Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Herbert John Campbell, known as John, was born 3 Dec 1922 at Wooroolin, the youngest child of Herbert & Elizabeth Campbell. John and his 9 siblings all attended Wooroolin School. (Pupil No 637). The family lived in Short St Wooroolin and their land backed on to the Memorial Hall and it was from there that the old HN Campbell Steam Tractor was relocated to Apex Park about 1960/61. A photo taken about 1934 at the tennis courts on Ted Just’s farm, just out of town, on the way to West Wooroolin includes John and 3 other future WW11 soldiers, Ted & Viv Weller and Bill. Thanks Betty Fiedler who played a lot of tennis there and remembers Mrs Just and Dorrie fed us wonderful afternoon tea.
John enlisted in the Australian Army on 11 Mar 1942, aged 19 years, in Brisbane. He must have left Wooroolin quite young to be living in Red Hill, Brisbane when he joined up in 1942. He must have preferred the clerical life to a life of toil and sweat on the farms around Wooroolin.
His army details are not listed on the NAA website, which is very unusual. I found him honoured on the WW11 Nominal Roll where it is noted that he was in the 5th Field Regiment, a Corporal and discharged on 22 Jul 1948. He had an additional service number 19692.
John’s older brother Charlie enlisted into the Army in Aug 1942 and served in the 2/4th Field Regiment with my Dad.
Wikipedia tells us that the 5th division was re-raised as a Militia formation during the Second World War, and was mobilised for the defence of North Queensland in 1942, when it was believed that the area was a prime site for an invasion by Japanese forces. Most of the division was concentrated in the Townsville area, although the 11th Brigade was detached for the defence of Cairns and Cape York. In 1943, the division took part in the final stages of the Salamaua–Lae campaign, in New Guinea, and then later in 1944 captured Madang during the Huon Peninsula campaign. In 1944–1945, the division was committed to the New Britain campaign, before being relieved in July 1945. The division was disbanded in September 1945 following the end of the war.
What a shame his files are not available to learn why John Campbell was in the Army until 1948 when most soldiers were discharged 3 years earlier. Possibly an Army Clerk as there would have been a lot of administrative work to be done after the war with records and such.
Whilst still in the army in Victoria John married Dorothy Hoare in 1947. They lived in Victoria for some years before returning to Brisbane in the early 1960’s. They lived at Hawthorne and John was a “Clerk”!
John died in 1997 and is buried at Hemmant Cemetery where his wife joined him 2 years later.
Lest We Forget