CHALMERS, John
| Service Numbers: | 2145, 2145A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 April 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Gatton, Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia, 29 January 1879 |
| Home Town: | Bundaberg, Bundaberg, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, 13 April 1962, aged 83 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Bundaberg General Cemetery, Queensland |
| Memorials: | Bingera & South Kolan WW1 Honour Roll, South Kolan Loyal Advance Lodge No 70 M.U.I.O.O.F. Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2145, 52nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2145, 52nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Boorara embarkation_ship_number: A42 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 2145, 52nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Boorara, Brisbane | |
| 31 Mar 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2145, 52nd Infantry Battalion, France | |
| 16 May 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 12 May 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2145A, 49th Infantry Battalion, per HT Port Napier | |
| 16 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2145A, 49th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
John was the youngest of fourteen children of David Chalmers (born 1828 in Perthshire in Scotland) and Jane Hutton Beveridge (born 1834 in Clackmannanshire in Scotland). David and Jane married in 1853 in Scotland and immigrated to Australia in 1859, arriving in Moreton Bay, QLD on board the British Empire. The family setteld in Redbank Plains in QLD where David worked as a Labourer before becoming a Farmer in 1873 at Upper Tenthill in Gatton on the Darling Sowns in QLD.
John and his older brothers were champion athletes in the region - runners, hurdlers, jumpers, caber tossers and hammer throwers. At the same time, the young men all worked for their father as Farm Labourers before leaving home. John worked as an Overseer at The Cedars in South Kolan near Bundaberg in QLD, and married Amelia Nielson (born 1878 in South Kolan) in 1905 at Mailbank, near Bingera in QLD. John and Amelia settled in South Kolan, where John was working as a Labourer in 1916 when he enlisted in the AIF. John served as a Private (Service No: 2145) with 52 Infantry Battalion and 49 Infantry Battalion. He was WIA in France in 1917 and was Discharged in 1919.
John and Amelia remained in South Kolan near Bundaberg, QLD and raised their family, with John working as a Labourer. Amelia died in 1954 and John in 1962
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