GILLEN, John Besley
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 November 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Cerberus (Shore) |
| Born: | Alice Springs, Australia, 31 January 1895 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Adelaide Technical High School, University of Adelaide |
| Occupation: | Doctor |
| Memorials: | Adelaide High School Great War Honour Board, Blackwood War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Nov 1917: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Fleet Surgeon, HMAS Cerberus (Shore) |
|---|
World War 2 Service
| 20 Nov 1917: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Lieutenant | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1920: | Discharged Royal Australian Navy, Lieutenant |
Biography
Published Biography
Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1, C Verco, A Summers, T Swain & M Jelly. July 1914
Additional Biography
Early Life
John Besley Gillen was born on the 31st January 1895 in the district of Palmerston in the Northern Territory to Francis James Gillen and Amelia Maude Besley (SA Birth Registration 562/344). After early life in Alice Springs the family moved to Moonta, South Australia and in May 1907 John wrote a letter to the Children’s Pages of the Southern Cross newspaper.
Schooling
John’s early schooling was at Moonta where he passed his Primary Examinations at the Moonta Continuation School in October 1908. In December 1909 John won a scholarship to attend the Port Pirie School of Mines for a year.
John passed Preparatory Chemistry (1st class) in the 1910 School of Mines Examinations and was awarded a further scholarship.
John completed his schooling at Adelaide High School in 1912 where he was 14th in the general honours list for the Higher Public Examinations.
University
John commenced studying medicine at Adelaide University in 1913. In November 1914 he passed 2nd Year with 1st Class honours and was recommended for the Elder Scholarship. In third year he again passed 1st Class and was awarded the Dr Davies Thomas scholarship. In his final year John again passed 1st Class and was awarded his MB BS in July 1917.
University Sport
Football
John was involved in the formation of the Adelaide Students Football Association in April 1914 and represented the University on the Match Committee.
In the first year of the Students' Football Association John was a member of the Adelaide University B Team in 1914 which defeated Adelaide High School for the Premiership.
Athletics
John competed in the 1914 Adelaide University Sports and he came third in the 880 yards flat race.
Rowing
In April 1915 John represented the Adelaide University Boat Club in the Light Weight Fours in the Autumn Regatta.
World War I
On the 9th July 1917 John was appointed an Honorary Captain in the AAMC. He then joined the Royal Australian Navy in November 1917. His war experience is well documented in the Blood, Sweat and Tears biography.
While on active service John wrote a letter back to the students of the Adelaide High School. (See document).
In February 1919 a photograph, taken by John, of the captured Turkish cruiser ‘Goeben” was published in the Chronicle newspaper in South Australian.
John returned to South Australia in August 1919.
Career and Family Life
John was living at Gawler in September 1920 when he purchased a Douglas 6 JAP Motorcycle. He then moved to Morgan where he consulted and was appointed the district health officer. On the 31st March 1921 John married Eileen Margaret McCann, the youngest daughter of John McCann at St Lawrence’s Church, North Adelaide.
While at Morgan, John was Honorary Surgeon to the Morgan Racing Club and the Management Board of the Morgan Hospital. On the 14th March 1922 John and Eileen’s daughter (Mary Pamela) was born at the North Adelaide Private Hospital. John moved from Morgan to Gawler in April 1922 and he purchased a Sunbeam 18.2 Overland car. John and Eileen’s son (Robert Spencer) was born at Gawler on the 10th March 1925. While at Gawler John and Eileen organised Euchre parties and John played golf and was a member of the Gawler Floral Society and the School Council.
John’s mother passed away in 1927 and John gifted his father’s note books to Adelaide University.
John was a member of the AHS Old Scholars Association and on the committee of the Gawler Sub-Branch of the RSL. He competed in the AIF Cup (Golf) from 1931-35 and provided a trophy (Dr J.B. Gillen Trophy) to the Gawler Golf Club. In June 1934 John took on a partner (Dr. John Covernton) and in May 1935 he resigned the role of health officer for the District Council of Munno Para East. John left Gawler in 1936 and practised at Tusmore before departing to England to undertake further studies. Eileen and the children remained in Adelaide, living at ‘Cathcart’, Palmer Place in North Adelaide. In May 1937, Eileen left Adelaide on the ‘Mongolia’ with plans to join John and tour Great Britain before returning to Australia. Eileen arrived in London in mid July 1937 where she was met by John and by her brother and sister-in-law.
