Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Family and Early Years

Ern Harry (Ern) Johncock was the youngest of thirteen children of John Austin Johncock (1844-1930) and Martha (1851-1942) née Fuller. He was born at Balhannah on the 29th of December 1894. The Johncock family were early pioneers of the district and were involved in all manners of community activities, church (St Thomas' Anglican Church), sporting, social and cultural gatherings. His father in addition to farm work and bringing up his large family was a member of the Balhannah Rifles, a local militia group formed in 1860. It was a hard country life for the family and at the time of Ern's birth three of their children had already not survived childhood. Tragedy soon struck again when his older brother Ben (9) was tragically drowned in the Onkaparinga River after slipping from the slippery bank.

Early Education - Pupil Teacher - School Sport

It was important for John and Martha that all their children were well educated. Ern’s early schooling was at Balhannah State School and Mount Barker High School. At an early age he showed an interest in becoming a teacher following on in the footsteps of his older brother and sister, Charles Fuller Johncock and Edith Alice Johncock. In 1910, he was appointed by the Education Department as a Senior Monitor at the Mount Barker Public School. In 1911, having already passed the entrance examination the previous year, he enrolled at Adelaide High School (formally the Pupil Teachers' School). In his youth he had played sport for the local football teams, playing juniors with Mt Barker and seniors for Onkaparinga.

Adelaide High School

Ern attended Adelaide High School from 1911 until 1913 in the capacity as a junior teacher. While there he completed his Senior Public and Higher Year examinations qualifying for entrance to Adelaide University. In addition, he passed subjects at the Adelaide School of Art and by March 1913 he had been promoted to a 3rd grade junior teacher position at the school.

While at Adelaide High School he played football for the 1st XV111 for 3 years and 1st X1 cricket in 1912 and 1913. In an unusual situation in 1911 both he and his nephew (John Arthur Johncock - son of older brother Charles) were in the same football team. In his final year he was captain of the team and also a Prefect. He was awarded the Rossiter Prize for outstanding sporting achievement in his final year.

After completion of his Higher Year at Adelaide High School he received a promotion to 4th Grade junior teaching position and received a posting in 1914 to Murray Bridge High School (Continuation School) which had only been established the previous year. While there he also played a season of football for the local Murray Bridge team. It was his intention to enroll at Adelaide University in 1915 and at the end of the year he was farewelled at a school social gathering.

Adelaide University Enrollment

Ern enrolled in the Arts Faculty at Adelaide University in 1915, however, with the outbreak of hostilities and Australia's commitment increasing, like many fellow students, he answered the call to serve. He had already had military training having served for 4 years in school cadets and local Infantry (74th, 76th and 79th Military Units).

Norwood Football Club

After returning to the city from Murray Bridge in 1915, he was recruited by the Norwood Football Club. A number of their players had already enlisted and departed for overseas duty. After playing 7 league matches for the league side his time with Norwood ended, playing his final game on July 3rd, 1915. Like many others who served, it is unknown what the course of his league football career may have taken.

War Service

His call to serve King and Country in WW1 interrupted his football and his university studies when he enlisted in July 1915. embarked for overseas service on board HMAT A2 Geelong on 18 November 1915. Before departing he attended an assembly at Adelaide High School.

Enlisting on 14th July 1915, he is described and standing 5ft 9in (175cm) and 176lbs (80kg). With the rank of Private he was assigned to the newly formed A.I.F. 32nd Battalion, 1st Reinforcements and attended the Cheltenham Racecourse Camp for initial training. In November his Unit embarked for overseas service from Port Adelaide and arrived at Ismailia, Egypt on the Suez Canal in February. By July 1916 he had been promoted to the rank of Corporal and after arriving in France at the southern port of Marseilles, was soon seeing action at the Front in the North of France.

On the 20th July Ern received a gunshot wound to the forearm and was evacuated to the 3rd Canadian General Hospital near Boulogne.

