John Bingham HIGGINSON

John Bingham HIGGINSON Update Details

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HIGGINSON, John Bingham

Service Number:	45
Enlisted:	6 January 1915
Last Rank:	Major
Last Unit:	1st Light Horse Regiment
Born:	Warwick, Queensland Australia, 27 October 1873
Home Town:	Darlinghurst, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling:	Brisbane Grammar School, Queensland; Shewsbury School (Law), England
Occupation:	Solicitor, Journalist
Died:	Fatal Accident, Springwood, New South Wales, Australia, 26 January 1939, aged 65 years
Cemetery:	Rookwood Cemeteries & Crematorium, New South Wales
Memorials:	Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Brisbane Grammar School Boer War Honour Board

Boer War Service

1 Oct 1899:	Involvement Lieutenant, 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen
1 Oct 1899:	Involvement Private, 45, 2nd Queensland Mounted Infantry
13 Jan 1900:	Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 45, 2nd Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 457 notes 2nd QMI embarked 13 Jan 1900 aboard Maori King arriving Cape Town 24 Feb 1900.
23 Jan 1901:	Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 45, 2nd Queensland Mounted Infantry, National Archives Australia- Boer War Dossier notes returned to Australia aboard Orient arriving Brisbane 16 Jan 1901, discharged 23 Jan 1901.
6 Mar 1901:	Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Lieutenant, 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 488 notes 5th QIB embarked at Pinkenba 6 Mar 1901 aboard Templemore arriving Port Elizabeth 1 Apr 1901.
4 Jan 1902:	Wounded Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Lieutenant, 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray P. 492 notes severely wounded at Onverwacht 4 Jan 1902.
5 May 1902:	Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Lieutenant, 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 491 notes 5th QIB embarked at Cape Town 27 Mar 1902 aboard St Andrew returning to Australia arriving Brisbane 30 Apr 1902, disbanded 5 May 1902.

World War 1 Service

6 Jan 1915:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Captain, 1st Light Horse Regiment
16 Aug 1915:	Involvement Captain, 1st Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Marere embarkation_ship_number: A21 public_note: ''
16 Aug 1915:	Embarked Captain, 1st Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Marere, Sydney
4 Sep 1916:	Promoted AIF WW1, Major, 1st Light Horse Regiment
9 Jul 1917:	Discharged AIF WW1, Major, 1st Light Horse Regiment

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Biography contributed by Claude McKelvey

John Bingham Higginson was born on 27 Oct 1873 at Warwick, Queensland, a son to James Clinton Higginson and Elizabeth Higginson (nee Ord). He married Mabel Rose Stanley on 30 Apr 1903 in Brisbane and they departed for Papua where he took a position with the Armed Native Constabulary. They lived in Papua unitl 1907 when they returned to Brisbane and then relocated to Sydney in 1915. During that time they had 6 children.

John was an educated man going to Brisbane Grammar School and later the Shrewsbury School in England where he studied law qualifying as a solicitor. He, however, spent most of his working life as a journalist including with The Bulletin in Sydney. For detailed biography refer to Museum of Perth via link on this profile which also contains a photo of him in WW1 uniform.

He served twice in the South African (Boer) War and again in WW1. First service was as a Private S.N. 45 in the 2nd Queensland Mounted Infantry, Boer War. Second service was as a Lieutenant in the 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, Boer War. Third service was as a Captain rising to Major in the 1st Light Horse Regiment AIF, WW1.

(sources- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll; Murray p. 460 & 492; National Archives Australia- Boer War Dossier 1st service and WW1 service record; Museum of Perth, 1st Light Horse Regiment Captain John Bingham Higginson).

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