An investigation led by the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society has helped identify the author of a handwritten journal documenting life in WA between 1911 and 1913.
The journal outlines the adventures of a young British electrical engineer, now known to be Gordon Howard Tilly, giving an invaluable glimpse into Australia’s mining and engineering heritage before World War I.
The journal first came to light in the village of Leintwardine, Herefordshire, England, where members of the local history society were entrusted with a manuscript written by an Englishman who had worked in Kalgoorlie and later Adelaide.
Although the journal contained detailed descriptions of his journey and life in Australia, the author’s identity had been lost.
The diary begins with Tilly’s departure from Tilbury aboard the Malwa in April 1911.
Travelling via Gibraltar, Marseilles, Port Said, the Suez Canal, Aden and Colombo, he recorded keen observations of the people, engineering works and cultures he encountered before arriving in Fremantle and travelling to Perth and Kalgoorlie.
As an electrical engineer, Tilly soonfound employment through Mr Moss at the Kalgoorlie Recovery Works before moving to the Ivanhoe mine.
His journal records daily life in the Goldfields, including assaying, smelting, electrical systems, power stations, laboratory work, and the rapidly developing mining industry.
Alongside the technical detail are humorous and thoughtful reflections on friendships, boarding houses, budgeting, photography, cycling, violin playing, and studying at the Kalgoorlie School of Mines.
The journal provides a detailed firsthand account of life in WA immediately before World War I and has been of considerable interest to historians of engineering, mining, migration and everyday Australian life.
EGHS executive officer Rosie Stroud said the journal was a remarkable discovery and identifying the author made it even more so.
“The discovery has transformed an anonymous manuscript into the personal story of a young engineer whose observations preserve an extraordinary record of Western Australia’s mining industry and everyday life,” she said.
“The journal stands as an important contribution to both British and Australian history, connecting two communities more than 11,000km apart through one remarkable life story.”
Timeline of Discovery
October 8, 2025: Vivienne Simkins, writing on behalf of the Leintwardine History Society in the United Kingdom, contacted the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society seeking assistance in identifying the anonymous diarist. She explained that the journal had been dedicated to a friend involved in the early development of London Transport and described the author’s work in Kalgoorlie and Adelaide between 1911 and 1913.
April 15, 2026: The original journal arrived in Kalgoorlie-Boulder for further research and investigation. The EGHS appealed for a volunteer to transcribe the manuscript. Shirley Cook, from Northam, undertook the painstaking work to transcribe the journal.
June 22, 2026: During the transcription, Ms Cook identified a possible clue. Comparing the diary with the passenger list of Malwa, she noted that only one 22-year-old electrical engineer from London matched the description — Gordon Howard Tilly.
June 23, 2026: Ms Simkins confirmed that the identification fitted with several clues found in the diary, including the author’s apparent nickname, “Til” and his recorded birthday of January 24. Subsequent genealogical research confirmed the match.
Ms Cook said she thoroughly enjoyed being part of the research project.
“To think that over 100 years ago a young man from England travelled by train through Northam, to and from Kalgoorlie, and his diary has come back and been transcribed here,” she said.
“He would have no idea how interesting his everyday life would be so long after.”
The transcribed journal can be viewed at the EGHS between 8.30am and 2.30pm Monday to Friday, or 10am to noon on Saturdays.
Gordon Howard Tilly:
• Born 24 January 1889
• Student electrical engineer living at 5 Heathfield Terrace, Chiswick, London
• Son of Herbert Tilly, principal issue officer at the Bank of England, and Fanny Tilly
• Educated at St Paul’s School, London
• Travelled to Australia aboard Malwa in 1911
• Worked in the Kalgoorlie goldfields before later moving to Adelaide
• Returned to Britain via New York in September 1916
• Served in the Royal Air Force during World War I
• Married Lilian May Ayres in Surrey in 1939
• Lived at Radnor Villa, Leintwardine
• Died at Hereford Hospital on 10 October 1956, aged 67
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