LANCASTER, John William
| Service Numbers: | 3088, 3088A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 60th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1888 |
| Home Town: | Brunswick West, Moreland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | South Melbourne State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Linotyper |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, City of Brunswick Honour Roll, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, West Brunswick State School Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3088, Depot Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3088, 6th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Osterley embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 29 Sep 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3088, 6th Infantry Battalion, RMS Osterley, Melbourne | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3088A, 60th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3088 awm_unit: 60th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
Help us honour John William Lancaster's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by VWM Australia
John William Lancaster was born in South Melbourne in 1888, a year after his parents William Lancaster and Marion Jameson emigrated to Australia from Yorkshire. He was the second of four children, with siblings Jean, Harry and Ruby, as well as a much younger adopted sister named Beryl.
John worked as a linotyper and married Charlotte Lilian Alexander on 21 December 1912 at Daly-street Methodist Church, West Brunswick. John and Charlotte had two children: William Ronald (Bill) born in 1914, and Lilian Jean born in 1915.
John enlisted with the AIF on 21 July 1915. He embarked from Melbourne on RMS Osterley on 29 September 1915 with the 10th Reinforcements, and was transferred to 60th Infantry Battalion on 15 March 1916 at the Tel-el-Kebir army training camp in Egypt.
Three months later he departed Alexandria on the troopship Kinfauns Castle to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. He disembarked at Marseilles on 29 June and was reported missing in action a month later. A Court of Enquiry found he was killed in action on 19 July 1916, during the first attack at Fromelles. According to informant Pte. T. W. Elliott:
"I knew him. We started that morning from Fromelles to take the first line trenches. We had to retire to our original line as the shelling was very heavy. His brother enquired about him from the depot Horseferry Rd, London and they replied that he was killed."
John was 28 years old. He has no known grave, but his name is inscribed on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial at Fromelles (Panel 21) and the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour in Canberra (Panel 170).
John's wife Charlotte raised their two children and never remarried. She died in 1964 and was cremated at Fawkner Crematorium. John's son Bill Lancaster, two years old at the time of his father's death, later became Director of the Australian War Memorial.
(Ref: Find a Grave)
Click images to start slideshow.