S5085
KEMP, John Henry
| Service Number: | 4544 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 October 1916, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mount Brown, South Australia, June 1872 |
| Home Town: | Mile End, City of West Torrens, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | 14 November 1933, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Holy Trinity Church WW1 Honour Board 2 |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4544, 32nd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 4544, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 4544, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Adelaide | |
| 24 Aug 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 4544, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Discharged as overage |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide High School
John Henry Kemp was born in a small town in the Flinders Ranges, named Mount Brown, in approximately June 1872. John was a 5’7’’ man who weighed 76 kilos, with grey hair and hazel eyes; his skin tone is described to be a light yellowish brown tone. He worked as miner after being previously rejected by the military for having varicose veins. John was a single man with no children. One of his only close relatives was his sister, Elizabeth.
John Henry Kemp enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force on October 23rd, 1916. Although his birthdate was unknown, official documentation tells that John was between 44 and 47 years of age, making him one of the older soldiers enlisted in the war. John was enlisted as a private and embarked from Adelaide aboard the Berrima on December 16, along with others joining the 32nd Battalion. The 32nd Battalion was created in 1915 and was an all-volunteer force for war service, majorly consisting of South Australians and Western Australians. John was disembarked in Devonport, England exactly two months later as part of the 12th reinforcement for the 32nd Battalion.
On the 21st of March 1917, John left training in Hurdcott, and marched into the Number 2 Command Depot, in Weymouth on the same day. Soldiers who were injured and presumed to be unfit for war in six months were sent to this facility. John Henry Kemp was 1 of 120 000 ANZAC soldiers who passed through Weymouth during the first World War. Throughout their time at Weymouth, recovered soldiers continued training.
In April 1917, highly ranked officers began to notice the effect John’s age and varicose veins were having on his training. On the 23rd of May, John Henry Kemp, aboard the Ayrshire, was sent back to Australia after 96 days of service. He disembarked in Melbourne on July 17th and was then sent back to Adelaide. In Adelaide he was deemed medically unfit, again due to his varicose veins as well as his age and was discharged from the Army, at a presumed age of 45. Because of this, John Henry Kemp never made it to the battle fields.
John Henry Kemp was awarded with a British War Medal to recognise his commitment to representing his country. John passed away on the 14th of November in 1933, his cause of death is unknown as well as the location of his burial.
Sources:
Adfa.edu.au. (2016). Details. [online] Available at: https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=162169 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2020].
recordsearch.naa.gov.au. (n.d.). RecordSearch | National Archives of Australia. [online] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=7367261&isAv=N.
Wikipedia. (2020). 32nd Battalion (Australia). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32nd_Battalion_(Australia).
World War One: Weymouth invasion by injured Anzacs. (2014). BBC News. [online] 2 Jun. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-27324286 [Accessed 3 Dec. 2020].