Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

David was the son of Daniel William JOHNSON & Mary Jane HALES and was born on the 10th of April 1887 in Stone Hut, near Laura, SA.

His parents were married on the 28th of November 1883 in the Wesleyan Church, Laura, SA.

His father was the son of Daniel JOHNSON & Mary Ann DAVEY and was born on the 23rd of March 1861 in Coromandel Valley, SA.
His mother was the daughter of William HALES & Mary GRIBBLE and was born on the 28th of May 1865 in O’Halloran Hill, SA.

David was the third child born into the family of 8 children.

His father was a fruiterer and farmer and the family lived in Stone Hut, near Laura.

David was educated in the Laura Public School and then gained employment as a blacksmith.
In 1902 the family moved to Solomontown, Pt Pirie and in 1913 David joined the Wakefield Rifle Company.

At the age of 25, David enlisted into the AIF on the 7th of September 1914 in Morphettville and allotted the service number 568 and posted to the newly raised 12th Battalion, E Company, in Pontville Camp.

David entrained for Melbourne on the 21st of September and then embarked for Tasmania before embarking from Hobart on board HMAT Geelong on the 20th of October 1914 at 4pm, for Egypt.

His brother Frank enlisted into the AIF on the 30th of November 1914 and was posted to the 12th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements (1349) (he later received the Military Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal).

David and Frank served in the same Battalion at Gallipoli and then David was transferred to the 4th Division Ammunition Column in France.

His brother George enlisted into the AIF on the 8th of January 1916 and was posted to the 32nd Battalion, 5th Reinforcements (2639).

After serving more than 4 years overseas, David embarked from Taranto, Italy on the 8th of October on board SS Port Sydney and whilst on the voyage back to Australia the Armistice was signed.
He disembarked in Melbourne on the 2nd of December and then entrained to Adelaide.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 31st of January 1919.

David married Kathleen Ethel NICHOLSON on the 29th of July 1920 in the Baptist Manse, Adelaide, SA.
Kathleen was the daughter of William James NICHOLSON & Francis POLLARD and was born on the 20th of March 1902 in Green Plains West, SA.

They made their first home in Mitchell Street, Kadina where David gained employment as a blacksmith.

They welcomed Phillis Doreen into the family on the 2nd of August 1922, followed by Edna Jean on the 2nd of September 1923.

Sadly, Kathleen died on the 26th of May 1924 in Kadina and David buried her 2 days later in the Kadina Cemetery; Path 44, Plot 47.
After Kathleen’s death David moved back to Pt Pirie and later gained employment with the Harbors Board as a Watchman.

His father died on the 21st of October 1929 in Glenelg and after his death his mother moved back to Pt Pirie and lived with David and his 2 little girls at 9 Branford Street, Pt Pirie.

Phillis enlisted into the RAAF on the 9th of November 1942 and was allotted the service number 107338.
His mother died at their residence on the 16th of September 1946.

David died on the 30th of December 1948 at his residence; 9 Branford Street, Pt Pirie and was buried the following day in the Pt Pirie Cemetery; CP, Lot 301, Grave 9.

Military

At the age of 25, David enlisted into the AIF on the 7th of September 1914 in Morphettville and allotted the service number 568 and posted to the newly raised 12th Battalion, E Company, in Pontville Camp.
He listed his father, of Lily Street, Solomon Town, Pt Pirie, as his next of kin.

David entrained for Melbourne on the 21st of September and then embarked for Tasmania.

David then embarked from Hobart on board HMAT Geelong on the 20th of October 1914 at 4pm.
Six days later they anchored in King George Sound, Albany and then on the 1st of November they sailed with the fleet for Colombo.
They reached Colombo on the 15th of November where they anchored for 2 days before sailing on the 17th for Aden.
Aden was reached on the 25th and they anchored overnight and the following morning they sailed for Port Said.
Two days later they received orders that they were to complete their training in Cairo so they then reached Suez on the 1st of December and entered the Canal the following afternoon.

Port Said was reached at 12:30pm the following day and after 5 days in anchorage they sailed for Alexandria on the 8th of December and arrived at their berth at 2:30pm the following day.
They disembarked on the 10th of December and entrained to Mena Camp, near Cairo.

Christmas 1914 was spent here and then after a further few months of training they received orders on the 27th of February that they were to embark from Alexandria on the 1st of March for an unknown destination.
So on the 1st of March at 4am they embarked on board HMT Devanha and after 3 days at sea they arrived at Lemnos Island and anchored off Port Mudros.

Four days later they continued their landing operation training and landed horses and transport details ashore.
Then on the 7th of April they began to reload the horses and transport details and then on the 23rd they received their orders for the landing operation on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

At 2pm on the 24th of April they sailed from Mudros Harbour and arrived at their rendezvous off the Peninsula at 10pm. The 12th Battalion’s strength on HMT Devanha was 31 officers and 990 other ranks, with 28 officers & 873 other ranks to land.

Whilst loading from the Destroyers onto the boats they came under heavy shell fire from Gaba Tepe and on landing met heavy machine gun and rifle fire from the direction of Fisherman’s Hut.
They landed about 4:10am on the 25th of April at ANZAC Cove and David, with A Company, pushed forward to 1st Ridge and encountered the enemy and they charged them with bayonets.
They then pursued the Turks but found themselves well outnumbered and were forced to fall back to the defensive line.
By nightfall on the 25th the 12th Battalion’s casualties were; 30 killed, 303 wounded and 90 missing.

