DENNIS, Richard Lawrence (1888-1972)Richard Lawrence Dennis was born at Uondo, Warncoort, Victoria on the 27 November 1888, the son of Richard Vinicombe Dennis and Ada Caroline nee Lawrence. He was enrolled as a boarder at Geelong College in 1904 and his address was given as Tarndwarncoort, Warncoort. At College he gained the following class awards:
1904, 1st, Euclid, 3rd Form.
1904, 2nd, Writing, Middle 4th Form.
1906, 1st, English, 5th Form B.
1906, 2nd, Geography, 5th Form B.
He followed pastoral pursuits at Tarrndwarncoort, and was in the family partnership purchasing Pircarra Estate, Darlington, Victoria in 1913. He sailed for England in January 1916, and volunteered for service in the Royal Garrison Artillery, British Expeditionary Forces. He took a course at Officers’ Training School, Exeter, and was drafted to heavy artillery as a 2nd Lieutenant. He then served in Egypt and the Palestine campaign under General Allenby, where he was invalided first to England, and then to Australia.
In 1930, he married Isabel Lewis ‘Daisy’ Kininmonth, of Mount Hesse, Winchelsea who was a sister of James Carstairs Kininmonth.
Richard Dennis died at Lorne, Victoria on 6 February 1972 aged 83.
Two brothers, Alexander William Dennis (1887-1969), and
John Vernon Dennis (1891-1970) wer also educated at College.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. p.171 (citing Alexander Henderson, Early Pioneer Families of Victoria and Riverina (1936); Pegasus).