CHAMBERS, John Henry
| Service Number: | 4398 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Chatham England, 1870 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | War Service related , Australia, 7 February 1919 |
| Cemetery: |
Payneham Cemetery, South Australia SE 27 212 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4398, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4398, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Adelaide |
Help us honour John Henry Chambers's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Before The War
John Henry Chambers was born in Chatham, England where he grew up and eventually moved to Adelaide, where he lived with his wife Barbara Chambers and his two children at the address of 24 High Street. He worked as a laborer, doing building work and heavy lifting. He was an Anglican and attended church every Sunday. He was a 43-year-old man who stood at 5-foot 6 with grey hair and a medium complexion with chest measurements of 34 – 35 inches. He weighed 130 pounds with perfect vision. The war started in 1914 and in 1915, he enlisted for war. He got all his vaccinations and passed all of his inspections. He was deemed fit to fight in the war and he embarked his home on the HMAT Shropshire which took him and the 2nd depot battalion to France, where he was then shortly switched to the 27th infantry battalion on arrival in France.
During The War
John Henry Chambers was sent to France with the 27th infantry battalion. After three days staying in France, John Henry Chambers caught influenza and they recorded that he had fallen “in the field” and had been brought back from the barracks to the 3rd Northern General Hospital. After he had gotten better he rejoined the other soldiers on the battlefield. Six months after they arrived, John started to feel pains in his joints, shoulders arms and legs. He was sent to the hospital in June 1916 and was later found to have rheumatism arthritis. He complained of pains in his hips and wrists and after being held in hospital for a week was finally deemed unfit for any further service and they decided to send him home and get him to do home service, meaning administrative work back in Adelaide. Before he left he had requested all of his medals to be posted back to his home on 24 High Street Kensington.
After The War
John Henry Chambers died on the 7th of February 1919 after struggling with rheumatism arthritis. He had joint pain all over his body, including wrists, hips, back, legs and shoulders. The war ended in 1918 and he was done with his administrative job from home and went back to labor. He couldn’t do as much because of his arthritis. A year after the war in 1919 he again caught influenza and died in his home. His wife had to raise their two kids alone, his body was then buried in Payneham cemetery where his grave still remains.
Bibliography
http://www.naa.gov.au
https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au
Click images to start slideshow.