Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John was born in Jamestown on the 10th October 1919 to William James and Susan Walsh. The town, on the banks of the Belalie Creek, is in the mid-north of South Australia, a strong farming area also initially well positioned as a rail link between Adelaide, Perth and Sydney.
John had served as a POW Guard as Private S37614 and was also a labourer with the Engineering and Water Supply Department on the construction of the Whyalla Morgan line, where he was based at Spalding.
However, with the outbreak of WWII, 21-year-old John enlisted to serve on the 6th March, ’41 where he was allocated to the Australian Signals. The same day, his older brother, Thomas also enlisted at Spalding, then in October ’42 enlisted at Port Adelaide but with the Navy where he was allocated the number PA3245 and eventually became an Able Seaman at the HMAS Torrens Depot. John was granted leave to return home to help with the harvest in November that year. He also ‘took’ extra leave in the following January but as this was of his own initiative, he was fined for being absent without leave. Back with his battalion and mixing with so many others, it was almost inevitable that John and others would contract transmittable infections. By May ’42 John was put in isolation at the Keswick hospital with measles but was then also affected by the rubella virus and other infections.
With these finally cleared, John was awarded pre-embarkation leave, returning to Spalding where the local community organised a presentation for him and Mick Shane 48151 who had joined the RAAF. The two young men were escorted into the Spalding Hall to the singing of 'For They are Jolly Good Fellows.' Several speakers from the District Council, the church and football club spoke in praise of the young men before presentations were made on behalf of the district and the War Work Circle. John and Mick then responded. The Northern Argus reported on the items, singing, supper and dancing that followed, before the evening concluding with the singing of 'Auld Lang Syne.'
John then headed for the Middle East in October ’42 as SX15368 and travelled to a staging camp where he joined the 2/48th Battalion. Illness still followed him and just months later in December, he contracted scabies and was evacuated to hospital in the Middle East before being well enough to re-join his battalion at the end of the month, but still was not a well man.
He returned to Australia via Melbourne March ’43 but en-route again contracted scabies and was hospitalised on the ship. Just a few months later, in Queensland July ’43, John contracted pharyngitis and was again hospitalised, a bout of conjunctivitis then an upper respiratory tract infection followed in August. However, despite ongoing ill-health, John rose to the rank of Lance Corporal in December ’44 and was posted to New Guinea. He was fortunate to survive, despite being injured on the 26th May ’45 at Tarakan. John was placed on the dangerously ill list, with his record describing his injuries as multiple shrapnel wounds in his right arm, left loin and left chest with resultant leg pain, and the effects on his lungs of being blasted. He was taken to Morotai and then to Sydney in June ’45.
In his book Tobruk to Tarakan, John Glenn described that attack on Knoll 2 which was being blasted with napalm, firebombs and high explosives by our planes. “Under cover of this fire 16 Platoon of D Company traversed some extremely rugged country where a razor-back ridge made it impossible to deploy more than two men forward in the approach to Track Junction Knoll. Both this platoon and 17 Platoon, who had edged themselves forward, came under fire from the objective, and a section leader was killed.’ Highly decorated, Sgt Diver Derrick was killed just two days afterwards. This news was published in the Advertiser, June ’45. Those from the 2/48th included ‘Died Of Wounds SX7964 Lt. Thomas C. Derrick. VC. DCM 2/48th Berri. SX17803 Pte. William Jack Giddings. 2/48th Naracoorte. Dangerously Wounded. — SX30687 Pte Steven R. Buck, 2/48th Seaton Park; SX15368 L-Cpl. John K. Walsh, 2/48th Spalding. Wounded In Action.— SX7670 Pte. Colin R. Aplin, 2/48th Mornington; SX15415 Cpl. Lindsay G. Bradford, 2/48th Rose Park; SX19253 Pte. Geoffrey. F. Chapman, 2/48th Unley Park; SX7642 Pte. Donald J. Kerin, 2/48th Burra; SX15505 L-Cpl. William. B. Tremain, 2/48th Payneham; SX7691 Cpl. Keith Turnbull, 2/48th Bowden.
John was exceptionally fortunate to survive, listed as dangerously wounded in New Guinea in the Chronicle, early in June ’45. However, by the July issue he was then reported as being removed from all lists as was Buck SX30687. He was amongst many wounded South Australian to return from New Guinea to a tumultuous welcome. A June issue of the News reported that “Wounded South Australians who arrived home from the islands were given a most enthusiastic welcome by relatives at Adelaide Railway Station today. The excitement began when the express pulled in under the Morphett Street Bridge, and the heads of several waving diggers could be seen protruding from the windows of the hospital car. Then there was a rush as the train pulled up as relatives made for the windows to find their men. The men themselves, despite copious bandages and slings and foot scaffolding, were uniformly cheerful and patently glad to be back home. Then there were repeated all the war-long scenes as relatives gathered close to say all the things they had been storing up so long and couldn't think where to begin, and those who were too happy to say anything at all. The conversations continued as stretcher-bearers unshipped the wounded and carefully carried them to waiting ambulances in the station yard, where farewells were said until the time when they could be visited in hospital or, better still, welcomed home on leave.” Lance Corporal John was one of the wounded men listed as being on that Melbourne Express.