To allow time for full recovery he was furloughed to England for several weeks. He rejoined his Unit in September 1916 at Etaples, France and after time in the field was seconded to the Western Front sniping school "On Command" and a promotion to the rank of Sergeant. While recuperating Ern wrote home: (see document).

By November Ern had rejoined the 32nd Battalion in the field and in December 1916 was wounded for a second time. This time he received a wound to the head and was evacuated to the 22nd General Hospital Carriers, France. He was then repatriated to the Brook General War Hospital near London.

By April 1917, after four months recovering, Ern rejoined the 32nd Battalion and was back in France. A month later in May 1917 he was transferred back to England to attend Officer Training School at Pembroke College, Cambridge. The high number of officer casualties at the front lines had required a continual influx of replacements and Cambridge University was the location one of the foremost British Officer Training Schools. By November 1917 he had completed his training and qualified for a Commission.

Returning to France at the northern port of Havre later that month, Ern was back in the field again and soon assigned to a small arms training camp (Lewis Gun). Soon after he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and in June 1918 was seconded to the 8th Brigade as a Bombing Officer on the front lines. In September he returned to the UK on leave and on returning to France in October rejoined the 32nd Battalion.

After the Armistice he remained in France until January 1919 and then on to England to await his return to Australia. He boarded the troop carrier HMAT (A68) Anchises at the port of Devonport, England on the 8th of February for the long two-month journey home. He arrived back at Port Adelaide and disembarked on the 10th April 1919 and was discharged on the 5th June 1919.

Adelaide University Enrollment and Football (Adelaide University Football Club)

Almost immediately on his return in 1919, Ern enrolled at the University Teachers' Training College and also enrolled for subjects in the Arts Faculty at the University of Adelaide. He gained a Division 1 Pass in Education and Division 2 Pass in 1st year Science. He also gained a Teachers' Primary Certificate in the Art Examination conducted by the Education Department.

By July Ern was back playing football, this time with the Adelaide University team and the following month travelled with the team to Melbourne for the resumption of the Intervarsity contests after a 5-year lapse. In September the University team lost to Semaphore Central in the Grand Final.

From 1920 until 1923 Ern completed subjects for his Bachelor of Arts degree in a part time capacity while also teaching at Adelaide High School. In 1922 he was also assisting with the school Cadet Corps. Continued playing football for the Blacks, he was consistently one of their best players and in 1920 was awarded an Adelaide University Sports Blue.

In August 1922 he was a member of the victorious Adelaide University team which defeated Melbourne at the Adelaide University Oval.

His final match for Adelaide University was in September 1922 when the Blacks defeated rivals Semaphore Central in the A1 Amateur League Grand Final.

Marriage and Family Loss

Ern married Lorna Maud Bertram (1896 - 1973) in May 1920 at St. Columbas Church, Hawthorn, SA. Shortly after this joyous occasion, the family however, was saddened when his sister Edith passed away at Yorktown, SA. As an older sister (and a teacher), Ern was the very special youngest baby in the family. Shortly after Ern enlisted and had embarked for overseas service in WW1, she had given birth to a boy in December 1915 and named him Ernest John (1915 - 2000). He was no doubt named after her youngest brother.

Rising in the Teaching Profession

In 1923 at 28 years of age, it appears Ern did not play football at all. Married life, teaching and university studies to complete his arts degree part time, were dominating his life. In December that year, Ernest Harry Johncock was presented with his B.A. Degree at the University of Adelaide Commemoration Ceremony. Also, the same month he received notice that he was to be appointed as a Senior Master at Unley High School for 1924.

Ern remained at Unley High School as a Senior Master and Sports Master until the end of 1926. While there, he had continued his studies and in 1924 had completed the requirements and received his Master of Arts Degree. It was back to his old school in 1927 after being appointed to Adelaide High School as a Senior Master. He completed his Diploma in Education (Dip. Ed.) at the University of Adelaide in 1929. In addition to his teaching and studies, he was very much involved in the extracurricular activities which Adelaide High School paid great importance to. Their motto "Non scholae sed vitae" – “Not only for school, but for life” - is indicative of their aim to produce well rounded scholars and future leaders. Ern during his 5 years there, at various times was Sports Master, coached the football team and was rowing coach (he had rowed for Adelaide University before the War). He also regularly donned the old football boots and played for the past scholars against the present students in the annual football match.

