John Blake
From Our Contribution
 Western mail 2 Jul 1915 page 1s | |
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth |
Not known "Not known" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Place of Birth | unknown |
| Death |
unknown "unknown" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Place of Death | unknown |
| Age at Enlistment | 24 years old |
| Description | |
| Occupation | Labourer |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Cardup, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Brother , Mr William Blake |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 1455 |
| 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 |
| Date of Return | 24 Jul 1919 ‒ 17 Aug 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | SS Khyber |
| Fate |
Prisoner of War 11 Apr 1917 1st Bullecourt Returned to Australia |
| Monument |
Armadale War Memorial (Beenup panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial Ballarat, Victoria |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
The 1914 Electoral Roll lists John Blake, a woodcutter in Cardup.
War Service
John's Military records are missing, or not available. However, he is included on the Nominal and Embarkation Rolls, and a Red Cross File exists with the AWM covering his period as a POW.
"The Old Sixteenth" by Captain C. Longmore includes an Appendix listing all members of the unit, original, and by reinforcement number, and this includes 1455 Pte John Blake as a member of the 2nd reinforcement draft - confirmed by the Embarkation Roll for the 2nd Reinforcements. However his name is not amongst those that evacuated Gallipoli along with other troops between the 18th and 20th December[1]
Given that most of the Second Reinforcements for the 16th Battalion were taken on strength by the battalion at Gallipoli on 6 and 7 May 1915 we can assume that he had been evacuated earlier than December, either ill or wounded. The book makes no further mention of him. However, he obviously returned to his unit and served in France with them as he was one of the many 16th Battalion men captured during the battle known as 1st Bullecourt.
"Missing 11.4.17 - Prisoner of War - captured Reincourt - Interned Limburg. Certified by information from German List dated 23.6.17"
"Transferred Friedrichsfeld. Cert, by German List dated 20.11.17"
Arrived Rippon 18/12/18. Cert. by Information from AIF Hqrs 21/12/18."[2]."John Blake enlisted November, 1914, and went to Egypt with the 2nd reinforcements of the 16th Battalion."[3]Post War
No clearly identifiable Electoral Records entry post WW1.
Notes
B2455 Army record not found on either the National Archives website, nor in the collection held by Ancestry.com.
However, the position of the name on the memorial suggests an early enlistment, and the AIF Project website image suggests that someone by that name did enlist and served overseas with the 16th Battalion.
- ↑ The Old Sixteenth. Captain C. Longmore. Imperial War Museum facsimile reprint pages 94 - 100
- ↑ "Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files - John Blake". Australian War Memorial. 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ↑ "The Drill of the Foot-Hills" (PDF) (1917). Western Australia. Mar 1917. p. 13. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via State Library of Western Australia.
External Links