Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

John Wesley Blacket was born on the 20th July 1886, the eldest of fifteen children born to Rev John Blacket and his wife Martha Jane (Pattie) Fidler. Jack was born at Gumeracha, SA. John was known as Wes within his family but his friends called him Jack.

Jack’s siblings were Phoebe Matilda (b 1887), Caleb Edward (b 1889), Leonard Whitefield (b 1888), Hilda Kathleen (b 1891), Ruth Fidler (b 1892), Maurice Newton (b 1893), Joseph Arnold (b 1894), Samuel Bertram (b 1895), Minnie Constance (b 1897), Florence Martha (b 1898), Harry (b & D 1899) Arthur Howard (b 1901), Cyril Augustine (b 1904) and Kenneth Bernard (b 1906).

Jack’s father, Rev John Blacket, was a minister in the Methodist Church and he went on to serve in thirteen Methodist circuits in South Australia, most of them in the country. His biography can be read on the Australian Dictionary of Biography at http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/blacket-john-5259. He wrote eight books of philosophy and history, most famously "History of South Australia" about the first thirty years of South Australian settlement.

Schooling

While one newspaper report at Jack’s passing suggests that Jack commenced school at Prince Alfred College in 1891 this is not correct. Jack may have commenced his schooling at Petersburg (now Peterborough) where his father was the minister from 1888 to April 1891. Rev John Blacket was then at Yorketown, Gumeracha, Koolunga (mid North), Melrose and Angaston.

Jack passed his Preliminary Examinations in September 1900 however the newspaper reports relating to the results did not include the schools. It was when the Rev John Blacket was based at Angaston in 1901 that Jack commenced at PAC; he was then aged 14 years.

Jack completed his Junior (Latin, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and inorganic Chemistry), Senior (German, Arithmetic and Algebra, Geometry (credit), Chemistry and Trigonometry) and Higher Public Examinations (German) from 1901 - 1904 at Prince Alfred College.

Jack passed Latin in the Special Senior Examinations in March 1906 under the tutorship of Mr DH Hollidge. He was awarded an evening scholarship at the University of Adelaide in April 1906.

Now 18 years of age, he was an emergency for the 1904 Inter-collegiate football match against St Peter's College. It appears that Jack replaced Shearer in the team line up as he appears in the 1904 Inter-collegiate team photograph below. Jack was not in the 1st XI cricket team for PAC. This belies his later success as a league footballer for Norwood and an A Grade cricketer for Adelaide University.

Jack played football for the College in at least one match in 1905 when the College played Gawler Central at Gawler in June 1905. Jack was head of the Boarding School in 1905.

Career

After completing his secondary schooling Jack was appointed to the teaching staff of Prince Alfred College. In addition to his teaching role, Jack studied part time at the University of Adelaide. Jack was actively involved in all aspects of the school in particular the Army Cadets and Football. He was on the committee that organised the PAC Sports and acted as a judge/starter and timekeeper at the event. Jack was on the committee of the PAC Old Scholars Association and he regularly competed in Past v Present and Old Scholars football and cricket matches. Under his leadership the PAC Cadet Team were State Champions in 1914.

University

Jack commenced studying toward his Bachelor of Arts and Adelaide University in 1906. He was awarded Evening Scholarships in March 1906, March 1907 and May 1908. He passed first year German in November 1907 and first year Mathematics in November 1912. Jack was still studying toward his BA when he enlisted for WWI.

Sport

Cricket

Jack commenced playing cricket for the University of Adelaide in the 1908/09 season. He played in at least one game in his first season and was a regular in the team in the SACA B Grade competition in the 1909/10, 1910/11 and 1911/12 seasons. Jack was a member of the side when University was defeated by East Torrens for the SACA B Grade premiership in May 1911. Jack’s statistics for the 1911 season were 14 innings, 203 runs with a high score of 55 not out and an average of 16.6.

Jack then played with University in the SACA A Grade competition in the 1912/13 and 1913/14 seasons. In his first season in the SACA A grade Jack statistics were 10 innings, 3 not out, 58 runs, highest score 27 and an average of 7.37. Jack was the A Grade wicketkeeper. He was awarded a Blue for Cricket in 1915 making him a Double Blue.

In March 1913, under Jack’s management, the University team made an enjoyable trip to the Barossa Valley in the Easter holidays. The team played a match against Angaston.

