Fettes, John Corrigall

No.1941 – Private John Corrigall Fettes – 11^th Battalion AIF

John Corrigall Fettes was born in Glasgow, Lanark Scotland on the 3^rd September 1895 to George and Isabella Fettes. He was one of three children and was educated at Stockbridge Public School & Broughton High Grade School in Edinburgh. John showed an early interest in the military as he was a Sergeant in the 27^th Battalion Boys Brigade in St Bernard’s Edinburgh. He spent six years with them and had just started to serve with the 9^th Royal Scots (Territorials) in Edinburgh when the family moved to Australia. He was 18 years old when the family settled in Western Australia. They set up the family home in “Stromness” Davies Road North Fremantle.

Upon arriving in Fremantle John took up work as a Butcher and looked set to have a career in that trade when war intervened. Aged just 19 John went to the Perth Drill Hall on the 13^th January 1915 to enlist in the AIF. He was passed as fit with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 6 inches tall; weight of 146 lbs; chest measurement of 34-39 inches; fresh complexion; blue eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Presbyterian. On the 4^th February John was assigned to the 5^th Reinforcements to the 11^th Battalion with the regimental no.1941. This group trained in WA for the next two months awaiting their order for departure which came in late April. On the 26^th April 1915 John and his group boarded the H.M.A.T. “Hororata” in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for Egypt.

They arrived in Egypt in late May and were disembarked and sent to the AIF training grounds; however they were not to spend long here as they were soon sent to Alexandria and embarked for the Dardanelles. John was taken on strength of the 11^th Battalion on Gallipoli on the 16^th June 1915. The 11^th Battalion were then in the southern portion of the Anzac Battlefield near Tasmania Post. During June and July John served with the 11^th during normal trench duty and also when they made some demonstrations against the Turks opposite. This was a prelude to an attack the 11^th made on the 1^st August 1915 when they captured a Turkish post, later named as Leane’s Trench after the 11^th Battalion officer who led the assault. Though this attack was successful, casualties were heavy and they had to resist several days of Turkish counter attacks which only eased on August 6/7^th when the Turks attention was diverted to the 1^st Brigade assault at Lone Pine.

During one of the last Turkish counter attacks on August 6^th John was seriously wounded by shrapnel from a bomb which had exploded next to him. He shrapnel had ripped through his thigh & leg and he was eventually taken down to be treated at the Anzac Beach at the 1^st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He was put on a hospital ship and sailed back for Alexandria in Egypt.

After being taken off the ship John was admitted to No.15 General Hospital where his wounds were assessed. His leg was very badly hit and the surgeons decided that it would have to be amputated. Unfortunately John’s condition worsened and on the 23^rd August 1915 he died in hospital. John was then buried in Chatby Military and War Memorial Cemetery in Alexandria in plot K.36