Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of John Henry LUCAS and Elizabeth Hope PATMAN

Husband of Norah Alice LUCAS nee FOX

Born in 1897 at Macarthur, the brother of Vivian John Lucas, he served as 5148 Pte JW Lucas with the 14th Infantry Battalion (16th Reinforcements – March 1916), embarking on 14th March 1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A68 Anchises. Lucas was reported missing in the confusion after Bullecourt, 3503 Pte Christian Henry Schultz (XVI Platoon, D Company) reported his movements: “I was told that Lucas had been seen in the Hindenburg Line when we were retiring. Ammunition had run out and the Germans were surrounding us, so orders were given to retire. Lucas was advised to retire at once but he did not do so, and was last seen in the Hindenburg Line where he would have been taken prisoner.” He was interned at Limburg (confirmed by information from the Germans on 23 June 1917, he was repatriated early in 1919.

He kept a diary while in captivity, part of this tells his tale: “Captured at Reincourt at 11am by Wurtemburger Regiment. After being taken prisoner we hurried to Headquarters at a village called St. Quentin where we were all searched by officers, after being searched we were taken to a church for the night. After being there a while we got black coffee and a slice of bread which I think was made of saw dust. The coffee went down alright as we were very cold. It has been raining all the evening.

12th April We all spent a very cold night and very little sleep as the stone floor was freezing. We had another drink of coffee this morning then we moved away from here under a mounted guard. After a long march we were put in a train about 8 o’clock. After 4 hours we got to a small village named Salwsman, we passed through Cambrai on route. We were put into cold cells on our arrival and given hot black coffee.

13th April It was very cold last night, we feel it worse through not having hot food and blankets to sleep with. They searched us again this morning, we had grassy water soup for dinner, several of the men were here cross questioned, after that we left under a Bavarian guard. After a long march we arrived at a collecting camp in a village called Le Quesnoy. We were here put into rooms and given straw to sleep on, it was much better than what we had been getting.

14th April Since being here at Le Quesnoy, we have been doing much better, coffee for breakfast, soup for dinner and coffee again for tea and ½ a loaf of bread a day per man. Today is the first day that I have been able to be full on this black bread. This afternoon they took us to the railway station and after a few hours journey we arrived at Lille, when we got out of the train we were marched through the main streets in view of hundreds of French people. Then we were taken 3 miles out of the town to a fort, when we arrived we were wet through.

17th April Spent hell of a bad night. 120 men in a cell, a cold stone floor to sleep on and wet through, into the bargain a barrel in the corner to s__t or p__s in. We got coffee this morning, I am beginning to feel a bit weak on it, cannot sleep much as my hip & leg get frozen & stiff with lying on the cold stones.

18th April Last night was the same as yesterday, but I still have about 20 cigarettes left.

20th April The same as yesterday with the exception that we were given paper and envelopes to write a letter home telling of our ill treatment and its reason because England was working German prisoners under shellfire and that we would suffer until things were altered by us.

21st April Last night was the same as the previous ones, this morning is a bit warmer. We all moved off from here this afternoon. When we left here I never felt so weak in my life, my knees were knocking terrible and I could hardly walk. We marched through the city again to the railway station where we entrained, after several hours ride we came to a place called Douai. 150 of us changed trains here and went to a smaller village named Brebieres, we arrived here about 9 o’clock, we were put into huts for the night. This village is 21 kilos from Arras, and under shellfire from our guns.

22nd April The weather is fine, today we are laying about doing nothing, we got a drink of watery soup and a small piece of bread, our only meal for the day.

23rd April Last night was the same as usual, all suffering from the cold, no blanket. This morning we got hot coffee made by our own cooks and a piece of bread with a teaspoon full of tinned meat.

24th April We started work this morning fixing up the camp which consists of 2 huts with a barbed wire fence around them. We were given ½ a loaf of bread per man today, coffee for breakfast and dinner, soup for lunch.

The diary then gives a town by town detail, and a time line of his repatriation to Australia. His brother 4970 Pte Vivian John Lucas was killed at Flers on 17th November 1916, he has no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial, France. In 1921 JW Lucas married Miss Hoorah Alice Fox, the youngest daughter of David and Mary (Rochfort) Fox, of Macarthur, with five older boys.

Courtesy of James Affleck