Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John David Sheppard, son of Bernard Aubry Sheppard, was born at St Peters, South Australia on the 17th of March 1917. He grew up on 76 Yacka Road Seacliff, Adelaide. Sheppard graduated school at St Peters College and then worked as a Bank Clerk in the local bank before joining the Australian military service. His religion was the Church of England. On the 24th of May, 1940, John Sheppard enlisted for service at Broken Hill NSW. His Army service number was 4879, and he joined the 2/27th Battalion. On the 8th of June 1940, Sheppard signed the Oath of Enlistment for WW2 and proceeded for discharge at Hampstead. After being accommodated at the Woodside camp in the Adelaide Hills (now known as Woodside Barracks) 22 days later, his 'adventure' started, marching out of Woodside and into Wayville.

Sheppard embarked the HMT Mauritania in Melbourne to stop at Bombay (India) on the 20th of October and then to arrive at Libya/ North Africa on the 23rd of November that same year to join the near party. Australia's contribution to the ground war, took place against the Germans, Italians and Vichy French in North Africa. Lieutenant Colonel Murray Moten, commanding the 2/27th Battalion, advised to move downwards onto Miyeoumiye (a small settlement southeast of the coastal town of Sidon in Lebanon) to avoid attacking the strong Vichy French defences along the road that ran into Sidon from the South. The march was exhausting, as the Battalion needed to cross a great deal of rugged country. On the 4 April 1941, Sheppard was sent to IAG Hospital with Dysentery. On the 16th of April he was discharged and marched back out to the 2/27th Battalion on the 9th of May. Later, on the 10th of June, 4 days before his Battalion was planning to attack and capture the Miyeoimiye village, Sheppard was wounded in action on the right chest and left leg. He was discharged on the 15th of August, therefore, missing out on the 2/27th Battalion taking 36 Vichy French prisoners. And also, by the morning of 15th June, The entire 2/27th Battalion (except Sheppard) was able to cross the wadi south of Miyeoumiye without opposition and by 9am patrols were searching forward towards Sidon. By the 14-16th of September 1941, John Sheppard had taken on strength and was marched out to the 2/27th Battalion.

Many months later, on the 29th of January 1942, Sheppard was taken back to Australia, aiming to disembark on the 25th of March that same year for home leave and to be prepared for their next assignment in Papua New Guinea. But before the ship arrived, John Sheppard contracted an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, and he was admitted to the ship’s hospital. Fortunately, he was discharged from the hospital on the 4th of March before the ship arrived. From the 29th of March, John David Sheppard was lucky enough to have home leave and spend time with his family before he continued to march off and embark their next ship. On the 15th of April 1942, John Sheppard was promoted to Corporal and for his next assignment he left in Brisbane on the 7th of August 1942. They arrived in Port Moresby PNG on the 24th, the men were ready to move through the Kokoda Trail, approximately 40 km north-east of Port Moresby, this event was vital to the defence of their own country, Australia. The Japanese army had already landed on the northern coast of PNG and their intention was to capture Port Moresby on the southern coast by making their way along the Kokoda track. If the Japanese achieved this, it would give them control over Papua New Guinea and a base that they would be able to attack the Australian mainland and shipping in the Pacific. The track was physically and mentally hard. They were poorly equipped with no experience of effective jungle warfare approaches, and the fighting was at the end of a long and difficult supply route. John David Sheppard was once again wounded in action on his right elbow and elsewhere on the 1st of December 1942. This means, like many other men that were sick and wounded, he had to hike back to Owers Corner where he could be evacuated for medical treatment. The Kokoda campaign was brutal and desperate, with vast suffering from both sides. Roughly 625 Aussies were killed throughout the Kokoda Trail, and more than 1,600 were wounded. Yet, the campaign symbolises the course of one of the greatest, and important battles for Australia in the Second World War. Sheppard was discharged from the Australian General Hospital on the 22nd of December, he then returned to his unit. On the 9th of January 1943, Sheppard was transferred from Port Moresby back to Australia on the ‘VAN DER LYN’ landing in Cairns on the 11th.

John Sheppard was once again admitted to the Australian General Hospital with Chicken Pox on the 19th of March 1943. 12 days later he was discharged from hospital, and he returned to his Unit where he was involved in the New Guinea - Huon Peninsula / Markham and Ramu Valley /Finisterre Ranges Campaigns. This was after the defeat of the Japanese forces along the northern beaches of New Guinea at Salamaua, Gona, Buna, and later Wau, it was ready for the next phase of removing Japanese forces from the rest of the north coast, this was mostly focused on Lae and the Huon Peninsula.

On the 19th of August 1943, John Sheppard moved up the ranks and was promoted to Sergeant. And stayed in Bathurst SA for most of 1944. From then, he was reverted to Corporal on the 2nd of October and on the 9th he was transferred to the 21th Brigade. Later, he was once again appointed Sergeant. Sheppard finally embarked out of Queensland on the ‘General Anderson’ on the date 2 June 1945, landing 6 days later in Morotai Indonesia.

The Battle of Morotai was part of the Pacific War. US and Australian forces landed southwest of Morotai because the Allies need it as a base to support the liberation of the Philippines as the Japanese had taken over the Philippines from the Americans. The attacking forces secured their objectives within two weeks, and they were too powerful and greatly outnumbered the Japanese defenders. The Japanese lacked supplies needed to effectively attack the Allied defensive border. The Japanese continued to heavily suffer great losses from disease and starvation. The Americans were ready to get back at the Japanese atomic bombing on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii 7 December 1941, they dropped two atomic bombs in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 6th of August 1945. This was when the Japanese surrendered, and WW2 ended soon after.
John David Sheppard’s service was over and he embarked the ‘HMS Cheshire’ in Balikpapan mainland on the 7th of November 1945. He then arrived in Melbourne VIC on the 20th and proceeded for discharge. 3 months after the War had ended, he married Barbra E Sheppard on the 1st of December 1945. They then lived together on Avenue Road Glynde / Payneham SA. Sheppard died of natural causes at Seacliff SA on the 27th of May 2009 at age 92.

References:

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