John Richard BOON

BOON, John Richard

Service Number: 584
Enlisted: 31 August 1914, Enlisted at Kensington, NSW
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 1st Infantry Battalion
Born: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1879
Home Town: Enmore, Inner West Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling: Darling Road Superior Public School, Balmain, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Labourer
Died: Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 2 May 1915
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
No known grave Panel 13, Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing
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World War 1 Service

31 Aug 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 584, Enlisted at Kensington, NSW
18 Oct 1914: Involvement Private, 584, 1st Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: ''
18 Oct 1914: Embarked Private, 584, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Sydney

Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board

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)

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Biography contributed by Carol Foster

Son of Thomas and Emily Frances Boon of 'Grafton', Anglo Road, Campsie, NSW formerly of 63 London Street, Enmore, NSW. Brother of Thomas Boon of Lands Office, Grafton, NSW, Jessie Constance Boon and Elizabeth Ellen Boon

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal