CHALMERS, John
| Service Number: | 3039 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 October 1915, Brisbane, Qld. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Wellington, New Zealand, 11 March 1894 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Engine Driver |
| Died: | Natural Causes, At home, Bondi Junction, New South Wales, Australia, 29 March 1982, aged 88 years |
| Cemetery: |
Privately Cremated Ashes Scattered at Bondi Beach |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3039, 25th Infantry Battalion, Brisbane, Qld. | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3039, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Itonus embarkation_ship_number: A50 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3039, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Itonus, Brisbane | |
| 3 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3039, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of John and Louise Chalmers, Gayndah, Queensland
Married Jessie Alice nee COURTENAY in Warham, Dorset, England 30 July 1917.
Jack Chalmers was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and came to Australia in 1906. He worked as an engine driver before enlisting in the AIF in October 1915, joining the 47th Battalion in Egypt. In February 1917, he had to be evacuated to Britain with trench foot. Chalmers re-joined his battalion in 1917 and continued to serve on the Western Front until the end of the war.
He returned to Australia in July 1917 and joined the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. On 4 February 1922 he witnessed a shark attack a swimmer at Coogee Beach. Disregarding the danger, and dazed from a fall on the rocks, Chalmers swam out to the swimmer and brought him back to shore, though the swimmer died of his injuries soon after. For his bravery Chalmers was awarded the Albert Medal. In 1972 he attended a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth conferred the George Cross upon him as a replacement for the Albert Medal.
He retained his affiliation with the Surf Life Saving Association for the rest of his life, later being presented with their twenty-five and fifty-year service awards. During his life, Chalmers was employed as an ironworker, and later a rigger, at the Balmain shipyards. Aged 88, Chalmers died at his home in Bondi Junction on 29 March 1982; his ashes were scattered on Bondi Beach.
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