FRASER, John
| Service Number: | 570 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 11 May 1883 |
| Home Town: | Stanthorpe, Southern Downs, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Mining warden |
| Died: | Carcinoma of the parotid, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 21 September 1958, aged 75 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 9, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane |
| Memorials: | East Brisbane War Memorial, Stanthorpe Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 570, 13th Machine Gun Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 570, 13th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 570, 13th Machine Gun Company, RMS Orontes, Melbourne | |
| 4 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 570, 4th Machine Gun Battalion, 1st MD |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
A/Sergeant John Fraser (Service No. 570), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now honoured with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
On 20 September 2025, his plaque was unveiled in Lutwyche Cemetery, along with a further 161 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
John Fraser was born on 11 May 1883 in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to John Fraser and Margaret Fraser (née Howitt). The family arrived in Brisbane in 1888 aboard the ship Duke of Sutherland.
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Brisbane on 12 June 1916, aged 33, stating his occupation as mining warden and naming his mother as next of kin. On 23 December 1916, he embarked for active service in Melbourne aboard RMS Orontes, disembarking in England on 17 February 1917.
In May 1917, after completing machine-gun training in England, he proceeded overseas to France and joined the 13th Machine Gun Corps Base Depot at Camiers, France. On 19 May, he was taken on strength in the field. In May 1918, he was wounded in action, sustaining a severe gunshot wound to his right shoulder. He was evacuated to England, where he remained until returning to Australia in June 1919. He was discharged from the AIF on 4 August 1919.
Following his return to Australia, he is recorded as living in Queensland, and on 19 January 1921, he married Kathleen Keating Andrews on Thursday Island, Queensland. Between 1922 and 1930, they had four children.
A/Sergeant John Fraser died on 21 September 1958, aged 75, from carcinoma of the parotid, and was buried three days later in Anzac Portion 9, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity has now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
Click images to start slideshow.