Johnson, Edward

No.310 – Gunner Edward Johnson – 36^th Heavy Artillery Group

Edward Johnson was born in Charters Towers Queensland in 1886 to Mary Ann and Arthur Johnson. He was educated in Queensland but came across with his Mother to Western Australia while he was still young. He took up work as a labourer and soon joined the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery at the Fremantle Barracks in Burt Street as a Permanent Gunner. He was listed in the 1910 Electoral Roll in Fremantle, with his occupation listed as a soldier.

On the 1^st June 1915 the Gunners at the Artillery Barracks enlisted en-masse on the 1^st June 1915 to serve overseas with the AIF.

Edward was medically examined and passed as fit for service, with the doctor finding him to be 5 feet 9 ½ inches tall; weight of 150lbs; chest measurement of 35-38 inches; fair complexion; grey green eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. Those from the Fremantle Barracks who were accepted for service were signed up and after initial training in WA were sent to Melbourne to join up with the other permanent Gunners who had been stationed in the other states. They formed the 36^th Heavy Artillery Brigade and set sail from Melbourne on the 17^th July 1915 aboard the H.M.A.T. “Orsova”.

After arriving in England in September 1915, the men were disembarked and sent to camp where they would train for the next six months and formed the 54^th & 55^th Batteries. They were stationed at Lydd, then Taunton in Somerset where they spent the Christmas of 1915. On February 27^th 1916 Edward, with the 54^th & 55^th Batteries of the 36^th Heavy Artillery Group arrived at Boulogne France. They spent a few days here and on March 7^th left with their guns and travelled to Mont St Eloy near Arras where they went into billets. On March 16^th 1916 the men of the Siege Brigade suffered their first casualties when the Germans shelled their billets.

The 36^th Heavy Artillery Group provided fire support for British troops and Edward was among the few Australians in action on July 1^st 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. They continued to see action on this front for the remainder of 1916 as the Somme Battle ground on. On the 10^th November 1916 a shell fired from one of the guns prematurely exploded just out of the barrel which killed 4 Gunners outright and wounded more. 

Edward was one of those wounded and he was evacuated to the 56^th Field Ambulance with wounds to the abdomen and buttocks. He was admitted to the 2/1^st South Midland Casualty Clearing Station at Warloy where he died of wounds the same day. He was buried at Warloy-Bailon Communal Cemetery Extension in plot VIII.C.23