KELSALL, John
| Service Number: | 1248 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Hornby, Lancashire, England , 7 February 1891 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Palestine, United Kingdom, 4 November 1917, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" JERUSALEM MEMORIAL Panel 58. Israel and Palestine (including Gaza) |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Jerusalem Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 1248, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ayrshire embarkation_ship_number: A33 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 1248, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Ayrshire, Sydney | |
| 4 Nov 1917: | Involvement Trooper, 1248, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1248 awm_unit: 2nd Australian Light Horse Regiment awm_rank: Trooper awm_died_date: 1917-11-04 |
British Born Kiwi in the AIF
Born in Hornby, Lancashire, England on 7 Feb 1891, he was the youngest of 13 children. He was 1 of 7 born to Edward Kelsall & his second wife, Elizabeth Jolleys – Edward also had 5 children with his first wife, Elizabeth Loxam
At some stage, he & some of his family migrated to New Zealand – John later moving to Australia prior to the outbreak of WW1
In 1915, he was working as a Farmer in the rural outback town of Mitchell in the Maranoa Region QLD, when on 26 Mar 1915 he was deemed fit, in spite of “a congenial bony deformity of the chest” & enlisted in the AIF at the age of 24, taking his oath 5 days later
He was allocated as S/No. 1248 Trooper with the 9th Reinforcement to the 2nd Light Horse Regiment & embarked on 1 Sep, arriving in Egypt in Nov
Following their return to Egypt in Dec, the 2nd Light Horse began a period of reorganisation due to their losses in the Gallipoli Campaign, with John joining the Regiment & being posted to B Squadron, C Troop
Throughout 1916, he was involved in the Battle of Katia (23 Apr); Battle of Romani (3–4 Aug) & the Battle of Magdhaba (23 Dec)
In 1917 he was saw action during the Battle of Rafa (9 Jan); 2nd Battle of Gaza (17–19 Apr) & at Tel el Saba in support of the 4th LH Brigade 'charge' at Beersheba (31 Oct)
His final action came in Nov, when during the Battle of Tel el Khuweilfe (1–6 Nov), his Squadron was detached in support of the 5th Mounted Brigade (Australian Mounted Division) during their action at Ras el Nagh
During the battle on 3 Nov, John sustained a gunshot wound to his knee, elbow & abdomen & was subsequently admitted to the 5th Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance, where he sadly succumbed to his injuries the following day at the age of 26
He was buried there in Palestine near Tel el Khumeryah & Mikreh – (assuming the coordinates relate to a specific map) the area was stated as “40° from Beersheba, 180° from Tel el Khumeryah, 2 miles in the centre W of K in Mikreh”
Throughout the remainder of the campaign in the Middle East, his grave was lost & his remains were never recovered
He is listed on Jerusalem Memorial, Palestine & remembered at the Australian War Memorial Commemorative Area at panel 3
Submitted 2 December 2024 by James Coleman
Click images to start slideshow.