MCCARTY, John Strain
| Service Number: | 5163 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 August 1915, Melbourne, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Horait, Victoria, Australia, 1883 |
| Home Town: | Warrnambool, Warrnambool, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Draper |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 11 April 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France III G 9 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Warrnambool Soldiers' Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5163, 14th Infantry Battalion, Melbourne, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 5163, 14th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 5163, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Richard John and Sarah Jane McCarty, of "Wendover," 7, Banyan St., Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
THE PRICE OF PEACE
5163 Private John Strain McCarty, 14th Battalion (16th Reinforcement Group). Born in Koroit in 1883, the elder son of Richard John and Sarah Jane (Strain) McCarty, Warrnambool. Draper, single, he enlisted in Warrnambool on 31st August 1915, aged 31, and embarked on HMAT A68 Anchises on 14th March 1916. Killed in action at First Bullecourt on 11th April 1917. Pte DE Morrow wrote to the Red Cross Information Bureau of the day at Bullecourt: “He was with me in the attack on Bullecourt on April 11th. We took the first and second lines but the enemy heavily counter-attacked. We ran out of bombs and owing to the snow storm the artillery did not see our signals and failed us. When our supports on right and left flanks fell back we had to give way too. On the way back I saw McCarty’s body. He was lying nearly on his face. Though I did not stop, I am sure he was dead. He was in the Warrnambool camp in Australia, age about 28. He came over with me in the Anchises. We left Melbourne March 14th 1916.”
The Warrnambool Standard of Saturday 16 June 1917 reported his death: “Heroes At The Front. Killed in Action. Pte JS McCarty. The Rev. TP Bennett yesterday had the sad duty to perform of conveying to Mrs McCarty of Banyan Street, Warrnambool, the official information that another of her soldier sons, Pte. Jack McCarty, who had previously been reported Missing, had been killed in action in France on 11th April. He was 33 years of age, and sailed for France on 16th March, 1916. His brother, Pte. W. McCarty, died of wounds on 14th April. Mrs. McCarty's third son, Sgt. J. McCarty, is also on active service, being attached to the Aviation Corps. The late Pte. J. McCarty before enlisting was employed at Swintons' Pty. Ltd., and was highly esteemed amongst all who -know him. Great sympathy will be felt for the bereaved mother.”
Sources: Blair & Affleck, For King & Country – Great War Enlistments from Warrnambool and District; Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour; National Archives of Australia; The AIF Project; Virtual War Memorial Australia; Warrnambool Standard 16 June 1917.
Courtesy of James Affleck 2025