FAMILY LIFE

John Charles Simpson was born in 1874 in Nowra, son of William & Jane Simpson.  He married Sarah Jane Colville in Lismore in 1896. They were parents to 4 children, aged between 8 and 16 when he enlisted.

ATTESTATION

He was married farmer, eager to do his bit. He travelled to Brisbane on 18^th April 1916 to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his wife, Sarah, of Limpinwood. He had 3/5^th of his paying allocated to his wife and children

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 Charles Simpson, 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.” 

His medical showed he was 42 years 6 months old, 6 ft tall (1.82m), weighed 135lbs (61kgs), with a medium complexion, dark grey eyes & brown hair going grey.  His eyesight was good. John was Church of England. He was enlisted as a private into the 41 Infantry Battalion - 1 to 6 Reinforcements with service No 1912

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, the men received their vaccinations for smallpox, rabies & plague, then 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

The recruits were issued with their uniform: a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches and the famous slouch hat – turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet.

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

On the 16^TH August 1916, John & the recruits left Brisbane, sailing upon the HMAT Boorara.  Alongside his comrades, he marched aboard, his boots ringing on the gangway. As the ship’s lines were cast off and the quay began to slip away, the reality of war lay ahead, but for now, the sea breeze carried only the sound of voices and the excitement of men bound for adventure, duty, and the unknown.

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 the voyage, due to overcrowding, training was limited to mainly to lectures and a little physical training.

Sleeping & Living Arrangements

Recruits likely slept in a crowded troop deck below, where rows of hammocks or three-tier wooden bunks were crammed close together.

Air below decks could be stuffy, especially in warmer climates, and seasickness was common during the first few days.

Daily Routine

Reveille early each morning, followed by physical exercises on the open decks (weather permitting). There were parades and inspections—officers ensured uniforms, rifles, and kit were clean and in order. Training was a little problematic—drill without much space, rifle maintenance, lectures on military discipline, signalling, and trench warfare theory. The ship’s decks were used for marching in tight circles or practising bayonet thrusts into stuffed sacks. Rifle shooting was impossible at sea, so soldiers learned to strip and clean their weapons until it was second nature.

Meals

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. The meals were served in shifts from the ship’s galley. Queues were long, and eating on a rolling ship meant many tried to eat quickly before nausea set in.

Health & Sanitation

Shipboard hygiene was critical—every man was ordered to scrub his section daily to prevent disease. Saltwater baths were the norm, with freshwater rationed for drinking.

The Voyage Experience

Entertainment included church drill, concerts, singalongs, card games, and makeshift cricket matches on deck when the weather allowed. In an attempt to keep up morale, an area of the ship was roped off where regular boxing and wrestling tournaments were held. This became commonly known as the Stoush Stadium. No letters could be sent until they reached port, but men often wrote diaries or unsent letters to be posted later.

The 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

CROSSING THE EQUATOR CEREMONY

The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

SIGHTS AT SEA

On the way to England, the ship would pass through the Great Australian Bight, cross the Indian Ocean, and stop at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) for coal and supplies.

SECURITY

By late 1914, German raiders were active, so lifeboat drills were frequent, and lookouts kept watch for suspicious ships. Troopships generally sailed in convoys or at least took zig-zag courses to make torpedo attacks harder. Ships often travelled under blackout conditions at night, with lookouts specifically watching for periscopes or torpedo wakes.

The danger was greatest in the Western Approaches near Britain, where U-boats patrolled choke points like the English Channel and Irish Sea.

APPROACHING EGYPT

After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. They could only stare in wonder at the sights & smells and watch the ship being refuelled and loaded with goods.

APPROACHING ENGLAND

The men finally saw the green shoreline of England when ship arrived at Plymouth, England, on 13 October 1916. The reality of leaving home truly sank in. The recruits would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the training grounds of England, preparing for what lay ahead.

CODFORD TRAINING CAMP

When Australian soldiers arrived in England they were initially sent to depot camps or staging areas, such as Perham Downs, Larkhill, or transit depots near the port. These were not full training camps but temporary holding locations where soldiers could be processed.

During this interim period, soldiers typically:

·      Recovered from the voyage: After long sea travel from Australia (often via South Africa), troops needed time to rest and regain strength.

·      Underwent medical inspections: To check for illnesses, infections, or conditions like venereal disease that might delay their training.

·      Received equipment and uniforms: This included British-issued gear better suited to the Western Front.

·      Were assigned to training battalions: Administrative processing sorted soldiers into reinforcement drafts for specific front-line battalions.

