John (Sir John) NEWMAN DSO MID

NEWMAN, John

Service Numbers: Not yet discovered
Enlisted: Not yet discovered
Last Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Last Unit: 10th Infantry Battalion
Born: Port Pirie, South Australia, 1 March 1880
Home Town: Not yet discovered
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Branch Manager
Memorials:
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World War 1 Service

1 Nov 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, HMAT A11 Ascanius
2 Nov 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 11th Infantry Battalion,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: ''

2 Nov 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Fremantle
16 May 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, 10th Infantry Battalion
13 Jan 1919: Discharged AIF WW1
Date unknown: Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières

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Biography

Extract from “The Fighting 10th”, Adelaide, Webb & Son, 1936 by C.B.L. Lock; kindly supplied courtesy of the 10th Bn AIF Association Committee, April 2015. 

Born 1 March 1880 at Port Pirie, South Australia.

Son of the late John Newman and Mother Henrietta Alice (nee Halse), who for many years was a mining and company promoter.

At the age of six he went to Victoria, but returned to South Australia at the age of thirteen, receiving his education at various public schools in both States.

He served in the South Australian Garrison Artillery for one year, and after attaining his sixteenth birthday left South Australia for Esperance Bay, Western Australia; then from that port tramped to Coolgardie, where for several years he was engaged in sundry occupations.

He proceeded to Perth in 1907, and entered the employ of Faulding & Co. Ltd, but subsequently returned to Kalgoorlie as Branch Manager of the company.

In 1910 he married Irene May, daughter of Lieutenant T N Tandy, there being one daughter of the union.

He received his first commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Goldfields’ Infantry Regiment on 10 December 1910, and on 1 July 1912, upon the introduction of compulsory military training was transferred with same rank to the 84th Infantry.  He held this commission at the time of joining the AIF and was one of the original subalterns of the 11th Battalion at Blackboy Hill.

He received his 2nd Lieutenancy in that unit on 19 August 1914 and was posted to original D Company of same. 

He embarked with his company on HMAT A11 Ascanius at Fremantle on 1 November 1914, and in this manner first came in contact with the 10th Battalion, which also proceeded on the same transport to Egypt. 

During the company reorganisation at Mena, Egypt in January 1915 he was appointed a Platoon Commander in the new B Company of the 11th Battalion, and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 February 1915.

He subsequently proceeded to the Dardanelles on the Nizam, on which he officiated as Ship’s Quartermaster, subsequently rejoining the 11th Battalion on the Suffolk during the troop-movements which occurred in Mudros Harbour. 

He landed with this company from the destroyer Ghelmer at the historic landing on 25 April 1915 and that day distinguished himself by penetrating a great distance inland.

With a composite platoon, including two of his own men, and others from AIF and New Zealand units, he advanced beyond the 400 Plateau towards Third Ridge, from which the Narrows opposite could be seen.  At this time he was in close proximity to Lieutenant N M Loutit’s party, of the 10th Battalion.

He subsequently retied along Wire Gully, and with his platoon took up a defensive position near Lieutenant E J C Stop, of the 10th, and for the next three days was under the command of the 10th Battalion, and held this position until 8 August 1915, when he contracted enteric fever and was compelled to evacuate.

He proceeded to Alexandria on the Gloucester Castle, and after several weeks returned to Lemnos on the Huntsgreen.  Upon arrival to Mudros he was appointed O.C. of Stores Transit Department, with quarters on the Aragon, being delegated the duty of collecting stores and parcels from the numerous transports assembled in Mudros Harbour and distributing same to their correct destinations.

He eventually returned to the Peninsula, and rejoined the 11th Battalion in the line at Anzac in October 1915.

He was posted to the command of D Company, and remained with his unit until same was withdrawn on 16 November 1915.

He then accompanied his Battalion to Lemnos, and subsequently proceeded to Egypt on the Empress of Britain.

At Gebel Habieta, on 20 February 1916 he was promoted to the rank of Captain, and in April 1916 accompanied the 11th Battalion to France on the Corsican.  He remained with this unit until 19 July 1916 when  during the Pozieres attack he was wounded and forced to evacuate.

