SHERRIFF, John George
| Service Number: | 174 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 January 1916, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Yorketown, South Australia , February 1893 |
| Home Town: | Yorketown, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Dalrymple School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 4 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Stansbury Dalrymple District Roll of Honor, Stansbury Darymple District WW1 Pictorial Roll of Honour, Stansbury Memorial Institute Roll of Honour, Stansbury War Memorial, Yorketown War Memorial, Yorketown and District of Melville Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 174, 43rd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 174, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 174, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 174, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 174 awm_unit: 43rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-10-04 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
John George Sherriff was born in approximately February 1893. He had a medium complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. He was 5 feet and 8.5 inches (173.99cm), which meant he was slightly tall for his age. He also had perfect eyesight, which would have been a requirement for enlisting soldiers as they would have needed good eyesight to use guns and weaponry.
He was a natural born British subject and lived in Yorketown, South Australia. He attended Dalrymple School, South Australia and was a farmer before enlisting in the war. He was unmarried. His religious denomination was Methodist.
John George Sherriff was 23 years and 11 months old when he enlisted for the 43rd Battalion on January 4th, 1916. He mentioned in his enlistment document that he had not been an apprentice, or been in service, before his involvement in the war. He wrote that his father was deceased and therefore his mother – Mrs. Marion Sherriff - was his next of kin.
Included in the service records, is a record of the health examinations and inspections he went through, which would have been extremely important to enlisting a soldier as unhealthy soldiers would more likely disadvantage the army, rather than be an advantage. John George Sherriff passed all examinations and inspections. The first couple of these were done prior to his involvement in battles, with three records stating his injections and vaccines on the 18th of January, the 29th of January and an unidentifiable date between the 20th and 30th of January. He had an examination on the 8th of February, 1916 and an inspection on the 1st of June, 1916. These were most likely annual check-ups which might have been required to keep the health of soldiers noted and controlled. The records found of John George Sherriff state that the only known time he went to hospital with illness was on the 12th of January, 1917.
John George Sherriff went A.W.L. (Absent Without Leave) two times - once during his training in April, and once during his participation in the war in August 1916. The first time recorded was on the 28th of April, 1916, from 8:30 am to 10:45 am. This was during the time he was supposedly training for combat and, given that he only disappeared for two hours and 15 minutes, it is possible that he wandered off, got lost, or simply decided to take a small break. These were all common reasons for soldiers going A.W.L. in WWI. Another common reason was a night out drinking, however as his leave was situated during morning hours, it is less likely. The second time was on the 4th of August, 1916 from 10 pm, to the 8th of August, 4:25 pm.
On the 4th of October, 1917, John George Sherriff died at the battle of Broodseinde Ridge. He was and is today commemorated at the West-Vlaanderen memorial with many other soldiers whom were unlucky enough to not make it through the war. The memorial holds many names as the Ypres Salient was where lots of battles were situated, as it was an important part of the Western Front. As a recognition of his service he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Both of these were medals all service women and men in WWI received.
John George Sherriff did not leave a will with the army. This fact was made clear in his service records as letters were sent home to his next of kin – originally Ms. Marion Sherriff but changed later to his elder brother Alex Sherriff – informing the family of his death and lack of will. John George Sherriff’s Receipt for memorial plaque was only signed in 1922 by Alex Sherriff. This shows that, given the business and major casualties of the war as well as the slow post, letters often arrived late. The receipt was a necessity for his next of kin to sign in order to acknowledge his service and death in WWI.
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“Details.” Adfa.edu.au, 2016, www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=273441. Accessed 26 Mar. 2021.
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