Brothers in Service: The King Family of Hornsby

As the Hornsby community gathers this Remembrance Day to honour those who served, we spotlight local soldiers Raymond Arthur King and Clarence Stanley King.

Raymond (born 1886) and Clarence (born 1896) were the sons of Joseph King and Jane Elizabeth McDonagh. The King family settled in Clarke Road, Hornsby. When the war began in 1914, the King brothers felt the call to serve.

Raymond was the first to sign up, enlisting at Liverpool, NSW on 10 March 1915. He was posted to the 20th Battalion, part of the 5th Brigade, and sailed from Sydney on 26 June 1915.

He found himself at Gallipoli, a part of the built up of forces in an attempt to break out of the beach head. By September, his battalion was holding dangerous positions at Russell’s Top, Pope’s Hill, and Quinn’s Post.

In late October, Raymond was severely wounded by shrapnel, suffering injuries to his eye, thigh, hands, and foot. After months of treatment in Egypt and England, his injuries were considered severe and Raymond was repatriated to Australia and discharged from the Army in September 1916.

Despite his wounds, Raymond returned to Hornsby determined to rebuild his life. In 1917, he married Alice Maud Carpenter, and together they opened a newsagency on Coronation Street, Hornsby.

Raymond remained active in the local community. Around 1920, he became Treasurer of the newly formed Hornsby RSL sub-Branch.

The Kings welcomed a son, Clarence William King, in 1919. Alice passed away in 1923, and Raymond died suddenly on 24 April 1924, aged just 38. Though the cause of death is unknown, it is likely that his wartime injuries never truly healed.

Following in his brother’s footsteps, Clarence Stanley King enlisted in mid-1915. He may have seen brief service at Gallipoli before transferring to the 53rd Battalion, and later to the 14th Field Artillery Brigade on the Western Front.

In July 1916, Clarence was injured in an accident and sent to England to recover, but by February 1917, he was back in France, serving in the artillery.

On 31 July 1917, near Ypres, Belgium, during the opening stages of the Battle of Passchendaele, Clarence was killed by a German shell while bringing ammunition to the front line. He was 21 years old. His name is recorded among the fallen on the Menin Gate Memorial, alongside thousands who have no known grave.

Within seven years, Jane King lost her youngest son Clarence (1917), her husband Joseph (1919), and her eldest son Raymond (1924).

It is believed that Jane also helped raise her grandson, Clarence William King, ensuring that her family’s legacy continued in Hornsby.

Lest We Forget.