Ross Blyth JACOB

Badge Number: S10672, Sub Branch: State President 1932-35
S10672

JACOB, Ross Blyth

Service Number: Officer
Enlisted: 19 August 1914, Morphettville, South Australia
Last Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Last Unit: 10th Infantry Battalion
Born: Snowtown, South Australia, 5 July 1885
Home Town: Kadina, Copper Coast, South Australia
Schooling: Snowtown Public School, Norwood Public School and Professor Bill's Grammar School, Moonta
Occupation: Telegraphist
Died: Natural causes, Adelaide, South Australia, 29 May 1959, aged 73 years
Cemetery: Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia
RSL, Wall 119, Niche F013
Memorials: Kadina & District WW1 Roll of Honor, Kadina Town Hall WW1 & WW2 Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

19 Aug 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Captain, Morphettville, South Australia
20 Oct 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: ''

20 Oct 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, Captain, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide
25 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli
20 Oct 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli
23 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Major, 50th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières
4 Feb 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, 10th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line
8 Oct 1918: Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, 10th Infantry Battalion

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Biography

Ross Blyth Jacob was born in Snowtown on 5 July 1885, a son of William Edwards Jacob who had formerly been a mounted trooper in the SA Police, then later a landowner and proprietor of the Royal Exchange Hotel in Kadina.

Ross was one of six brothers, all of whom subsequently enlisted for service in the AIF although one did not embark for overseas service.

Ross embarked on a career with the Postmaster Generals Department as a postal assistant.  He was interested in things military and was commissioned as an officer in the South Australian Infantry Regiment on 27 July 1908.  Subsequently he was transferred to the 10th Battalion AIR on 9 August 1909 and was promoted Lieutenant on 25 March 1912.  When the Universal Training Scheme took effect he was transferred to Wakefield Company of the 81st Infantry.  He was also the area officer for Kadina.

By the time of the outbreak of War he was CO of the 82nd Barrier Infantry as a Captain.  He was resident at the time at Broken Hill and was one of the  first to enlist in the AIF, and with Lieutenants Hamilton and Byrne arrived in Adelaide at Morphettville Camp as it was being established.

He was enlisted  and appointed as a Captain commanding H Company comprised almost entirely of miners and men from Broken Hill.

He embarked with the rest of the Battalion aboard the HMAT Ascanius at Outer Harbour on 20 October 1914.

He landed at Gallipoli as OC Company after a re-organisation in Egypt.  He was wounded on the 28th April and evacuated to the UK, to the Whitworth Hospial in Manchester.  He returned to the Battalion at Gallipoli on 20 October and was promoted to the rank of temporary Major.

Reverting to Captain after the evacuation, he was appointed substantive major and transferred to the 50th Battalion which was created by splitting the 10th Battalion and seeding it with experienced officers and men.

He served with the 50th Battalion through 1916, including Pozieres Mouquet Farm, Belgium and Guedecourt.

He had a number of brothers who served :  309 Lt Gordon Hillier JACOB, 51st Bn (/explore/people/142763), returned to Australia, 5 April 1918; 2020 Pte Jack JACOB, Australian Army Service Corps, (/explore/people/68313) returned to Australia, 29 July 1915; 770 Lt Kenneth Grant JACOB, 12th Bn (/explore/people/253454), killed in action, 30 May 1918.i

Biographical information sourced from "The Fighting Tenth" by Cecil Lock.  Bio by Steve Larkins Dec 2014

 

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