Bradley, Jack Edward
2836 Lance Corporal Jack Edward Bradley - 12th Battalion AIF and 81556 Royal Australian Air Force
Jack Edward Bradley was born in Fremantle WA on the 12th March 1900 to Benjamin and Alice Bradley. He had a few siblings with, Benjamin (1898), Neta (1902 and died 1902), Thomas (1905), Neta (1908), Annie (1911) and Eva (1911).
The family lived in 1 Silas Street East Fremantle and Jack was educated at Fremantle Boys School. He was also part of the cadet scheme while at Fremantle Boys.
After leaving school Jack went into the carpentry trade. However in July 1915 when Jack was just 15 years old, he travelled to Perth to enlist in the AIF.
Jack was well built for his age and put his age up to 18 to enlist and the medical examiner passed him as fit for service. Jack's physical attributes were recorded as;
Height - 5 feet 10 inches tall;
Weight - 160lbs;
Chest Measurement - 35-38 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Green;
Hair - Light Brown.
After being passed as fit, Jack was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to the 9th Reinforcements to the 12th Battalion AIF. He had several weeks training with this group in WA while they waited for their embarkation orders to arrive. These orders finally came through and on the 1st October 1915 Jack and his group boarded the transport ship HMAT Hororata in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for Egypt.
After arriving in Egypt at the end of October 1915, Jack and his group were marched into the 3rd Training Battalion. As plans were underway to evacuate the Gallipoli battlefield, Jack was retained in Egypt until the 12th Battalion returned from Gallipoli.
Jack was officially taken on strength of the 12th Battalion on the 19th January 1916. Jack then trained with his unit until the end of March 1916 when they boarded a transport ship which took them to France, arriving at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916.
The 12th Battalion, as part of the 1st Australian Division, were sent north to the region around Armentieres. They would have their first experience of trench life in this sector and would remain here until June 1916.
As part of the Somme Offensive, the 1st Australian Division were to be used in the action. On 23rd July 1916 the 12th Battalion took part in the capture of Pozieres village and also served in subsequent actions in August against Mouquet Farm.
Despite high casualties in the 12th Battalion Jack came through unscathed. After their action at Mouquet Farm, the 12th Battalion were sent to Belgium where they had several weeks, before returning to the Somme battlefield in October 1916.
The conditions were horrendously muddy and cold and on the 9th November 1916 Jack was evacuated to the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance suffering from a condition known as trench feet. Trench feet is caused by prolonged exposure of feet to freezing and wet conditions. It results in restricted blood flow to the feet, leading to numbness, pain, redness, and swelling and in the worst cases, gangrene.
Jack was sent back to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station and then to the 11th Stationary Hospital at Rouen France. It must have been serious as Jack was then evacuated to England, where he was admitted to hospital. On the 3rd January 1917 Jack was then transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital. His condition had improved as Jack was granted a furlough from hospital from the 8th to 23rd January 1917 and he took in the sights and experiences of England. He was enjoying himself on leave as he took a further week of unauthorised leave and was later charged as being AWOL between the 23rd and 30th January 1917. He was given 130 hours of detention as a punishment.
On the 8th February 1917 Jack reported to No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs. It appears that Jack enjoyed his furlough a bit too much as after a week in camp he reported ill to hospital where he was diagnosed with venereal disease.
Jack was then sent to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford and he remained there till 12th March 1917. Jack was then transferred to Parkhouse Military Hospital.
On the 23rd April 1917 Jack was transferred to the 3rd Australian Training Battalion at Durrington Camp. He remained in this camp through to June 1917 during which time he took a few days of unauthorised leave. During this time in England, Jack's older brother Ben had arrived from Australia and was also in the training camps so no doubt the brothers caught up during this time.
On the 2nd July 1917 Jack was put into a draft of soldiers heading for France and rejoined the 12th Battalion on the 21st July 1917.
Jack served with the 12th Battalion during the Third Battle of Ypres, seeing action at the Battle of Menin Road on the 20th September 1917, Zonnebeke, Polygon Wood and Celtic Wood in October and November 1917. Jack again came through these actions unscathed but unfortunately his brother Ben was killed while serving with the 25th Machine Gun Company. Jack later told his parents that he found Ben's body and buried him, but after the war the grave could not be located and Ben was therefore later commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Jack was appointed as a Lance Corporal on the 20th October 1917. It appears Jack's real age soon became apparent and though he had more than two years of active service it was decided to send Jack back to Australia as being underage.
On the 15th February 1918 Jack boarded a troopship in England and set sail for Australia, reaching Fremantle on the 8th April 1918. Jack was then discharged from the AIF.
Jack enlisted again on the 15th October 1918 and was again accepted for service, now officially being over 18 years of age. However as the war ended the next month Jack was discharge from duty. Jack returned home to East Fremantle and in 1922 was still living at 23 (now 1) Silas Street East Fremantle and was working as a Commercial Traveller and Carpenter. He appears to have lived in East Fremantle up to the Second World War as in 1937 he was listed as living at 23 Silas Street and working as a Carpenter.
On the 8th August 1942 Jack enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force. He was accepted for service and was initially posted to the Air Force base at Cunderdin in Country WA.
His experience as a Carpenter and general handyman would lead him good experience in his role as a LAC or Leading Aircraftsman.
Cunderdin was home to No. 9 Elementary Flying Training School (No. 9 EFTS) and No. 17 Repair and Salvage Unit. The RAAF also assembled a number of Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk fighter aircraft at Cunderdin in March 1942 to provide air defence coverage of Perth.
Between March and June 1942, two B-24 Liberator heavy bombers of the United States Air Force (USAAF) 28th Bombardment Squadron were based at Cunderdin and carried out long-range ocean patrols in the defence of southern Western Australia. So during Jack's time being based there Cunderdin was a very busy airfield.
He also served in the Darwin area with the RAAF which included test flights to test out the repairs to planes.
In 1944 through to 1945 Jack served at Pearce Air Force Base and with the end of the war was sent to the Subiaco RAAF HQ.
Jack was discharged from the RAAF on the 15th March 1946.
After being discharged from the RAAF Jack returned home to 3 Silas Street East Fremantle and resumed his work as a Carpenter.
Jack lived a long life dying on the 22nd October 1991.