S4460
MEDLEY, John James
| Service Numbers: | 2662, S66192 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 August 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 3rd (SA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, 20 December 1893 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Natural causes, Rose Park, South Australia, 17 May 1981, aged 87 years |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Goodwood St George Anglican Church Memorial Tower, Parkside Public School Roll of Honor |
Biography
Buried his own father 986 Sgt. John James Medley (/explore/people/212591) at Lone Pine on 14 May 1915
"The descendant of two Gallipoli veterans, 91 year old Cath Breen tells the story of her father Sergeant John James Medley and grandfather Quartermaster Sergeant John James Medley. The two men left Australia separately, one from Melbourne and one from Perth meeting unexpectedly in the training camps of Egypt.
“None of them knew where they were headed…although they left Australia on different ships they were both in the 11th Battalion and met up in Egypt. My father went to see my grandfather and my grandfather didn’t recognise him because he hadn’t seen him for a long time,” Cath says.
“They both went to Gallipoli on [April] the 25th. My grandfather was one of the first to get onto shore. My father didn’t land until the next morning.
“My father survived, my grandfather was killed on May 14th, a few weeks after the landing. He was buried in Lone Pine, where he still is. My father went and buried his father…so he was right there.”
Cath’s father survived through the French Campaign and returned to marry his sweetheart in Australia.
"He never talked about the war. I don’t think anybody who goes to war does." - READ MORE LINK (www.fac.org.au)
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