Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early life

Sylvester Johnson was born in Brisbane on 3 December 1871, the son of English immigrants Charles Johnson (1830-1884) and Mary Conder Hunt (1833-1911). Brisbane in 1871 was small, with a population of around 13,000 people. However, it was a growing city. It was the colony of Queensland's capital, which had been separated from New South Wales in 1859. At the time, Brisbane was a hub for commerce, transportation, and administration and was surrounded by rural areas devoted to farming and grazing. The city had limited infrastructure and public services but rapidly developed as the population and economy grew. When Sylvester was 12, his father Charles died. Life must have been hard for Sylvester's mother, Ada. She had already lost three sons in infancy. Now, she had lost her husband. On 20 December 1898, he married Ada Mary Hawkins (1872-1945). They lived in Bald Hills, Queensland. On 22 April 1900, the couple welcomed their first child, Sylvia Mary Johnson (1900-1972) and their second, Alice May Johnson (1901-1960) a year later. In 1903, the electoral roll recorded them as living at 595 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. At this time, he listed his occupation as an Insurance Agent. On 23 November 1904, the couple's first son was born, Eric Charles Johnson (1904-1958), and by this time, the couple had moved to their house in Bald Hills. The couple had more children in the following years: Florence Isabel Johnson, born on 22 June 1907; William Herbert Jack Johnson (1910-1985); and Marjorie Enid Johnson, born on 28 December 1912.

Enlistment

He enlisted in the A.I.F. on 3 November 1916. He was considerably older than the average enlisted man. Initially, he was to be part of the 8th Reinforcements for the 47th Battalion, which, at the time, served in France. However, possibly because of his age, he was instead sent to reinforce the garrison at Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, where he arrived on 8 January 1917. Rabaul, located on the island of New Britain, was a small town in 1916. It had been a German colonial settlement and a significant port for the colonial administration in the Pacific. After the outbreak of war in 1914, the Australian military occupied Rabaul and established a military administration in the town.

Rabaul

Johnson embarked from Brisbane on 16 December 1916 and arrived in Rabaul on 8 January 1917, joining A Company of the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force. He would spend the next eight months in Rabaul before being granted a furlough and returning to Brisbane on 25 August 1917. After a one-month stay on 2 October, Sylvester reembarked on the Burns Philp ship S.S. Marsina to return to Rabaul. On 30 July, he returned to duty from the Director of Supplies and was ordered to Kokopo. After Rabaul, Kokopo had the largest garrison, consisting of three officers, one of whom was a medical officer, three N.C.O.s, 59 other men and approximately 30 native police. The structures were well-built, comfortably furnished, and thoroughly equipped for administrative purposes. The centre of the station was the focal point. They were also fully outfitted with all the necessary amenities for administrative purposes. The bungalow, which was used as the district officer's official headquarters, was the station's central hub.

Moreover, there were distinct homes for the district and medical officers at the larger stations, a shared office and living quarters for the police master, separate hospitals for Europeans and locals, and barracks for the native police force. However, Sylvester never made it there as he was ordered to hospital and eventually struck off the Kokopo garrison strength a month later on 30 August 1918. On 20 November 1918, he boarded SS Melusia and returned to Australia. He arrived in Sydney on 6 December 1918 and, being found medically unfit, was discharged on 7 January 1919.

Trouble had always had a way of finding Sylvester Johnson. A newspaper article titled "Alleged Arson" from Brisbane's The Telegraph on 31 March 1914 alleges that he was involved in the arson of the house owned by his wife, Ada Mary Johnson, in Bald Hills, Queensland. When the police constable arrived at the property, he found Sylvester lying on a bed at the back of the house and asked him, "Hello Jack, what is the matter?" Sylvester replied, "Not much – only family troubles, which don't concern you." Sylvester was remanded in custody and ultimately released on bail and a surety. Had there been trouble with his wife? The Truth, on page 2 on Sunday, 12 April 1914, provided a far more detailed version of events, complete with pencil drawings of Sylvester and Ada from the subsequent court trial. Sylvester and Ada had been arguing about money. Sylvester had been out of work for six months and was living off Ada. After some words, Ada left the house to see her sister, and Sylvester lit a fire on the kitchen floor and then went around to Ada's sister's house and told her to come and see the bonfire.

The facts, as stated in the article, suggest that Sylvester was attempting to burn his wife's house down, and although he knew that this would ensure he was sent to jail, he preferred it "to the hell I am living." When asked whether he wanted counsel to defend him, Sylvester stated that he intended to plead guilty, "I did it all right. My domestic life has not been too happy. The house belongs to my wife. Some evil took possession of me. When I saw the firewood at the house, I got some of it, set fire to the house and gloried in seeing it burn." Ada appeared as a witness and felt she must tell the truth. After Sylvester was escorted from the court, she "sobbed bitterly." However, despite all this, their seventh child, Harold Conder Johnson (1915-1960), was born thirteen months later on 11 May 1915. They must have reconciled. When he enlisted in 1916, he assigned 3 shillings/ day of his pay to Ada. This amount was half his pay. The Electoral Roll of 1943 had them both still living in Bald Hills; Sylvester was a salesman, whilst Ada was occupied with home duties. They remained married for 47 years until Ada died in 1945.

The arson incident was not Sylvester's only legal trouble.

During his time in the Army, when he was employed in care and distribution of the Government Stores in Rabaul, he was charged with stealing 24 cans of meat and ninety pounds of trade tobacco valued at 17 pounds 18 shillings. This amount was equivalent to about two months' pay for an Australian soldier.

Sylvester Johnson died on 28 June 1957, aged 85, in Redcliffe, Brisbane.

For his service in Rabaul, and as a member of the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force, his British War Medal has A.N. &. M.E.F. around the rim.