In 1926 his mother and father celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary

"A DIAMOND WEDDING. Mr. and Mrs. John A. Johncock, who recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of their wedding, have resided at Balhannah during their married life. Mr. Johncock arrived from England in the Norman on March 5, 1855. He was born at Sandgate, England, and on October 3, 1866 was married to Miss Martha Fuller at the residence of Mrs. Knight, Langhorne’s Creek by the Rev. Henry Howitt. Mr. and Mrs. Johncock both enjoy fair health. They have eight sons and daughters, namely Messrs. Charles F. Johncock of Clare, William G. Johncock of Narridy, John A. Johncock of Netherton, James P. Johncock of Balhannah, George J. Johncock of Balhannah, Allan S. Johncock of Barmera, Mrs. A. Hennington of Dalebank, and Mr. E.H. Johncock of Clarence Park. There are 25 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Two sons and two grandsons saw active service at the war.”

Ern’s father John Austin Johncock passed away in 1930, however his mother lived a further 12 years passing away in 1942. In 1933 she and some other local Balhannah residents had documented the history of the area in interviews with the Adelaide Chronicle Newspaper in September 1933.

In 1932, Ern received a promotion to Headmaster at Murray Bridge High School where he had previously been in 1914. Remarkably by now there were four members of the family who were headmasters in Education Department Schools. They were oldest brother Charles and his nephews John and Percy in addition to himself. Ern's stay at Murray Bridge was short lived when in 1933 a vacancy occurred in the Education Department for an Inspector of Schools (Northern District) and he was appointed. He took over from Mr. Dinning who then replaced him at Murray Bridge High School. In 1949, Dinning would become Headmaster at Adelaide High School. The Director of Education at the time of Johncock's promotion was Mr W J Adey who had been headmaster at Adelaide High School when Ern had been a pupil teacher before the War and then a teacher there after the War.

Ern was a very well respected and hardworking Inspector of Schools constantly travelling to the mid and upper northern areas of the State from their home in Clarence Park. In 1939 he and Lorna are recorded as then living at Quorn, north of Port Augusta where they remained until shortly before Ern's untimely ill-health when they moved back to Adelaide.

Ern and his wife had been a well-respected member of the local community. Sadly, his death at only 48 years of age occurred on the 26th November 1943. He was survived by Lorna who died in 1973. They had no children.

Profile added with the permission of the author Rob O'Shannassy.

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.

Name: Ernest Harry Johncock
Service Number: 1518
Place of Birth: Balhannah
Date of Birth: 29 December 1894
Place of Enlistment: Keswick
Date of Enlistment: 14 July 1915
Age at Enlistment: 20 years 6 months
Next of Kin: Mother, Martha Johncock
Occupation: Student
Religion: Church of England
Rank: Private
Ernest left Australia on HMAT Geelong on 18 November 1915 and went to France with the 32nd Battalion early in 1916. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal on 26 May. He sustained gunshot wounds to the left forearm and right foot on 21 July and was sent to the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne, then Brook War Hospital Woolwich, England for treatment. Ernest’s father was notified of his son’s situation on 17 August. Upon completion of the required treatment Ernest was able to rejoin his unit on 13 September. He was promoted to temporary Sergeant on 19 October.
On 9 December 1916 Ernest was wounded in action for the 2nd time, sustaining a gunshot wound to the head and received treatment at Etaples, France, and in England prior to rejoining his unit on 12 April 1917. At the termination of the war Ernest returned to Australia on the Anchises on 21 February 1919, disembarking on 11 April and was discharged on 5 June.