KUNERT, John
| Service Number: | 3658 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 October 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Belleville, USA, 13 December 1890 |
| Home Town: | South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Driver |
| Died: | Geebung, Queensland, Australia, 26 October 1953, aged 62 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Oct 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3658, 3rd Pioneer Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Nov 1917: | Involvement Private, 3658, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Nov 1917: | Embarked Private, 3658, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne | |
| 10 Sep 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3658, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, 3rd MD, family reunion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Private John William Kunert (Service No. 3658), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
John William Kunert was born on 13 December 1890 in Belleville, USA, the son of William Kunert and Albertina Seifert. By adulthood he had travelled to Australia, where he worked as a driver. At the time of his enlistment his mother was living in Detroit, Michigan, and his father’s whereabouts were stated as unknown, suggesting that John had migrated independently and established himself in Victoria before the First World War.
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Melbourne in September 1917, and embarked on HMAT Nestor in November 1917, arriving in Suez in December. Soon after, he fell ill and was evacuated from the transport Kasher in January 1918, suffering from debility and hallux valgus (bunions). He spent January–February 1918 in hospitals and convalescent depots at Port Said, which prevented him from joining his unit.
Returned to duty on 2 March 1918, he was sent to Alexandria Rest Camp and embarked for England on 6 March, arriving at Southampton on 23 March. He was posted to Sutton Veny but, due to ongoing foot problems, was transferred in May 1918 to No. 2 Command Depot, Weymouth, for soldiers deemed medically unfit. He was repatriated to Australia in June 1918 and discharged later that month.
His enlistment papers record his wife as Caroline Kunert; a Victorian death registration for “Carol Kunert” appears in 1918. On 24 September 1919 he married Millicent Lydia Higgins in Albert Park, Melbourne. They had two sons: William John (b. 1924) and Robert Allan (b. 1926). Kunert was naturalised on 14 June 1928. By 1931 the family lived at Fitzroy North, and remained in the area into the mid-1930s, as confirmed by electoral rolls.
John William Kunert later moved to Queensland, where he died on 26 October 1953 in Geebung, Brisbane, at the age of 62. He was buried two days later in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity has now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
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