ASPINALL, John Robert
| Service Number: | 974 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 March 1915, Adelaide, SA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bolton, Lancashire, England, 1879 |
| Home Town: | Aldgate, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Albany Bowden Ward Honour Roll, Aldgate Honour Board, Aldgate War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Mylor St. John Anglican Church Roll of Honour, New Thebarton Lodge No 23 U.A.O.D. Roll of Honour, Scott's Creek & Longwood Roll of Honour, Scott's Creek and Longwood Roll of Honor, The South Australian National War Memorial, Torrensville New Thebarton Lodge No 23 U.A.O.D. Honour Roll, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 974, 27th Infantry Battalion, Adelaide, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 974, 27th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 974, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide |
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Son of Robert and Margaret ASPINALL
Husband of Vera Muriel nee PALMER
Biography contributed by Heathfield High School
John Robert Aspinall was a South Australian soldier who served with the Australian Imperial Force during World War I. Born in 1880 in Bolton, Lancashire, England, he immigrated to South Australia with his family in 1883. He married Vera Muriel Aspinall and resided in Aldgate, South Australia. John was a gardener before enlisting.
On 30 March 1915, Aspinall joined the Australian Imperial Force at Keswick, South Australia, and was assigned to the 27th Infantry Battalion. He boarded the HMAT Geelong from Adelaide on 31 May 1915. John joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli in September and was hospitalised with diarrhoea 6 weeks later. He became quite unwell and was diagnosed with Pyrexia and Malaria and was sent to England for further treatement. He convalesced at base until April 1916 when he was sent to France to fight on the Western Front
John fought in the Battle of the Somme. He was fighting in the 27th Battalion. The Battle of the Somme happened in France during WW1, and the battle happened between 1 July and 18 November 1916. On April 7th, 1916, the 27th Battalion entered the front line of the trenches and took their place in their first major battle at Pozières. The 27th Battalion fought in 2 attacks in the east of Flers in the Somme valley, both the attacks were in terrible conditions and they floundered in the mud. Life for John would have been hard during the battle as there was high danger and the trenches were full of bodies, water, mud, and diseases with little opportunity for sleep and basic food .
On 5 August 1916, during the Battle of the Somme in France, Private Aspinall was wounded and reported missing. A board of inquiry later declared him presumed dead. He was 36 years old. His name is inscribed on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in France, which commemorates the unknown Australian soldier.
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