Introduction: A Family At War

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The Appleyard name can be found as early as 1115 with William De Apelgart.  William’s son, also named William, was a Knight in the court of King Stephen, and throughout the various rulers, the name continued to be linked with the Court of England.

Through the 100 year war, the War of the Roses, the civil war and the Jacobite revolution, the Appleyard’s have fought for their God, ruler, and country.  And, as we look at our more recent history, our ancestors have continued to leave their families, fighting in the Boer War, the Great War, and World War II.

This blog tells the stories of those that have fought under the name of Appleyard.  Stories of heroes, leading the charge in Gallipoli, writing letters home from a strange land and being laid to rest in foreign countries having made the ultimate sacrifice.  But it also tells the stories of their forefathers including one who died at the Battle of Flodden, the last battle where a King would fight with his men.

And at home, it tells the stories of their mothers, pleading with the Government to allow their one remaining son to stay home while five of his brothers fought on the Western Front.

What all of these Appleyard’s have in common is their link to Peter Appleyard.  A man, who at 25 was convicted and sentenced to hard labour in Australia for stealing four ducks. 

Peter is the beginning of the chapter for hundreds of Appleyard’s who call Australia home.  Appleyard’s who continued to fight for their country when called on.  

Image: Appleyard family crest

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