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Ernest Henry (Ern) Yardley (1869–1932)

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Ernest Henry (Ern) Yardley (1869-1932) barber, tobacconist and trade union official 

Birth: 1869 at Taradale, Victoria, son of William Yardley (1788-1851), a police officer born in Bloomsbury, Middlesex, England, and Clara Matilda, née Ford (1845-1908), born in Holborn, London. Marriage: 1895 in Melbourne, Victoria, to Alice Wood (c.1869-1940). Death: 1 January 1932 at Wonthaggi, Victoria. Religion: Catholic. 

  • Worked as a barber on the Victorian coalfields. His barber's shops at Outtrim, then Korumburra, and later Wonthaggi, were focal points for revival of Victorian Coal Miners' Association (VCMA) after failure of 1903-1904 strike. He ensured that every customer was "introduced" to the union.
  • He was VCMA treasurer from 1907 (and perhaps earlier) to 1914.
  • Later had a hairdressing and tobacconist business at Wonthaggi.
  • Cause of death: “chronic nephritis with chronic kidney heart with acute heart failure”

Sources
Edgar Ross, A history of the Miners' Federation of Australia ([Sydney], 1970); P. D. Gardner, Too old to rat: the radical miners of South Gippsland 1893-1904 (Ensay, Victoria, 1994).

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Citation details

'Yardley, Ernest Henry (Ern) (1869–1932)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/yardley-ernest-henry-ern-33673/text42137, accessed 11 September 2024.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Birth

1869
Taradale, Victoria, Australia

Death

1 January, 1932 (aged ~ 63)
Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia

Cause of Death

kidney disease

Cultural Heritage

Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.

Occupation
Key Organisations