Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Rupert Jackson was the eldest, and the first of the three Jackson brothers to enlist. Rupert reported that he had been born on 23rd January 1888 at Mount Gravatt. When he enlisted on 3rd July 1915, he was 27 years old and gave his address as “Ronaldens” Bank Street, West End.

The embarkation roll lists Rupert’s occupation as clerk, but his attestation papers indicate that he was an accountant with qualifications from London. The same document records that he had three years experience with the Royal Engineers (Territorials) in England, attaining the rank of Company Sergeant Major. It is therefore highly probable that Rupert was living in England for at least three years gaining accountancy qualifications before returning to Australia.

Upon enlistment, Rupert was drafted into a depot battalion with the rank of sergeant (no doubt on the strength of his previous military experience). On 20th September 1915, Rupert attended the school of instruction for officers and on 9th December 1915 was granted a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 15th Battalion. Rupert embarked on the “Commonwealth” in Brisbane in March 1916 and travelled via Suez and Marseilles to join his battalion in France on 21st July 1916.

August 1916 saw extremely heavy fighting by the 15th Battalion, in the third phase of the Battle of Pozieres. Rupert remained with the unit as they rotated in and out of the line on the Somme. On 24th October, Rupert was promoted to Lieutenant (probably in order to make up the losses at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm) and proceeded to Officers Training in England.

Rupert remained in England until August 1917 when he was posted back to the 15th. By the summer of 1917, the British offensive had moved north from the Somme to Flanders. After the opening barrage at Messines in June, the offensive proceeded east along the Menin Road towards the Passchendaele Ridge. During this action on 26th September, Rupert received a gunshot wound to the left buttock. Curiously, when Rupert’s name appeared in the casualty lists in the Brisbane Courier, he was described as being from Murwillumbah.

Rupert was transported by hospital ship to England and admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital on 5th October. In January of 1918, he was discharged to a convalescent depot at Sutton Veney where he spent almost 8 months. Rupert rejoined his battalion on 17th August 1918 but he was obviously not fully recovered as a Medical Board of Enquiry was held in France into his condition. The Board recommended Rupert be classified as B2 for three months, that is unfit for overseas service and he was placed on the supernumerary list of officers. He went back to England and remained there until embarking for Australia on the “Port Napier” on 12th May 1919. Rupert was discharged from the Army on 20th September 1919.

Rupert applied for repatriation benefits in 1930 but there is no indication of his date of death. All three Jackson brothers are commemorated on the Cenotaph at Avalon, NSW.