Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of John Undo and Fanny Undo nee Turner of Tenth Street, Bowden, SA formerly of Mallala, SA.

5 August 1915 - enlisted at Adelaide with the 27th Battalion and with rank of Private. 

14 March 1916 - transferred to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion.

1 October 1916 - wound to the neck.

3 October 1918 wounded, second occasion. Wound to the head.

Commenced return to Australia on 1 July 1919 about HT Frankfurt disembarking on 17 August 1919

Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

10 October 1919 - discharged at the 4th Military District

At the time of his death he was residing in Bowden, SA

John was the son of John UNDO & Fanny TURNER and was born on the 26th of February 1891 in Grace Plains, near Mallala, SA.

His parents were married on the 26th of February 1887 in Gawler, SA.

His father was the son of Henry UNDO and was born in 1849 in Russia.
His mother was the daughter of Henry James Browning TURNER & Elizabeth Ann EDWARDS and was born on the 31st of January 1861 in Virginia, SA.

John was the third child born into the family of 10 children.

His father was a Donkey-Driver (Stoker) on board the Lake Ontario which arrived in Sydney on the 8th of August 1881 from Montreal.
He then did another couple of trips before arriving in South Australia on the 10th of August 1882 and upon his arrival he deserted the ship.

At his court appearance in January 1883 he promised to return to the ship and the desertion charge was dropped.
However, he never returned to the ship and headed north, where he had met John’s mother and after they married he gained employment as a labourer near Mallala.

After completing his schooling John gained employment as a bricklayer and in 1913 the family moved to Tenth Street, Bowden.

At the age of 24, John enlisted into the AIF on the 5th of August 1915 in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 3291 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.

On the 16th of September he was posted to the 27th Battalion, 7th Reinforcements and embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A7 Medic on the 12th of January 1916.

He disembarked in Alexandria on the 16th of February and was transferred to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion and served in France where he was wounded twice.

After more that 3 years overseas, John embarked from England on the 1st of July 1919 on board HT Frankfurt and disembarked in Adelaide on the 17th of August.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 10th of October 1919.

John regained his employment and remained living with his parents and by 1922 they had moved to 17 East Street, Brompton.

After his father died John and his mother moved to 13 Gibson Street, Bowden and then after his mother’s death John moved to 22 Sixth Street, Bowden.
John joined the Hindmarsh RSL and by 1940 had moved to 49 East Street, Brompton.

In January 1941 John wanted to join the Police Force and he walked into the Hindmarsh Police Station to apply.
He was advised he was unable to join and was removed from the office several times and advised to go home.
John continued to his attempts to join and was then placed in a cell to sober up, Whilst in the cell he kicked the bucket and was fined 5/- for being drunk and to cover the cell bucket.

In November 1941 John injured his ankle after falling from his bicycle and was admitted into the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
He then moved to 7, Ninth Street, Bowden.

John died on the 18th of November 1960 and was buried 3 days later in the Hindmarsh Cemetery; Section Lower V42, with his parents.

Military

At the age of 24, John enlisted into the AIF on the 5th of August 1915 in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 3291 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his mother, of Tenth Street, Bowden, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of September he was posted to the 27th Battalion, 7th Reinforcements.

John embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A7 Medic on the 12th of January 1916, disembarked in Alexandria on the 16th of February and marched in Zeitoun Camp.

On the 9th of March John was found drunk whilst on duty and awarded 14 days detention in the Garrison and whilst in the Garrison he was transferred to the newly raised 2nd Pioneer Battalion.
After he had served his time he joined the Pioneer Battalion in Moascar, which was Part of the 2nd Division.

The 2nd Pioneer Battalion were trained as infantrymen; they were also tasked with some engineer functions, with a large number of personnel possessing trade qualifications from civilian life.
Their tasks consisted of digging trenches, labouring, constructing strong points and light railways, and undertaking battlefield clearance.

On the 19th of March they embarked from Alexandria on board HMHS Llandovery Castle, disembarking in Marseilles 7 days later and entrained to Sercus.
They marched out to Armentieres on the 5th of April and began digging assembly lines and constructing concrete machine gun pits & shelters.
They then moved to Bois Grenier on the 1st of June and 3 weeks later they moved to Aldershot Camp at Neuve Eglise and relived the 12th Sherwood Foresters.

