Davenport, John
6739 Private John Davenport - 11th Battalion AIF
John Davenport was born in Cottesloe Beach in 1898 to Alfred and Constance Davenport. He was one of nine siblings, with, Frederick 1890, Mary 1892, Charles 1894, Alfred 1900, Amy 1902, Albert 1905, Constance 1907 and Florence 1911.
John was educated in North Fremantle and Cottesloe and after leaving school he took up employment with the State Implement Works in North Fremantle as an apprentice Fitter.
During this time John also served with the 86A Cadets and the 86th Infantry of the Citizens Military Forces in Fremantle.
On the 19th June 1916, aged just 18, John enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force in Fremantle. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 5 & 1/4 inches tall;
Weight - 130lbs;
Chest Measurement - 29-33 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - fair.
Upon his successful enlistment, John was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.75 Training Depot. He spent the next few weeks here being taken through the basics of infantry training.
On the 1st August 1916 John was assigned into the 23rd Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion. He spent a month training with this group and was then transferred to the 22nd Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion. John then spent the next two months training with this group in WA.
On the 9th November 1916 John and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Argyllshire. This ship then took them to England where they arrived at Devonport on the 10th January 1917.
After being disembarked John and his group were sent to the 3rd Training Battalion at Durrington Camp on the Salisbury Plains. On the 26th January 1917 John went absent without leave for a few days and when he reported back to camp on the 1st February 1917 he was given 168 hours of detention to camp as a punishment.
On the 5th April 1917 John was sent to France and upon arrival was sent to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples. He had a few weeks there but then joined the 11th battalion on the 21st April 1917.
In early May 1917 the 11th Battalion were in action at Bullecourt. During these operations John was wounded in the face, jaw and right hand. He was initially treated at the 5th Field Ambulance and was then sent to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station. He was then put on an ambulance train to the 20th General Hospital at Boulogne.
John spent over a week in hospital here and then on the 18th May 1917 was transferred to England. He was initially admitted to a the Royal Herbert hospital in Woolwich and was then transferred four days later to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield.
John underwent treatment here for the next several weeks. Due to the wound to his jaw the medical authorities recommended that John be returned to Australia. On the 3rd July 1917 he boarded the Hospital ship Karoola and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 18th August 1917.
After a few months at No.8 Australian General Hospital in Fremantle, John boarded the transport ship Benalla and traveled to Sydney. He then resided at Greens Road in Paddington.
John was discharged from the AIF in Sydney on the 2nd March 1918.
On the 3rd March 1918 John re-enlisted for Hone Service as was assigned to the 2nd Military District Guard. John served here for over three months but on the 17th June 1918 was discharged at his own request.
On the 28th June he re-enlisted at Liverpool camp to be part of the Camp Cooks and also worked in the Quartermaster stores. He was then discharged, again at his own request, on the 26th September 1918.
John got married in Leichardt Sydney New South Wales on the 3rd January 1920 to Stella Mary Nnn Munnings and Vivian was born in 1920 and Clyde in 1923.
Sadly, John died on the 12th June 1927 at the District Hospital Temora NSW aged just 27.