Jack was no longer eligible to play for AUCC in the 1914/15 season and it was suggested he would be playing for East Torrens for whom he was residentially bound. He does not appear to have played at East Torrens owing to his commitments with the Citizens Forces and his enlistment for WWI. The unavailability of other University players due to military service resulted in the cancellation of the 1915 Inter-'Varsity contest against Melbourne.

Football

Jack played football for the Norwood Football Club in the South Australian Football League during 1907-1909 seasons. He played nine A Grade games in 1907 and two in 1909. Jack also represented Norwood at a match against the Gawler Association in August 1908. In a trial game before the 1909 season he was described as a sturdy fellow.

In 1909 and 1911, Jack played football for the St Bartholomew’s Football Team and he was the team’s Vice Captain in the first year of the Amateur League competition in 1911. He represented the Amateur League at a match against the Gawler Association in July 1911. He scored 12 goals for St Bartholomew’s in the 1911 season.

Jack first represented Adelaide University in the Intervarsity match played against Melbourne University in 1908. He played in five Intervarsity matches (1908, 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1914). There was no Intervarsity in 1909 and Jack was injured in 1913. He was awarded a Blue for Football in 1912 and was the captain of the 1914 Intervarsity team that defeated Melbourne for the first time. Jack also represented the University in matches against PAC in 1911, and St Peter’s College in 1912 and 1913.

Jack played for the AUFC team in Amateur League competition from 1912-1914. He was the club Coach in 1913 and 1914 and A Grade Captain in 1914.

World War I

Jack was on the committee which organise a function at the Town Tall in October 1914 to farewell Old Collegians of St Peter’s and PAC who had joined the Australian Expeditionary Forces.

By the end of December 1914 it had been reported in the South Australian newspapers that Jack had volunteered for the Third Expeditionary Force and had been granted an extended leave of absence from PAC. Jack, as a member of the Citizens Forces was already involved in training recruits in camp and had organised the military sports at the Oaklands camp in December 1914.

Jack applied for a commission in the AIF on the 30th January 1915. He was 5’10½” tall and weighed 154 lbs. Jack had been a Captain in the 78th Battalion Senior Cadets for 9 years and had served as Area Officer for 78B for three months prior to his application.

He was appointed a Lieutenant in the 10th Battalion on the 10th February 1915. Jack was transferred to the 24th Battalion on the 16th March 1915 but was subsequently changed to the 27th Battalion.

Jack was a judge at the PAC Sports on the 10th April 1915.

He was also present at farewells given by the Cheer Up Society and the PAC Old Scholars Association in May 1915.

Jack’s unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A2 Geelong on 31 May 1915. The 27th arrived in Egypt and Jack was present at an Old Reds’ Smoke Social held in Cairo on the 16th July 1915.

Jack was promoted to the rank of Captain on the 20th August 1915. On the 4th September 1915 he left with the 27th from Alexandrina, Egypt onboard the HT ‘Ivernia’. Prior to arrival at Gallipoli Jack had been the battalions Adjutant but due to a Major Padman being unfit, he was appointed to the command of ‘C’ Company of the 27th on the 10th September 1915. He was a member of the 27th Battalion which landed at Gallipoli on 13th September 2015.

The battalion took over from the New Zealanders on Cheshire ridge and the trenches needed improving and it was during this that Jack was slightly wounded on 24th September 2015. He was the first officer from the 27th wounded at Gallipoli. He was wounded more seriously the next day by a bomb. His first wound was treated by the 7th Field Ambulance and the second by the 16th Casualty Clearing Station.

On the 25th September 1915 he was transferred to the Hospital Ship “Grampion” and on the 28th September 1915 the ‘Grampion’ departed from Mudros (a small Greek port on the Mediterranean island of Lemnos) bound for England.

On the 11th October 1915 Jack was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital, England. When he has sufficiently recovered he was billeted at the home of Mrs Webb, Church St, Leatherhead, Surrey. Jack was eager to rejoin his battalion and wrote the War Office stating that he did not require leave.

On the 19th December 1915 Jack left England for Egypt onboard the HT ‘Ionic’ and arrived at Alexandrina, Egypt on the 2nd January 1916. He rejoined his battalion on the 11th January 1916 at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt. Later in January he was appointed Adjutant and attached to the 7th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, Ismalia.

On the return trip from England to Egypt, the HT ‘Ionic’ was somewhere Crete when it was narrowly missed by a torpedo fired from a submarine.

