FESSEY, John
| Service Numbers: | 492, 2094 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 August 1914, at Morphettville |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Birmingham, England, 27 January 1885 |
| Home Town: | Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Baker |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 492, 10th Infantry Battalion, at Morphettville | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 492, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 492, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 6 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2094, 1st Infantry Battalion, The August Offensive - Lone Pine, Suvla Bay, Sari Bair, The Nek and Hill 60 - Gallipoli |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
John Fessey was born in Birmingham, England on 27 January 1885 (according to a statutory declaration on p. 28 of his service record).
John Fessey was a soldier in the First World War. His regimental number was 492 and he was a member of the church of England. He worked as a baker before enrolling in the AIF. He was twenty-nine at the age of his embarkation and he was single. He survived the war and returned to Australia on 6 September 1919 His roll title was 10 Infantry Battalion. His Embarkation date was 1914-10-20, his Embarkation place was Adelaide and his Embarkation ship was the HMAT Ascanius A11. He joined on the 24th of August 1914.
The 10th Battalion which John Fessey belonged to was among the first infantry units raised for the AIF during the First World War. the battalion was recruited in South Australia and together with the 9th, 11th and 12th battalions formed the 3rd Brigade. The battalion was raised within weeks of the declaration of war in August 1914 and embarked overseas two months later. After a stop in Fremantle, Western Australia, the battalion continued to Egypt, arriving in December. However, John Fessey was not with them. He deserted the Ascanius at Fremantle.
He re-enlisted in Sydney on 18 June 1915 under the name John Haynes (SN 2094) and was assigned to the 1st Battalion. He immediately shipped out to Egypt and reached Gallipoli on 5 August 1915. The following day he was wounded in the fighting around Lone Pine, and evacuated to Malta and eventually England. After recovering from his wound in early 1916 he was shipped back to Egypt, but soon enough was back in England. He spent the remainder of the war in England, only rejoining his battalion in France in November 1918. He left England on board the Berrima on 6 September 1919 to return to Australia. While in England, he had married Hilda Williams (in London on 24 March 1918). After the war, Fessey lived for some time in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.