Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John, known as Jack, born on the 11th January 1915 at Glenelg, was the second son of Frank and Elsie Emma Abbott. His older siblings were a sister, Mavis and brother Norman who was born in the far north town of Terowie in October 1908. The family had lived in Terowie for over three decades but decided at the end of 1910 to move to Glenelg. Frank had been a prominent worker in the Methodist Church, with the congregation organising a farewell for the family. This also included the presentation of a silver kettle. Four years after settling in Glenelg, Jack arrived as their third child.
With the family’s strong Methodist background, Jack attended Prince Alfred College in Kentown, then post school, worked as a soft goods salesman.
With the outbreak of WWII Jack enlisted to serve in June ’40, choosing his nickname, rather than his official name of ‘John’ on his papers. He was given the number SX9323 and initially allocated to the 2/7th Army regiment before being transferred to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. The group’s initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. From Wayville, the new enlistees moved to Woodside for their preliminary training. An early bout of illness resulted in hospitalisation for Jack prior to his pre-embarkation leave.
Norman, who was seven years older, and had been involved with military service for three years from ’26 to ‘29 also enlisted at a similar time. He was an Assist Company manager with SA Perpetual Forests and appointed Pilot Officer 16 June ’41.
Following pre-embarkation leave, Jack and the 2/48th contingent embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 17th December 1940. They were transported in cattle trucks with what the men believed were square wheels, eventually arriving in Dimra, to be greeted by the welcome, nostalgic sight of a row of gum trees bordering the train line. It was here that the raw troops settled into camp, quickly realising the enemy did not only wear battle fatigues. As described by John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan, they soon discovered that ‘Arabs were notorious for thieving, even stealing the hessian around the latrines. Rifles had to be chained to tent poles when not in use, their bolts removed. One morning Jack and his four fellow tent men returned to their tent to find their rifles gone, but in this case Major Bull was the ‘clifti wallad’ determined to give a startling example of the need for caution.’ Early in ’41, Jack’s leadership qualities were recognised with a promotion to L/Corporal, however a breach of discipline of not appearing at Parade and being beyond designated limits while on leave, resulted in his return to being a Private in May. This was later rescinded.
His 2/48th Battalion completed a few months training in Cyrenaica before moving to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees. They were to become the famed Rats of Tobruk, a title designed to be derogatory, but one worn with pride.
In Darren Paech’s recount book of SX7138 Captain Ivor Paech’s war diaries, Adelaide to Alamein, an entry on the 26th November ’41 records Ivor’s entry “Made a complete check of all stores in the Intelligence Section. Members of the section included Sergeant Jack Glenn, Corporal Geoff Gerber, Privates Les Feehan, John Abbott, Bert Johnson and Mick Riley.” John Glenn also commented on Jack’s exceptional map making skills that same month. ‘Lieut-Colonel Windeyer had a 10-day tour of Syria to lecture on Tobruk to officers and NCOs of the 16th Brigade in November ’41. Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan recorded that ‘Mid November all troops were now coming to realise how much the success of Tobruk had been a result of General Morehead’s hardness and determination. The 9th Australian division was fast gaining that pride in itself for which it was to become known, a pride engendered by the knowledge that its commander was a very great soldier. Privates Les Feehan, Ted Wreford, Jack Abbott and Bert Johnstone worked untiringly for days in preparing some very fine maps in readiness for this lecture tour.’
By mid ’42 Jack had regained his promotional position to L/Corporal. At the end of 1942, Glenn outlines how ‘a rest period of a couple of days was allowed as a prelude to our third Christmas in Palestine, to be followed by company training, and inoculations and vaccinations until New Year’s Day, when a donkey race meeting was held.’ Corporal Abbott was listed as a Steward overseeing the races which carried names such as ‘Hammer Handicap’ and ‘Shammama Shambles’. The donkeys also carried very colloquial names including ‘Lacka out of Klink by Mistake’, ‘Latrine out of Paper by Austerity’ and ‘Quastina out of Bounds by Routine Orders’.
After this the men of the 2/48th Battalion continued to recuperate from their time in Tobruk whilst information was being collected about their current fighting position. Jack returned to Australia and thence to Adelaide from the Middle East in February.
Training in Queensland followed, designed to prepare the troops to face a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. Then a Corporal, Jack was wounded in action on the 23rd October, 43 sustaining a gunshot wound to his right arm. Private John Bushell SX13279 from the 2/48th Battalion, was also injured but remained on duty. The Advertiser carried the news ‘Mr. and Mrs. F. Abbott, of Glenelg, have been notified that their youngest son, Cpl. John Abbott, was wounded in action in New Guinea on October 23.’ 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. Jack received his injury during this tumultuous time.
Jack undertook a Special Advanced Trainee Course in June with the Cypher personnel, but unfortunately his record suggests he was affected by illness, spending time in the army hospital. He had several bouts of ill health early in ‘44 with a high fever (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin, PUO) followed by Dengue fever and later contracted malaria, which all affected his progress. However, whilst undertaking his study course, he was fittingly described as ‘an excellent type, conduct and bearing good, Good army background.’ Poor health precluded Jack from further service outside of Australia but he continued to serve with the Cypher Section in the latter stages of ’44. Finally, the following year, exhaustion, malaria and physical ill health signaled the end of Jack’s military career.
Returning to Adelaide via Brisbane, Jack and Gwyne Mary Davies of Kew, married in Melbourne on June 2nd. He was eventually, formally discharged on the 15th June ’45, classified as ‘medically unfit’. Jack’s brother, Norman, then a Squadron Leader married Section Officer Patricia Winifred Revell in Kalgoorlie in November. (Patricia had previously gained the third highest marks in ’43 in the WAAAFS.) Norman was discharged on the 1st July ’46.
Their parents celebrated the safe return of both their sons, Norman and Jack from the war, and were able to spend precious time with them. Their father, Frank was 77 years old when he died in May 1950. He was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery as later was 79-year-old Elsie in June ’54.
At a similar age to his father (77) Jack died on the 16th July 1992 in Melbourne and was buried in the Springvale Botanic Cemetery in Plot R.W. Gillard, Row AA, Grave 30. Gwenyth was also buried in the same plot on her death, aged 87 on the 4th May 2004. The large cemetery comprises landscaped gardens containing over 30,000 roses in a peaceful setting.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.