MAXWELL, Joseph
| Service Number: | 607 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 February 1915, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Annandale, New South Wales, Australia, 10 February 1896 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Boilermaker |
| Died: | Heart attack, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 6 July 1967, aged 71 years |
| Cemetery: |
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, NSW Cremated |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Canberra John Hamilton VC Pictorial Honour Roll, Keith Payne VC Memorial Park, Maitland Hexham Workshop Employees HR, North Bondi War Memorial, Winchelsea WWI Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 607, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 607, 18th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 25 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 607, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 10 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 18th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Kearney
Maxwell, Joseph (1896–1967)
by E. J. H. Howard
Joseph Maxwell, often claimed as the second most decorated Australian soldier in World War I, was born on 10 February 1896 at Annandale, Sydney, son of John Maxwell, labourer, and his wife Elizabeth, née Stokes.
Employed as an apprentice boilermaker in Newcastle, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 8 February 1915. He was posted to the 18th Battalion and served at Gallipoli before proceeding with his battalion to France in March 1916. Promoted sergeant in October, he went to a training battalion in England, briefly returning to France in May 1917 before being sent back to attend an officer training school. Involved in a brawl with civil and military police in London, he was fined and returned to his unit. He was promoted warrant officer in August and appointed company sergeant major.
In September, during the 3rd battle of Ypres, Maxwell took command of a platoon after its officer had been killed and led it in the attack. Later he safely extricated men from a newly captured position under intense enemy fire. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and a few days later was commissioned in the field as second lieutenant; he was promoted lieutenant in January 1918.
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/maxwell-joseph-7534 (adb.anu.edu.au)
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