Then they were marched into the training camps. They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in the English 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.

Military training grounds, had soldiers exposed to harsh weather. The sanitary facilities in training camps were often rudimentary, and the spread of infections was common. Training would normally last 3 months.

TAKEN ON STRENGTH NOVEMBER 1916

While in the training camp John was taken on strength with the 41^st on 24 November 1916, the same day he & the recruits left for France

ARRIVAL IN FRANCE – NOVEMBER 1916 TRENCH WARFARE

The soldiers now found themselves fighting the Germans 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.

ARMENTIERES

His battalion, newly arrived on the Western Front, was sent to the so-called “nursery” sector near Armentières and Ploegsteert Wood. For John, this was his first taste of real trench warfare.

The trenches here were muddy, waterlogged, and rat-infested.

Men spent days on sentry duty, scanning No Man’s Land, and nights repairing wire, digging communication trenches, or carrying rations forward. Shells came over randomly; even in this “quiet” sector, there were casualties from snipers and artillery.

HOPITALISED DIARRHOEA DECEMBER 1916

In December he fell ill with diarrhoea, then bronchitis—common ailments caused by damp dugouts, foul sanitation, and the unrelenting cold. He was admitted to 10^th Field Ambulance on 13^th December with the diarrhoea but rejoined his unit on 16^th December, the to the 9^th Field Ambulance with the bronchitis on 27^th December, rejoining on 14^th January 1917

A Field Ambulance was a mobile front line medical unit (it was not a vehicle), manned by troops of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

WINTER OF 1916–17

This winter was one of the coldest in decades. Frostbite and trench foot were constant dangers. John rejoined his unit in mid-January 1917 and endured long stretches of monotony broken by bursts of sudden violence—German raids, harassing fire, and night patrols into No Man’s Land.

SPRING 1917 – HOLDING THE LINE

In early 1917, the 41st Battalion continued to man the trenches in Flanders. The men built stronger dugouts, improved drainage, and patrolled constantly. They watched the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line further south, though in their own sector the front remained stable. For John, daily life was one of fatigue parties, sleepless nights, and the endless presence of lice, mud, and danger.

JUNE 1917 – BATTLE OF MESSINES

The battalion’s first major test came at the Battle of Messines Ridge.

On 7 June 1917, huge mines packed with explosives were detonated under German positions, creating an earthquake that John would have felt even in the rear.

The 41st went forward through the devastation, consolidating captured ground under shellfire. The Australians captured their objectives, but the cost was high—friends and comrades killed or badly wounded.
This was the battalion’s baptism of fire, and John would have come away hardened, but deeply shaken by the carnage.

SUMMER 1917 – YPRES SALIENT

After Messines, the battalion rotated through the trenches near Ypres, preparing for the next great offensive. Life in this sector was grim: the ground was low-lying, swampy, and churned up by shellfire.

German artillery dominated the ridges, and the men lived under near-constant bombardment.
John, like the rest, grew used to carrying supplies through deep mud, evacuating wounded under fire, and trying to grab sleep in waterlogged shell-holes.

OCTOBER 1917 – BROODSEINDE & PASSCHENDAELE

The 3rd Division was heavily engaged in the Third Battle of Ypres.

On 4 October at Broodseinde Ridge, the 41st advanced through heavy rain and mud but captured its objectives. It was one of the AIF’s clearest victories, though again at a heavy cost in lives.

Later in October, the battalion was committed to the assaults on Passchendaele. By then, the battlefield was a swamp. Men drowned in mud, horses and guns sank axle-deep, and carrying parties could barely move supplies forward.

John endured days and nights under relentless shelling, often with no cover but a shallow scrape in the mud. Food, water, and even medical evacuation were almost impossible.

These months at Ypres left the battalion exhausted. Survivors spoke of the mud, the constant shellfire, and the haunting sight of men disappearing into the mire, never to be seen again.

WINTER 1917–18 – REST AND ROUTINE

After Passchendaele, the 41st Battalion was pulled out of the line to recover and rebuild. They spent weeks billeted in villages behind the front, drilling, reorganising, and absorbing new reinforcements.

Even “rest” meant long route marches, working parties, and training exercises in snow and freezing rain. Yet for John, after a year of hellish battles, this period gave a chance to wash, write letters, and regain some strength.

JANUARY 1918 – PARIS LEAVE

On 10 January 1918, John was granted leave in Paris. For the first time in over a year, he was free of the trenches. Soldiers on leave in Paris marvelled at the lights, the food, and the simple pleasure of clean sheets. For John, it must have felt like another world—just days away from the front, yet completely removed from mud, lice, and shellfire.

