CUMMING, John Allan
| Service Number: | 1336 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Inglewood, Loddon, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Horsebreaker |
| Died: | Inglewood, Victoria, Australia, 14 August 1962, cause of death not yet discovered, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Inglewood Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Inglewood War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, SN 1336, 1st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, SN 1336, 1st Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, SN 1336, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Bee, Sydney | |
| 16 May 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, SN 1336, 1st Infantry Battalion, 'ANZAC' / Gallipoli | |
| 20 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 53rd Infantry Battalion, France | |
| 11 Jan 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, SN 1336, 53rd Infantry Battalion, to Melbourne per HT Port Darwin | |
| 26 Apr 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, SN 1336, 53rd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private John Allan Cumming (Service No:1336) was in Sydney NSW when he enlisted in the AIF (having previously tried to enlist in Melbourne) on 30 October 1914 and embarked for Egypt with 1st Infantry Battalion on 11 February 1915 on board HMAT Seang Bea A48. He was WiA at Gallipoli in May 1915 and whilst in France was Gassed. According to newspaper reports (Inglewood Advertiser 1918) Private Cumming saw service at Suez, Dardanells, Gallipoli, Flemelles, the Battle of the Somme, Bullecourt and Polygon Wood. On 11 January 1918 Private Cumming embarked for Melbourne on board HT Port Darwin and was Discharged on 26 April 1918. Private Cumming was one of six brothers and a step brother who served in WWI. Son Allan Robert Cumming Jnr (Service No:147788) served in WWII.
Born in 1896 in Ascot Vale Victoria, Alan was the sixth of eight children of James Cumming (b1862 in Wigtownshire, Scotland) and first wife Mary Jane Redwood (b1865 in Bridgewater, Victoria). James was a Farmer in Scotland when he emigrated in 1884, and was a Chaff Cutter in Bridgetown, Victoria in 1888 when he and Mary married. They settled in Bridgetown, Victoria where they raised their family, spending a short time in Melbourne in 1894/1895 when James was Inspector of Creameries. James was Manager of the Bendigo Butter Factory and Bendigo Creamery, and established his Dairy Farm at Flora Hill near Bendigo. James was an acknowledged authority on pasture and cream and butter manufacture. Following their Divorce in 1903, James remarried and Mary relocated to Bridgetwon WA where she was Proprietor of the Bridgetown Coffee Palace.
Alan was a Horsebreaker at Inglewood, Victoria and in 1914 enlisted as 'John Allan Cumming' and was in reality eighteen years of age, having given a false birthdate. In 1919 Alan was a Farmer at Inglewood, Victoria and in 1924 married Mabel (May) Jane Augusta Bertram (b1898 in Kurting, Victoria) in Bendigo. Alan and May moved to Denilquin NSW where Alan was a Farmer and returned to Inglewood in Victoria where he was a Farmer and Grazier. He was a noted light harness racing enthusiast and partner in several trotting mares and horses. From 1936 to 1954 he was Proprietor of the Central Cafe in Inglewood. Alan died in 1962 and May in 1993.
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