JOHNSON, John Alexander
| Service Number: | 6040 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Geelong, Victoria, Australia, March 1898 |
| Home Town: | Highton, Greater Geelong, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Influenza - related to war service, Brighton Emergency Hospital, Australia, 29 May 1919 |
| Cemetery: |
Brighton General Cemetery, Victoria Presb. N. 5. |
| Memorials: | Highton Honor Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6040, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 14th Infantry Battalion, 3/5/1917 - reverted back to Pte at own request. | |
| 1 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 6040, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 6040, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Melbourne | |
| 18 Jul 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 6040, 14th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
Pte John Alexander Johnson
by How we served
6040 Private John Alexander Johnson of Highton via Geelong, Victoria had been employed as a farm labourer when he enlisted for War Service on the 20th of March 1916. Jack as he was known within his family was underage when he joined up, raising his age by 18 months so he would be accepted for duty with the 1st AIF. Allocated to reinforcements for the 14th Battalion, 1st AIF, Jack embarked for England and further training on the 1st of August 1916 and was sent to France for training at the Bull Ring at Etaples, ariving on the 5th of December. The following month, Jack joined his Unit in the field and served in the trenches until April 1917, when his Battalion was just about to be committed to the First Battle of Bullecourt. Jack's health broke down and he was evacuated back to England suffering from debility. It was whilst convalescing that Jack met up with his two older brothers, Charles & Bill, who following their reunion wrote direct to the Department of the Army requesting that their younger brother be sent back to Australia owing to his beng underage. Jack was shipped back to Australia as an invalid, arriving back on the 21st of December 1917.
Jack's health further deteriorated, and he was moved from the 5th Australian General Hospital (Melbourne) to the 16th Australian General Hospital's Sanitorium. There was no improvement in Jack's case and after being sent to the Brighton Emergency Hospital, he died of influenza on the 29th of May 1919. His death was deemed to be caused by stress on Active Service owing to being underage. Jack was buried at Brighton General Cemetery, and by 1922 his grave had still not been granted a CWGC headstone. This was first petitioned for by Jack's mother, and then decades later by his older brothers. In 2013, Jack's nephew, Bill Johnson who had served in the SWPA with the 2nd AIF approached Admin with the request could his uncle's grave be marked by an official headstone. Bill was terminally ill when he made contact, and it was with great pleasure Admin was able to verify Bill that his uncle's grave would be availed a headstone vide OAWG following a renewed application on behalf of his family, reflecting that Jack's resting place was a soldier's grave. Bill passed away two weeks after he was advised that his uncle's grave was to be finnally officially commemorated.
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