JEFFS, Joseph Frank
| Service Number: | 2623 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 July 1916, Enlisted at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Payneham, South Australia, Australia, 6 June 1898 |
| Home Town: | Payneham, Norwood Payneham St Peters, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Public School, Payneham, SA |
| Occupation: | Nurseryman |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Menin Road, Ypres, Belgium, 25 October 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Menin Road South Military Cemetery Plot 111, Row J, Grave 26 Headstone inscription reads: He obeyed the call, Menin Road South Military Cemetery, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Payneham District Council Roll of Honor, Payneham Road Uniting (Methodist) Church Honor Roll, Payneham Roll of Honour, St Peters Heroes of the Great War Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2623, Enlisted at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 2623, 5th Pioneer Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Commonwealth embarkation_ship_number: A73 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 2623, 5th Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Commonwealth, Adelaide |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Born Joseph Frank Charles Jeffs Book/Page 623/474
Son of Charles Jeffs and Alice (nee Symonds) Jeffs of Payneham, SA; brother of Alice Eva Jeffs, Elizabeth Jeffs, Edith Helen Jeffs, Charlotte Jane Jeffs, George James Jeffs, Charles Gordon Jeffs who returned to Australia on 1 April 1919 having served with the 4th Machine Gun Company, Marian Bevan Jeffs, Beatrice May Jeffs and Henrietta Annie Jeffs
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Also served in the Cadets
Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Life before the war
Joseph Frank Jeffs was born in Marden Road, Payneham South Australia in 1898. He was a nurseryman, which meant that he looked after plants and trees in a nursery. He was single with a religion of being a Methodist and was 5 feet, 9 inches. He weighed 63 kg and his complexion was medium, his eyes were blue, and hair was brown. Joseph served in the cadets for 4 years (Commonwealth Military Forces). He learnt how to shoot a gun, plan for tactics, look after himself and possibly others (first aid). He would have learnt to be confident, reliant in himself, have initiative, having loyalty, having service to other people, to be encouraging and to know how to work well as a team.
His mother is Alice Nee Symonds Jeffs and his father is Charles Jeffs. Joseph had a big family. He was the youngest of ten children: Alice Eva Jeffs, Elizabeth Jeffs, Edith Helen Jeffs, Charlotte Jane Jeffs, George James Jeffs, Marian Bevan Jeffs, Beatrice May Jeffs, Henrietta Annie Jeffs and Charles Gordon Jeffs. Joseph's brother Charles Gordon Jeffs was also a part of World War 1 being in the 3rd infantry battalion. He was then Taken on strength on the 5th February 1916 to the 4th battalion. He was a part of the machine gun company. About a year later, he was appointed Lance Corporal on the 17th February 1917. On the 11th April 1917, he was wounded and taken prisoner of war by the Germans in Germany. He returned home about a year later on the 1st April 1919 after signing the armistice.
Life in Service
Joseph Frank Jeffs enlisted on 4th July 1916 in Adelaide. He embarked to Devonport on 21st September 1916, on the ship, ‘Commonwealth’. Joseph arrived in France on New Years Day, 1917 and spent the period until September with various rear-echelon units: the ABDB (Australian Divisional Base Depot) and 2nd Australian General Hospital. He eventually joined up with the 5th Pioneer Battalion on 20th September 1917.
"This man was badly wounded on the 25th October 1917, at what was known as "IDIOT CORNER" near WESTHOEK RIDGE "YPRES". The nature of the wounds were very bad, being in the legs, Head and stomach; the wounds were received as the resul of an explosion of a 11 inch shell...He was examined there and placed in an Ambulance and takn to the Main dressing station YPRES and died just before he reached there and that was the last we heard of him, but to the best of our knowledge he was buried in Military Cemetery adjoining the Dressing Station in YPRES (Menin Road South Cemetery)." [SOURCE (recordsearch.naa.gov.au)]
After the War
Joseph Frank Jeffs unfortunately didn’t return meaning that his name was present in the newspaper. There was also an obituary notice that his family received. There is a headstone in Payneham cemetery now that mentions Joseph, Charles’ wife and Charles himself. The real stone however is located in Menin Road South Military Cemetery in West-Vlaanderen, with the inscription ‘He Obeyed the Call’ on his tomb-stone.
ANZAC Spirit
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corp. It is believed that there is an ANZAC spirit. ANZAC has come to be known for the positive qualities. Some of the qualities of what it means to be an ANZAC are courage, endurance, ingenuity, mate ship and good humour. There is a book that was written about the ANZACs by Charles Bean. He described the spirit of ANZAC as:
"a powerful driving sensation that can only be felt. It is a feeling that burns in the heart of every Australian and New Zealand countryman. A warm, tender, fiery, even melancholy ideal that nurtures intense patriotism in the innermost soul of every body."
He didn’t mean it as a person but as a spirit and that everyone from Australia and New Zealand had a warm, tender and fiery soul.
Joseph Frank Jeffs showed the true spirit of ANZAC as he had the courage to sign up in the first place, he had to have mateship to be able to work with his battalion and he had to be clever to make decisions to be able to survive.
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