On the 2nd of May they were relieved by the 8th Battalion and returned to the beach firing line for a few days before going back into the trenches.
On the 6th of May his brother Frank joined him and the 12th Battalion from the 3rd Reinforcements.

Then on the 24th of May an Armistice was called from 8am until 4:30pm so both sides could bury their dead.

The 12th Battalion was heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line of the ANZAC position.
On the 3rd of August Frank became ill with Dysentery and was evacuated to the 16th Stationary Hospital in Mudros.

With the attack on Lone Pine on the 6th of August the 12th Battalion contributed two companies to the attack, including David. They were the only Battalion in the Brigade to do so.

Frank rejoined David and the 12th Battalion on the 19th of August.

On the 19th of September David became severely ill with Dysentery and was admitted into the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station.
The following day he was transferred to HS Guilford Castle, disembarked in Alexandria 5 days later and admitted into the 17th General Hospital in Alexandria.
After 2 weeks here he was discharged to the Convalescent Depot in Mustapha and then on the 25th of October David embarked for the ANZAC Advanced Base in Mudros, before rejoining his Battalion at Gallipoli on the 31st of October.

Then on the 25th of November they received orders to move to the beach via Shrapnel & Rest Gully for embarkation.
At 12:30am they began to embark on board El Kaliera, sailed at 6am on the 26th of November and arrived in Mudros Harbour at 12:30pm, disembarked and marched to Sarpi Camp.

On the 1st of December David was promoted to Corporal and on the same day the entire Brigade was placed into quarantine due to a Diphtheria outbreak.
They spent Christmas 1915 here and David was promoted to Sergeant before embarking for Alexandria on board HMT Lake Michigan on New Years Day 1916.
They sailed at 2:30am on the 4th of January, disembarked 2 days later and entrained to Tel-el-Kebir Camp.
They remained here until the 25th of January when they moved to Serapeum Camp and here they were reorganised into 2 wings, A & B, with David being allocated to A Wing.

Then on the 1st of March David & A Wing were transferred and formed the 52nd Battalion and entrained to Tel-el-Kebir for further training and David and Frank were now seperated.

On the 13th of March David was transferred to the newly formed 4th Division Artillery, 24th Field Artillery Howitzer Brigade, 11th Battery.
Then on the 6th of April they moved to Serapeum Camp and on the 18th of April David was transferred to the BAC (Brigade Ammunition Column) in Serapeum and then when the BAC was disbanded he was transferred to the 4th DAC (Division Ammunition Column), as a Farrier Sergeant on the 23rd of May.

Each Division had an Ammunition Column to keep ammunition up to the guns by moving it from "Third line" storage up to the Front ("First Line"). It was a mammoth task involving motor and horse drawn transport, heavy and light rail and tramways.
Ammunition dumps and transport near the Front Line were high priority targets of the enemy's guns and later, aircraft.

Horse drawn transport laden with ammunition was a doubly risky business. Horses are vulnerable to all forms of small arms and artillery and the cargo is such that a hit is generally catastrophic.
They then moved to Alexandria on the 5th of June and embarked the following day on board HMT Oriana, disembarked in Marseilles 8 days later and entrained to Le Havre.

David and his Column supported the 4th Division artillery units throughout the war, participating in the Battles of Pozieres from the 23rd of July until the 3rd of September 1916, including Mouquet Farm.
By the 31st of October they had moved to Vlamertinghe and David was granted 9 days leave to England.
Four days after he rejoined his Company they moved to Wippenhoek and then by the end of November they had moved to Montauban.

Christmas 1916 was spent at Montauban before moving to Buire in January 1917 in support of their Division.
All of February and March was spent at Bottom Wood, near Mametz, before they moved to Bapaume and then onto Favreuil and participated in the 1st Battle of Bullecourt on the 11th of April.

Their next major Battle was at Messines between the 7th & 10th of June before they moved to Nieppe.
In August they moved through Petit Mortier, Dranoutre, Kemmel and onto Neuve Eglise and then on the 31st of August David gained 2 weeks leave.
When he rejoined his Company on the 14th of September they were in Poperinghe and they were then involved in the Battle of Menin Road from the 20th – 25th of September and then the Battle of Polygon Wood from the 26th of September until the 3rd of October.

Nine days later they were at the 1st Battle of Passchendaele before moving onto Busseboom by the end of October.
By the end of November they had moved to Rieux and Christmas 1917 was spent in Flamicourt Camp before moving to Bapaume, Baileul and Locre in January.

They remained at Locre until the 25th of March when they moved to Houdain and were then involved in the 1st Battle of Arras 3 days later.
Their next Battle was at Ancre on the 5th of April and then Villers-Bretonneux on the 24th & 25th of April.
Then on the 25th of April David was detached to the 4th Infantry Brigade, who were in the woods near Allonville.

Later, in July, they took part in the fighting around Le Hamel and then remained in the front line until late September 1918.
On the 22nd of September 1918, whilst in the Tincourt area, David marched out of the Brigade for 1914 leave back to Australia.

He was entrained to Taranto, Italy and embarked on the 8th of October on board SS Port Sydney and whilst on the voyage back to Australia the Armistice was signed.
David disembarked in Melbourne on the 2nd of December and then entrained to Adelaide.

After serving more than 4 years overseas, David was discharged from the AIF on the 31st of January 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medal.