Claudius Stephen Bonnefont

Claudius Stephen Bonnefont was born 4 January 1894 in the district of Bouches-du-Rhone in Marseilles, France. The son of Antoine Francoise Louis Bonnefont, he went by his middle name of Stephen.

Stephen arrived in Fremantle on 21 February 1908 aboard the Oriento and during the eight years he lived in WA he worked on several farms throughout the State. 

He applied twice for enlistment in the AIF but was said to have been rejected both times as for short-sightedness. Disappointed at being rejected, on 29 February 1916 he boarded the SS El Kantara bound for Marseilles via Colombo. In France he enlisted in the French Army, in which he served foro three and a half years as a driver and motor mechanic.

Whilst in France Stephen married Charlotte Rosalie Montmorency and after the war, was desperate to return to WA with her. He wrote to the Sunday Times on 18 May 1919 explaining he was now stranded in France and hoped a farmer or pastoral reader would assist him by paying their fares to Australia. His letter finished “Not withstanding that I am of French birth, I am a real good Australian by heart, and my home in the future shall be Australia.”

His initiative may have been successful as the passenger list for the Indarra, which arrived in Fremantle on 5 June 1920, notes his address in Australia is to be C/- J B Ding of Brookton.

On 24 June 1920, while at the Ding property, Stephen placed an advertisement in the 'Situations Wanted' section of The West Australian, listing his skills and requesting a position on a farm. He gained employment in the Brookton area working for Baker Bros, Brookton, and Mr Dhu(e) of Kweda via Brookton.

In 1921 he began his application for naturalization, his application giving his description as 5’7”, dark brown hair, and brown eyes which needed glasses. Ill health soon plagued him, resulting in a longer processing of his application. The Beverley Times of 26 August 1922 noted he had been recently discharged from the Beverley Hospital, and in three letters from Perth Public Hospital (now RPH) in August 1923, he explained in shaky handwriting that due to his serious illness he had had difficulty arranging for a magistrate to sign his Oath of Allegiance. 

He was finally granted citizenship in late 1923, the same year the birth of his son, Claude G Bonnefont, was registered in the Beverley district. Sadly, Stephen’s own death was registered in the Perth district the following year. He died on 9 October 1924, aged 31. He is buried in the Roman Catholic section of Karrakatta Cemetery which has since been renewed and is now the Infants'  Butterfly Garden. While Stephen Bonnefont's remains are still there, there is no visual evidence of his final resting place.

As researchers were unable to trace any descendants in WA, it’s believed his wife Charlotte, and infant son Claude, may have returned to France after his death.  

https://www.thesoldiersofbarrackstreet.com/stephen-claudius-bonnefont?rq=bonnefont