MCGREGOR, John Roberts
| Service Number: | 5587 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 November 1915, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Glasgow, Scotland, 14 September 1870 |
| Home Town: | Auburn, Auburn, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Glasgow State School, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Died: | Died of Wounds, France, 20 July 1916, aged 45 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rue-du-Bois Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix Plot I. Row B. Grave 1 (Coll.) |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 5587, Depot Battalion , Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 5587, 1st Field Company Engineers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jan 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sapper, 5587, 1st Field Company Engineers, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 23 May 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 5th Pioneer Battalion, T.O.S. from 1st Field Company Engineers | |
| 19 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5587, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Embarked Alexandria for B.E.F per H.M.T. "Canada" | |
| 25 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5587, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Disembarked Marseilles, France | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5587, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 5587, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Wounded In Action | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5587, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5587 awm_unit: 5 Pioneer Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-20 | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5587, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Died of Wounds -- Received in Action |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wright
Sapper (Spr) 836 John Roberts McGregor enlisted in the 1st Field Company Engineers inSydney on 17 November 1915, aged 43 years. He embarked overseas on 20 January 1916 and disembarked in Egypt on 27 February, where he was transferred and taken on strength of the 15th Field Company Engineers on 18 March 1916.
Following a short stint in hospital at Ferry Post, Spr McGregor was transferred and taken on strength of the 5th Pioneer Battalion in the 5th Australian Division, with the rank of Private (Pte), on 23 May. Each of the five Australian divisions had a Pioneer Battalion – essentially infantry but also tasked with light engineering duties – attached to them.
The 5th Pioneers left Egypt on 19 June 1916 and arrived at Marseilles on 25 June, where they entrained for Hazebrouck, a rail junction near the Belgian border. They travelled south to Fleurbaix on 10 July where they buried communication cables and constructed a light railway system to facilitate the more efficient movement of supplies.
The 5th Pioneers, while not required to directly engage in combat during the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916, were however required to salvage equipment, under fire, from the battlefield and to bury their dead 5th Division comrades in the days immediately following. It was here on 20 July that Pte McGregor sustained mortal wounds, from which he died later that day.
Private 5587 John Roberts McGregor was buried in the Rue-Du-Bois Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, France on 20 July 1916.