ROBERTS, John Henry
| Service Number: | 4870 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 54th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Gosford, New South Wales, Australia, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Woy Woy, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway fettler |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 15 February 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Wytschaete Military Cemetery Plot I, Row A, Grave No. 7. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Woy Woy War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4870, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4870, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4870, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Sydney | |
| 15 Feb 1918: | Involvement Private, 4870, 54th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4870 awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-02-15 |
Help us honour John Henry Roberts's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
His older brother, 5101 Pte Richard Charles Roberts, 18th Battalion AIF, had died of wounds 4 March 1917. They were the sons of Charles and Catherine Roberts, of Fettler, Woy Woy, New South Wales.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
John Henry ROBERTS was born and grew up at Woy Woy, NSW. From the Attestation Paper he completed when he joined the AIF, he was born in about May 1888. His parents were Charles and Catherine Roberts.
In his Attestation Paper, John gave his occupation as ‘Fettler’ (railway track worker). He was employed at Woy Woy. His father was also employed as a fettler at Woy Woy.
John joined the AIF on 28th August 1915 with the rank of Private (Service Number 4870). He was initially posted to ‘B’ Company in the 2nd Infantry Battalion. He nominated his father as his next of kin.
On 24th January 1916 he was allocated to the 15th Reinforcements to the 2nd Infantry Battalion. It is known he went to Egypt in the first instance. On 20th April 1916 he was transferred to the 54th Infantry Battalion at Ferry Post, Egypt. On 19th June 1916 he embarked at Alexandria for France, arriving at Marseilles on 29th June 1916. This was just in time for the battle of Fromelles on 19th July 1916. The 54th Infantry Battalion was part of the initial assault and suffered 65 per cent casualties. Nevertheless, it continued to man the front in the Fromelles sector for the next two months.
On 11th October 1916, John reported sick with the first of a succession of illnesses. On this occasion the problem was a septic ulcer of the leg. On this date he was sent to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station before being transferred to an Ambulance Train on 13th October 1916 which took him to the 25th General Hospital at Hardelot the same day. On 17th October 1916 he was evacuated to England and he was admitted to the Military Hospital at Bagthorpe where his condition was diagnosed as impetigo. On 9th November 1916 he was transferred to the 2nd Auxiliary Hospital at Southall in London, still with impetigo, but two days later (on 11th November 1916) he was discharged to the Infantry Draft Depot at Wareham.
John stayed at Wareham until 2nd February 1917 when he left England to return to France. In France he marched in to the 5th Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on 4th February 1917, Two days later, on 6th February 191 he was admitted to the 20th General Hospital at Camiers with scabies. On 12th February 1917 he was discharged to No. 6 Convalescence Depot at Etaples where he stayed until 11th March 1917. He was discharged to the 5th Australian Division Base Depot. He left this Depot on 17th March 1917 and re-joined his unit on 20th March 1917, five months after he left it.
Less than seven weeks later, on 5th May 1917, he was admitted to the 15th Field Ambulance with Influenza. He was promptly transferred to the 5th Division Rest Station where he stayed until 12th May 1917. He was discharged to duty, but it was not until 26th May 1917 that he re-joined his unit. He was then on duty with the 54th Infantry Battalion for nearly nine months. On 15th February 1918 he died of wounds received in action near Ypres in Belgium.
His grave is in Wytschaete Military Cemetery, Wytschaete, Flanders, Belgium. His place of association is Woy Woy, NSW.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.