2343 Private Herman George Jesson - 43rd Battalion AIF
Herman George Jesson was born at St Leonards on Sea Sussex England in 1880 to Frederick and Elizabeth Johnson, being one of eleven siblings.
Herman was educated and had his early years in Sussex England. The 1911 English census still has him residing in Sussex England.
He came to Western Australia in 1912 and set up residence in Fremantle. His sister Bertha was residing at 'Jessondale' 21 Florence Street South Fremantle. (later renumbered to 7 Florence Street and renamed to King William St). She had married James William Laidlaw in Fremantle in 1900.
Prior to the Great War, Herman was working as a Gas Fitter in Fremantle and was residing at 23 South Terrace before moving to a lodging house at 32 Adelaide Street Fremantle.
On the 29th May 1916 Herman enlisted in Kalgoorlie and was accepted as fit for service in the Australian Imperial Force. The medical examiner recorded his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 10 inches;
Weight - 15 stone 2;
Chest Measurement - 33-37 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Brown.
After his successful enlistment, Herman was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.71 Training Depot. He spent a few weeks there being taken through the basics of infantry work and on the 20th June 1916 was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements to the 51st Battalion AIF. He spent a few months training with then but on the 5th September 1916 was transferred to the 4th Reinforcements to the 43rd Battalion AIF.
Herman then had several weeks training with this group in WA. On the 30th October 1916, Herman and his group entrained to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Port Melbourne. The ship then set sail for England, arriving at Devonport Harbour on the 28th December 1916.
After being disembarked Herman and his group were sent to the 11th training Battalion at Durrington Camp on the Salisbury Plains. He had two months training in England and then on the 25th February 1916 was sent to France. He was sent to the 3rd Australian Division Base Depot but soon fell ill and was sent to a segregation camp, and after a few weeks to the 26th General Hospital at Etaples.
On the 16th April 1917 Herman was returned to England where he was admitted to Tooting Grove Military Hospital. After a month here he was sent to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford. His health was re-assessed here by a medical examiner and he was classed as no longer fit for active service.
Herman was then sent to the No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth where he would wait to be assigned a berth on a ship home. On the 26th September 1917 he went aboard the transport ship HMAT Borda and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 12th November 1917. He was discharged from the AIF on the 4th December 1917.
His illness was determined to have been caused by active service and he was given a military pension of 30/- per fortnight.
He then went to live at 59 Point Street Fremantle and resumed his work as a gas fitter.
Herman died on the 3rd January 1935 while a patient at Lemnos Hospital Shenton Park WA aged 51. He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery plot Anglican XC 0066.
The West Australian Newspaper on the 18th January 1935 reported on the inquest.