Both the local Northern Argus and the News in June 1945 carried similar articles about John, entitled ‘Wounded in Tarakan’. “Cpl. John Walsh, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Walsh, of Spalding, was among the returned wounded from Tarakan, who arrived in Sydney on the Hospital Ship 'Manunda.' He told a reporter says the 'Mail'-'A Japanese ruse that did not work very effectively accounted for him. He had a bullet through one arm and shrapnel through the other and in the back. “I was hit in the arm by a bullet and was crawling back to the stretcher bearers when a shell exploded near me. It was early morning, and the Japs were turning over counterattack.” The shell was thrown— not fired by a Japanese. They were running in with 75 mm. shells with fuses burning. The idea was to throw the shells in our midst. This fellow was one of the few that got through. Most of them were riddled before they reached us, and often were blown up by shells they intended to throw at us.”
"DIRTY FIGHTER" The men back from Tarakan described the Jap as a dirty fighter. Corporal J. K. Walsh, of Spalding, described how he received a bullet wound in an arm and shrapnel wounds in the back, a leg, and chest. He received the bullet wound from a sniper during a counter-attack. While crawling back with a party of other Australians, they were attacked by a Jap carrying a 75-mm. shell. The Jap rushed into the group of Australians and threw the shell at them, killing three and wounding five. He escaped himself. Corporal Walsh said today it was the only instance he had heard of a Jap successfully attacking in this way. Many had attempted it, but most of them had been killed. The fact that the attack took place at night had helped it to be successful. Sergeant T. V. Trish. of Hilton, who was a veteran of Tobruk and El Alamein, said that the German was a gentleman compared with the Jap. COMMON TRICK The Australians thought the Jap a "nasty little man." An Australian sentry one night had been killed by two Japanese and his mates had found the body next morning with the head chopped off. The Jap also had tried on one occasion to kill Australians by throwing blade spears, and the carrying of 75-mm. shells as grenades was a common trick.”
Whilst home recovering, John was able to celebrate the wedding of his brother Thomas to Jessie Long of Port Vincent, who had chosen her sister, Pauline as her attendant. Jack not only was the best man but also made the sheaf of flowers carried by the bride. (Of note, but unbeknown at the time, the bridesmaid, Pauline Long was to become Sgt Bryan Holmes’ SX8133 2/48th sister-in-law when she married Ron Cummings and Bryan married Eva Cummings from Peterborough.)
John spent time in Kapara Haemothorax before being discharged on 27th June ’46. Back home with peace finally being declared, a welcome home dinner, social and dance was held with both older brother, father and mother being part of those responding to toasts to ‘The Fighting Forces’, ‘The Parents’ and ‘Ladies of the District’ respectively. A final, very thoughtful toast was proposed to Corporal John Walsh who was still in hospital in Adelaide, recovering from wounds received at Tarakan. An assurance was given that he would be welcomed home at a later date. The ensuing social and dance was attended by possibly the largest crowd ever seen at Washpool – a measure of the regard in which the men were held. However, also aware of the huge sacrifices given by the returning men, the slow progress of promised land settlement by the government was publicly condemned by some of the more vocal attendees. Each of the returned men were presented with a framed certificate of honor from the residents of the district as a mark of appreciation of their efforts.
By February ’47 John and Betty Hewish, from Jamestown, celebrated their wedding at St. Augustine's Church, Spalding in a morning ceremony on the 13th. They soon welcomed their growing family of Pam, Katherine Mary, Sue, Jackie, Bill, Marie, Ian and Patrick. The new soldier settlement on Kangaroo Island was slow to develop, but also the largest and probably most ambitious. The scheme was ostensibly part of a Federal Government repatriation scheme for returned WWII veterans. The Island was chosen for its high rainfall, but nothing prepared the young families who began arriving from 1948 ready to begin a new life in peacetime, for the conditions they would encounter. There were no roads, just tracks; no accommodation, just a semblance of an army camp, but the families were stoic in putting up with the primitive conditions. The settler families became close and supportive of each other.
John lived to be 67 and died on the19th July ’88. He was buried at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island. Betty lived for another 11 years and died on the 14th Oct 1999.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.