Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

McLachlan had until his enlistment been working as a coalminer [most likely at the Coledale Colliery, also known as North Bulli No.2] in the south coast NSW town of Coledale, a northern suburb of Wollongong. McLachlan’s enlistment may have been a consequence of the frequent strikes pulled on by the Illawarra coalminers in their bid for an eight-hour day. They had lost a week’s wages to strikes in January alone.

McLachlan enlisted at Kangaroo Valley on 6 April 1916 at the age of 36. He was the son of Charles and Elizabeth McLachlan of Kangaroo Valley.

He embarked on the HMAT Euripides from Sydney on 9 September 1916 with the B Company of the 13th Battalion as part of the 20th Reinforcement. Before he left Australia McLachlan managed a bit of nuisance in Sydney and was fined 5/- for drunkenness.
He had spent 10 years in the militia prior to this, discharged for going AWOL.

He was to reach the battalion at Ribemont on 7 May 1917 as one of 103 fresh reinforcements sent in to build the 13th back to strength following the disastrous raid on Riencourt on 11 April. The battalion had suffered 510 casualties here, 367 of them “missing”. Among these casualties were two Valley Boys - Peter McNellee was killed here, and Os McClelland was taken prisoner.

On 15 May he entrained to the battalion billets at Bailleul for further training and refit of the battalion. The war was a serious business now and they were schooled and exercised for weeks in musketry, skirmishing, bayonet fighting, open warfare, bomb throwing, gas protection and (barbed) wiring. During spells the officers were to lecture on maintaining civility in this most horrid of vocations – their conduct on leave and in the villages, maintaining the reputation of the battalion and the A.I.F. History suggests that they did not pay much attention to the lectures on saluting.

McLachlan saw his first action on 10 June when the battalion was taken into the frontline at Messines to relieve the 1st New Zealand Brigade. They continued the push that had started on 7 June with the detonation of 19 mines under the German lines along the Messines Ridge. He was then to spend the month rotating between frontline trench duty and fatigue work in the reserve areas.

July started the same way although the intermittent enemy shelling was now becoming a daily experience. Their own guns also managed to drop a few short into the Australian lines. Fortunately no-one was hurt. The Australians were also actively patrolling No Man’s Land, much to the annoyance of the Germans.

A welcome rest and a bath came after they were relieved by the 49th Battalion.
Brigade games including rugby and cricket were played, the 13th getting the worst of most of the results. The latter part of July was then spent in billets at Vieux Berquin for rest, training and more lectures, this time including the perils of venereal disease.

By early August 1917 the battalion was at the Douve River camp, assigned fatigue duties carrying materials from the tram terminus there to the 16th Battalion Headquarters. Out of necessity these works were conducted at night, away from the watchful eyes of the enemy. Accidents were bound to happen.

John had survived four months of action in the face of the enemy, only to fall over during carrying work on 7 August, dislocating his left shoulder. This wasn’t all bad however as he scored a “Blighty” to England out of this misfortune and an extended recuperation period.

Boredom or mischief led to a bit of “overtime” during this convalescence and he was penalised 4 days pay for going AWOL from the Codford Barracks for 2 days. He re-joined his platoon on 14 May 1918 just as the 13th was going back into the trenches at Allonville. Their own guns were still practicing “drop shots”.

By this time the Australians had halted the German push at Amiens that had started late March, and were now steadily rolling the Germans back across ground the Australian and British forces had held two years previously.

McLachlan spent the next month rotating between the frontline and reserve until mid-July when the battalion went into reserve for rest and further Brigade Games. Besides the serious foot races were pillow fights, the greasy pole, Siamese Race (three legged race) and mule races. No fewer than 18 bookies were sanctioned for the 10 event (horse) race meeting at Allonville on 22 July which included the Pozières Stakes, Gallipoli Hurdles and Messines Gallop. A good time was had by all.

The war had now swung decisively in favour of the Allies and the momentum was building with America now fielding a million men “in country”. The 13th Battalion hosted a party of officers and NCO’s of the 33rd American Division at this time as part of their induction to this new industrial warfare.

The A.I.F. was also looking to preserve the lives of those “originals” that had landed at Gallipoli three years previously. A battalion survey revealed that of the original 13th Battalion contingent that had landed and served on the Peninsula - only 16 officers and 127 other ranks were still on active service.

On the strength of their reputation the Australian troops were now regularly being used as the leading elements in the decisive battles planned by the British. By late July it was apparent to the men of the 13th that they were being prepared for another major stunt. It was to be Villers-Bretonneux, a French village that will forever be nobly associated with Australia. Training intensified until they were moved back into the forward areas on 31 July.

Item 4 of the Battalion Routine Orders No.63 drafted on 29 July 1918 records that Lt. Col. Douglas Marks, Commanding Officer of the 13th Battalion, authorised the transfer of 6285 Pte J.C. McLachlan to the 13th Battalion Headquarters Signal Section.
In quieter times this move would have been welcomed by McLachlan as a “safe” lurk.
In battle the reality was that he would be required to lay out telephone cables and run messages across ground swept by intense enemy fire. This transfer was to have fatal consequences.

Thick mist covered the ground when B Company led the 13th Battalion to the starting tapes at 0340hrs on the morning of 8 August. The enemy were quiet and the weather fine, although visibility was down to 5 yards. The Battalion moved forward at 0550hrs and made good progress to its objectives without sustaining casualties. However when the Battalion paused to consolidate at 10am 57 casualties were sustained, the Operations Report stating:
”… a few of the casualties being by machine gun fire…”

McLachlan was one of those casualties. The 13th had advanced an astonishing 8 miles before encountering heavy machine gun fire and snipers. His injuries included bullet wounds to the right thigh which resulted in a compound fracture of the leg. He was in a very poor way from blood loss and shock when brought to the 11th Australian Field Ambulance Station at Bussy-Somme and succumbed to his wounds within an hour of arrival.

The 13th Battalion would only “hop the bags” for one more stunt before being taken back into reserve and rest in mid-September. They were still in reserve when the armistice was signed on 11 November. John McLachlan had missed the war’s end by only 12 weeks.

John’s mother Elizabeth, nominated by John as next of kin, had passed away in March 1918 and so was spared the news of her son’s death. However a war of words commenced almost immediately after John’s death between his father, brother and step-sister, all contesting for John’s estate which would have included over two years of his deferred pay. John had written on 19 June clearly nominating his brother Nathaniel as next of kin after Elizabeth’s death.

John Charles McLachlan is buried in the beautiful Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, 3 miles west of Corbie France.

The Reverend Wills-Robson officiated over the ceremony. A parcel of meagre personal effects was forwarded to his father Charles on 19 March 1919.

John McLachlan was to be remembered in the Valley and in his home town. His name appears on the Coledale RSL Club Roll of Honour although his name is misspelt McLaclan on this refurbished memorial.