The Bailey Family 2

The family photographed after Herbert's return from the war. Herbert served with the engineers in France in some of the biggest battles of the closing stages of the war. He came through the fighting unscathed but was badly gassed when his unit was repairing a bridge after the war had ended and accidentally exploded a gas shell. By the time he returned to Australia the doctors gave him only six months to live. However, Herbert was determined to prove them wrong and believed that he would survive if only he could live in the clean air of the country. He bought a bush block in Lysterfield and set about clearing it by hand.