Daly, John

No.1405 – Private John Daly – 12^th Battalion AIF

John Daly was born in Chewton Victoria in 1874 to Jane Anne Daly. John and his brothers later came over to Western Australia and worked as Miners. John lived with his brother W.H. Daly in Hammad Street East Fremantle. On the 30^th September 1914, aged 40, John enlisted into the AIF. He was passed as fit with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 7 ¼ inches tall; weight of 160 lbs; chest measurement of 39 inches; fair complexion; brown eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Roman Catholic.

Initially allotted to No.3 Depot Company, John was soon assigned to the 2^nd Reinforcements to the 12^th Battalion AIF. This group trained in WA until the 22^nd February 1915 when they embarked from Fremantle on the H.M.A.T. “Itonus”. After arriving in Egypt they were given more training at the reinforcement camp. The landing at Anzac took place on April 25^th and John was soon embarked at Alexandria to join the 12^th Battalion on Gallipoli. John was officially taken on strength on the 7^th May 1915.

John spent the next several weeks on Gallipoli with the 12^th Battalion who were holding the line in the southern portion of the Anzac battlefield at a place called Tasmania Post. On the 2^nd July 1915 John was shot in the head and was evacuated back to the field ambulance and then out to the hospital ship, H.M.H.S. “Neuralia”. During the voyage to take him back to Hospital John died of his wounds on the 6^th July 1915. He was buried at sea with Chaplain C Dobson giving the burial service. As he was buried at Sea John is therefore commemorated on the 12^th Battalion panel of the Lone Pine Memorial.

John’s brother George was also killed in the war with the 51^st Battalion AIF on the 3^rd September 1916. Their mother Jane would receive a pension after her son’s death.