Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

General Birdwood presented his Military Medal on 6 March, while visiting Adelaide.

"ANTONIO.— On the 8th of July, at Repatriation hospital, Keswick, Jack Antonio (lance corporal, 3rd Machine Gun Squadron, 1st A.I.F.), beloved husband of Nell Antonio, of 12 Byron road, Black Forest, and loving father of John, Mary, and Betty, and loved eldest son of Mrs. E. and the late Thomas Antonio, of Noarlunga, aged 46 years. Requiescat in pace." - from the Adelaide Advertiser 10 Jul 1941 (nla.gov.au)

On the 3rd January 1895, Jack Antonio was born in the city of Noarlunga to his two parents Thomas Antonio and Elizabeth Antonio. He grew up to become a farmer and when he was 21 years old, he enlisted in the AIF at Adelaide on the 10th of February 1916. At the time of enlistment, he was unmarried and had no children.

After embarking on the 8th of May 1916, Jack trained as part of the 3rd training regiment at Tel-el-kebir on the 15th of June 1916. Two months later, on the 25th August, after completing his training, he was placed in the 3rd Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron at Moascar. Only one day later, Jack was transferred to the 3rd Machine Gun Squadron at Romani. The unit was re-organized and re-equipped on the 1st of September and sent to the front lines to chase back the retreating Turkish troops at the end of the battle of Romani. After this victory, the 3rd Machine Gun Squadron arrived at Hod el Hassaniya between the 3rd and 5th of September 1916. On the 10th they left Hassaniya at 1:00am and arrived at Hod el Arnara two hours later, being allocated camping grounds south of the Hod. They also received orders to mount a machine gun against enemy aircraft in conjunction with one of the New Zealand mounted rifles machine gun squadron’s machine guns.

Six days later, the 3rd Machine Gun Squadron was ordered to move to yet another Hod, this time one called Salmana, reaching it at 3:30am. One section of two guns were left at Hod el Arnara for aircraft protection. After watering the horses in the morning, they marched east at 6:00pm for about six miles. They attached one of their sections with two guns to the 9th Light Horse Regiment and one section also with two guns to the 10th Light Horse Regiment. Jack was not in either of the groups that were separated from the main squadron. The 3rd Machine Gun Squadron met the enemy at 6:00am but no target was obtained for the machine guns until 7:00am. They continued with the bullet fire until withdrawing all troops at 9:00am. As the soldiers withdrew, 2nd Lieutenant Slattery was killed. Though the enemy opened heavy fire, no other casualties occurred. At 11:00am the squadron marched back to Hod el Salmana and during the march the horses got very fatigued and had dropped to the back of the line. The following day they left Salmana at 9:00am and went back to Hod el Arnara.

On the 19th of September the regiment was reported complete with the exception of slight discrepancies in equipment. After a few months of small engagements with the enemy Jack’s squadron faced two battles relatively close to each other called the battles of Gaza. The first battle was on the 26th of March and during this day the 3rd Machine Gun Squadron made several moves during the battle but did not use their guns. During the night of the 26th and the early morning of the 27th two sections were on out-post in the firing line and another four sections about 50 yards behind them. The horses were saddled but not used during this time. After the first Battle at Gaza, the squadron moved to Deir-el-Belah and watered the horses at the pond there. The next day they moved about a mile south to hill 320 and remained in reserve to outpost line. The next month, on the 1st of March the squadron proceeded to the outpost location and attached two sections to the 8th Light Horse Regiment and two more sections to the 9th Light Horse Regiment for duty in the front line. Once again, Jack was not in any of the detached sections.

The second Gaza battle commenced on the 19th and unfortunately, Jack was wounded that day with gunshot wound in his scalp. As a result, Jack was transferred to the 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance, ending up in a chain of movement to get him to hospital. He was then moved to the 26th casualty clearing station on the 20th April, then to the hospital train on the 21st and on the same day he arrived at the 26th stationary hospital in Ismailia only to be moved to the 14th Australian General hospital in Cairo on the 26th of April. After staying in hospital for eight days he was discharged to duty on the 4th of May 1917 and rejoined his unit one day later, on the 5th of May. When he rejoined his unit they were in Abasan-el-Kebir and arrived just in time for the inspection of lines from the Major-General H.W. Hodgson. They watered their horses the next day and on the 8th they got 15 remounts from the training camp at Moascar. The following day they received another 13 remounts also from Moascar. On the 13th of May, while the main force of Jack’s squadron stayed at Abasan-el-Kebir some of their forces went to Gamli to dig machine gun emplacements and occupy an outpost line at Wadi Ghuzze. They continued working on this for the next four days until they returned on the 17th May where they reported their work to the squadron headquarters at 8:00pm. On the 20th they marched to Marakeb leaving at 5:15am and arriving at 8:30am.

Two days later, 10 new soldiers reported to the 3rd machine gun squadron from Moascar. On the 23rd, they arrived at El Bugger and left some of their troops in reserve there with the 8th light horse regiment. Jack was not part of the soldiers left in reserve. On the 24th at 5:00am they marched to Marakeb arriving there at 10:50am. On the 27th they received orders to move to Wadi Ghuzze on the 28th and they arrived there at 1:00am. After a long month of mostly drilling and parading, Jack fell ill on the 25th of June. He was admitted to the 53rd Casualty Clearing Station and was diagnosed with diphtheria. After a month, he was then transferred to the 36th Stationary Hospital on 21st of July, only being discharged back to duty on the 14th of August 1917.

He was taken on strength with the 3rd Training Regiment and was detached to the school of instruction on the 26th of August and placed into the machine gun course. A few weeks later on the 15th of September, he passed as a 1st class machine gunner and rejoined his unit only to be taken on strength to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron.

Jack Antonio was awarded a Military Medal on the 15th of October 1918 because of his actions with his men on the night of 20th to 21st of September 1917. He was with his unit leading about six or seven men at Jenin in the middle east. He grabbed his men and used his machine gun to open fire onto a group of Germans that were trying to break away to the rear of the village and succeeded in taking them prisoner. The recommendation document says that these actions were essential to the success of the operation.

After almost another year of long fighting he was given leave shortly before the war ended. After the war ended, Jack Antonio embarked on the 7th of May 1919 and finally arrived in Adelaide on the 2nd of September 1919. He married Ellen Clara who took on the Antonio name and became Ellen Clara Antonio. After getting sick and going to hospital Jack finally succumbed to illness and died on the 8th of July 1941 at the age of 46.

Bibliography

· www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 [Accessed 14 Mar. 2025].

· Adfa.edu.au. (2024). Details. [online] Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=6477 [Accessed 15 Mar. 2025].

· corporateName =Department of Veterans’ Affairs; address=21 Genge St, C.C. (2023). Australian Light Horse in World War I | Anzac Portal. [online] anzacportal.dva.gov.au. Available at: https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/australian-imperial-force/australian-light-horse [Accessed 15 Mar. 2025].

· Awm.gov.au. (2025). Lance Corporal Jack Antonio. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P11038291 [Accessed 15 Mar. 2025].

· Awm.gov.au. (2025b). Portrait of 2447 Lance Corporal Jack Antonio MM, 3rd Australian Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C960236 [Accessed 15 Mar. 2025].

· Farrell, A. (2019). Shell Shock — A soldier’s legacy from World War One» Can-Do Wisdom. [online] Can-Do Wisdom. Available at: https://candowisdom.com/change/shell-shock-world-war-one [Accessed 8 Apr. 2025].

· Awm.gov.au. (2025a). AWM4 Subclass 24/32 - 3rd Australian Machine Gun Squadron. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339202 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2025].