FAMILY LIFE

John (Jack) Kenneth Ross was born on the 4^th February, 1894 in Murwillumbah, son of Donald & Catherine Ethel (Kate) (Guinea) Ross. He was the eldest of 3 children. His mother had lived in Murwillumbah since the 1890’s and on her death in 1940 was one of the oldest residents of the district. His father is listed on the Banner St Memorial, Murwillumbah which lists the 2348 pioneer settlers of the Tweed district. He was the proprietor of the Court House Hotel till he sold it in 1909

APPLICATION

He was single hair dresser, living in Wollumbin St, Murwillumbah, eager to do his bit. He travelled to Brisbane on 23^rd September 1915 to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his mother, Katherine. His medical showed he was 21 years7 months old, 5ft 6 inches tall (1.68m), weighed 129 lbs (58kgs), with a dark complexion, brown eyes & dark brown hair. His eyesight was good. The Examining Medical Officer stated that John “can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service.”  On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, John Kenneth Ross, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” 

Jack was Roman Catholic and had a large mole on the back of his left thigh, numerous small moles on his chest & back, 4 vaccination marks on his left arm and a mole on his left cheek.  He was enlisted as a private into the 26^th Infantry Battalion – 10^th Reinforcements with service No 4196

26^TH INFANTRY BATTALION

The 26th was originally raised in April 1915 during World War I as part of the Australian Imperial Force and was assigned to the 7th Brigade. The legacy of the 26th Infantry Battalion is deeply rooted in its remarkable contributions during both World Wars. It is remembered for its bravery and resilience in key battles

TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA

As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together

Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service.

It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave

Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas

The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.

This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months.

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

On March 28, 1916, John found himself with more than 900 others on His Majesty’s Troop Ship HMAT Commonwealth bound for the war zone as the 9th-12th replacements for the 7th Infantry headed from Egypt to France after Gallipoli.  The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On-board, Officers organised rigorous training drills and exercise sessions for the men. They were expected to do their own washing, sweep the decks and carry out other chores

Attempts at breaking up the boredom, apart from the regular drill, varied. Shipboard activities included regular church parades and concerts. Troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection. Sports and recreation included boxing, deck quoits, draughts. Also, the commanding officer's morning inspection; kit inspections; submarine drill; recreation such as the on deck 'open air' library, deck billiards, pillow fighting and card games including Nap. As well, conditions on the ships were cramped and the risk of illness was constant. 

Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. Many of the troops experienced bouts of seasickness on the voyage. The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

BURFORD TRAINING CAMP

They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in the Burford training camp, the volunteers left their old lives farther behind. They began their training with physical fitness exercises, they were taught individual and unit discipline, how to follow commands, how to march, some basic field skills and how to safely handle his weapons.  Later, as soldiers specialised in a particular area (for example, machine gunner or signaller) they would be trained in specific skills and would take part in practice manoeuvres and sham fights. They would spend many hours learning training in the use of bayonets, anti- gas training and guard duty along with lectures on camouflage or trench warfare and much more.

 

DISCIPLINED JULY 1916

While in the training camp John was disciplined for disobeying in such a manner as to show willful defiance of authority a lawful command given by his superior officer in the execution of his office. His punishment was FP No 2 for 10 days and forfeit of 10 days’ pay

FIELD PUNISHMENT NO 2

In Field Punishment Number Two, the prisoner was placed in fetters and handcuffs but was not attached to a fixed object and was still able to march with his unit. This was a relatively tolerable punishment.

AWL

Then on 10^th July he went AWL from 9am to 16^th July 4.40pm. He was award 9 day’s detention (unable to leave camp) and forfeited 9 day’s pay.  

HOSPITALISATION – VENEREAL DISEASE

As a result of John’s unofficial leave, he came back to his unit with venereal disease. He was admitted to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital, Bulford for VD. Treatment for VD was a punishment in its own right. Patients would be treated with Salvarsan and mercury which offered uncomfortable and sometimes serious side effects such as jaundice and convulsions. Other treatments included irrigation, which was painful and undignified resulting in many men to opt for chemical treatment instead. These long and uncomfortable stays in VD hospitals often averaged between 50 and 60 days, with most patients recovering and returning to the front. John was taken on strength with his unit in France on 28^th September 1916.

WESTERN FRONT & TRENCH WARFARE

The 26th arrived in France in March 1916, taking its place in the trenches along the Western Front the following month. The recruits now found themselves fighting the German in trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground, and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties. Trench warfare created a living environment for the men which was harsh, stagnant, and extremely dangerous. Not only were trenches constantly under threat of attack from shells or other weapons, but there were also many health risks that developed into large-scale problems for medical personnel. Apart from the inescapable cold during the winters in France & Belgium, trenches were often completely waterlogged and muddy, and crawling with lice and rats

The time soldiers spent in the trenches varied depending on factors like their army's rotation system and the intensity of the conflict in their sector. On average:

·      Front-line trenches: Soldiers typically remained here for about 4–6 days at a time. This was where the fighting was most intense and the conditions were the harshest.

