Callow, John
2608 Private John Callow - 51st Battalion AIF
John Callow was born on the 15th June 1895 in Broken Hill NSW to John and Alice Callow. He had another brother called James in 1897.
The family moved to Western Australia while John was still young and took up residence at Fremantle with the family living at 23 Pilbara Street South Fremantle and he completed his education in Fremantle. During these years John also served in the 86A Cadets of the Citizens Military Forces. After leaving school John took up work as a Horse Driver. He also played for football during these years and only the start of the Great War prevented him from joining the WAFL earlier.
On the 4th August 1915 John enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 10 inches tall;
Weight - 150lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34-37 inches;
Complexion - Dark;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Brown;
Distinctive Marks - Tattoo on right forearm of hands across the sea.
After his successful enlistment John was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.23 Training Depot. He was taken through the basics of infantry work at this camp. After two months he was transferred to the 6th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion AIF.
On the 2nd November 1915 John and his reinforcement group embarked from Fremantle Harbour aboard the transport ship HMAT Miltiades and then set sail for Egypt. Upon arrival he was sent to the AIF reinforcement camp in Egypt. The men would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli to join the 28th battalion but with plans now in place to evacuate that battlefield, John and his group were retained in Egypt.
The 28th Battalion returned to Egypt from Gallipoli in January 1916 but John never joined them. He was retained in the reinforcement camp for the first two months of 1916. On the 3rd March 1916 John was assigned to the newly forming 51st Battalion AIF.
He trained with them in Egypt for the next two months and on the 5th June 1916 the 51st Battalion departed for France aboard the troopship Ivernia, arriving at Marseilles on the 12th June 1916.
After their arrival in France the men were entrained north to the Armentieres region. They would have their first experience of Western Front trench life in this sector. They only spent a few weeks here before being sent to the Somme battlefield.
On the 14th August 1916, the 51st Battalion took part in their first major attack, in attempting to capture Germans positions near Mouquet Farm. The attack was unsuccessful and during the action Joh was blown up by a shell. Fortunately, he was not wounded but was suffering from shell shock. He only spent five days away from his unit and then rejoined them.
A few weeks later on the 3rd September 1916, the 51st Battalion carried out another assault on German positions at Mouquet Farm. Despite getting into the German trenches, the survivors had to withdraw due to the overwhelming enemy numbers.
John was wounded during the assault and was captured by the Germans. In 1918 John was interviewed about his experiences;
A midnight on the 2nd September 1916, we filed out of our advanced sap to a jumping off line within 50 yards of the enemy first line of trenches. At 5.10am on the 3rd we got the order to advance. Our objective was the enemy's first trench and we were to capture Mouquet Farm and the Strong Points about the farm, and then advance 150 yards further on. and take up a position there. We bombers were instructed to remain at Mouquet Farm and bomb out the dug outs and strong points. Our boys succeeded in capturing the trench and Mouquet Farm and then we set to, to carry out the tasks allotted to us. We had succeeded in bombing the Germans out of the dugouts when I was wounded. I was struck by shrapnel, a splinter entering my right side and lodging in my right lung, where it still remains. I was rendered helpless but managed to crawl into a large dugout a few yards away. The enemy hardly tried a shot at us while we were advancing. He opened up on us with his artillery after we had captured the position. About 9am the enemy counter attacked and very soon drove our boys back and recapture both his trench and Mouquet Farm. In the dugout with me were about 100 other Australians.
Private Woodland and myself were left in the dugout till the afternoon of the 6th, without food or water, or any attention of any sort. The others were sent away immediately after capture. Then I was half carried and half dragged to a German Red Cross Man to a horse ambulance about three kilometres away and taken to a Casualty Clearing Station near Bapaume. Here my wounds were dressed and I was given an anti tetanus injection. I was also given one slice of bread and a drink of coffee, the first food I had received since I was wounded.
John was then sent to village of Caudry where he was admitted to a German hospital and received good treatment while there. He remained at Caudry for sixteen days and was then sent to Germany. John was admitted to hospital at Darmstadt and remained there till October 1917 He was then transferred to a prison camp at Giessen.
In April 1918 John was sent to Aachen in Germany as he was going to be in a prisoner exchange. He ended up staying here awhile before being transferred to Holland. On the 21st October 1918 John left Holland on a hospital ship and returned to England. On arrival he was sent to No.4 General Hospital at Denmark Hill London for a medical check-up. Prisoners of War had undergone severe privations while being incarcerated so they had mandatory medical checks on arriving in England.
On the 7th November 1918 John was released from the 4th London General Hospital though soon fell ill and was sent to 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford.
On the 16th June 1919 John boarded the transport ship Ormonde and set sail for Australia, arriving at Fremantle on the 24th July 1919.
After a medical check-up at No.8 Australian general Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle, John was discharged from the AIF on the 17th September 1919.
After a return to the family home at Pilbarra Street he moved to Canning Road East Fremantle in 1920.
John got married on the 1st May 1920 in Fremantle to Ruby Dade at St John's Church Fremantle.
They would have five children, with, Dorothy 1921, Stella 1922, John 1924, Ronald 1926 and Irene 1932.
The family soon moved back to Pilbarra Street and John had found employment as an Engine driver.
During this time John also played for South Fremantle Football Club in the WAFL, from 1920 to 1925 playing 78 games in total.
In 1925 the family moved to 27 Rose Street South Fremantle, (later renumbered 3 Rose) and he was now working as a Grocer.
In 1925 John's brother saved a drowning man in Fremantle Harbour and received a Royale Humane Certificate for his efforts. As reported by the Fremantle Herald.
The Callow's then oved to Gabbin where John took up work as a Farmer. Gabbin no longer exists as a town but was situated between Koorda and Bencubbin.
John farmed here through to the Second World War. During this war John once again offered his services to the Australian Army. He was found to be for service and was assigned the service number W15361 and saw service with the Western Command Canteens Service. Between 1940 and 1942 he served at Claremont Army Camp, Northam Camp, Melville Army Camp, Naval Base, Narrogin and Bunbury.
In April 1942 John was discharged at his own request.
In 1943 the family then moved to Gloucester Street Victoria Park and were still living here through to 1960.
John died on the 28th September 1960 in Victoria Park aged 65. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.