MCNAMARA, John
| Service Number: | Depot |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 December 1914, Traralgon, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Sydney, NSW, 1867 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Butcher |
| Memorials: | Gilgandra Coo-ee March Gallery |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, Depot, Traralgon, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, Depot, Gilgandra, NSW |
Boer War Service
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
|---|
Help us honour John McNamara's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Daryl Jones
The first time John McNamara tried to enlist was in Traralgon, Victoria in December 1914. He gave his age as 47 and passed the medical, but this enlistment didn’t proceed. He joined at Gilgandra on October 9, 1915 and he marched off to Sydney with the Coo-ee March. He was attached to the 13th Battalion and trained at Liverpool. In January 1916 he was absent without leave for seven days, fined 40/- and forfeited pay. But he went “AWOL” again in February and was discharged on March 12, 1916 as “his services are no longer required”.
John Meredith describes John as “The Grizzled Old Veteran” in his book, “The Coo-ee March”. He was in the NSW Artillery in the 1880s when he went to Soudan, Africa and was awarded the Soudan Medal and Clasp and the Khedive’s Bronze Star in the Matabele campaign. In South Africa he gained the Queen’s Medal and Four Clasps, the King’s Medal and Two Clasps and the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He joined the Transvaal Mounted Police and fought in the Cape Colony Rebellion, and then worked on the Cape to Cairo Railway. When enlisting at Gilgandra he was asked about his previous service, so he simply emptied his bag of medals onto the table.