Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ballarat & District in the Great War
 
‘…Far away from all who loved him,
Far away from mother dear;
In a soldier’s grave he’s sleeping,
Somewhere in France, our brother dear.
No mother was there to soothe his brow,
No brothers to say goodbye;
No sisters to take him by the hand,
When death was drawing nigh…’

Jonathan Stephens was born in Ballarat on 28 November 1890. He was the youngest son of Cornishman, Thomas William Stephens, and his Scottish wife, Annie Mitchell Thom. It was most probably in deference to his Scottish ancestry, that the small boy quickly became known by the pet-name of Jock.

When Jock was only five years-old, he was to suffer a major loss with the death of his father. Thomas Stephens succumbed to an ‘attack of miner’s complaint’ (miner’s phthisis – a form of silicosis) on 12 March 1896. He had been sick for three years, but prior to his illness he had been very active in the Town and City Mission; he was a very popular man.

Annie Stephens was resourceful enough that she was able to maintain her family of twelve, and the home in Magpie Street, Mount Pleasant. She worked hard as a laundress, but was well supported by her older sons, who worked in the nearby New Normanby Mine.
By this time, young Jock had begun his education at the Mount Pleasant State School – and was a scholar at the Golden Point Methodist Sunday School. But it was to be sport that would be Jock’s first love.

After leaving school, Jock joined his older brothers at the New Normanby Mine. It wasn’t long before he was making his name on the football field. Playing in the right forward pocket for the Ballarat Football Club, Jock proved to be a handy goal sneak and often figured in the team’s best players.

Jock was also heavily involved in the sport of coursing. Certainly, blood sports are not acceptable to modern sensibilities, but it was very popular around the time of the Great War. People took great pride in breeding quality greyhounds, and coursing events were held weekly all over the country. Jock became well known in local coursing circles.

Serving with local militia was also important to young men of this era. Jock received training with the 7th Australian Infantry Regiment, a unit that was particularly well known in Ballarat for its rifle club. It was good preparation for the coming war.

As news poured in from the Dardanelles, men and boys from around Australia answered the call for fresh recruits with alacrity. The intensive recruitment campaign of June-July 1915 achieved rapid results. It was during this time that Jock Stephens decided it was time to “do his bit.” He enlisted at the Ballarat Recruiting Depot on 12 July.

Local doctor, Francis B. Crawford, conducted Jock’s medical examination on 20 July. He was certainly physically fit and an ideal recruit. He was measured at just 5-foot 5-inches, but he weighed a muscular 156-pounds, and could expand his chest to 36½-inches. His dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair were duly recorded before the paperwork was stamped and Jock was pronounced fit for active service.

On 23 July, Jock joined the 65th Company at the Seymour Camp. He then spent time in camp at Bendigo, before joining the 6th reinforcements to the 21st Infantry Battalion at Broadmeadows on 17 September. With just ten weeks training under his belt, Jock embarked from Melbourne on 5 October, onboard the troopship Moldavia. Ultimately, he would arrive in the war zone too late to be involved in the Gallipoli Campaign, but soon became aware of the cost as the evacuated troops began to arrive back in Egypt.

Despite being posted to the 21st Battalion, Jock was eventually allotted to the 7th Infantry Battalion at Serapeum on 24 February 1916.

The battalion moved out of camp on 25 March, and was loaded into open-air cattle trucks for the train journey to Alexandria to begin the journey to France. When the train pulled up alongside the troopship Megantic at 4:55am the next day, the men were ‘not at all sorry to see the vessel’ as they had a ‘fairly rough ride in the trucks.’ Embarkation began just an hour later.

The voyage was a relatively comfortable one for all involved – even the men were berthed in cabins! The five-day trip consisted of the usual drill, and submarine watch. They arrived safely at Marseilles on 31 March.

The 7th Battalion arrived at La Boiselle on the Somme on 22 July – three days later the moved into what was left of the village of Pozieres. ‘No houses other than the smallest particles of same were left…as whole area was a mass of broken clods, trees and masonry.’ The unstable state of the ground made it impossible for the men to dig trenches, so they were forced to take shelter in shell holes. The enemy artillery kept up an incessant and terrifying bombardment. Men were constantly being buried by shell blasts and needed to be dug out before they suffocated.

This was Jock Stephens’ first experience of full-scale trench warfare. And his last. During the course of the 25 July, the young footballer from Ballarat was killed. In all likelihood, he was one of the many buried by exploding shells.

Twenty-five men of the 7th Battalion were killed on 25 July 1916 – including six other men from Ballarat and district. There was very little information as to what happened to these men – some were killed during a German counter-attack, whilst others were sniped or killed by shell blasts.

Jock’s family was informed of his death on Wednesday 23 Aug 1916. But years were to pass with no news of his body being recovered. His mother, who had been reliant on his financial support, was granted a pension of 40-shillings a fortnight. She eventually received his meagre personal effects – a razor strop, his Testament, postcards, two handkerchiefs and a belt. But there was no solace in knowing her youngest son had received a decent burial.

The Stephens family continued to work on behalf of the various comforts’ funds for the soldiers. His sisters and nieces worked particularly hard. His brother-in-law, William T. Dunstan, husband of his eldest sister, Sarah Ann, organised a successful fair at Pearce’s Park in aid of ‘the boys in the trenches’ and the Red Cross.
Annie Stephens eventually died at Geelong on 8 April 1928 – she was remembered as a beloved wife, the mother of thirteen children, forty-two grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren.

In October 1928, Base Records attempted to contact Annie with the news that Jock’s body had been found in the vicinity of Pozieres, and that his remains had been exhumed and reburied at the Serre Road Cemetery No2. Two identity discs had been found with the body. These were ultimately set to his mother, but it was all too late. These very special mementoes remained unclaimed and were placed in his file at the National Archives of Australia.

Sadly, of the six Ballarat and district men who disappeared in battle alongside Jock Stephens that day, only Jock and Clarence Gerald Parkinson were ever recovered. The remaining five were never found.

To show how very important his family was to him, Jock had drawn up a very specific Last Will and Testament. In the document he left his gold watch and gold mounted guard to his nephew John Courtney Harry. The remainder of his property was left to his mother – if she predeceased him ‘her portion’ was to be left to his sisters, Annie and Maggie, ‘if they are still unmarried’ – if one married the other sister was to inherit everything. If both Annie and Maggie married the estate was to be divided equally between his brothers and sisters.

He remained treasured in memory by his family, who saw it very simply:
‘He gave his all for his country.’

Jonathan Stephens was born on 28th November 1890 to Thomas Stephens and Annie Mitchell (Thom) Stephens.  His father died when he was six years old, leaving his mother with 11 children.  I remember my grandmother, his sister, saying that he came to visit her, to say "Goodbye" as she was due to give birth.   His photo was always on her mantlepiece.

A gentleman who played a role in running the Loyal Orange Lodge in Ballarat was apparently instrumental in getting Jonanthan's few personal effects, including his service medals, and an allowance (perhaps his pay) sent to  his mother.  I understand this did not happen until about 1923.   This was seven years after Jonathan was killed.  His grieving mother died a few years later.