McLoughlin, John Joseph
No.323 – Gunner John McLoughlin – 36th Heavy Artillery Group
John Joseph McLoughlin was born in Tipperary Ireland in 1896 to George and Mary McLoughlin. His father was a Sergeant Major in the Royal Irish Regiment and when he was posted with his Regiment to India the family followed him over there and John was educated at a Military School. When he was 9 years old in 1905 his father left the Army and the family moved to Australia. John received further education at Christian Brothers College. After leaving school John found work as a Telegraphist and also became a member of the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery which was based at the Fremantle Artillery Barracks in Burt Street. On the 1st June 1915 the Gunners enlisted en masse on the 1st June 1915 to serve overseas with the AIF.
John, aged 18 years and 11 months old was medically examined and was passed as fit for service. The doctor found him to be 5 feet 9 ½ inches tall; weight of 137lbs; chest measurement of 32-36 inches; ruddy complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. His religious denomination was Roman Catholic. 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 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade and set sail from Melbourne on the 17th 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 54th & 55th Batteries. They were stationed at Lydd, then Taunton in Somerset where they spent the Christmas of 1915. On February 27th 1916 John, with the 54th & 55th Batteries of the 36th Heavy Artillery Group arrived at Boulogne France. They spent a few days here and on March 7th left with their guns and travelled to Mont St Eloy near Arras where they went into billets. On March 16th 1916 the men of the Siege Brigade suffered their first casualties when the Germans shelled their billets.
The 36th Heavy Artillery Group provided fire support for British troops and John was among the few Australians in action on July 1st 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 9th September 1916 John was transferred for duty from the 54th Battery to the Headquarters Staff of the 36th Heavy Artillery Group, a position he remained at for the remainder of his time in France.
On the 16th November 1916 John was at a Royal Engineers Dump near Bouzincourt, getting material for his unit when a German shell landed right next to him and killed him instantly. He was taken back and buried by Stretcher Bearers in the local Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extension France in plot L.34. A funeral service conducted by the RC Chaplain at Aveluy was well attended by fellow Gunners.
He was an only son though his Uncle of Subiaco, No.876 Pte Edward Kennedy was killed at Gaza on the 19th April 1917; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Jerusalem Memorial.