JOHNSON, Karl Johannes
| Service Number: | 2815 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Nagu, Finland, 10 August 1884 |
| Home Town: | Fremantle, Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in action, Mouquet Farm, France, 3 September 1916, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
Serre Road Cemetery No.1 Plot X, Row F, Grave No. 1. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Fremantle 849 Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2815, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 2815, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 2815, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Fremantle | |
| 29 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 3 Sep 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2815, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Karl Johannes Johnson came from Nagu in Finland to Australia in 1905 as a seaman. It seems his full surname was Johanson but in Australia he used the name Johnson. He worked as a labourer at Mornington Mills in Western Australia and was naturalised in Perth during 1910.
Karl was with the 51st Battalion when it made a large assault on Mouquet Farm. Very heavy casualties were incurred during extremely heavy fighting and shelling. He was reported as missing after the action and was eventually confirmed as killed in action on 3 September 1916 by a court of enquiry.
A letter exists in his service file from Emily Nelson, of Fremantle, who claimed to be his fiancée, during 1920. She stated she would grateful to receive his medals if no next of kin could be found.
Karl’s remains were discovered during 1923 by the Imperial War Graves Commission near Mouquet Farm, along with his identity disc, as well as 4880 Private Donald Robertson 51st Battalion. They are interred beside one another now at Serre Road No.1 Cemetery.
Base records eventually tracked down Karl’s brother, Mr. J.H. Johanson of Vancouver, Canada, and he was sent his brother’s medals during 1924.