Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"MILLICENT MAN MISSING.

MILLICENT, July 1.- Mr. and Mrs. John Redford, of Mount McIntyre, were notified by the Defence Department on Tuesday that their son, Lce.-Cpl. J. R. ("Alan") Redford had been reported missing. Lce.-Cpl. Redford went from Sydney with the 1st Expeditionary Force, and was promoted in Egypt. He is a promising young soldier, and while in Egypt forwarded to his parents many long and remarkably well written letters describing life and scenes in and around Cairo. He was one of the first batch of Millicent volunteers, every one of whom has now been reported either killed, missing, or wounded." - from the Adelaide Register 03 Jul 1915 (nla.gov.au)

John Alan REDFORD (Service Number 99) was born on 29th September 1889 at Mount Gambier, South Australia. He was employed by the NSW Government Railways and tramways as a tram conductor commencing casually on 8th September 1911, and becoming permanent in 1912. This was the role from which he was released for Active Service on 4th September 1914. 

Redford enlisted at Randwick on 22nd August 1914, immediately on the outbreak of the war. He nominated his ‘trade or calling’ as ‘Conductor’, stated that he was not married and gave his father John Redford, living at Mount McIntyre via Kalagadoo, South Australia as his next of kin. He also cited two years’ service in the S.A.I.R, (South Australian Infantry Regiment), from which he had been discharged owing to leaving South Australia.
He was allotted to the 1st Australian Infantry Battalion. He left Australia through Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Afric’ on 18th October 1915. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in Egypt. He embarked on HMT ‘Minnewaska’ ex-Alexandria on 5th April 1915 to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (the Gallipoli Campaign). 
He landed on Anzac Day, 25th April. He was noted as missing on 2nd May. This remained his status until 11th January 1916 when a Court of Enquiry, sitting at Tel-el-Kebir in Egypt after the evacuation, resolved that he was most likely dead, and amended the entry in his file to ‘killed in action.’

In seeking to learn the fate of missing soldiers, the authorities collected what evidence they could from other soldiers who had been in action at the same time and place. They also enquired of family in case letters had been received from the missing man or his mates who often wrote to the next of kin. Redford’s father responded to such an enquiry thus:
‘I regret that I have no information as to where my son fell. We knew he landed on the “25” & that he followed Major Dawson up the hills. We received word that he was missing, & some months later that he was killed on May 2nd. I received a letter from a soldier in England, saying that he had seen my son lying dead beside a boulder, on Wednesday 28th April & that three days later when there was an armistice, he helped to bury him. I wrote but did not get in more word.’
Since Alan Redford has no known grave, he is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial, high above Anzac Cove.
His medals – the 1914/1915 Star, The British War Medal, and the Victory Medal – were issued to his next of kin, his father, after the war. The Memorial Scroll and Plaque were also issued to his father in June and October 1921 respectively.

- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great sydney Central Station Honour Board.