He proceeded to England, and was admitted to the 2nd London General Hospital (St Mark’s), Captain W F J McCann, of the 10th, being an inmate at the same time.

He attained his majority on 23 September 1916, and in October 1916 was posted to the Command Depot at Lark Hill, and appointed O.C. of Depot Company.  Keen on organization, and noted for his thoroughness of system, he was subsequently transferred to Wareham, where he was appointed C.O. of the new camp which provided accommodation for 6,000 men.   He quickly organised a new system, and as a nucleus body took with him 1,400 men from Lark Hill, and in a very short time had over 4,600 men under his command.

Early in December 1916 he was appointed C.O. of the 3rd Training Battalion, Captain John Hamilton of the 10th Battalion, being one of his training officers, and Lieutenant E J C Stopp of the 10th Battalion, his training Adjutant.

He returned to France in July 1917 and during the operations at Broodseinde Ridge on 7 October 1917, upon the death of Major Alexander Steele, DSO, DCM, it devolved upon him temporarily to command the 11th Battalion.   He subsequently became 2nd in Command of that battalion retaining such appointment until 25 December 1917, when he was seconded for duty with the Senior Officers’ School at Aldershot, England.  After completing a three months’ course he returned to France in March 1918.

On 3 April 1918 he was posted to temporarily command the 9th Battalion, which appointment he relinquished on 11 May 1918.

He then returned to the 11th Battalion for a few days, and on 16 May 1918 was transferred to the Command of the 10th Battalion, relinquishing same on 21 May 1918.

He was then holding the rank of temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, the 10th Battalion at the time moving from Hondeghem to Sercus during the absence of Lieutenant-Colonel M Wilder-Neligan DSO, DCM.  Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel J Newman took over the Command of the 10th from Major G D Shaw, and subsequently handed same over to Lieutenant-Colonel Wilder-Neligan.

On 28 May 1918, he returned to the 11th Battalion as C.O., when his battalion on 3 June 1918 attacked Mont de Merris, taking over 300 prisoners and several anti-tank guns, trench mortars, machine guns, ammunition, and equipment. 

He later drew up the operation order for the 11th Battalion to capture the village of Merris, but the taking of this strategical point was subsequently deferred, when the task was allocated to the 10th Battalion.  He remained with the 11th Battalion as C.O. until 15 September 1918, when due for Anzac leave he proceeded overland to Toranto, Italy, and there embarked for Alexandria, Egypt.

After a fortnight at Suez, he embarked for Western Australian the Dorset.

His services with the AIF terminating on 13 January 1919.

He was Mentioned in Despatches (MID) on 28 May 1918, and for his distinguished services in connection with military operations in France and Flanders was awarded the DSO, which was promulgated in the London Gazette on 3 June 1918, amongst the King’s Birthday Honours. 

He was affectionately known amongst rank and file as “Sir John”.

During his absence from Australia he was appointed a Lieutenant in the 84th Infantry on 1 July 1915, and promoted to rank of Honorary Major on 23 September 1916.  O 1 October 1918 he was appointed a Lieutenant in the 2nd/2nd Pioneers, and on 1 October 1919 was transferred to the 2nd/51st Infantry with the same rank. 

He received no appointment as a Captain, and on 31 March 1921 was listed as a Major on the Reserve of Officers, 5th Military District.

He was transferred to the 3rd Military District, Victoria, with the same rank, Reserve of Officers, on 10 May 1926, and transferred to the 22nd Battalion on 26 March 1917.  He was transferred back to the Reserve of Officers on 31 December 1929.

Returning to Civil Life he rejoined the staff of Fauldings Ltd, at Perth, Western Australia and managed a department until 1926, when he proceeded to Melbourne and became inter-state representative of Ponsford, Newman & Benson Pty Ltd, of 234 Flinders Street, Melbourne.

In 1927 he married Marie Theresa, daughter of C R Barry, there being one daughter of the union.

In 1935 he was residing at No.24 Gray Street, Brighton Beach, Melbourne.

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