WOODWARD, John Ernest
| Service Number: | 1793 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 60th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Birkenhead, England, June 1881 |
| Home Town: | Albert Park, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Traveller |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 23 December 1942, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1793, 57th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 1793, 57th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 4 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 1793, 57th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Melbourne | |
| 26 Nov 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 1793, 60th Infantry Battalion, Discharged due to wounding |
Help us honour John Ernest Woodward's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
Australian Remembrance Army
Private John Ernest Woodward (Service No. 1793), an Australian World War One veteran whose previously unmarked grave in Lutwyche Cemetery we have marked with a plaque honouring his service for Australia. We received grant funding for this grave plaque from the Australian Government under the Marking (First World War) Private Graves Grants Program.
On 15 April 2023, his plaque was unveiled in Lutwyche Cemetery, along with a further 246 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War
One veterans:
https://www.australianremembrancearmy.com/lutwyche...
WWI service record link:
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/.../Int.../ViewImage.aspx...
Private John Ernest Woodward was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, in June 1882, to John and Eliza Woodward. At the time of the 1901 Census, he was residing in Birkenhead as a 19-year-old single man, employed as a musician’s apprentice. At some time after 1901, John emigrated to Australia.
On 6 March 1916, at the age of 34, John enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Melbourne, Victoria. He listed his occupation as 'Traveller' and named his father, John Woodward of Birkenhead, as his next of kin. On 4 April 1916, he embarked for overseas service with the 57th Battalion aboard HMAT ‘Euripides’ from Melbourne.
Upon arrival in Egypt on 25 May 1916, John was transferred to the 60th Battalion, which had been raised as part of the AIF's expansion following the Gallipoli campaign. The 60th Battalion was formed on 24 February 1916 in Egypt and became part of the 15th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division. The battalion's recruits included both Gallipoli veterans from the 8th Battalion and fresh reinforcements from Australia.
On 18 June 1916, John embarked from Alexandria aboard the transport ship ‘Kinfauns Castle’, bound for France. He disembarked at Marseilles on 29 June 1916 and joined the 60th Battalion in the field.
John saw action on the Western Front during the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916, where he sustained gunshot wounds to his leg and face. He was evacuated to England for medical treatment and subsequently assigned to light duties in convalescent depots. Later, he was diagnosed with rheumatism and deemed unfit for further service. On 27 July 1917, he left England aboard HMAT ‘Demosthenes’ (A64), arriving in Melbourne on 24 September 1917. His discharge from the AIF followed on 26 November 1917.
Between 1937 and 1941, John is recorded as living in South Brisbane and working as a labourer.
Private John Ernest Woodward died on 23 December 1942, aged 60. He was interred in Anzac Portion 7 at Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, three days later.
His short funeral notice recorded his address as Granville Street, West End (Brisbane). No family or friends were mentioned.
Lest We Forget
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