COLLESS, John William
| Service Number: | 1179 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mendooran, New South Wales, Australia , 20 February 1893 |
| Home Town: | Mudgee, Mid-Western Regional, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Block Porter - Railway |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 4 October 1917, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium XV D 4 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gulgong and Mudgee District Roll of Honor, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Mudgee District Fallen Soldiers Memorial, Mudgee Methodist Church Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 1179, 3rd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 1179, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
John William COLLESS, (Service Number 1179) was born on 20 February 1893 at Mundoran. He began working for the NSW Railways as a gatekeeper in the Eskbank District on 25 February 1913. By August 1914 he had become a junior porter and, on his 21st birthday, an adult porter. He continued to receive increments in his pay until 1918, although he had been released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces on 22 August 1914. At the time of his enlistment he was unmarried and gave his father as next of kin.
On 4 October 1916 he was wounded in action. Five months later, in March 1918, it was ruled by a Court of Enquiry that he had been killed in action. Eyewitness accounts describe him being hit in the stomach with a bullet and evacuated by stretcher bearers to a dressing station. He is buried in a known grave at Hooge Crater Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium.
Submitted 5 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
John William COLLESS, (Service Number 1179) was born on 20th February 1893 at Mundoran. He began working for the NSW Railways as a gatekeeper in the Eskbank District (Lithgow) on 25th February 1913. By August 1914 he had become a junior porter and, on his 21st birthday, became an adult porter. He was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces on 22nd August 1914. At the time of his enlistment he was unmarried and gave his father as next of kin.
He left Australia from Sydney on board HMAT ‘Euripides’ on 20th October 1914. On 5th April 1915 he left Alexandria (Egypt) on ‘Derfflinger’ to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. He was part of the landing force at Gallipoli. At some stage in April 1915 he was wounded with a gunshot to his lumbar region. He was evacuated to the Hospital Ship ‘Galeka’ and then to Alexandria and England. He was appointed to the staff at Epsom Hospital in September 1915.
In May 1916 he was admitted to hospital with appendicitis. He then spent some time at No. 1 Command Depot before being deemed fit enough to rejoin the 3rd Battalion. He went to France from Southampton in June 1917. He was again admitted to hospital, this time with Gonorrhoea, on 10th July. He was released after ten days. On 4th October he was wounded in action, but this was changed to wounded and missing. Five months later, in March 1918, it was ruled by a Court of Enquiry that he had been killed in action. Eyewitness accounts describe him being hit in the stomach with a bullet and evacuated by stretcher bearers to a dressing station His buried in a known grave at Hooge Crater Cemetery, Passchendaele,. Flanders, Belgium.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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