John Harold Richardson

Submitted by wollongongcityl... on Wed, 19/03/2014 - 15:21

First Name:

John

Middle Name:

Harold

Last Name:

Richardson

Date of Birth:

Thursday, May 10, 1883

Father's Name:

George Frederick Richardson

Date Enlisted:

Monday, August 17, 1914

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Unit:

4th Battalion

Service:

Infantry

Awards:

1914/15 Star

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Sunday, January 24, 1954

Place of Death:

Concord Hospital, Sydney

Details:

John Harold Richardson (service number 9) was born on 10 May 1883. Before the war he resided at Bondi with his family and worked in his father’s produce store.

When he enlisted, he joined the 4th Battalion AIF and embarked for overseas on 20 October 1914

During his service John frequently sent postcards and letters to his wife, three children (at the time) and mother. He sent a postcard to his wife on 25 May, 1917:

My Cis,
As you will see, from the fact that I am able to get a … of a card like this, I am well away from the firing line for awhile … knows how long this will last though. We blew into this little town of – two days for a spell. After that Lord knows what it will be; however I suppose your papers will soon be telling you again that the old fighting brigade is into it again somewhere … Anyhow cheer up, it looks like soon coming to the end. Goodbye with heaps of kisses – …
Your Jack.

Jack moved to Wollongong in 1927 with his wife Annie Cecilia Richardson (nee Hawkins) and worked as a janitor at Wollongong Technical College on Gladstone Ave. He and his wife had three more children after the war and he became a life member of Wollongong RSL. His RSL medals currently reside at Wollongong RSL Club.

He died on 24 January 1954 at the age of 71 at Concord Hospital, Sydney.

Sources:

Australian War Memorial, First World War Embarkation Rolls – Archibald Lewis Parsons, Australian War Memorial Canberra, 2014, <http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1446219/> viewed 27 November 2013.

NAA: B2455, Richardson John Harold