John James Emery

John James Emery

Western Mail 18 Jun 1915
Drill of The Foot-Hills 1917 Feb-Mar edition
Personal Information
Date of Birth	c1889
Place of Birth	Edmonton, Middlesex, England
Death	1 May 1915
Place of Death	Gallipoli, Turkey
Age at Enlistment	25 years, 8 months
Description	7¾" (1.72m) tall ; 137 lbs 62.142 kg ; fair complexion ; brown eyes ; black hair
Occupation	Brickworker
Religion	Church of England
Address	Beenup, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Mother , Mrs Eliza Emery (in the UK)
Military Information
Reg Number	1466
Date of Enlistment	19 Nov 1914
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	16th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement
Date of Embarkation	22 Feb 1915 ‒ 24 Mar 1915
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A50 Itonus Fremantle to Port Suez
Fate	Killed in Action 1 May 1915 Quin's Post?? Gallipoli
Monument	Armadale War Memorial (Beenup panel) Lone Pine Memorial Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour WA State War Memorial Australian War Memorial
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Aged 21 when he arrived in Australia. Before working locally the Electoral Rolls suggest that John was in Boya working as a quarryman in 1913.

War Service

John's Military records are largely missing, and those that exist record only his journey to Egypt and his death. As a member of the 3rd reinforcement draft for the 16th Battalion, John departed Fremantle aboard HMAT A50 Itonus on 22 Feb 1915 and disembarked in Egypt on 24 Mar 1915. The period between his arrival in Egypt and his death is very short. When the battalion history book "The Old Sixteenth" by Capt C. Longmore is compared with the scant records available it reveals that John proceeded from Heliopolis to Alexandria by rail early on 11 Apr 1915, arriving there in the morning and boarding HMT Haida Pascha, a German prize ship captured at the commencement of the war.

The ship weighed anchor at 4:10pm on 12 Apr 1915 and sailed for Mudros Harbour on Lemnos Island where it arrived at 6:30pm on 15 Apr 1915. The first and second reinforcements had sailed with the main battalion. The next few days were spent practicing landing from ships, until around noon on 25 Apr 1915 the "Haida Pascha" sailed for the coast of Gallipoli, arriving soon after 4:00pm. The Reinforcements with the main body were the first to land at 5:45am on the 26th April and they were detailed as a beach fatigue party, unloading ammunition and stores from boats and carrying it off the beach to units holding the line.

John's records don't reveal when (or if) he was taken on strength by the 16th Battalion, but those who survived their stevedoring duties didn't join the Battalion formally until 2 May. His death predates that so it is uncertain if he was killed while a member of the beach party, or in the company of the men from the battalion who Longmore records as having been withdrawn from the front lines on Pope's Hill the night before John's death. They had been placed in a gully to the rear known as Rest Camp. However, Turkish snipers over the next 2 days killed or wounded 50 men.

"In the course of conversation I learned how another Emery, from Boulder, not related to our wounded friend, died. A number of volunteers, were sent out to bring in water. Emery being amongst them. He remarked, 'It will be hard luck if any of us get sniped now, immediately afterwards changing places with another man. Then a bullet struck him, and he dropped dead with the exclamation 'Oh. my mother!' They told me he was a splendid fellow*; his mother, I understand, lives in England..

• 

  Lone Pine Memorial section
• 

  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Post War

Mother in England received a £2 per fortnight pension until her death on 17 Dec 1917.

Notes

The Drill of the Foot-Hills 1917 Feb - Mar edition listed his name, but gave no detail.

After John's death his NOK was changed to his oldest sister following the death of his mother.

References

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Memorial