DIAMOND, William John
| Service Number: | 3817 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Petersham, New South Wales, Australia, 1897 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Electrician Junior |
| Died: | Queensland, Australia, 11 July 1943, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Chippendale Substation Staff NSW Govt. Tramways Honour Roll, Haymarket Substation Staff of NSW Government Tramways Roll of Honour, Queensland Garden of Remembrance (Pinnaroo), Qld, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3817, 17th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3817, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3817, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
John William Diamond. Service Number: 3817
John William Diamond, son of Charles W A Diamond and Laura Mary Diamond, was born in 1897 at Petersham, New South Wales (1). He was raised where he was born; in 93 Westbourne St, Petersham. He attended Sydney Technical High School from 1907 to 1911, where he placed 14th in his grade(2). Diamond had a formative upbringing before the breakout of World War I. Raised in this small suburb, he experienced all of the richness of Petersham life. Diamond demonstrated academic flair in his subjects of interest, and he proved this with his scoring(3). His intellect was fostered, and he had a tendency toward learning at school, reflected through his previously mentioned results. His years in Petersham and his time at Sydney Technical High School were the foundations of his character, teaching Diamond the values of diligence, curiosity, and loyalty to one's hometown.
Diamond enlisted 20th September 1915 and during his service he was unwell sufferng from Pleurisy and spent considerable amount of time in hospital and was invalided to England due to ongoing kidney issues. he returned to Australia via HMAT Berrima on 31st December 1917.
It was a vastly different world from the one Diamond had left behind following the First World War. He returned to his former rural community at home, struggling in an effort to readjust to civilian life during those very difficult economic years of the 1920s. He was able to find work as a machinist, a trade he acquired through the military, and he also married Alice Mary in 1922. His wife and he were divorced on the 18th of October 1929, but the reasons for the divorce are still unknown(7). Diamond was also extremely interested in helping his fellow veterans in need around the problems of after-war life and in fighting for the better care and benefits that should have been offered to them. His dedication to fellow comrades, the unsaid effort to reconstitute his life, personified an unconquerable spirit of a man who had suffered from the ravages of war but was undeterred in his quest for a peaceful and industrious future.
References
1. Anonymous (n.d) PTE William John DIAMOND 3817. Honour Board Project. DIAMOND.docx (p. 1)
2. Anonymous (n.d) Third Year Examination 1911.Division.IV. Honour Board Project. THS 1911 division 1911 first year term 3.JPG
3. Ibid
4. Anonymous (n.d) 17th Infantry Battalion (NSW) 5th Brigade, 2nd Division, AIF. Virtual War Memorial. 17th Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Division, AIF
5. Anonymous (n.d) WW1 Honour Board Name Listv1. Honour Board Project.
6. Ibid
7. Anonymous (n.d) PTE William John DIAMOND 3817. Honour Board Project. DIAMOND.docx (p. 2)
Bibliography
Ken Stevenson, Research on Google Drive
Google Drive Documents
Military Service Record of John William Diamond. Australian Army, World War I.
Marriage Certificate of John William Diamond and Alice Mary. 1922.