Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Australian Remembrance Army

Over the past six years we have submitted the service records and causes of death of several hundred veterans to the Office of Australian War Graves for assessment for Official Commemoration. To date, more than 100 of these veterans interred at Lutwyche Cemetery have been accepted as Official Commemorations, and their graves are now being formally marked and will be maintained in perpetuity by the Office of Australian War Graves.

Private John Shaw (Service No. 4222), an Australian World War One veteran, is one of the previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery that has been accepted as an Official Commemoration by the Office of Australian War Graves.
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page

OAWG Official Commemoration: https://connect.dva.gov.au/.../viewCommemoration.html...

John Shaw was born on 25 February 1888 in Orange, New South Wales. On 16 September 1915, at the age of 25, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Brisbane, Queensland. He stated his occupation as a labourer and nominated his brother, Frederick Shaw, as his next of kin. On 28 March 1916, he embarked from Brisbane for overseas service with the 25th Battalion aboard HMAT Commonwealth.

Shaw served on the Western Front in France, where he experienced the full severity of front-line combat. On 30 October 1917, he was wounded in action in France. Just days later, on 4 November 1917, he was again wounded in action, this time as the result of a gas shell attack. This exposure to poison gas would have profound and lasting consequences for his health, ultimately leading to chronic pulmonary fibrosis. On 12 June 1918, Shaw was wounded for a third time in France, suffering a gunshot wound to the left arm with a compound fracture of the left elbow.

As a result of these injuries and his deteriorating condition, Shaw was evacuated through a series of medical facilities in France and England for treatment.
Following the end of the war, he returned to Australia in 1919. His health had been significantly compromised by his wartime experiences, and on 12 February 1921 he was discharged from the AIF as medically unfit for further service. His recorded disabilities included the lasting effects of his gunshot wound and the progressive respiratory illness caused by gas exposure.

Medical assessments conducted in 1923 at the Repatriation General Hospital, “Rosemount,” Windsor, documented a severe and permanent deterioration in his lung function. He was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis affecting both lungs, accompanied by wasting, weakness, and shortness of breath on exertion. Medical specialists found no evidence of tuberculosis, instead attributing his condition to his earlier gas exposure during the war. The condition was described as permanent and likely to worsen over time.

Shaw lived with the long-term effects of his wartime injuries and illness for the remainder of his life.
Private John Shaw died on 12 July 1955, aged 67, and was buried in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. He was unmarried and had no known children.

In 2024, sixty-nine years after his death, we received notification that the Office of Australian War Graves had accepted our application for an Official War Graves Commemoration.

After decades in an unmarked grave, his final resting place now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia, ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.

Lest We Forget