18159
EGLINTON, John Charles
| Service Number: | 2105 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Gumbowie, South Australia, 14 December 1882 |
| Home Town: | Clements Gap, Barunga West, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | 23 March 1944, aged 61 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Cheltenham Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Athelstone Memorial Hall, Magill Honour Board, Port Broughton War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 2105, 5th Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Commonwealth embarkation_ship_number: A73 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 2105, 5th Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Commonwealth, Adelaide |
Help us honour John Charles Eglinton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by tony griffin
John Eglinton was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Mary Eglinton. He was born at Gumbowie (near Peterborough) in 1882. In 1910 John, a farmer, married Ada Phillis and settled at Clements Gap where they raised 3 children. John was 32 years old when he enlisted on 6 April 1916.
John was appointed to 5th Reinforcements 5 Pioneer Battalion and embarked from Adelaide aboard HMAT A73 “Commonwealth” on 21 September 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth on 14 November. In England he trained as a carpenter before he proceeded overseas to France, exactly 12 months after arriving in England. He was taken on strength of 5 Pioneer Battalion on 24 November 1917.
4 of John’s brothers had also enlisted and by June 1918 three had been killed and one seriously wounded and maimed for life. His brother Lawrence (50 Battalion) was killed at Bullencourt on 2 April 1917, Clarence (27 Battalion) at Polygon Wood on 20 September 1917 and Thomas (50 Battalion) near Villers Bretonneux on 9 May 1918. His brother Wilfred had been returned to Australia medically unfit.
John applied to be sent home for family reasons – to support his elderly parents, his wife and three young children and to work the farm that had been neglected for two years. His application was granted and on 20 June 1918 he returned to England. He disembarked from England aboard “City of Karachi” and disembarked in Melbourne on 24 October 1918. He was discharged “for family reasons” on 8 November 1918.
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