Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Richard BOON (Service Number 584) was born on 9 September 1879 at Balmain. He first commenced work for the NSW Railways in February 1910 at Eveleigh as a Lifters’ Assistant. By 1913 his job description was ‘Assembler’. On 29 August 1914, virtually immediately on the outbreak of war, he joined the ‘A. I. Expeditionary Forces’ and embarked from Sydney on 18 October 1914 on HMAT ‘Afric’. Although he was relatively old, Boon was not married. The last entry on his railway record card is ‘missing at the Dardanelles’ though later the ‘missing’ has been crossed out and ‘killed in action’ substituted.
Boon served with the 1st Battalion and is known to have landed at Gallipoli on Anzac Day but was never seen again. While there are several reports from fellow soldiers of him being wounded in a too rapid advance on 25 April, and having to be left as they retreated, the official date of his death is 2 May 1915, though this may be a clerical entry derived from a Court of Enquiry in the month after the evacuation from Anzac, at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt.
Lance Corporal W.M. Watson testified: -
‘After the first day of the landing Boon was never seen again. The Battalion advanced too far and on being compelled to retire had to leave the dead and wounded. Informant believes that Boon is dead as, being a friend, he made all possible enquiries.’
Since his fate is unknown and his body never recovered or buried his name is included on the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli.
His railway record card has the entry: -
‘His mother has been overpaid £23.17.9. Not to be regarded as an overpayment 3/3/16.’ Perhaps she was paid for some time, while her son was missing, though he in fact was dead, but the authorities chose not to pursue the matter.
(NAA B2455-3098668)