·      Support and reserve trenches: After time on the front line, soldiers were rotated to these positions for around 6–12 days. These trenches were set further back and offered slightly better conditions.

·      Rest periods: Soldiers were then moved away from the trench system entirely for rest, training, and recovery, often lasting several weeks, depending on operational needs.

The rotation system helped prevent complete physical and mental exhaustion, but the constant dangers of trench life meant there was rarely any true respite.

THE BATTLE OF POZIERES SEPTEMBER- OCTOBER 1916

The AIF had suffered considerable losses in their early battles in France, so John and his companions were pushed straight into the Battle for Pozieres on the Somme River. The 26th Battalion, which John had joined as a replacement, are credited with being the first to successfully breach the German barbed wire at Mouquet and enter the German trenches. When the replacements arrived in the trenches the battle-weary veterans took one look at them and pitied them, they were so fresh faced and as one said, “they looked just like normal men” something they had not seen for some time. From the War Diaries, the replacements acquitted themselves with credit. They later attacked Thieval north of Pozieres and breached the trenches but were driven out by concentrated machine gun and heavy artillery fire.

 Soldiers recounted how, during a barrage, trenches collapsed and luckily, they were either dug out and saved or risked being buried alive. The War Diaries for his Battalion cover this incident and relate the heavy loss of life with most buried alive. The normal routine for manning the trenches was to have 15 days in the trenches followed by eight back at the Nursery. Where possible longer rest periods were given back from the front and if you were lucky after 12 months, they received a ticket to England every four months for eight days.

HOSPITALISATION INFLUENZA OCTOBER 1916

In the aftermath of the fighting, John caught influenza and was admitted to the Field Ambulance. (A Field Ambulance was a mobile front line medical unit (it was not a vehicle), manned by troops of the Royal Army Medical Corps.) Influenza was a dangerous disease to have in an area with a lot of people who would continue to spread the infection. Many people died with this disease which could cause trouble breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, seizures and/or severe weakness or muscle pain. The men were knee-deep in mud, surrounded by bacteria from the bodies of men and animals in no-man’s-land. Their bodies were weaker anyway from a lack of sleep, wet and dirty clothes, and a restricted diet in which a piece of fruit or vegetable was a treat.

There was no effective medical treatment for Influenza. The Army Nurse Corps was critical for soldier’s care. Symptom management by skilled supportive nursing care was the best predictor of positive patient outcomes and decreases in mortality rates. This care consisted of duties such as administering medications, monitoring vital signs, fever control, providing hydration, rest, dressing changes, open-air therapy, bed baths, clean bedding, feeding, back and chest rubs with camphorated sweet oil, and cleaning the ward. John only had a mild dose and returned to his unit on 31^st October.

HOSPITALISATION BRONCHITIS & RHEUMATISM NOVEMBER 1916

However, he was sicker than he appeared and he was transferred to England with bronchitis on 11^th November.  He was also diagnosed with rheumatism. This was a reactive disease- the cold & damp of the trenches, the continual jarring of the joints when firing rifles or cannons. The fatigue, the poor food & hygiene, exposure to the gas now being used in warfare all contributed to soldiers developing this disease. Rheumatism is a group of conditions affecting joints, muscles, and connective tissue. The symptoms involve pain and inflammation of the body’s musculoskeletal system. The symptoms can be experienced throughout the entire body, or they may be limited to a certain area and include joint pain, joint swelling, chronic pain, or tenderness, limited joint movement and fatigue. Jack was unable to return to his unit

COMMAND DEPOT WEYMOUTH

On 25^th November Jack was marched into No. 2 command depot at Weymouth, which received men who have been before a Medical Board and who will be returned to Australia. Jack would convalesce there and perform light duties

DISCIPLINED 13^th MARCH 1917

While in Weymouth, England Jack was drunk & created a disturbance on 13^th March 1917 between 9 and 10pm and was awarded 72 hours detention.

GOING HOME

Jack commenced his return to Australia 17^th March 1917 and arrived home on the 16th May 1917, being discharged on the 12th July 1917.

FOR HIS SERVICE

He was granted pension of 1 pound per fortnight of on 13^th July 1917. For his service, John was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal. Jack’s name has been inscribed on The Capt. Clarence Smith Jeffries (V.C.) and Pte. William Matthew Currey (V.C.) Memorial Wall in Sandgate Cemetery

AFTER THE WAR

Jack married Agnes Dorothy (date unknown) & died 4^th December, 1986 aged 77 in Newcastle. He is buried at Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle, Catholic 3-100. 122.

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