CAIN, John
| Service Number: | 3707 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | McDonnell, South Australia, January 1893 |
| Home Town: | Port MacDonnell, Grant, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Baker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 28 September 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Railway Dugouts Burial Ground (Transport Farm) |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3707, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3707, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 2 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3707, 10th Infantry Battalion, RMS Malwa, Adelaide |
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"THE LATE PRIVATE J. CAIN.
Private J. Cain, who was killed in action in France on September 28, enlisted at Port McDonnell in September, 1915, and had gone safely through thrree battles. He was a member of the Port McDonnell football and cricket clubs, and had on several occasions successfully competed in the ring with the gloves. He was a general favorite with all. and the deepest sympathy is expressed for his parents. In a letter written shortly before his death, he said—
"Writing letters from this part is not so easy as it is over there. It is all right for some that have never heard the sound of a gun, but when you are buried for a few hours and have to be dug out with shovels, you don't feel much like writing letters. My hands are pretty shaky yet, and also my back, but with a few days' spell it will soon be all right again. When you read of the Australians' death in France you can imagine me well in the thickest of it. I can tell you, too much praise can not be given to the boys. They fight side by side as game as any soldier in the world. I never thought they would be such heroes. I never expected to be going as long as this. I have been in three battles since I came to France, and am still going, and hope to come back again, but not until this fight is won. When your own mates fall it makes you all the more fit to fight to the end. It is not before time that that cold-footed lot got kicked out of the place, they are not fit to be called Australians nor those who threaten such things as I have heard. They all ought to be interned." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 11 Nov 1916 (nla.gov.au)
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