Back from Paris Leave (19 January 1918)

John rejoined the 41st Battalion in Belgium, where the 3rd Division was still in the Ypres Salient. The winter of 1917–18 was harsh: snow, frozen ground, and shortages of coal and rations made trench life miserable. The front was relatively quiet compared to the big battles of 1917, but German artillery and trench raids continued to take a steady toll.

The men also knew a German offensive was expected in the spring—intelligence was reporting massive enemy build-ups.

FEBRUARY 1918 – ROUTINE TRENCHES & TRAINING

The 41st rotated between the front-line trenches east of Ypres and support/billets further back. In the line, John would have stood sentry, done wiring parties, and endured nightly patrols into No Man’s Land. Out of the line, they drilled, marched, practised bayonet fighting, and trained in open warfare tactics (a sign that higher command expected a mobile campaign once the German offensive broke).

Morale was brittle—men were exhausted from the previous year, but discipline and routine held the battalion together.

MARCH 1918 – PREPARING FOR THE STORM

Early March saw the Division still in Belgium, but on 21 March 1918, the Germans launched their massive Spring Offensive (Kaiserschlacht) against the British Fifth Army further south.

Although the 41st Battalion was not in the immediate path at that moment, the news sent shockwaves through the ranks. Reinforcements were rushed south to plug gaps.

LEAVE IN ENGLAND MARCH 1918

John, however, was on leave in England (3–22 March 1918). While his mates braced for what was coming, he had a brief reprieve in Britain—time to rest properly, eat decent food, and escape the daily grind of the front.

REJOINED UNIT MARCH 1918

After returning from leave in England on 22nd March 1918, John rejoined the 41st Battalion at a critical moment in the war. The German Spring Offensive was in full swing, and the battalion alternated between front-line duties, support positions, and rest areas. Life was harsh and relentless.

Days began before dawn with soldiers emerging from cramped dugouts to check weapons, repair sandbagged parapets, and inspect barbed wire defences. Rations were simple and often insufficient, usually bully beef, hard biscuits, and tea, and supply lines could be disrupted by heavy artillery or rain-swollen roads. Much of John’s time was spent on fatigue duties: carrying ammunition, digging communication trenches, and maintaining shelters. Even when in reserve areas, the work was physically demanding, and night patrols into no-man’s-land carried the constant risk of enemy fire.

Despite the hardships, there were brief moments of camaraderie. Soldiers wrote letters, played cards, and shared stories to relieve the tension. Reinforcements arriving from Australia required guidance, and experienced men like John helped integrate them into the battalion’s routines.

LATE SUMMER 1918

By late summer, the battalion was engaged in training for the Allied counter-offensives, practicing coordinated advances with artillery and rehearsing rapid troop movements. The strain of long marches, continuous drills, and exposure to the elements took a heavy toll on all.

HOSPITALISATION ENTERIC FEVER SEPTEMBER 1918

In late September, John fell seriously ill with enteric fever, a potentially life-threatening infection caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria, commonly spread through contaminated food and water—a frequent hazard in the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of the front-line and camp areas. Symptoms included high fever, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, weakness, and delirium, and without treatment, the disease could lead to serious complications or death. John was admitted to the 6th General Hospital in Rouen on 26th September, where medical staff would have focused on rest, careful nourishment, and management of fever and dehydration, as antibiotics were not available at the time. Treatment relied on hydration with broths and teas, good nutrition when possible, and close monitoring to prevent complications.

EVACUATION TO ENGLAND SEPTEMBER 1918

Due to the severity of his condition, he was evacuated to England the following day, admitted to Bath War Hospital on 29th September, and remained there while his body slowly recovered strength.

COMMAND POSTS NOVEMBER

Over the next weeks, he was transferred to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford on 6th November, and later to No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth on 26th November, a facility for men no longer fit for active service.

GOING HOME DECEMBER 1918

Finally, on 10th December 1918, John returned to Australia on the Somalia with the official notation “debility & old age.” His service had been a testament to endurance, courage, and quiet resilience. Years of arduous work, harsh conditions, and exposure to disease had taken their toll, yet his story reflects the experience of countless soldiers who survived the trials of the Western Front only to carry the burdens of war home with them.

FOR HIS SERVICE

John disembarked in Australia on 1^st March 1919 was discharged on 8^th April 1919. For his service John was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal

---

If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.

We do not have any additional documents or pictures related to this individual.