Jackson, John Henry
824 Private John Henry Jackson - 12th Battalion AIF
John Henry Jackson was born in Fremantle WA on the 27th September 1892 to William and Caroline Jackson, being one of eight siblings.
The family was living in Fremantle and John was educated locally. During this time John was in the Navy Cadets and also then began service in the Royal Australian Navy Reserve.
After leaving school he took up employment as a Lumper on Fremantle wharf. the family were then living at 122 Cantonment Street Fremantle.
On the 31st August 1914 John enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was passed as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording John's physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 5 & 1/4 inches tall;
Weight - 140lbs;
Chest Measurement - 37 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Brown.
Distinctive Marks - Tattoos on left arm and back of left hand.
Upon his successful enlistment John was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 12th Battalion AIF. For the six weeks after enlistment Norm trained at Blackboy Hill Camp. Towards the end of the month the WA Companies of the 12th Battalion received their orders to leave WA and so the men packed up camp and entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the HMAT Medic. They set sail on the 2nd November 1914 and made their way into the Indian Ocean where they joined the rest of the 1st Contingent that had sailed from Albany.
(Picture below of 12th Bn Group in WA)
Arriving in Egypt in late November 1914 the men were disembarked and sent into camp at Mena which would be their base for the next few months.
Early in 1915 it appears that John had fallen ill and was classed as medically unfit for further service. On the 3rd February 1915 he returned to Australia aboard the hospital ship HMT Kyarra. After arriving back in Fremantle John was discharged from the AIF on the 14th April 1915.
On his return John resumed his role as a Lumper on Fremantle wharf.
In 1916 John married Agnes Rebecca Griffiths at St Paul's Church Beaconsfield. Their first son Alfred died shortly after birth in 1917 but they then had Godfrey in 1918, Margaret in 1919, John in 1919, Clarence in 1921, Mervyn in 1923, Malcolm in 1925, and then Barbara and Shirley.
In 1922 the family were living at Greys cottage in Adelaide street Fremantle before moving to 17 McLaren Street South Fremantle. (later renumbered to 6 McLaren Street). They then moved down the road in 1931 to 46 McLaren street South Fremantle (later renumbered to 23 McLaren Street). They then had a further move in 1937 down to 1 McLaren Street. During this time John was still working as a Lumper.
They would live at 1 McLaren Street through to the 1960's.
His parents and some siblings had previously moved to NSW; his father died on the 7th December 1928 in Sydney and his mother on the 11th May 1944 in Melbourne.
During World War Two John had seen service with the Royal Australian Navy, serving at HMAS Leeuwin from 1942 to 1946. The navy records are unfortunately sparse on details, so his work during this time period is unknown.
After the War, John returned to work on Fremantle wharf and was injured in 1961 when he was struck by a ships cabin while unloading. He received injuries to his head and arm and had a stay in Fremantle Hospital
John Jackson died on the 21st April 1968 in Fremantle aged 77 years. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.