PORTER, John Watson
| Service Number: | 2711 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 August 1915, Enlisted at Liverpool. |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 7th Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Leeds, England., October 1886 |
| Home Town: | Towrang, Goulburn Mulwaree, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer employed in railways construction |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 July 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Adelaide Cemetery Villers-Bretonneux, France Plot I. Row B. Grave 21. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 2711, 7th Field Company Engineers, Enlisted at Liverpool. | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1915: | Involvement Sapper, 2711, 7th Field Company Engineers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1915: | Embarked Sapper, 2711, 7th Field Company Engineers, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney | |
| 5 Jul 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 2711, 7th Field Company Engineers, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2711 awm_unit: 7th Field Company, Australian Engineers awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-07-05 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
John Watson Porter was born about October 1886 at Leeds, England. When he enlisted at Liverpool on 4th August 1915 he was not married and gave his father living in England as his next of kin. For military experience he cited his membership of the Towrang Rifle Club. He served in the 7th Field company of Engineers.
Porter embarked HMAT ‘Suffolk’ at Sydney on 30th November 1915. He was in Egypt at least by 10th January 1916 for he was admitted to the 8th Australian Field Ambulance at Serapeum with diarrhoea on that day. In March he embarked ‘Minneapolis’ at Alexandria for passage to Marseilles and the Western Front. Upon his arrival at that port city on 19th March he was again hospitalised, now with Influenza which apparently cleared quickly but recurred in August. He had another period in hospital in November 1916. He was wounded in action on the 14th of that month, although he remained on duty.
In December he was promoted to Lance Corporal, and in February 1917 to 2nd Corporal. May 1917 saw him at a Summer Rest Camp at Nalery sur Somme. For his actions at the Hindenburg Line on 4th and 5th May Porter was awarded the Military Medal.
‘When the senior N.C.O. had become a casualty, Lance Corporal Porter showed gallantry and resourcefulness in supervising the completion of the work of construction of a strong point in the front line.’
In September 1917 he was given leave in England and on his return was promoted to Corporal. In November he was detached for extra training and in January 1918 had leave in Paris.
Porter was killed in action on 5th July 1918.
He was buried in the Adelaide Military Cemetery, Villers-Bretonneux, 2½ miles South of Corbie.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.