Boles, John
No.98 – Sergeant John Boles 5th Pioneer Battalion AIF
John Boles was born in Manchester England in 1886. After he took his junior schooling in Manchester John joined the Royal Navy. He spent fourteen years in the service of the Royal Navy during which time he got married to Florrie Boles. They lived in Smithy Bridge Rockdale, England. After leaving the Navy John took up a job in sailor in the Merchant Service.
He travelled to Australia when he was 28 and based himself in Fremantle while working in the merchant service. He stayed with a friend, a Mrs. Foley, in Norfolk Street Fremantle. It was while John was in Sydney on the completion of a voyage that he enlisted into the AIF.
He was given a medical examination in Sydney and found to be 5 feet 7 inches in height; weight of 134 lbs; chest measurement of 39-41 inches; fair complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.
John was assigned to A Company of the 30th Battalion AIF with the regimental number 98. He was promoted to Corporal and embarked with the 30th Battalion from Sydney on the 9th November 1915 aboard the H.M.A.T “Beltana”. After arrival in Egypt with the other battalions of the 8th Brigade, they trained in the desert and were also used to guard the Suez Canal against any Turkish forays.
On the 4th March 1916, John was promoted to Sergeant and six days later was transferred to the newly forming 5th Pioneer Battalion and embarked with them for France in June 1916.
Sgt John Boles served with the 5th Pioneers through the disastrous Fromelles assault on July 19th 1916 and got through physically unscathed. The 5th Division spent the next few months recovering their strength in the Armentieres sector, before heading down to the Somme battlefield where they would spend October through to February 1917. On the 23rd February John was promoted to Company Quarter Master Sergeant. John served in this capacity through 1917, going through battles such as Bullecourt and Third Ypres.
On the 24th December 1917 John requested a return to his previous rank of Sergeant. This was acceded to and as John had served continuously with the 5th Pioneers on the Western Front for 18 months without a break, on the 31st December 1917 he was detached for duty with the Pioneer Training Battalion in Sutton Veny England. The next three months were spent at this training camp in England instructing the new recruits. On the 21st March 1918 John was sent to the Hayling Island for the Special Rifle Course. He was here until the 17th April 1918 and qualified as a 2nd Class Instructor as it was reported that he had a fair knowledge of the Lewis Gun. On the 25th April 1918 he returned to the Pioneer Training Battalion at Sutton Veny.
On the 1st June 1918 John proceeded to France where he was attached to the Australian Infantry Base Depot at Etaples. He spent the remainder of the war here and on the 14th March 1919 he received his orders to leave France and proceed to England to prepare for a return to Australia. On the 8th May 1919 he boarded the “Surada” and left England for the last time.
Disembarking in Western Australia, he again met up and stayed with his friend in Norfolk Street Fremantle. Although John was not wounded in the war, it had taken its physical and mental toll and John was soon admitted to No.8 Australian General Hospital with exhaustion. He was soon transferred to Claremont Asylum where his condition deteriorated and he died on the 7th January 1920 with the official cause being “General paralysis of the Insane and exhaustion”.
It had been reported at the time that several returned soldiers were treated badly in this asylum but whether this impacted on John’s death is unknown.
Sgt John Boles was buried in Fremantle Cemetery Plot CE.AA.1639.