Death
Tragically while John and Eileen were in the UK, John had a heart attack and died in London on the 6th September 1937 (aged 42).
Family Legacy
Eileen continued living in North Adelaide until at least 1954. In 1956 she travelled to the UK intending to stay for six months.
In 1941 Pamela married Colin Thomson (RAAF), the only son of Mr & Mrs R.S. Thomson of North Adelaide.
Robert Spencer Gillen followed his father to Adelaide High School and Adelaide University. He gained his MB BS in 1953. Robert edited his grandfather’s first diary (F.J. Gillen's first diary 1875 : Adelaide to Alice Springs, March to June / edited by Robert S. Gillen, SA Ready Ref Books (919.429 G476)).
Eileen passed away on the 17 March 1995, aged 97 and is buried at Enfield Cemetery, Adelaide.
Author EE (Beth) Filmer
For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.
Submitted 10 June 2025 by Eleanor Filmer
Biography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1. Courtesy of the Authors
John Besley Gillen was born in Alice Springs on the 31st January 1895, the second son of Mr. F. J. Gillen, who was well known for his work with the Aborigines in Central Australia, and Amelia, nee Besley, daughter of a school teacher from Mount Gambier. Members of the Besley family were serving on the overland telegraph line. Gillen’s father eventually became the Post Master of the Alice Springs Telegraph station and he was a Special Magistrate and Sub Protector of aborigines in the area. The family moved from Alice Springs to Moonta and eventually Port Pirie. Gillen had an early education at Moonta and Port Pirie and later boarded privately in Adelaide, and gained a Government bursary whilst a student with Hugh Cairns at the Adelaide High School. Gillen and Cairns were co dux of Adelaide High School in their final year. He studied medicine at the University of Adelaide and was the recipient of both the Elder Prize and the much-coveted Dr. Davies Thomas scholarship. He graduated in MB BS in 1917.
After graduating at the University of Adelaide, Gillen joined the Royal Australian Navy on the 20th November 1917 as a temporary surgeon lieutenant in the Permanent Naval Forces serving in HMAS Cerberus until March 1918 then the cruiser HMAS Brisbane and later in the Submarine Depot Ship HMAS Platypus from 1918 to 1920. HMAS Brisbane’s complement was 31 officers and 454 sailors. The Brisbane was tasked to search for a German raider that was laying mines near the sea trade routes around Australia and New Zealand. The ship is known as the Wolf which in August 1917 captured the Matunga returning to Rabaul and retained Colonel Cecil Lucius Strangman and John Wellesley Flood as POW’s. HMAS Brisbane returned to British waters until 17th April 1919, when she departed from Portsmouth for home. During the return trip, she caught up with the submarine depot ship HMAS Platypus and the six J class submarines transferred from the Royal Navy to the RAN after the war. J5 was experiencing problems, and HMAS Brisbane took the boat under tow; the two vessels reached Sydney on the 27th June 1919. All were sold before 1929. The cruiser was decommissioned on the 4th August 1922, and Gillen transferred to the Emergency List. He was issued with the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Gillen married Ellen McCann in 1920. After general practice in Morgan he joined Dr Tobin at Gawler, from whom he subsequently took over the practice. Gillen stayed in practice in Gawler until 1935. He became involved with the High School council at Gawler in 1929 and was a familiar figure on the local links and a keen tennis player. He had extensive involvement with the Gawler Jockey Club. He began a practice at Tusmore, a suburb of Adelaide, on leaving Gawler in 1935. Gillen was interested in psychiatry and went to England for further study. He gained his DPM in England and was to return to South Australia in November 1937. His success led to his wife, sister of the State Agent-General in London, making the trip overseas to join her husband expecting to share some time with him before coming home. John Besley Gillen died suddenly in London on September 6th 1937, as a result of a heart attack. Their children, Robert and Pamella, were attending school in Adelaide at the time. A letter on Sept 12th 1937 from Sir Hugh Cairns at Oxford to his widow said: - Jack and I were class mates all through AHS and I know well what a sturdy and loyal man he was, it was a great pleasure to meet him here this year in London and learn of his great hopes and prospects for the future. It was characteristic of him to break away into new fields.
Sources:
Wikipedia, Navy Lists WW1,
MJA October 2nd 1937 p 563;
Photo and personal interviews with Dr R Gillen (son).
Click images to start slideshow.