Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John was born in the south-east London town called Sydneyham on the 24th July 1917, the year following his parents’ marriage. He was the only child of Florence Hilda Bint and Sydney Gerald, who had been a successful London merchant. The family came to Australia and initially lived in Western Australia. Later, John and his father then came to Adelaide. Sydney found work as a wharf labourer, living in a boarding house but increasingly found life a challenge.
Employment was irregular for Sydney who became increasingly depressed, despite John’s efforts. John himself had gained employment as a garage-hand and lived independently, but with the outbreak of WWII was an early enlistee on the 29th June 1940, just a month before his 23rd birthday. Owning three Christian names, he chose to omit the middle ‘Herbert’ at the time, but years later, this was officially added. He was allocated to the newly formed 2/48th battalion as SX7905. Originally, John gave his father as his next of kin.
A fortnight later, John’s fatherdied in the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He was later buried in the West Terrace Cemetery. Despite this death, John made no changes to his nominated next of kin details, which created problems later whist he was in the Middle East.
The evening prior to boarding the Stratheden John was fine 5/- for being absent, but eventually joined his fellow enlistees who arrived in the Middle East on the 17th December ’40. Within days, John went ‘exploring’ for an hour – which was probably not worth being confined to barracks for a day. Over the following year, bouts of illness and absences occurred. Conditions were extremely unpleasant, with the Germans designing a derogatory term that the troops were living like rats underground in their sandy dugouts. Instead of destroying morale, in typical Aussie style, the men proudly adopted the term, a Rat of Tobruk, as a badge of honour and camaraderie. Over July ’42 the 2/48th were involved in the fierce fighting at Tel El Eisa, in the early days the 2/48th stubbornly dug in and made a stand as air raids increased. On the 10th July the battalion was on the move through minefields to take Point 26 with little opposition. Soon after, Hill 26 came under heavy fire and field gun attack. In the heavy attack and counter-attack, John was taken prisoner, but initially reported as missing in action. His capture also coincided with the anniversary of his father’s untimely death.
While not officially confirmed until December, John was reported as having died of Vincents angina (commonly called ‘trench mouth’, an infection of the gums and tonsils) and heart failure in a Reserve Military Hospital ‘Di Summa’ in Brindishi, Italy on the 10th October ’42 whist a prisoner.
With the Army unaware of Sydney’s death ‘whereabouts unknown’ and letters plus telegrams being returned ‘addressee unknown’ a wider search was made. Eventually contact was made with John’s mother, Florence informing her of the distressing news of her only son’s death as a POW. She was living in East Perth, Western Australia.
In March ’45 24-year-old John was buried in the Brindisi Civil cemetery, Plot 1 Row 101, Grave 1. He now rests in the Bari War Cemetery in Plot 11, Row D Grave 30, with others from Australia, New Zealand and England nearby. All were under 40 years of age. His mother, Florence chose the inscription ‘Remembered by mother and all who knew you, Your Duty Done’ for his headstone. This new cemetery site was initially the Italian Army Group headquarters, as well as being an important supply base and hospital centre, the latter operating from October ’43 until the conclusion of the war. John also rests with the men killed in massive explosions in the harbour at Bari, when ammunition ships exploded in December 1943 (during a German air raid) and April 1945.
By 1956 a photo of John’s grave was finally sent to Florence in WA. She initially co-owned a women’s clothing business, ‘Ranlagh’ until ’47 when she owned it outright. Sadly, by ’53 her business had gone bankrupt.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.