Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

LOGAN. J. A.
# 2720, Private John Logan
14th Brigade. 56th Battalion.
Fifth Division. AIF.
As his crew were setting up their Lewis gun at Goose Alley, Flers on Sunday 22 October 1916, thirty one year old Jack Logan was killed instantly when he was hit in the head with shrapnel. Thirty three year old Fred Fardell from Balmain caught Jack as he fell and eased him to the ground. Establishing that Jack was dead Andrew Walk, a twenty three year old Esthonian, a former seaman who was killed 28 January 1917, buried Jack. Retrieving Jacks papers and identity disk which he later handed in to Battalion headquarters.
John Alexandra Logan had been born at ‘Burnan’ Bunnan in 1885. He was the second of eight children, the eldest son, of Colin McKenzie Logan and his wife Annie (Lettice). “Jack” was educated at Bunnan Public School. His mother died when he was thirteen years old on 6 October 1898. Jack was known far and wide for his versatility on the oval when playing for the Bunnan Cricket Club and representing the District in inter-town competitions.
Jack was a 29 years and 11 months old mail coach driver when he enlisted at Bunnan on 6 August 1915. Medically examined he was found fit for service at Newcastle on 17 August. Slightly built he was 5 foot 6 inches (165cm) tall, weighted 9 stone 4 lb (66kg), had a fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. His religious denomination was Presbyterian.
Jack trained for ten weeks at Liverpool Camp with the 6th reinforcements for the 20th Battalion. On the 2nd November he was the only man from Scone who embarked with the 391 members of the 6/20th Battalion on the 15,050 ton HMAT A14 Euripides. They were under the command of 2nd Lieutenants Claude Morgan-Jones, George Mann and John Shaw. Jack had a uneventful voyage to Suez, enjoying the nightly entertainment provided by volunteers from the troops and the crew.
In January 1916 he was admitted to No 4 Auxiliary Hospital for sixteen days with Jaundice. Released from Hospital on leave he visited many of the nearby ancient and historical sites before returning to his unit. On 14 February the reinforcements joined with Gallipoli veterans from the 4th Battalion to form the 56th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. The 56th commanded by Major Alan Humphrey with the 53rd 54th and 55th all from New South Wales formed the 14th Infantry Brigade of the newly formed 5th Division of the AIF.
Due to the shortage of transport the 14th Brigade were ordered to march the 46 mile to Ferry Post to set up a camp on the east bank of the Suez Canal in Ismalia. Each man was to carry his full pack, water bottle, one day’s iron rations, rifle and 120 rounds of ammunition. Camels carried the Officers kits and two blankets for each of the men. The Brigade was to be allowed three days to complete the march, camping the first night at the oasis at Mahsama, the second night at Moascar.
Following instructions to march for 50 minutes of each hour it was 8pm before they reached their destination on the first day.
On the second day the men continued to experience difficulty in climbing the steep sand hills. Dr C.E.W. Bean, a war correspondent and later the official Australian First World War Historian, described the task as being ‘like walking on a treadmill’.
Due to the scorching heat, many of the men had consumed their water by 11am on the second day and began to fall out of the march. In one Company, only 20 men and two officers had arrived at Moascar that evening.
When Major General Sir James McCay heard this he sent water carriers back along the route. A New Zealand Brigade learning of the fate of the 14th Brigade worked throughout the night to recover the exhausted Australians.
The following day those fit enough covered the final stage to Ferry Post. McCay was furious and sent Divisional Headquarters a stern message, which read, “When troops are ordered to march it is for some definite purpose, and it is always necessary for the troops to reach their destination as a formed body capable of immediate action. For example taking part in a battle. Forming an outpost line, or in the easiest case forming a camp”. Although many of the men were left severely fatigued they continued to be held responsible for this fiasco. No blame was ever attached to those who had mapped out the route the men had taken. Learning from the mistakes made by the 14th Brigade the 15th arrived at Ferry Post much fitter than those who had preceded them.
Jack left Alexandria for the ten day voyage to Marseilles onboard “Huntsend” on 19 June. Disembarking he moved to a camp not far from the front line near Armentieres. While he was very impressed with the French countryside he travelled through, he was disturbed by the sight of many trainloads of wounded French soldiers returning from the fierce fighting on the front at Verdum.
On 12 July the 4th and 5th Divisions relieved the 1st and 2nd Divisions at Armentieres. The Germans had begun moving several of their Divisions from Fromelles to Pozieres to help defend Pozieres from the British attack. The British Commander in Chief, General Douglas Haig, in an effort to keep the Germans from sending men to Pozieres and keep them at Fromelles ordered the 5th Australian Division’s Infantry and the 61st British Division Infantry to attack Fromelles at 6pm on the 19 July. This gave the Australians only 5 days to prepare for what was to be their introduction to the chaotic savagery of warfare on the Western front. During their preparations they were at all times in full view of the enemy who held all the high ground.
The Australian 5th Division suffered 5,333 casualties in the twenty four hour Battle at Fleurbaix near Fromelles. The official history of the 56th Battalion shows that Jack was right in the thick of the action during the battle.
The battle left ‘No Mans Land’ cluttered with Australian dead and wounded making them easy targets for the enemy snipers. The 5th Division troops attempted to arrange a truce with the enemy so they could rescue their wounded, but to their dismay their efforts was vetoed by their own High Command.
Jack’s mate Randolph Dunbar was killed during the Artillery barrage that preceded the battle and Jack was amazed that he and Arthur Miller, another mate from Scone, had lived through such an ordeal. Following the battle he and Arthur then unsuccessfully searched for Bob Bell of Bunnan and Merriwa auctioneer Win Hackett who they had been with at the commencement of the charge. They were unaware if these two men had survived the slaughter. During his search Jack came across an unexploded German shell which was so heavy that despite his best efforts he could not raise it off the ground.
Austrian born Corporal Adolf Hitler was with the Bavarian Division that opposed the Australians at Fromelles.
Following 18 days in the trenches Jack welcomed a 24 hour rest period, which he spent daydreaming about playing tennis at Bunnan before re-entering the trenches.
Due to their huge losses, the 5th Division was then withdrawn from the line to reform and receive reinforcements that would bring them almost back to their original strength. After a period of training they re-entered the line and were fighting on a battlefield covered in deep gluey mud. This was the result of the rain that continued to fall during the bitterly cold winter of 1916/1917. It was during this time at Flers that Jack was killed.
After receiving notice of Jack’s death his brother Alexander wrote to army base records on 20 December 1916 seeking further information. His request remains unanswered. After reading an article in The Daily Telegraph 10 April 1917 describing how the Red Cross were photographing the known graves of the Australians at Flers, his elder sister Alice Ida Jane Logan was also unsuccessful when she wrote to the Red Cross seeking a photograph of Jack’s grave.
As Jack has no known grave his name was placed on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux France. The erection of this memorial on a 10 acre site immediately behind the Military Cemetery had been approved by the Australian Government shortly after the Armistice. Financial restrictions delayed the commencement of its construction until 1935 and it was finally unveiled 8 August 1938. The memorial was damaged by German shell fire during the Second World War.
Jack’s service medals were the 1914/15 Star #16635; the British War Medal #22456; and the Allied Victory Medal #22288.
The World War One Trio, the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal
His name is also appears on:
Memorial Panel, 162.
Australian War Memorial. Canberra.
The Memorial outside the Scone War Memorial Swimming Pool.
The Roll of Honour at the Scott Memorial Hospital, Scone.
Bunnan District Honour Board.
Bunnan School Roll of Honour.
Honour Roll at the Scone RSL Club.