Cecil James Reynolds1

M, #6553, b. 2 April 1915
FatherAlbert George Reynolds1 d. 7 Nov 1960
MotherMary Louisa Carney1 b. 5 Jun 1887, d. 7 Feb 1967
Relationship2nd cousin 1 time removed of Keith Graham Bassett
Last Edited4 Jul 2021
Name Variation Reginald Gordon Reardon2 
Birth*2 April 1915 Johnson Street, Forbes, NSW, Australia;
Name: Cecil James Reynolds
Sex of Child: Male
Date of Birth: 2 April 1915
Place of Birth: Johnson Street, Forbes

Father: Albert George Reynolds
Occupation: Baker
Birthplace: Forbes, N.S.W.
Age: 30

Date of Marriage: 16th September1908
Place of Marriage: Forbes, N.S.W.

Mother: Mary Louisa Carney
Birthplace: Forbes, N.S.W.
Age: 24

Previous Issue: One male deceased

Informant: Albert Reynolds, father, Johnson Street, Forbes
1 
Marriage*17 June 1933 Coonamble, NSW, Australia;Bride=Blanche M Y Oldfield3 
News-Arct*5 September 1947 Brisbane, QLD, Australia;
Woman, Never Wed,Secures Declaration Of Nullity
A woman who was never legally married asked in the Supreme Court lo-day for a declaration that a marriage celebrated between her and a man should be declared null and void.
She was Daphne Morvada Smyth, falsely called Daphne Morvada Reardon, of Herries Street, Toowoomba, who claimed to be the bigamous wife of Reginald Gordon Reardon, otherwise known as Cecil James Reynolds, although he had been acquitted by a jury on a charge of bigamy.
Chief Justice Macrossan found that on September 10, 1938, at Toowoomba. the ceremony of marriage was celebrated between Miss Smyth and Reardon. and that on June 17, 1933, at Coonamble (N.S.W.) Reardon, then known as Cecil James Reynolds, was married to Blanche Muriel Reynolds.
His Honour found that when Reardon went through the form of marriage in 1938 his lawful wife was still alive.
He granted Miss Smyth judgment nisi for a declaration of nullity of the marriage which was, in fact, celebrated between her and Reardon.
Peter Moddey, sheriff's bailiff, of Toowoomba, gave evidence that on May 30, 1947. Reardon appeared in the Toowoomba Circuit Court on a charge of bigamy and was acquitted.
Miss Smyth gave evidence that on the same date at the Circuit Court she gave evidence that the man in the dock was the man she had married on September 10, 1938. In court at the same time was Blanche Muriel Reynolds.
Suspicious Over Name
About 1940 she told her "husband" she was becoming suspicious about the number of times the name Reynolds was cropping up, said Miss Smyth. He said his name was Reardon, but the family had changed it to Reynolds at one stage because mail was going astray: but she did not believe this.
Miss Smyth said she obtained Reardon's birth certificate and later she told him that she had been informed he had been married before.
At first he denied it, but later he broke down, cried, and said it was true, she said. She immediately left him.
Miss Smyth was awarded the custody of an adopted child.
Reardon was ordered to pay costs.
The action was undefended.
Mr. J. D. McGill (instructed by Messrs. Frederick B. Hemming and Hall as town agents for Messrs. Wonderley and Hall of Toowoomba) appeared for Miss Smyth.
2 

Family

Blanche M Y Oldfield

Citations

  1. [S9] Birth Certificate, Cecil James Reynolds 1915.
  2. [S1565] Trove digitised newspapers, online http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/, The Telegraph, Friday, September 5, 1947.
  3. [S1481] NSW Marriage Indexes, 8946/1933 Cecil J Reynolds & Blanche M Y Oldfield.