CAMPBELL, John

John Campbell's origins would have remained a mystery, were it not for his descendents. Although he claimed as his address C% James O'Grady at Grant St., East Melbourne, there is no Grant Street in East Melbourne. Luckily, in 2020 and 2021, two connections, one of John O'Grady and one of the Campbell family have informed us that South Melbourne was his correct address. His next of kin was  R. Campbell of 108 Ferrars St., South Melbourne and there is a Grant St., in South Melbourne, so he may well have come from there. He doesn't appear on Australian Birth Indexes, because he was born in Scotland, nor on the Electoral Roll, because he was too young to vote. Moreover, there are too many John Campbells in the post-war years to identify him and, as he was single, no wife by whom he can be traced. 

There is a further mystery. In the Red Cross Records, John Campbell, gunner, 6728, is identified as killed in battle at Messines on 14 January, 1918. Driver A W McLean 32852 of the 4-14th Battery, B Sub-Sec, wrote Corp. Jock Campbell - A Victorian - was killed outright by a 9-2 which landed in the gun pit at Messines while he was on the gun on the 2nd Monday of Jan. 1918. I helped bury him at a Cemetery just back - about 3 miles behind the lines between Messines and Neuve Eglise - 2 others of the 14th Battery B. sub., both strangers to me, were killed and are buried side by side with him. Crosses were put up for each.

The Red Cross files clearly name him as John Campbell 6728; he was born in Scotland, so 'Jock' would have been an easy nickname to call him; Driver McLean knew him and was in the 4-12 Battery, but did not know the other two men, who came from the 12th Battery. He could not have made a mistake, as he saw the whole thing and buried Jock Campbell.

However, there is no John Campbell listed on the Honour Roll at the Australian War Memorial and his war record tells a different story. John Campbell, aged 18, born in Scotland, a boilermaker by trade, enlisted at Melbourne on 24 August, 1915. He trained at Queens Rd. Camp and then at Royal Park, and was attached to the 4 Field Artillery Battery as a gunner. He embarked on HMAT Wiltshire A18 on 18 November, 1915, disembarking at Suez on 15 Decmber, 1915. After three months in Egypt, the 4 FAB was sent to France, landing at Marseilles on 19 March, 1916. From there, they travelled 800 kilometres by train to Le Havre, where their vehicles and 18 pounder guns were allocated. They continued on to Armentieres, into the 'nursery section' on 8 April, where troops were given the chance to acclimatise before facing the conflict at the front: Sausage Hill at Pozieres.

Having survived the bitter winter of 1916-17 in the trenches, in March 1917, the 4 FAB was sent to Flanders and was in constant action supporting allied attacks on Messines, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde and Passchendaele.  John Campbell, however, had been sent to hospital on 30 March, 1917, suffering from trench feet, admitted first to a Casualty Clearing Station, then on 10 April, 1917, to hospital in Rouen. From here, John Campbell was transferred to the No. 2 Convalescent Depot. He was not back at the front until 13 May, rejoining his unit in Flanders and at the front for the Third Battle of Ypres. 

He was ill again in January, 1918, this time with mumps, and once well, was attached to the 2 D.A.C., before returning to the battlefront on 5 March, 1918. This was the time of the German Spring Offensive and the 4 Field Artillery Brigade was in the thick of it, as the 1 Australian Corps absorbed the barrages of attacks. In April they moved to the Somme front and in August, supported the other Australian troops as they moved forward through Peronne, Mont St. Quentin and Bellecourt to the Hindenburg Line.  On 4 October, 1918, John Campbell was wounded in action, gassed. On 18 October, the 4 Field Artillery Battery was relieved from further fighting, as the men were exhausted.

John Campbell was evacuated to England on 28 October and after treatment,  was returned early to Australia. He sailed home on the Demosthenes , leaving on 16 January, 1919, and arriving at Melbourne on 2 March. He was discharged from further service on 16 April, 1919.