NELSON, Joseph
| Service Number: | 2225 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 52nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Wigan, Lancashire, England, February 1893 |
| Home Town: | Rockhampton, Rockhampton, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Lengthsman |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 7 May 1945, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2225, 52nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2225, 52nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Boorara embarkation_ship_number: A42 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 2225, 52nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Boorara, Brisbane | |
| 29 Dec 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2225, 52nd Infantry Battalion, 1st MD, medically discharged (wounded Messines) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Australian World War One veteran Private Joseph Nelson (Service No. 2225), is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 15 April 2023, along with a further 246 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Joseph Nelson was born in 1883 at Wigan, Lancashire, England, the son of John Nelson and Maria Nelson (née Wilkinson). He later migrated to Australia and was living in Queensland when, at the age of 33, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Rockhampton on 27 March 1916. His occupation was recorded as a lengthsman, a labouring role associated with road or rail maintenance. Unmarried at the time of enlistment, he was posted as a private to the 52nd Battalion, AIF. He embarked from Brisbane on 12 August 1916 aboard HMAT Boorara and travelled to England for further military training.
Joseph proceeded to France in January 1917 and was taken on the strength of the 52nd Battalion on 6 January. While on active service, he executed a will on 8 January 1917. His period at the front was brief but severe; on 8 June 1917 he was wounded in action, suffering a gunshot wound to the head that resulted in a fractured parietal bone. He was evacuated to England and admitted to military hospitals, including King George Hospital in London. Owing to the seriousness of his injuries, he was declared medically unfit for further service and was invalided back to Australia aboard HMAT Suevic, departing England on 27 September 1917 and arriving on 18 November 1917. He was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force in Brisbane on 29 December 1917 as medically unfit due to war wounds.
Private Joseph Nelson died on 17 May 1945, aged 62, and was buried four days later in Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. His wartime service and the circumstances of the will he executed while on active service were later formally certified by Australian military authorities during the administration of his estate.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
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