EDGAR, John Wilfred
| Service Number: | 860 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 August 1914, An original member of G Company 9th Bn. |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 20 May 1893 |
| Home Town: | Rockhampton, Rockhampton, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Central Boys School, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Saddler |
| Died: | Killed in action, Mouquet Farm, France, 14 August 1916, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Albert Communal Extension Cemetery, France Plot I, Row M, Grave No. 5. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Corporal, 860, 9th Infantry Battalion, An original member of G Company 9th Bn. | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 1914: | Involvement Corporal, 860, 9th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Omrah embarkation_ship_number: A5 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Sep 1914: | Embarked Corporal, 860, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Omrah, Brisbane | |
| 14 Aug 1916: | Involvement Sergeant, 860, 49th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 860 awm_unit: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1916-08-14 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
John Edgar was born and raised in Rockhampton, Queensland. His father was a saddler there and young John was working in the family business when he enlisted during August 1914 as a Corporal and subsequently took part in the Anzac Landing on 25 April 1915. He was wounded in action on that day and was soon after evacuated to Egypt. He had gunshot wounds to his leg and wrist.
He wrote a letter from Egypt to his father which was published in the local newspaper, “Just a line to let you know that I am keeping well. I was wounded in our first engagement; but I am all right again. I was shot in the left leg just below the knee and in the right wrist. I have been in the hospital five weeks now. I am going to rejoin my unit as soon as I can get away. Our boys did well at Gallipoli. We got it a bit hot while landing: but we drove them back. I lasted until the afternoon. I thought I was going to escape; but my luck was out. I am in the convalescent hospital now.”
John returned to Gallipoli during June 1915 and served there until the evacuation. He was transferred to the 49th Battalion during the ‘doubling’ of the AIF in early 1916 and was promoted to Sergeant soon after.
John Edgar was killed during an attack on the Fabeck Graben trenches near Mouquet Farm on the night of 14 August 1916. His older brother, Robert Douglas Edgar, also a Sergeant, was killed in action in Belgium almost 12 months later with the 42nd Battalion AIF.
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