COPELAND, John
| Service Number: | 29 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 January 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 48th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bowden South Australia, February 1886 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 23 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
AIF Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers AIF Burial Ground, Flers, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 29, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 29, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 23 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 29, 48th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 29 awm_unit: 48 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-11-23 |
Help us honour John Copeland's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Before the war
Private John Copeland (service number 29) was the son of Mrs R Copeland and was born in approximately February 1886 in Bowden, South Australia. John was a single 28-year-old farmer when he enlisted to fight in the war on 30/1/1915 at Oaklands enlistment office. In the 4 months between enlisting and embarking John married Eliza.
Life at war
John embarked on the HMAT Geelong (A2) ship to Gallipoli 31/5/1915 to be on the front line after minimal training. He arrived in Gallipoli in October 1915 and joined the war. His battalion then left Gallipoli in December for Lemnos. This was the start of significant movement for John’s battalion over the next 12 months. The advance party of John’s battalion left for Alexandria in Egypt on the 30th of December, with the rest of the battalion following them on the 6/1/1916, arriving on the 10th. On January 11th they moved to Telecabia, north east of Cairo, where they went to a military camp staying until the 24th of February.
On the 5th of March 1916 the battalion marched to Ismailia Moascar where they attended an isolation camp which acted as a rest stop between battles for them. On the 16th they were back in Alexandria before heading to France where the battalion arrived in Marseille on March 21st. On the 8th of April John and his battalion arrived in La Chapelle. They remained there until April the 27th when his battalion was relieved from the front lines by the 25th battalion. From the 1st of May until the 3rd the battalion were in Rue Marle Armeritiers building trenches and setting up artillery. Then on the 4th May the 27th battalion returned back to the frontline where they stayed until the 23rd. During this time the enemy was quiet with only occasional artillery fire and few casualties.
On the 24th June 1916 the battalion moved into the Bois Grenier support line (near Ration Farm). At Bois Grenier the battalion was working in the support line and the communication trenches. They moved back to the front line on the 27th of May. Again, the enemy was quiet and there were no casualties. Between the 28th and the 31st of May, while the enemy remained quiet, the battalion laid out wire and also dug trenches. While John was on piquet duty (advanced lookout for enemies), he was wounded by a horse which kicked him in the jaw and chest on the 3rd June. He was transferred to a casualty cleaning station on the 19th before on the 20th, being further transferred to Camiers hospital. John stayed in hospital for 2 months before being discharged on the 4th of August back to base depot. On the 25th of September John took leave without absence and for this he was docked 7 days’ pay.
John re-joined the 27th battalion in October 1916 in France where the battle of Somme was taking place. He fought with the 27th battalion for a few weeks before getting transferred to the 48th battalion on 22nd of October, still fighting in the same battle. The battle of Somme ended on the 18th of November 1916 after which his battalion started walking through French Villages. Private John Copeland 29 was killed by enemy artillery fire during the day on Bulls Road, Flers France 23/11/1916. He was later buried in the AIF burial ground in Flers France. The exact location is Grass Lane Cemetery. Plt. Row 1. B. Grave 13.
Private John Copeland 29 received a British war medal, Victory medal and a Memorial scroll, for his efforts during the war. The British war medal was awarded to officers and men of the British and Imperial forces, for service in the First World War. He was also awarded a Victory medal which was given to the Allied forces in recognition of victory over the central powers. John’s wife Eliza, also received a memorial scroll which was presented to the next of kin for anyone who died in the war.
Bibliography:
“Australian Imperial Force Unit War Diaries, 1914-18 War.” Awm.gov.au, 2016, www.awm.gov.au/collection/AWM4. Accessed 7 May 2019.
“Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History.” Vwma.org.au, vwma.org.au/explore/projects/61598/edit?wizard-page-index=0. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.
“Details.” Adfa.edu.au, 2016, www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=62387. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.
“HMAT A2 Geelong - Aust Post Archive.” Naval Historical Society of Australia, www.navyhistory.org.au/the-troops-depart-mail-from-the-1st-aif-convoy-1914/hmat-a2-geelong-aust-post-archive/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2021.
“Session Expired | RecordSearch | National Archives of Australia.” Naa.gov.au, 2015, recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx.
Amazonaws.com, 2021, s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1006249/large/4993356.JPG. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.
Click images to start slideshow.