Here they construction concrete Out Posts in Heath Trench on Hill 63 near Ploegsteert before marching to Rubempre on the 20th of July.
During the march John fell out of the line and was forfeited 3 days pay.

By the end of July they moved into the front line in Pozieres and relieved the 1st Pioneer Battalion in Sunken Road Trench and improved the trenches and extended them.
They remained here until the end of August and moved into billets in Senlis and then continued their work in the trenches.

By the end of September they had moved to Poperinghe, where on the 1st of October John suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his neck and was admitted into the 5th Australian Field Ambulance.
The following day he was transferred to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station in Hazebrouck and then to the 15th Casualty Clearing Station.
John rejoined his Battalion on the 21st of October who was located in the Bernafay Wood area.

Here they constructed tramlines, cleared tunnels and continued road maintenance.
Christmas 1916 was spent here and then on the 19th of January 1917 John was found guilty of urinating in the camp lines and was awarded 7 days Field Punishment No.2.
By the 3rd of February they had moved to Gordon Camp in Contalmaison and were engaged in constructing a light railway.

By March they had moved to Warlencourt where they cleared the road to Bapaume and then they moved to Marlborough Huts, east of the Ancre River near Aveluy and commenced work on salvage and trenches on both sides of the river until the end of April.
On the 30th of April they moved to Noreuil and cut a communication trench along Sunken Road before moving back to Gordon Camp on the 9th of May into training.

In mid June they moved to billets at Thilloy and were then engaged in the construction of a series of Posts at Beugny.
July was spent completing drainage in Hot Cross Camp near Thilloy before moving to Arques in early August to constructing trenches.
On the 11th of August John was detached to the 2nd Army Workshop, 1st ANZAC Corps for 4 months before rejoining his Battalion on the 27th of October at Ypres.

Here they were engaged in constructing a plank road at Bellewaarde Ridge, improving Walker Camp and constructing stables. They also worked on the main water channels in Ypres before marching to Wippenhoek on the 12th of November.
Their next move was to Fairyhouse and Butterfly Camp, near Locre for training before moving to billets at Nieppe on the 14th of December.

Christmas 1917 was spent here and in January 1918 they cleaned and drained trenches, installed fire steps and laid netting on the duckwalks.
On the 29th of January John suffered from Gonorrheae and was admitted into the 4th Stationary Hospital at St. Omer.
John spent the next 4 weeks here and was then discharged to the 2nd AIBD (Australian Infantry Base Depot) in Le Havre on the 1st of March.

He rejoined his Battalion on the 26th of March at Wulverghem and they then moved to the Somme to construct trenches for the Lavieville defence.

In May they were digging the Fire Trench at Daours and in July they were burying a communication cable near Villers-Bretonneux and constructing deep trenches, guarding bridges and roads and erecting wire.
In mid July the Battalion was engaged in digging the communication trench for the attack on the Spur, Villers-Bretonneux Plateau.

They spent most of August engaged in salvage work, sinking and gas proofing dugouts and withdrawing demolition charges from bridges and roads.
In September they were responsible for the repair and maintenance of the road across the River Somme, through Halle, Mont St Quentin and Feullecourt and the Pontoon Bridges across the Somme.

By the 1st of October they had moved to Templeux-le-Guerard Camp and began constructing a dry weather track, filling in shell holes and making the track passable.
Two days later John suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his head whilst working on the Estrees to Mint Copse Road and was admitted into the 6th Australian Field Ambulance before being transferred to the 50th Casualty Clearing Station at Tincourt.
The following day he was transferred by Ambulance Train and admitted into the 9th General Hospital in Rouen.

John spent 2 days in hospital before being discharged to the 2nd ADBD on the 6th of October.
He was still here when the Armistice was signed on the 11th of November 1918 and eleven days later he rejoined his Battalion at the reinforcement camp at Charleroi where they spent Christmas 1918.

They remained here until the 14th of May 1919 when John was transferred to the 3rd Echelon (General Headquarters) in Le Havre.
On the 15th of June John embarked for England and marched into No.2 Command Depot in Sutton Veny awaiting his return to Australia.

John embarked from England on the 1st of July 1919 on board HT Frankfurt and disembarked in Adelaide on the 17th of August.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 10th of October 1919 and warded the British War and Victory Medals.