Ayoub Stanton, 1896-1952, "World War One Autograph Book: Violet Alsopp Photograph, Postcards," ; , 1916; privately held by .

• Title	Ayoub Stanton, 1896-1952, "World War One Autograph Book: Violet Alsopp Photograph, Postcards," ; , 1916; privately held by .
  Short Title	Stanton Ayoub World War One Autograph Book, Violet Alsopp Photograph, Postcards, 1916
  Source ID	S2852
  Text	Reference Code :1001384 Physical Description :0.10 metres of textual material (1 outsize box) - manuscript Violet Jane Alsopp (1896 – 1988) was born in Nowra, NSW and worked as a personal maid to Mrs. Grace, the wife of one of the founders of Grace Brothers. Around 1915, Violet became engaged to Stanton (‘Stan’) Ayoub (1896 – 1952) a horse driver from Coonamble, NSW and the son of Nayef Ayoub, a Syrian who migrated to Australia as a refugee from Palestine. In June 1915, aged 19, Stan Ayoub enlisted in the 1st Light Horse Regiment, and by November wrote to his mother he had been wounded in the eye and was told he may be sent home. In May 1916 he rescued a drowning comrade from the Suez Canal and was described by the Gundagai Independent & Pastoral Advocate (6 Nov 1916) as ‘A Syrian Hero’, and the story, along with a photograph of him in uniform, was printed in the Sydney Mail (30 Aug 1916). Stan sent the book to his fiancé Violet sometime after 20 August 1917. However, by the time she received the gift, Violet had fallen pregnant to Albert E. Page (b. 1889), a boxer who was said to have left the sport after killing a man in the ring. Violet married Albert that same year (1917) and ran a fruit shop in Petersham for several years. By 1923 Violet and Albert were living in a house on Randwick Racecourse where Albert worked for the Australian Jockey Club. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Violet worked for wealthy householders living near the racecourse, and cannily invested in rental properties. In the late 1950’s, Violet and her daughter ran a sandwich shop and grocery in Mascot. Stanton ‘Digger’ Ayoub was mentioned in Army dispatches for gallantry and initiative in action near Merris on 11 July 1918. He returned to Australia on 20 December 1918 and was married twice. His only son, Bruce Stanton Ayoub was killed in 1943 in New Guinea, one of nine members of the Ayoub family to serve in World War II. The business in Coonamble founded by Nayef Ayoub was still being run by members of the Ayoub family in the 1970’s. Reference: Library Correspondence File Australian Births, Deaths and Marriages https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au [accessed 23/08/2016] Contents 1 autograph book, bound, containing notes from various people met by Stanton Ayoub throughout 1917. Many entries are written as poems or short ditties, and are signed and dated by the writer. Some entries are in Arabic and Spanish, and some contain illustrations. 1 silver-gelatin wedding portrait of two unidentified people. The groom is likely to be Stanton Ayoub, however, as he married twice, it is not clear who the bride is. She is holding a small bouquet and both are in their wedding attire. 3 postcards of correspondence from Stanton Ayoub to Violet Jane Alsopp. One is sent from Belgium in 1916, where Stanton has taken the time to fill the back of the postcard. The remaining two cards contain only the address of the section completed.