Adshead, Sergeant John Lennard

Private John Lennard Adshead was born in Halifax, Queensland in 1893, son of Lily and Edwin Adshead. He grew up in the area around his birth, with his father working as a farmer, and in his late teens he began work as a butcher’s apprentice at Coleman Butchers. Both of his parents died within the span of a year in 1913 and 1914 when John was in his early 20s. By the outbreak of World War One, John was working as a qualified butcher.

With the outbreak of the war, John Lennard Adshead enlisted for service in the Australian Imperial Force on the 6th of January 1915 at the age of 22 and was posted to the 2nd Light Horse Regiment. He embarked for overseas service in May 1915 and arrived near Gallipoli in shortly thereafter. However, Private Adshead was temporarily discharged from the AIF due to gallstones and was medically transferred to Australia. He began working in central Queensland around Hughenden.

However, John Lennard Adshead enlisted again into the Australian Imperial Force on the 4th of October 1916 and was posted to the 47th Battalion. He embarked for overseas service straight away but had to be medically disembarked at Fremantle very early into the trip due to measles. He remained in hospital for 6 months and by the time he recovered in May 1917, he was assigned to the 44th Battalion. He embarked for overseas service in June 1917 and arrived at the front line in December 1917. He soon saw action in the German Spring Offensive but was medically invalided to England after becoming sick for the third time.

Whilst in England, Private Adshead met and married Dorothy Moody, daughter of a railway shunter in Paddington. Whilst in England, he resided at the Bull Dog Club in St. Marylebone. Private Adshead returned to the front lines for another month until he was medically evacuated a final time due to appendicitis during the Battle of Amiens. During the war Private Adshead had fought in 4 battles and spent 140 days in the trenches. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, Silver War Badge, Active Service Badge and 1 Long Service Stripe. He had spent a total of 14 months in hospital throughout the course of his service.

After the war, the Adsheads spent the 1920s in central Queensland living in Winton and Atherton, John worked various jobs including as a deputy bailiff for a short period. In 1928, whilst living in Atherton, the Adsheads had their first and only child, Gilbert, who later went on to serve in the Australian Army during World War Two. In the 1930s the family moved to Townsville, with John spending the decade working as a car driver, butcher, fettler and railway employee. He also served in the Militia of the interwar period for 9 years. He changed his denomination to Methodist as that is what Dorothy followed.

John attempted to mobilise for overseas service at the outbreak of World War Two, even lying about his age to make it seem that he was in his 30s and not in his 40s. However, it was decided that he was medically unfit and could only join the reserve army for the defence of Australia. John was given the rank of Sergeant upon joining the Reserves in 1940 and was posted to a headquarters unit until his discharge in February 1941. His discharge may have been due to his crucial job in the civilian war economy.

In the later 1940s, he was working as a labourer and in the 1950s he again worked in the railway industry, now as an examiner. John Lennard Adshead was killed in 1953 at the age of 61 in a car crash that also killed 26-year-old Kathleen Feeney. His wife, Dorothy outlived him for another 2 decades until she passed away in 1975 at the age of 77.

NOTES

*Allotted to the 16th then the 47th Battalion but soon transferred to the 44th Battalion.

*Middle name was also spelled as Rayland or Lenard or Leonard. Also incorrectly stated sometimes as John A Adshead.

*AWL for 18 hours in December 1918, forfeited 1 days’ pay.

*He was charged with assaulting a man in Townsville in December 1932 and was fined 4 Pounds.

*After a car crash in 1946, it was found he did not have authority to drive and he was charged.

SOURCES

National Archives of Australia

AIF Project

Find A Grave.com

Ancestry.com

Australian Electoral Rolls

The Westralian Battalion by Neville Browning OAM

Townsville Daily Bulletin, 10th of December 1932, P. 6 & 6th of July 1946, P.2

The Northern Miner, 22nd of April 1954, P.1