Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John’s father, Cyril Arthur Alfred Bushell, served with the 14th Light Horse Regiment during WWI as number 2570, initially serving with the 1st Anzac Battalion. As a 21-year-old, he enlisted on the 21st January 1916 and was detached to the Camel Corps, serving in Egypt. He was discharged on the 9th January 1920 with malaria and categorised as medically unfit. His son, John Frederick was born in Hindmarsh, just after Christmas on the 29th December ‘21 to Mary Elizabeth Isabel and Cyril at Hindmarsh. (His later Army enlistment record incorrectly adds a further year to his age.)
Cyril was a soldier pensioner but also a bookmaker, attending many local racecourses and meetings.
As a youngster, John enjoyed playing cricket and also found employment as a Junior art engraver in ‘36, but that first company was unable to offer him an apprenticeship so he moved to the Wiles Chromium and Electroplating Company in Waymouth Street, Adelaide.
With the outbreak of WWII, John was keen to follow in his father’s footsteps and serve his country. He had been a member of the Militia with the 10th Battalion Adelaide Rifles and served two months guard duty at both Keswick and Woodside. In March ’40, 18-year-old John then applied for the Air Force. He was able to produce several references where he was described as being a ‘conscientious, willing, honest and steady employee.’ His church minister also described him as ‘honourable and conscientious’. John initially served as number 26033, an Aircraft Hand Mustering Guard with S.H.Q Laverton. Unfortunately, he did not live up to his glowing references and was court martialled at Laverton in June ’40, found guilty for being AWL for 10 days and exhibiting conduct to prejudice of good order and airforce discipline by wearing an Air Observer badge he was not entitled to. He was then held in detention and fined 35 days’ pay. With a further infraction in January the following year, John left his post while on guard outside the north D/F Station. He received 21 days detention. Inevitably, he was discharged at the end of January, his record marked ‘Service no longer required’. He was 19 with his parting conduct and character described as ‘BAD’, and that he was an ‘unreliable and unsatisfactory type’. For a young man who wanted to be in the action, boredom was a big contributor to his actions.
Yet John still wanted to serve. He then enlisted with the Army on the 11th February ‘41, neatly leaving the section on his past service with the air force, blank. He was allocated the number SX13279, initially with the 2/10th Battalion. He was briefly promoted to the rank of Corporal in October that year but by the end of the month had reverted to a Private once he arrived in the Middle East on the 21st October ’41.
As did many of the new enlistees, John undertook a Course with the 9th Australian Special group with the No 10 Mortar Wing at the end of ’41 but the frank assessment was that he was a ‘fair mortar man – ranging weak’. With limited artillery available to the Allieds, both these skills were essential. From there, John joined the 2/48th Battalion but the desert conditions, heat, lack of water and poor hygiene contributed to his contracting bouts of gastroenteritis and dysentery, then acute enteritis over July ’42. An inflamed and infected big toe and persistent tinea added to his ill health.
The return to Australia and welcome leave preceded training in Queensland as the battalion prepared to fight a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. By August ’43, John had arrived in Milne Bay but almost immediately went AWL for two days and was fined three days’ pay. Soon after, John was wounded in action on the 23rd October, 43 but remained on duty.
Corporal Jack Abbott, SX9323 also from the 2/48th sustained a gunshot wound to his right arm in the same encounter. At that stage Sattelberg was being shelled daily. In Tobruk to Tarakan John Glenn described how ‘the jungle clad slopes and the bare stretches at the top vomited vicious flashes of orange and great black clouds of smoke, as the shells exploded. Then would come the roar of the twin engine planes as they dived with their bombs followed by the tearing sound of their machine-guns as they turned and went in again, and all the while the sound of exploding shells, bombs and machine guns, together with the noise of our mortars and small arms, went echoing down the valleys and gorges.’ On the 23rd, attempts were made to make the final assault on Sattelberg by climbing a precipitous slope. The whole offence later came to be named ‘Derrick’s Show’ as Diver Derrick made several forays to destroy Japanese Posts. John received his injury inflicted by a grenade, during this tumultuous time.
The following month John was wounded for a second time with the enemy being particularly active with his shelling. It was possible they knew there was in increase of jeep traffic taking supplies to forward troops in the final assault on Sattelberg. John was incredibly fortunate to survive and was placed on the dangerously ill list with multiple gunshot wounds to his forearms, perinium, lower leg, foot and his face. Edward Pearson SX15714 from John’s battalion was also listed as dangerously wounded. For both men, their army war was over but their personal war had begun. John left Port Moresby for home via a hospital ship arriving in Brisbane in December ’43. Despite every effort John’s eye could not be saved. Over the early months of ’44 John spent time in Kapara Convalescent Home, receiving particular attention on his fractured ankle. He was able to be reported as ‘No longer on dangerously ill list’.
John was finally discharged as a TPI (Totally and Permanently Injured) on the 30th September ’44 as a result of his physical condition but he also experienced an on-going brain injury. Life was challenging and included a particularly unsavoury incident where John was assaulted by a 28-year-old migrant. The case went to court where John was described as a one-legged, one-eyed returned soldier who was also severely wounded in the other leg. The homeless migrant had attached himself to John and his friend in the Hindmarsh Hotel in Pirie Street. Being unable to talk to each other because of the different languages, the migrant became angry, throwing John over his shoulder, resulting in John falling on his face and sustaining a bad cut over his good eye, necessitating four stitches when later taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. When arrested, the attacker became more violent and gave the despised Nazi salute when attempts were made to place him in a cell. The attacker was fined £5, with £2 18/6 costs and ordered to pay 50/- compensation to John.
In 1951 John married June Lee Phillips. He continued to struggle with his injuries, but the couple welcomed their son, Anthony John whilst living in Victoria in August ‘52
Both of John’s parents were buried at Centennial Park with Cyril also remembered in the South Australian Garden of Remembrance at Pasadena. Cyril died on the 24th January ’55 but Mary lived a further 20 years and died in 1975.
John died, aged 66 on the 17th March 1987 in Heidelberg, Victoria in the Repat Hospital. He was buried in the Yan Yean Cemetery at Whittlesea in plot C2 – 13 – 139 where a plaque commemorates his service.
Following his death June, then living in Tasmania with her aged mother, attempted to gain more information about John’s Airforce Service to ease her challenging living conditions.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.