Davies, John Leicester

No.3507 – John Leicester Davies – 4^th DAC & 10^th Field Artillery Brigade AIF

John Leicester Forest Davies was born in Hawthorn Victoria in 1893 to John and Eileen Davies. The family soon came over to live in WA and prior to WW1 John was working as a horse driver and living at 9 Dorothy Street East Fremantle.

On the 27^th September 1915 John travelled to the Swan Barracks in Perth to enlist in the AIF. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording John’s physical attributes as;

Height:                                     5 feet 6 inches;

Weight:                                    118lbs;

Chest Measurement:               32-35 inches;

Complexion:                            Fair;

Eyes:                                       Blue;

Hair:                                        Fair;

Religious denomination:         Roman Catholic.

Upon his successful enlistment John was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.31 Depot. He spent two weeks here and would learn the basics of infantry work. He was then transferred to “A” Company of the 4^th Depot Battalion. A fortnight later on the 1^st November 1915 John was transferred to No.3 Depot Battalion, however the same day he was assigned to the 8^th Reinforcements to the 28^th Battalion AIF. John would spend the next two and a half months in WA training with this group. In early 1916 their embarkation orders arrived and so they entrained from Blackboy Hill Camp to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the HMAT Borda. This ship set sail from Fremantle on the 17^th January 1916. The sea journey to Egypt took just over three weeks and after arriving, John and his group were disembarked and sent to the 7^th Training Battalion at Zeitoun Camp. The 28^th Battalion was currently at full strength so the men were kept in the training battalion for the next few weeks.

In late February 1916 news came through that the AIF was set to expand to five divisions. John’s group which had been destined for the 28^th Battalion were now instead sent to the newly forming 51^st Battalion on the 3^rd March 1916. John was only with the 51^st Battalion for two weeks and on the 16^th March he transferred to the 4^th Pioneer Battalion. The very same day John again transferred to the 112^th Battery of the 24^th Howitzer Brigade. He trained with this group for a month but due to his previous employment as a Horse Driver, he was transferred to the 4^th Division Ammunition Column and given the rank of Driver. John only had a few weeks with this unit in Egypt as on the 6^th June 1916 they boarded the HMT Oriana in Alexandria and set sail for France, disembarking at Marseilles on the 13^th June. After arriving at Marseilles the men were entrained north for the battlefields. They were initially sent to the Armentieres sector and one of John’s tasks was to transport Ammunition to the forward artillery batteries. The 4^th Division Artillery supported the July 19^th assault at Fromelles and they were later sent to the Somme.

On the 31^st August 1916 John returned to the 24^th Field Artillery Brigade, firstly as a Driver, but then he became a Gunner. On the 2^nd October 1916 John returned to the 4^th DAC and he served with this unit through the Somme winter campaign and into the operations in 1917 at the Hindenburg Line. In May 1917 the 4^th Division transferred to Belgium where they took part in the Messines offensive. On the 18^th June 1917 John transferred into the 38^th Battery of the 10^th Field Artillery Brigade.

John served as a Gunner with this Artillery Battery through the Third Battle of Ypres which began on July 31^st 1917. Much of the time the Australian artillery were in positions overlooked by the Germans and so casualties among the artillerymen were high though John came through the next few months unscathed. After seven and a half months of service with this unit, John was given a fortnight’s leave to England in February 1918. After his return to the unit, John was sent on a machine gun course at the Divisional school. This would have been of use for anti aircraft fire and the increasing German bombardments from their airplanes. John was on this course from the 1^st to the 15^th March 1918.

With the German offensive on the 21^st March 1918, the Australians began their move to the Somme to try and stop the enemies advance. They were successful but several sharp battles were found around Villers-Bretonneux and Dernancourt. John’s battery would have provided much needed artillery support to the infantry.

Unfortunately in the midst of this John accidentally discharged his firearm which wounded a Driver Watkins. He was brought before the CO and charged with conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline. He was fined 10 days pay and had to undergo 10 days of Field Punishment No.2.

It was an unfortunate accident and John continued to work with the Battery for the next few months. On the 29^th June 1918 he was wounded in action and he was sent to the 47^th Casualty Clearing Station. After some initial treatment John was sent to the 5^th General Hospital at Rouen. He only had a few days here and was then transferred to the 74^th General Hospital. John took some time to recover as he spent the next two months in hospital but on the 5^th September he was well enough to be released and he was sent to the General Depot. He wasn’t here for long as John rejoined his Artillery Brigade on the 12^th September 1918.

John was again on operations with his artillery battery as the Germans were being constantly pushed back which meant that the Artillery were also on a constant advance in following up the infantry. On the 4^th October 1918 John badly sprained his ankle and after initial treatment at the 5^th Field Ambulance he was sent back for treatment to the 20^th CCS who then entrained him for the 1^st Australian General Hospital. John only had two days here as on the 6^th October 1918 he was shipped to England for more treatment. John was then sent to the 2^nd Southern General Hospital at Bristol.

It was a bad ankle sprain as it kept John in Hospital until the 23^rd November 1918 and thus John was still a patient here when the Armistice was declared on the 11^th November 1918. On the 23^rd November john was given furlough until the 6^th December after which he would have to report to the 1^st Command Depot at Sutton Veny Camp. After he reported in John was sent to AIF HQ in London where he was taken on strength. John worked for the AIF HQ in London through 1919 and in early 1920 he was attached to the Australian War Graves Section in France. John would have been among the last of the AIF to return home as it was only on the 20^th May 1920 that he boarded the transport ship Kigoma and sailed back to Fremantle Western Australia.

John Davies was discharged from the AIF on the 5^th October 1920.

In 1929 he married Jesse Davies (no relation) in Fremantle and they would have two daughters, Jean Valda (1930). Unfortunately Jean died in 1933.

John Davies died in 1959 aged 66 and is buried in Fremantle Cemetery RC MON C4 0679