Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Joseph Nash Wheeler was born in 1883, at Corryong, Victoria. At the time of his birth his father, George Wheeler (1845 to 1924), was 38, and his mother, Rebecca Lucy, nee Scammel (1850 to 1883), was 33. John was the youngest of eight children. His siblings included Louisa Susannah (1868 to 1925), Mary (1868 to 1869), Rebecca Nellie (Ellen) (1871 to 1962), Wiliam (1874 to 1936), Lucy Sarah (1876 to 1966), Mary Evaline (1878 to 1940) and Alice Edith Evenden (1881 to 1969).

On the 13 August, 1915, John enlisted in the AIF (Australian Imperial Forces) at Brisbane, Queensland. He was given the service number 1807 and was put on strength with the 12th Reinforcements of the 5th Light Horse. John’s previous experience as a Trooper in the New South Wales Imperial Bushmen's Contingent during the Boer War would have helped him to settle into life in the military.

Upon enlistment, John was 30 years of age, single, 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) in height and weighed 142 pounds (64kg). His complexion was given as fresh, eyes blue and hair brown. Johns’ records show that he had the distinctive marks of two vaccinations on his left arm. His religious denomination was given as Church of England.

John embarked on SS Hawkes Bay on the 23 October, 1915, sailing from Sydney, New South Wales. The trip would take him across the Great Australian Bight to Fremantle, on to Colombo, in Ceylon, before finally disembarking at Suez, at the southern end of the Suez Canal.

Not long after arriving in Egypt, John was admitted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital at Ghezireh Palace, Cairo with influenza. He would remain in hospital over the Christmas and New Year period before being discharged back to duty on the 6 January, 1916.

On the 27 March, 1918, the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade, which included the 5th Light Horse and therefore John, was part of a strong British raid on Turkish forces, aimed at cutting the Kejaz railway line running south from Damascus. The War Diary of the 5th Light Horse for this period details the action where John was seriously wounded.

“The enemy counter attacked and the 6th and 7th had to withdraw to their old positions. Unfortunately, a number of shells burst amongst the led horses of C Squadron killing ten and wounding about 20 besides blowing one man to pieces and seriously wounding another.”

John’s Casualty Form indicates that he suffered a serious wound to the thigh and testicles due to a high explosive shell. He was taken by the Australian Camel Corp Field Ambulance to the 2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance and finally the 26th Casualty Clearing Station. John remained here for about a week before being transferred to HMHS Kantara and taken back to Cairo and the 14th Australian General Hospital. It would be two weeks before John was removed from the dangerously ill list and another two and a half months before he was transferred to the transport SS Port Darwin on 12 July, 1918, for return to Australia. It is difficult for us to know how John’s parents felt as they received a number of telegrams informing them of John’s condition with the simple phrase “condition improving”.

John was finally discharged from the AIF on the 1 March, 1919. For his service during the war, he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.

It would be another 26 years before John would find a partner to settle down with. In 1945, at West Footscray, Victoria, John married Marjorie Isabel Davies (1908 to 1972). During their marriage of 26 years, they had no children. John passed away on the 17 December, 1971, at Heidelberg and was buried at Preston, Victoria, while Marjorie died the following year in 1972.

Extract from "Light Horsemen of the Upper Murray", Year 5 and 6 Project, Corryong College.