Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Alfred John Jackson, known as Alf, was born on 16 December 1884 at Waimate, the younger son of Susey Hannah Jackson. Susey who had another son William Robert Jackson, born in 1880 at Waimate, married John Kaan in 1888. It seems that Alfred John Jackson may have grown up knowing his mother as a sister. Young Alfred was educated at the Waimate District High School, where he received a Standard II prize in December 1896. Albert Jackson may have finished third in the boys’ sack race at the Friendly Societies’ Sports held at Waimate in November 1898. If he was still at school in May 1899, he may have represented the second fifteen in a football match on 1 June 1899. Alf started work as a groom. At the Magistrate’s Court on 10 November 1910, “Alfred Jackson was ordered to contribute towards the maintenance of an illegitimate child, of which he was adjudged the father, at the rate of 8s a week, to be paid on the first of each month.” The child was born on 23 April 1910, as was noted in his military record, and an allowance was paid for this child.

A.J. Jackson contributed 10 shillings to the Waimate Red Cross Fund in mid-1915. Alfred John Jackson enlisted simply as John Jackson, doing so on 1 July 1915 at Trentham. He had been medically examined on 18 May 1915 and found Fit. He stood at 5 feet 8½ inches, weighed 10 stone, and had a chest measurement of 34½-36 inches. His complexion was dark, his eyes grey, and his hair black. His sight, hearing and colour vision were all good, his limbs and chest well formed, his heart and lungs normal, while his upper teeth were false. He was free from diseases, fits, illnesses; was vaccinated and in good bodily and mental health. While there were slight defects, they were not sufficient to cause rejection. At the time of enlistment, he was a horse trainer for the Otago Hunt Club at Dunedin, his address being The Kennels, Tahuna Park (Otago). Single and Protestant, he named his sister as next-of-kin – Mrs J. Kaan, Naylor Street, Waimate. Mrs John Kaan was in fact his mother, Susey Hannah Jackson.

He may have been selected for the Otago quota of the Seventh Reinforcements (Mounted Rifles) which left Dunedin for Trentham on 12 June 1915. Trooper J. Jackson was admitted to hospital at Tauherenikau Camp on 15 July 1915, suffering from influenza (Roman Catholic). Trooper J. Jackson embarked with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles of the 6th Reinforcements, departing for Suez, Egypt per the “Tofua” on 14 August 1915. After being taken on Strength at Mudros on 3 October 1915, he was transferred to the Otago Mounted Rifles from the Canterbury Mounted Rifles on 7 October 1915. Having disembarked at Alexandria on 25 December 1915, he left for Canal on 23 January 1916.

On 6 April 1916 at Alexandria, he embarked for France with the Otago Mounted Rifles. In the Field on 18 December 1916, he was evacuated sick to hospital and admitted to the Field Ambulance, suffering from deafness. Two days later he rejoined his unit from hospital. The next record for John Jackson was when he rejoined his unit on 22 February 1918, sixteen days after proceeding on leave to the UK. As of 20 April 1918, he was with the Otago Mounted Rifles in France. Trooper John Jackson, of Waimate, was awarded the Military Medal for acts of gallantry in the Field on 30 September 1918. As of October-November 1918, he was still with his unit (O.M.R.) in the Field. On 1 January 1919 Trooper Jackson went to the UK from France on leave, and on 17 January he was detained in the UK from leave.

On 24 January 1919 at Sling Camp, the Otago Commanding Officer advised the Medical Officer that an application for A.F.B.178 in regard to Trooper J. Jackson “has been made and that same is not available.” All was normal, however, at the medical examination conducted at Sling on 27 January 1919, and Jackson was in good health and physical condition. Trooper Jackson returned by the “Hororata” (Draft 221), leaving from London on 1 February 1919 and arriving on 15 March 1919. Mrs J. Kaan, of Riverside, Waimate, received word in early March that Trooper J. (Alf.) Jackson, M.M., was returning by the Hororata. 1500 men on the “Hororata” represented the first draft of fit men of 1914-15. There was no change regarding Jackson after further examination on 14 February 1919 by the Medical Officer of the returning transport. A dental examination conducted on 2 March 1919 found that he was not suffering from any dental disability directly traceable to the results of Active Service. After examination at Sea on 13 March 1919, 7/1481 Trooper John Jackson (O.M.R.) signed that he was not suffering from a disability due to Military Service. Employment on discharge had been guaranteed by the Otago Hunt Club as a horse trainer. He was granted 28 days’ leave before discharge, had received an advance of £4/11/6, and was issued with a Steamer Ticket from Wellington to Lyttelton.

John Jackson was discharged on 13 April 1919, on the termination of his period of engagement. He had served overseas in all theatres of war for well over three years and was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. From May 1916 until October 1918, Alf. Jackson was listed under Answered the Call in the Roll of Honour published regularly in the Waimate Daily Advertiser. After the war, Alf resumed his profession of a horse trainer. Alfred John Jackson married Jane Scott Russell (Jean) in 1924. Their son Alfred Raymond Jackson (Ray) was born on 24 November 1924. Ray was a student in Dunedin when his name was drawn in a World War Two ballot in 1943. He became a schoolteacher. Alf and Jean spent all their married life at or near Waimate.

In January 1925 Alf. Jackson was granted a building permit by the Waimate Borough Council for a dwelling in Edward Street, and an application for a water supply was also given. Alf and Jean were indeed, living on Edward Street in 1925 and returned there on retirement in the early 1950s. Alfred John Jackson died on 14 November 1976 at Waimate, aged 91 years 11 months. After a service at Knox Presbyterian Church, Waimate, he was buried in the Waimate Lawn Cemetery, where his grave is marked by a services plaque. He was survived by his wife Jean, son Ray and daughter-in law Nola, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Jane Scott Jackson died on 4 February 1983 at Clyde Hospital, her son then being a teacher at nearby Omakau. She too, was buried at Waimate, alongside Alf, after a service at Knox Presbyterian Church. Alfred’s mother died in 1949 and his stepfather in 1933. His brother, William Robert Jackson, and half-brother, Richard Henry Kaan (Harry), also served in World War One.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [29 December 2023]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Collections – Record numbers 0059532 & 0131970) [29 December 2023]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [22 December 2023]; Timaru Herald, 26 December 1896, 11 November 1910, 5 March 1919, Waimate Daily Advertiser, 12 November 1898, 30 May 1899, 10 June 1915, 20 May 1916, 31 October 1918, 14 January 1925, Evening Star, 9 June 1915, Evening Post, 23 November 1918, 3 March 1919, NZ Times, 23 November 1918, 4 March 1919, Sun, 25 November 1918, 4 March 1919, Otago Daily Times, 27 November 1918, Oamaru Mail, 29 November 1918, North Otago Times, 30 November 1918, Press, 11 March 1919, 15 & 16 November 1976, 7 February 1983 (Papers Past) [27, 29 & 30 December 2023]; Waimate Cemetery burial record & headstone image (Waimate District Council) [297 December 2023]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [28 & 29 December 2023]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Currently Assigned to

TS