NOLAN, John Christopher
| Service Number: | 4492 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 November 1915, Enlisted at Casula |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, April 1891 |
| Home Town: | Fitzroy, Yarra, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tramway Permanent Way (track) worker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 12 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4492, 20th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Casula | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 4492, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 4492, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Sydney |
Help us honour John Christopher Nolan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
John Christopher NOLAN (Service Number 4492 was born about April 1891 at Brunswick, Melbourne. He worked in the Tramways Maintenance Branch at Waverley in 1908, North Sydney in 1911 and Sydney and Suburbs in 1914. When he enlisted on 15th November 1915 at Casula, he gave his father living in Clifton Hill, Melbourne as his next of kin, though this was later changed to his mother, living in Otago New Zealand.
Nolan embarked HMAT ‘Nestor’ at Sydney on 9th April 1916. After a short period of further training he proceeded overseas to France and joined the 20th Battalion on 18th September 1916.
Less than two months later, on 12th November 1916, he was killed in action. Private Peter Bennett (4374) reported:
‘Saw Nolan climb out of the trench on the evening of Nov 12th 1916 at Flers trenches and go a few yards. He was caught in the back by a sniper’s bullet and died about 10 minutes after. He was buried on the same date he was killed and on the same spot. I saw his grave myself with a wooden cross with his name on.
I was a runner with messages and Nolan who was also one, offered to go in my place as I had bad trench feet.’
Lieut K E Lohan stated:
‘Nolan was a runner and was carrying despatches from front line to Battalion Headquarters in daylight at Fleurs (sic) and was sniped through the head and killed instantly. He was buried that night where he fell.’
Later Nolan’s makeshift grave near the frontline trenches could not be located and he has no known grave. He is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Unfortunately, with Nolan’s family being in Melbourne and his enlistment being in Sydney some confusion arose with the military authorities in Melbourne not being notified of his death, and the consequence was that the family learned of it through the press rather than official notification. This evoked an apology from the military authorities.