KITSON, John James
| Service Number: | 5712 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 December 1915, Cootamundra, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hillston, New South Wales, Australia, November 1895 |
| Home Town: | Queanbeyan, Queanbeyan, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 18 March 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Outtersteene Communal Cemetery Extension Plot II, Row B, Grave No. 47 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hillston Memorial Park Gates |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Cootamundra, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jun 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5712, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5712, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Sydney | |
| 18 Mar 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Driver, 5712, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5712 awm_unit: 2 Battalion awm_rank: Driver awm_died_date: 1918-03-18 |
John James Kitson.
The Kitson family arrived in Canberra around 1911. Vera Kitson married Lyle Blundell at the Canberra Presbyterian Church in 1912 and Henry Kitson worked for the Commonwealth. Jack Kitson was farewelled at Queanbeyan in April 1916 and served with the 2nd Battalion in France and Belgium. On 13 March 1918 he was in the Transport Section, 2nd Battalion when, after breakfast, whilst grooming horses in the stables near Mount Kemmel in Belgium, a long range bomb dropped on the building killing three men and 24 horses and mortally wounding Kitson. He was taken to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station where he died on 18 March 1918. Kitson was buried in Outtersteene Communal Cemetery Extension near Bailleul, France.
His personal belongings were lost at sea when the S.S. Barunga was sunk by a German submarine. His nephew, Harold Blundell, served in World War 2.
Courtesy of Memorials A.C.T.
Submitted 25 May 2022 by Lynette Turner
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