CROMPTON, John Henry
| Service Number: | 73 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 December 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lanthorpe, East Yorkshire, England, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Elimbah, Moreton Bay, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Beverley, East Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation: | Bank Clerk / Fruit Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Broodseinde Ridge, Belgium, 4 October 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Brisbane 42nd Infantry Battalion AIF Roll of Honour, Caboolture District WW1 Roll of Honour, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 73, 42nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 73, 42nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 73, 42nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Ian Lang
CROMPTON John Henry #73 42nd Battalion
John Crompton was born at Lanthorpe in East Yorkshire. He attended secondary school at Beverley. Just prior to the outbreak of war, John left his job as a bank clerk in England and emigrated at the age of 38 to Queensland where he took up fruit farming at Elimbah.
John enlisted at Brisbane on 6th December 1915. He stated he was 40 years old, single and gave his address as Elimbah, North Coast Line. He was allocated as a private to the 42nd Battalion, a newly raised battalion that would comprise part of the 3rd Division AIF.
The battalion departed for overseas on 5th June 1916 from Sydney. John had allocated 3/- of his daily pay to be held in trust.
Upon arrival in Southampton on 23rd July, the battalion marched to Larkhill, the training headquarters for the 3rd Division. The division was finally deployed to the western front in November 1916, by which time the fighting along the front had closed down for the winter. In January 1917, John reported to a casualty clearing station with dysentery. He was sent to hospitals at Boulogne and Oxford to treat what became enteritis. John may have received visits from his mother and sister who were still living in East Yorkshire.
John would spend almost six months recovering before being shipped overseas to rejoin the 42nd. Soon after his arrival in Flanders, the 42nd was called into the attack on Messines on 7th June. The Flanders campaign continued for the next five months and the 42nd played a part in a number of battles.
Red Cross Wounded and Missing reports, collected from eye witnesses after the battle of Broodseinde Ridge relate that John Crompton was wounded by a shell splinter in the shoulder while manning the front line on 4th October. While being evacuated to the rear by two stretcher bearers (some witnesses said they were German prisoners), a second high explosive shell landed killing John and one of the bearers. At some stage his body was buried with a wooden grave marker erected.
Some confusion existed around John’s fate as far as the military authorities were concerned. He was originally listed as Wounded and his family were informed. Only later was he listed as Wounded and Missing. His commanding officer was of the view that he had been evacuated to the French coast and fruitless letters were sent to the various medical units enquiring about John. It was only after the family had instigated enquiries with the Red Cross that the true story was told in the middle of 1918.
When the war finally ended, John’s hastily dug grave could not be found. His name is listed on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres along with 54,000 other British and Dominion soldiers who died in Flanders and have no known grave. To honour the sacrifice of these men, the citizens of Ypres conduct a ceremony at the Menin Gate every evening at 8:00pm which includes the recitation of the Ode and the playing of the Last Post.
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