Profile

JOHNSON, John Wright
(Service number 6/485)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank Private

Birth

Date 3 June 1882 Place of Birth Bradford Yorkshire England

Enlistment Information

Date 12 August 1914 Age 31
Address at Enlistment Care of Old Bank Hotel, Timaru, New Zealand
Occupation Hotel Porter
Previous Military Experience 1st Life Guards Egyptian Mounted Police; 1912-1913 NZ Permanent Forces
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin Richard Johnson, 8 Spring Place, Horton, Bradford, York, England
Religion Church of England
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation Main Body
Unit, Squadron, or Ship Canterbury Infantry Battalion
Date 16 October 1914
Transport Tahiti or Athenic
Embarked From Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand Destination Suez, Egypt
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With Canterbury Infantry Battalion

Military Awards

Campaigns Gallipoli
Service Medals 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 8 May 1915 Age 32
Place of Death Gallipoli, Turkey
Cause Killed in action
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Twelve Trees Copse (NZ) Memorial
Memorial Reference Panel Location 16.2.13
New Zealand Memorials On Memorial wall, Timaru

Biographical Notes

John was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England on 3 June 1882, the son of Richard & Emily Johnson of 38 Middleton Road, Ilkley, Yorks, England. Prior to his arrival in New Zealand he had served with the 1st Life Guards Egyptian Mounted Police. In April 1912 at Timaru he joined the New Zealand Permanent Forces a as a Sergeant Instructor and served from 1 May 1912 until 6 June 1913.

Before enlisting for war service John was employed as a Hotel Porter for Mr Charles Sutherland at the Grosvenor, then the Old Bank Hotel. He was described as being of fair complexion, chest 36 inches, weight 168 lbs, height 6 foot, eyes blue, hair light and having upper false teeth, the lower ones good. He served in New Zealand from 12 August to 15 October 1914 and embarked from Lyttelton for Suez Egypt 16 October 1914 on either the Tahiti or Athenic, arriving 3 December 1914.

John was killed in action 8 May 1915 at Gallipoli Turkey aged 32 and is commemorated on the Twelve Tree Copse (NZ) Memorial Panel 16.2.13. His father was forwarded his plaque, scroll and war medals at wars end.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database (August 2013); Archives NZ

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available.

Researched and Written by

Dave Batchelor (South Canterbury Museum); Ted Hansen (SC branch NZSG)

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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