitter and lead light artisan. Returning to Australia in the early 1920s he became one of the WWI soldier settlers in the Sunraysia (Mildura) district where he developed two fruit blocks of grapes and citrus. His mother Mary Victoria spent her last years with him in Redcliffs until her death in 1928.

Sources used to compile this entry: Lee, Chris, 'Unfolding the silence: James Lee Wah (1832-1909) Chinese goldfields miner and Anglican missionary', in Sophie Couchman (ed.), Secrets, Silences and Sources: Five Chinese-Australian Family Histories (La Trobe Asian Studies Papers), Asian Studies, La Trobe University, 2005, pp. 17-30.

Prepared by: Chris Lee, independent researcher

Published Resources

Book Sections

  • Lee, Chris, 'Unfolding the silence: James Lee Wah (1832-1909) Chinese goldfields miner and Anglican missionary', in Sophie Couchman (ed.), Secrets, Silences and Sources: Five Chinese-Australian Family Histories (La Trobe Asian Studies Papers), Asian Studies, La Trobe University, 2005, pp. 17-30. Details

Images

Title
Alfred John Edward Lee
Type
Photograph
Place
Australia - Victoria - Maryborough
Details
Title
Wedding photograph of Violet Ah Gee (nee Lee Wah) with husband and descendants of James and Mary Victoria Lee Wah
Type
Photograph
Date
c. 1915
Place
Australia - Victoria - Maryborough?
Details

Created: 11 December 2003, Last modified: 26 September 2005