On the 14th March 1916, Jack left Egypt via Alexandrina. He disembarked at Marseilles’, France on the 19th March. He was detached temporarily to act as RTO until the 4th April 1916 when he rejoined the 27th. He was reattached to the 7th Brigade Headquarters from the 13th to the 20th May 1916. Jack then rejoined the 27th Battalion.

Death

On 4 July 1916, whilst the 27th were in the trenches opposite Messines (West Flanders, Belgium), ‘A’ Company under Captain JW Blacket held the right of the 27th’s position. The Germans opened up a bombardment on the positions. At 11.00 am on returning to his headquarters after inspecting the line with a Lt Hosking, he and Hosking stopped to talk to a Lt Walker. A high explosive shell exploded near them and killed Blacket and Hosking and seriously wounded Walker. The sad thing is that they were meant to be relieved at midnight that night.

Jack was buried in a cemetery near La petit Douve Farm. It was mentioned in the battalion history that the way to the cemetery was ‘swept with machine gun fire’. Senior Chaplain Crookston officiated at the service.

Jack was also Mentioned in Dispatches “For conspicuous good work with his Battalion and while acting as Brigade Major from March to June 1916, when he was killed.” Date of recommendation 17 September 1916

Many moving tributes to Jack were published in the South Australian papers. A memorial service was held at the Wesley Church, Norwood in August 1916 and a memorial photograph was later unveiled at the Sydenham Road Methodist Church.

Jack was buried at a cemetery near La Petit Douve Farm, now known as the La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Plot I B 9, Hainaut, Belgium. Jack’s grave bears the inscription: “EVEN SO FATHER FOR SO IT SEEMED GOOD IN THY SIGHT
DUTY NOBLY DONE”

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared by Beth Filmer for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project (with assistance from Rob O'Shannassy, Janne Filmer & Kym Beilby) please see the document attached or the Adelaide University site AdelaideConnect at
https://connect.adelaide.edu.au/nodes/view/25747

By the mail just to hand the Rev. J. Blacket received his son’s last letter, also letters from officers of the battalion, describing the circumstances under which Captain Blacket fell. In the letter to his parents he says:—“We have had a lot of casualties, and I have lost some good men. Two jolly fine boys (in another company) were killed the other day, whom I used to teach—George Davies (son of Dr. Davies) and a lad named Godfrey. Davies had already been recommended for a decoration for bringing in wounded, and Godfrey (sic) when killed, was digging out a comrade who had been buried by a shell. However those deeds live and add lustre to the regiment’s name. The trouble is that so many are hit through going to the assistance of others when under fire. This is strictly against orders, but the spirit of those lads is such that it cannot be suppressed.” The letter from which the above extract is taken was written on July 1. Two days later Captain Blacket was killed by a shell. Writing to his parents, Lieutenant Colonel Dollman says:—“His passing away is a very heavy blow to every one in the battalion. I personally feel the loss very keenly. He was closely associated with me in the formation of the battalion, and his work was worthy of him. I deeply sympathise with you in his death and can assure you his place will never be adequately filled.” The junior chaplain (Colonel Crookstan) says:—“Our men had a pretty rough time, and it was on the morning of the day that they left the trenches for a rest that your son was killed: Lieutenant Hocking was killed at the same time, also a corporal named Foord, and Lieutenant Walker was much shattered. Only a couple of minutes before your son’s death, he gave his steel helmet to a private who had been almost covered with earth thrown up by a shell. It was an act that became the man, and was in keeping with the reputation he had among the officers and men.”

Extract from the Adelaide University Football Club and Adelaide University Cricket Club document honouring "The Fallen" Anzac Day 2015.

John played Intervarsity Football in 1908, 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1914 when he was captain. He was a Double Blue for football (1912) and cricket (1915). He played for AUFC in 1912 and 1913 and for AUCC from 1908 to 1912. He also played football for the Norwood Football Club. A teacher at PAC he was studying for an Arts Degree.

John enlisted on 24th March 1915 and landed on Gallipoli with the 27th Battalion on 13th September 1915. He was the first officer of the 27th wounded at Gallipoli. On 4th July 1916, while the 27th were holding trenches near Messines, he was killed when a high explosive shell landed near him. He was Mentioned in Dispatches “For conspicuous good work with his Battalion and while acting as Brigade Major from March to June 1916, when he was killed.” He was one of five brothers to enlist. His brother Joseph, also a member of the 27th, was killed in August 1918 during the Battle for Amiens.