GARDNER, John Archibald
| Service Number: | 2139 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia, 1 March 1892 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tramway Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 7 August 1915, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 2139, 3rd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Karoola embarkation_ship_number: A63 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 2139, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Karoola, Sydney | |
| 7 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2139, 3rd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Died of wounds at the Battle of Lone Pine. |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
John Archibald GARDNER, (Service Number 2139) was born on 1 March 1892, at Woollahra, Sydney. At the age of 15, in 1908, he joined the NSW Railways and Tramways as an apprentice clerk in the Electric Tram section. By 1915 he had progressed through the ranks to become a clerk.
On 15 May 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces having enlisted two days earlier.
He became missing in action between 7 and 12 August 1916 at the Battle of Lone Pine. It was not until a Court of Enquiry, held nearly a year later in France, that it was ruled that he had been killed in action. Since he has no grave he is memorialised at Lone Pine.
Submitted 18 July 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
John Archibald GARDNER (Service Number 2139) was born on 1st March 1892 at Woollahra, Sydney. At the age of 15, in 1908, he joined the NSW Railways and Tramways as an apprentice clerk in the Electric Tram section. By 1915 he had progressed through the ranks to become a clerk. Evidently, he had undertaken training in the Ambulance Corps and was awarded a 10/- honorarium.
On 15th May 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces having enlisted two days earlier. He reached Gallipoli on 30th July. He was missing in action sometime between 7th and 12th August 1915 at the Battle of Lone Pine. It was not until a Court of Enquiry, which was held nearly a year later in France, that it was ruled that he had been killed in action. Since he has no grave he is memorialised at Lone Pine.
There was a suggestion that personal effects – Watch, Pay book and Wallet – had been collected from Gardner’s body by a Private William Edward Hill.
Hill stated:-
‘The articles you mention in your letter were never taken of No. 2139 Pte J.A. Gardner. 3rd Battalion A.I.F. deceased, by me, as it was impossible to do so on account of his wounds. Before leaving Egypt he gave me a pair of black socks, and a small pair of scissors, and when he died I treasured them, so when I returned home I gave them to his people by parcel post, and as to the others I made a statement at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne, and Mr. Kent signed it.’
Hill also made a statutory declaration that he had seen Gardner badly wounded and was present when he died.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board