John Stafford CARDWELL

CARDWELL, John Stafford

Service Number: 2590
Enlisted: 3 June 1915
Last Rank: Sergeant
Last Unit: Australian Army Ordnance Corps
Born: Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, 1883
Home Town: Cairns, Cairns, Queensland
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Labourer
Died: Died of Illness, South Africa, 11 December 1918
Cemetery: Durban (Stellawood) Cemetery, South Africa
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

3 Jun 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2590, 9th Infantry Battalion
16 Aug 1915: Involvement Private, 2590, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: ''
16 Aug 1915: Embarked Private, 2590, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Brisbane
27 Feb 1916: Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 49th Infantry Battalion
13 Sep 1917: Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 49th Infantry Battalion
9 Nov 1917: Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 49th Infantry Battalion
12 Feb 1918: Transferred AIF WW1, Corporal, Australian Army Ordnance Corps
20 May 1918: Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, Australian Army Ordnance Corps

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Biography contributed by Anthony Vine

SERGEANT JOHN STAFFORD CARDWELL 2590 AIF

 

John Cardwell was born in Lancashire UK in 1883 and he served in the British Army for Seven Years, plus another five as a reservist.  He joined the AIF in Brisbane on the 3rd of June 1915, having travelled from Townsville. John gave his brother Edward, a Blackpool builder as his NOK, but later changed it to his father Nicholas.

He embarked for the Middle East on the 16th of August 1915 on HMAT A55 Kyarra. It was practice with reinforcement groups, that only officers generally held substantive rank, with all the other ranks being private soldiers. To assist the officers a dozen or so mature men would be granted acting rank for the voyage to provide a command-and-control structure in the detachment. John was promoted to Acting Corporal for the voyage, reverting to Private when he joined the 9th Battalion on the island of Mudros in mid-November 1915, the day the battalion was evacuated from Gallipoli.

In March 1916, many of the battalions which had served on Gallipoli were halved to assist in expanding the AIF. The 9th Battalion’s child was the 49th Battalion and in March 1916, John transferred to the 49th.  Despite his previous military experience, it would not be until September 1917 that he was promoted to Lance Corporal and then to Corporal in the November.

The 49th had an illustrious career and whilst John was serving in it, it fought in the Battles of Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, Messines, and the Third Battle of Ypres. Johns’ elevation from Private to Corporal over two days came at the conclusion of the Third Ypres, to replace Corporal Arthur Siddle who was killed in action on the 17th of October. Up until this point John was only granted one period of 21 days leave in the UK, in January 1917, presumably spent with family in Lancashire. He received a second leave over Christmas 1917, and on his return to France he was transferred to the Australian Army Ordinance Corps as an armourer. He was promoted to Armourer Sergeant in May 1918.

John was not a well man, in July 1918 he was hospitalised with Laryngitis, which was found to be caused by Tuberculosis. He was immediately evacuated to England and after treatment he embarked for Australia on HMAT D22 Runic for discharge.

On the passage to South Africa John’s condition deteriorated and on the 26th of October he was landed from the ship to Number Three South African General Hospital in Durban where he passed away late in the evening of the 11th of December. The following day John was laid to rest in the Stellawood Cemetery, Durban South Africa, with Reverend HV Fairburn of the Church of England officiating.

 

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