John Charles Norman BISCOMBE

Badge Number: S8486, Sub Branch: Jamestown
S8486

BISCOMBE, John Charles Norman

Service Number: 1941
Enlisted: 25 July 1942, Queenscliff, VIC
Last Rank: Sapper
Last Unit: 9th Light Horse Regiment
Born: Woodville, SA, 6 June 1898
Home Town: Port Adelaide, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia
Schooling: Port Adelaide Public School, Le Fevre's Peninsula High School
Occupation: Draughtsman
Died: 7 July 1977, aged 79 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Barrabool Hills Cemetery, Victoria
Memorials:
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World War 1 Service

10 Feb 1916: Embarked Private, 1941, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Warilda, Adelaide
10 Feb 1916: Involvement Private, 1941, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: ''
11 Nov 1918: Involvement Sapper, 1941

World War 2 Service

25 Jul 1942: Enlisted Queenscliff, VIC

Help us honour John Charles Norman Biscombe's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts

Son of Arthur John BISCOMBE and Rose Agnes nee HUTCHINS

Served in WWII

Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College

John Charles Norman was born on the 6th of June 1898 in Woodville in South Australia. He lived with his mother, Rose Agnes nee Hutchins and his father, Arthur John Biscombe. John went to school at the Port Adelaide Public School and the Le Fevre’s Peninsula High School. The occupation that he had before he enlisted was being a seaman. When John enlisted, he was single and had no children.

At the age of 18 John enlisted 13th September 1915 in Adelaide. He was assigned to the  9th Light Horse Regiment (LHR) in the 14th Reinforcement as a Sapper. John was training in Morphettville, Australia until he embarked on HMAT Warilda 10th February 1916.

 On the 1st of April 1916, John was taken on strength with the 14th Field Artillery Brigade at Ferry Post on the Suez Canal in Egypt. On the 20th of June 1916, John embarked at Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) in Marseilles, France. He was sent to school of instruction 20th February 1917.

 On the 26th of May 1917, John proceeded on leave. After 14 days of leave, on the 9th of June 1917, John rejoined his unit, although he didn’t stay long. After just 4 days back in battle, John was transferred to the 5th Australian Division Company

Throughout the next 8 months, John moved through the western front. He was positioned at Rubempré on the 17th of June 1917 to the 30th of June to provide support and communications. Rubempré is a small village, located in Northern France and helped support the Allied Forces. The unit then marched to places like Blaringhem on the 1st of August to the 17th of September, Steenvoorde on the 17th of September, Reningelst in the west Flanders of Belgium on the 18th of September, Hooge Crater in Ypres Salient in Belgium on the 22nd of September and a few other places making sure to help and support with communications.

 On the 20th of February 1918, John proceeded on leave in the United Kingdom. He rejoined his unit on the 11th of March 1918. The first place he was positioned was in Ypres, Belgium and his unit was there to support an infantry brigade, moved all around Belgium. The signal companies carried maps of the communication routes, and they had to make sure that these were not found by the enemy.

 After his two months in the field, John contracted an infection called Epididymitis. On the 25th of May 1918, he was admitted to the 5th Field Ambulance, which provided casualty evacuation and lifesaving surgery support and was transferred to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. After 3 days with the casualty clearing station, he was transferred to the 39th British General Hospital in Le Havre. He stayed there for about a month before being discharged to the base depot on the 26th of June 1918. On the 6th of July 1918, he rejoined the unit, his illness cured. He then spent the 5 months back in the 5th Australian Division Signals Company in France, providing the necessary communications for raids 

John travelled back to the United Kingdom for the second time on leave, on the 28th of November 1918 and returned back to his unit on the 15th of December.

He proceeded to the UK on the 9th of April 1919 and left on the 22nd of May. Finally, John disembarked in Australia on the 16th of July and was discharged from the AIF 2 months later on the 22nd of September.

 

John Charles Norman Biscombe also enlisted in World War II. John Charles Norman Biscombe passed away at the age 79 on the 7th of July 1977.

 

Bibliography

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·      corporateName =Department of Veterans’ Affairs; address=21 Genge St, C.C. (2020b). Australian Army Medical Corps in World War I | Anzac Portal. [online] anzacportal.dva.gov.au. Available at: https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/australian-imperial-force/army-medical-corps [Accessed 11 Mar. 2025].

·      Imperial War Museums (2018). From Civilian To First World War Soldier In 8 Steps. [online] Imperial War Museums. Available at: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/from-civilian-to-first-world-war-soldier-in-8-steps [Accessed 13 Mar. 2025].

·      Anon (2025a). Marseilles. [online] Wwitoday.com. Available at: https://wwitoday.com/wwiScLocationDetail.php?id=130 [Accessed 13 Mar. 2025].

·      corporateName =Department of Veterans’ Affairs; address=21 Genge St, C.C. (2023). Australian Light Horse in World War I | Anzac Portal. [online] anzacportal.dva.gov.au. Available at: https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/australian-imperial-force/australian-light-horse [Accessed 16 Mar. 2025].

·      Anon (2025a). John Charles Norman BISCOMBE. [online] Vwma.org.au. Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/162586 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2025].

·      Department of Veterans' Affairs (2021). Training Australian army recruits during World War I | Anzac Portal. [online] anzacportal.dva.gov.au. Available at: https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/training [Accessed 17 Mar. 2025].

·      Back, G.I. and Thompson, G.R. (2019). Military communication - World War II and after | Britannica. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/military-communication/World-War-II-and-after [Accessed 1 Apr. 2025].

·      Adfa.edu.au. (2024). Details. [online] Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=23353 [Accessed 10 Apr. 2025].

 

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