SLATTERY, John James
| Service Number: | 520 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 June 1878 |
| Home Town: | South Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 30 May 1944, aged 65 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 7 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Aug 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 520, 13th Machine Gun Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 520, 13th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 520, 13th Machine Gun Company, HMAT Medic, Melbourne | |
| 22 Feb 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 520, 4th Machine Gun Company, 1st MD. Medical discharge |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Private John James Slattery (Service No. 520), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 15 April 2023, along with a further 246 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
John James Slattery was born on 27 June 1878 in Brisbane, Queensland, the son of John Slattery and Elizabeth Slattery (née O’Hara). In 1901, he married Bridget Mary Agnes McManus, and the couple went on to have three children. Prior to the war he worked as a labourer and was living in South Brisbane with his family.
Aged 35, John James Slattery enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Brisbane on 17 August 1916. At the time of enlistment, he stated his occupation as a labourer and nominated his wife, Mrs Bridget Slattery of Stanley Street, South Brisbane, as his next of kin. He was was posted to the 8th Reinforcements of the 13th Machine Gun Company, and on 16 December 1916, he embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Medic for overseas service.
After arriving in England, Slattery was attached to Australian machine-gun training and reinforcement units. During 1917, his service was repeatedly interrupted by illness, and he was admitted on several occasions to military and auxiliary hospitals in Canterbury, Weymouth and Dartford. His principal medical condition was chronic varicocele affecting both legs, which caused ongoing pain and restricted his physical capacity for active service. He was also diagnosed with neurasthenia, a condition commonly recognised during the First World War as nervous exhaustion resulting from prolonged physical strain and psychological stress. Despite extended medical treatment, his condition did not improve sufficiently to allow him to continue effective overseas service. As a result, John James Slattery was returned to Australia and was formally discharged on 23 February 1918 as medically unfit for further service.
Private John James Slattery died on 30 May 1944, aged 65, and was buried in Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. His wife Bridget died in August 1956 and was interred with her late husband.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
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