Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From How We Served

The final resting place for; - 61127 Private John Hamilton Capstick of Northcote and Alphington, Victoria was employed as a clerk when he enlisted for War Service on the 20th of May 1918. John was allocated to the 10th General Reinforcements 1st AIF and was embarked for England and further training on the 31st of August.

This transport was delayed on its outward passage due to influenza breaking out amongst those reinforcements aboard, as well as the ship’s crew. By the time the HMAT ‘Barambah’ had arrived in England on the 14th of November 1918 the ship had sustained 24 deaths. An Armistice had been declared which ended ‘The Great War’ just three days before hand on the 11th of November 1918. Following John’s arrival in England he was sent to the Parkhouse Camp where he was posted as a reinforcement for the 6th Battalion. Having arrived in France on the 1st of July 1919, John was detached for service with the War Graves Registration Unit four days after his arrival.
With this Unit John would be engaged in assisting of the identifying and exhuming of previous temporary field burials so as these could be officially interred within the new official Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries which were being created in Northern France. John would remain employed in these tasks until he reported sick and was availed medical assistance at Villers Bretonneux on the 11th of August, and from here he was returned to England on the 17th of August. John began his repatriation back to Australia, which he was embarked for on the 25th of September.

John had again suffered ill-health again whilst on his way back to Australia and following his arrival back in Melbourne he would undergo medical treatment at the 5th Australian General Hospital (Melbourne), commencing on the 19th of November. It was here where John was diagnosed as suffering from adenoids of the septum which was affecting both his nose and throat. Private John Capstick received his official discharge from the 1st AIF for his re-entry into civilian life on the 1st of January 1920. John was soon admitted into the Austin Hospital following his discharge and whilst as a patient of this hospital he succumbed to illness on the 29th of October 1920. He was aged 21.

Due to John’s premature death shortly after his arrival back from the War he was formally interred within his family’s collective burial site within Melbourne General Cemetery, Victoria.