Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Jack was the sixth son and tenth of fourteen children of Richard William (Bill) and Sarah Mary Chapman, both of whom were Kangaroo Island born. Jack was born in Kingscote on the 16th January 1918. His siblings included Ailsa Irene (Rene), Marsden Lloyd Charles, William Ross, Sylvia Eliza, Ettie Blyth, Richard Clement, Maxwell George, Robert Denzil, Sybil Joyce, Myra, Stella, Olga and Noel. All attended the nearby Kingscote School, which was well supported through fundraising for extra equipment, including sporting, musical, elementary farming, woodwork and library.
Richard’s farm was at Point Marsden, situated about 12 miles from Kingscote and was previously owned by his father. Grain crops of barley and oats were grown with cattle, horses and sheep all part of the farm and wool as one of their major exports.
As a four-year-old, Jack and his family were fortunate to escape serious injury when the trap in which they were all travelling near Shoal Bay, broke a pole. The startled horses then bolted, overturning and badly damaging the trap. Six-year-old Sybil injured her ankle and Richard sustained some facial scrapes but the other children were unscathed.
Just prior to Jack’s 17th birthday, the local Emu Bay Sports Club held their annual Christmas meeting with a variety of traditional and unusual sports offered. Jack, partnered by Miss Schaefer won a cigarette race over 60 yards but did not feature in more ‘regular’ events.
Post school, Jack became a labourer until the outbreak of WWII. Aged 22, Jack was the first of his family to enlist in June ’40. In all, six of the siblings served in various roles. The following year, his 35-year-old brother, William Ross S2793 enlisted on the 17th April ’41, serving as a cook including in the Northern Territory. By March ’42, 20-year-old Olga enlisted becoming an Aircraftwoman, number 91918. Robert Denzil enlisted just days before his 28th birthday on the 14th January ‘42 as S47358. Noel, aged 19, enlisted on the 30th August ‘42 as SX22254 and soon after, Stella followed Olga as an Aircraftwoman 107524 on the 10th December 42.
Jack was given the number SX7162 and allocated to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. His early days were spent in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. His ‘bed’ was straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. Training in the Adelaide Hills followed before he had brief pre-embarkation leave when he and Private Albert Waller SX4355 returned to Kingscote for their weekend leave. Jack and Private Percy Weatherspoon, SX8249, also of the 2/48th then returned in October for a Farewell Social held in the District Hall, where a large contingent of family and friends gathered. Unfortunately, Jack’s parents were unable to attend, and their apologies were given. Music, singing and duets were part of the entertainment before Council representatives expressed their good wishes towards the Guests of Honour, and complimented them on their patriotism, wishing them a safe and speedy return. The local Kangaroo Island Courier reported that ‘Mr H. P. Roper spoke of knowing ‘both the soldiers for seventeen years and had seen them grow up from childhood to manhood. He joined with the Chairman in extending to them the best wishes of the residents.’ Presentations were made with both young men responding. Following supper, the evening closed with the singing of " Auld Lang Syne."
The two young soldiers then rejoined their battalion and finally boarded the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November They arrived on the 17th December then marched to a Staging Camp. Unfortunately, soon after arriving, Jack contracted mumps and spent almost a fortnight recovering in hospital before re-joining the battalion and attempting to adapt to the desert conditions.
Within months, the 2/48th Battalion was involved in intense conflicts where their reputation for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Jack was to become one of the respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
Jack was transferred to the 26th Anti-tank Company on the 1st May ’41. He was wounded in action at Tobruk on the 15th May ’41 in the fight for Forbes Mound and also suffered shell shock. Conditions at the time were horrific. John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan described how ‘there were times when men had to hold their mess tins inches from their faces, so that a minimum of sand would cling to their food as they scooped it hastily into their mouths.’
By the end of May ‘41, ‘Diver’ Derrick had compiled a list of the men still left in his platoon. Of the total of 34, seven had been wounded and nine would be killed the following year at El Alamein. At that time, Jack was reported to be in the same hospital as another Kingscote local Howard Wheaton, SX9516 who was with the 2nd/8th. (Soon after, Howard was killed in action at sea in the Middle East in October that year.)
Jack was again wounded at Tobruk on the 30th July ’41 with a gunshot wound to his left chest wall in the battle for the Salient and for Posts S6 and S7. He was fortunate to survive. John Glenn commented that ‘The policy for the battalion during this spell was to open up with everything for about fifteen minutes of concentrated fire on any one post that was particularly troublesome. This had a great moral effect on the enemy and gave our men a distinct advantage. Nevertheless, casualties continued to grow.’ As the battle progressed, the men moved to bring in their wounded, despite coming under intense machine gun fire. Glenn recounted how ‘The days were unbearably hot. Conditions in the Salient were particularly bad, and at nights cases of heat exhaustion had to be evacuated from the forward posts. This was the fifth month of siege, and conditions were telling on the men. To add to this there was a marked increase in enemy fire from mortars, artillery and machine guns, and our casualties were mounting.’ He added ‘Tobruk…we’d been there just on sixteen weeks now. In dust and sand and heat and fleas and flies… and battle.’ Derrick also recorded that at night ‘snipers and MG’s very active.’ Jack was hospitalised for a month as he recovered.
Back home the Advertiser carried the names of those injured with Jack. In his battalion were Privates Allan Dow SX11938 from Glencoe East and Perce Weatherspoon from Kingscote, who had been farewelled with Jack. The August edition of the local Kangaroo Island Courier reported that ‘Mrs B. W. Chapman has informed us that her son Jack has been reported wounded, (second occasion). A letter has been received from him. It was written in Hospital, and he stated that he was making good progress.’ Inevitably, those serving would try to make light of their injuries or the conditions under which they lived and fought.
Soon after being discharged Jack returned to the Anti-tank company but was soon charged with ‘conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline’; fortunately escaping with an admonishment.
By February ’43 Jack was able to leave the Middle East behind to return to Australia via Sydney and thence back home to Kangaroo Island. He was able to spend a few days leave with his relatives in March, where the locals responded with a welcome in the District Hall for Lieut. John Osmond and Dvr. Jack Chapman, both of whom had returned from the Middle East. Following a welcome home on behalf of the residents of the District, Lieut. Osmond responded thanking the residents for their welcome and for what they had done in assisting to provide Comforts for the troops. He added that if at any time the men did not receive them, it was because of transport difficultly. Jack also supported Lt. Osmond's remarks.
Unfortunately, in May that year Jack was treated for appendicitis. Having recovered, he was then posted to New Guinea to face a totally different enemy in tropical conditions. Poor health continued to niggle with incidents of abdominal pain and colic, but by March ’44 Jack was removed from the ‘seriously ill’ list which preceded his return to Australia via Townsville. Dyspepsia and malaria followed as did six week’s leave in Kingscote in April. This coincided with his brother, Lloyd also having a few days leave at home.
Jack married Ada Mena MacIntyre at St. Margaret's, Woodville, on November 4th’44, just prior to his discharged on the 17th November ’44. In September the following year they celebrated the birth of their son, Phillip John. (Phillip in later years served in the Vietnam War as 4718327.) A daughter, Karen also later arrived. Following Ada’s death in January ’73, Jack married Gladys May Jacques.
72-year-old Gladys pre-deceased Jack, dying in 1995 in Port Pirie. She was buried at the Cheltenham Cemetery, Section E, Drive B Path 1 (23) Site 42. Jack died in Adelaide on the 14th March 2013, two months after his 95th birthday. He now rests in the same plot as Gladys. His war service is also remembered with a plaque in the South Australian Garden of Remembrance at Pasadena.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.