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area from the time of the Boer War. He was 25 when the peace treaty was signed in 1902.
Elena Honeycomb was 19 that year. Obviously she could not have been Fred's daughter. But is
it just coincidence that she and sailor-turned-miner Fred both died at Boksburg within a period
of seven years? Was she Fred's girl and took his surname - though the death notice clerk spells
it without an 'e'?
Or was Fred the father of the Philip Donald Honeycomb, who died in Pretoria, aged 25, in July
1928?
This Philip was an unmarried plumber and must have been an illegitimate child, as his mother's
name is given in his death notice as Margaret Wighton. His father's name is unfortunately not
recorded, and he is merely said to have been 'Deceased'. Philip, although he lived at 229
Church St west in Pretoria, died in his mother's home at 431 Vermeulen St. She was present
when he died. The death notice also records beside 'Names of children of deceased' two names
- those of Violet Armour (nee Honeycomb) and Richard Honeycomb. As these two are unlikely
to have been Philip's children - he was unmarried, 25, and Violet was clearly old enough to
have married - she and Richard were probably his sister and brother and literally the children of
the other deceased man recorded on the notice, Philip's father. It seems that Margaret Wighton
may have had three illegitimate children - Philip, Violet and Richard.
We do not have the records of their births. But as Philip died aged 25 and 10 months in July
1928, we can deduce that he was born in September 1902. The notice also states that he was
born in Johannesburg, and that his nationality was British. Not Dutch, South African, or
Australian - British.
Is it possible that Philip (and his brother and sister) were the offspring of one of the Australian
brothers, Dick, Tom or Jack? And the British element was his mother?
The fact that Jack brought his wife and family to Johannesburg in 1902 seems to indicate he was
not afraid of any possible liaison with Margaret Wighton being found out. Therefore, none
existed. Tom, as we know, was a very sick man, and died in Melbourne in March 1901. As
Philip was born in September 1902, his father could not have been Tom. But wasn't Philip's
brother called RicharcP And wasn't our Richard Honeycombe (Dick) probably in South Africa
until 1902, though discharged from the Imperial Bearer Corps in August 1901? And wasn't
Philip conceived around Christmas or on the New Year's Eve of 1901?
181
It was not until I sat talking to an elderly lady in a Footscray front room a few years later, that
the truth struck me like a blow between the eyes. I was talking to Aunt Lil, then 88, and making
notes, but not doing very well. She was anxious, even agitated, crumpling a handkerchief in her
lap.
She had married a John Honeycombe - but which one? She was also a Honeycombe, a
daughter of the Dick who had gone to South Africa. Had she really married another
Honeycombe? A cousin? Which one? When did she get married? Answer-in 1921.
I leafed through the Australian family trees I had drawn. Which John?
I stared at her. There could only be one, and she was his second wife.
She had married her Uncle Jack! Jack, at the age of 60, had married his brother's daughter; she
was his niece.
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