BOOKER, Arthur John
| Service Number: | 2574 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Townsville, Queensland, 19 February 1896 |
| Home Town: | Cairns, Cairns, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Bundaberg Central Boys School, Bundaberg South School |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 19 August 1956, aged 60 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Toowong (Brisbane General) Cemetery, Queensland |
| Memorials: | Bundaberg Christ Church Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 19 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2574, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 2574, 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, 2574, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Brisbane | |
| 20 May 1919: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 9th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Arthur John Booker's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by MARGARET COOPER SMITH
Arthur John Booker was born in Townsville, North Queensland on 19th February 1896, the second son and third child of Arthur Sidney Booker and his wife, Elizabeth Rose Hurley. They had three children; Mabel Rose Booker born on 25th November 1892 in Queensland, Herbert Edward Booker born in Port Douglas, North Queensland on 17th January 1894 and their youngest, Arthur John who was called John so as not to be confused with his father, Arthur.
Arthur Senior, worked in the Customs around North Queensland. However, in 1906 the family was settled in Bundaberg where John and Herbert attended the Bundaberg Central Boys School. The family attended Christ Church on Sundays.
Living back in Far North Queensland, Arthur’s wife, Elizabeth Rose died in Cairns on 18th December 1913 aged 43 years, leaving Arthur with the three children, now young adults; Mabel 21 years, Herbert 20 the following month and John 17 years, 10 months. Elizabeth was buried in the Cairns Cemetery.
After Elizabeth died Arthur married Evelyn Frances Greer twelve months later, on 1st Jan 1915. Evelyn, born in 1890 was 24 years old, just two years older than her step-daughter Mabel who was 22 years and 6 years older than the youngest, John who was 18 years old.
War had broken out so Herbert and John decided to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. Herbert enlisted on the 13th February 1915 aged 21 years in Cairns, a month after his father’s remarriage. John waited till after his 19th birthday and enlisted three months later on 19th May 1915 also in Cairns. John had previous Military Service in the Australian Navy as a Trainee for 6 months. In Civilan life, John was single, a clerk and his Religion was listed as Church of England.
John was assigned the Service Number 2574 as a Private with the AIF 9th Battalion, 8th Reinforcements. His father, Arthur Sidney Booker, Customs, Cairns was listed as his next-of-kin.
Private John Booker passed his medical tests with his physical attributes given as:
age: 19 yrs 2 mths
height: 5 feet 9 ¾ ins
weight: 147 pounds
complexion: brown
eyes: grey
hair: brown
Now promoted, Sergeant John Booker embarked on the HMAT A55 Kyarra on 16th August 1915 in Brisbane bound for service in Europe. What a differece three months made! Older brother Herbert enlisted 3 months before John and embarked four months later on 16th April 1915 on the same ship HMAT Kyarra bound for Egypt and then Gallipoli where he was killed on 8th August 1915, eight days before John left Australia. With this later enlistment and embarkation, John missed going to Gallipoli and enduring the atrosities there.
John saw action in France but was in and out of hospitals in France and England many times for various illnesses. On one occasion, on the 13th January 1916, Sergeant John Booker was admitted to hospital seriously ill with appendicitis. He was so ill that his father was informed of his condition and hospitalization. After surgery and recovering, John was eventually discharged nearly four weeks later on 9th February 1916.
John attended the Southern Command Signalling School, Weymouth, England in June/July 1917. He became an assistant instructor of Signals.
After the war, Sergeant John Booker returned to Australia on 20th May 1919. He received the three World War I medals for his service: the 1914/1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
John’s father, Arthur Sidney Booker died in 1928 in Brisbane, aged 61 years. He is buried in the Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane.
John married Pamela Pacey in Brisbane on 14th July 1922.
Arthur John Booker died on the 19th August 1956 in Brisbane, Queensland.
Sergeant Arthur John Booker is commemorated on the Bundaberg Christ Church Roll of Honour along with his elder brother, Herbert Edward Booker.
John's name is on Column D, line 45 while Herbert is five lines below in Column D, Line 50.
Bibliography:
AIF Project
War Records
QLD BDM
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