Lematey, John William
SURNAME
Lematey
NAME
John William
PLACE OF BIRTH
Bundaberg
OCCUPATION
Labourer
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT
Rockhampton
DATE OF ENLISTMENT
10/12/1914
NEXT OF KIN
Mrs Ellen Lematey (mother), Mossman
LINK TO DOUGLAS SHIRE
Lived in Mossman
REGIMENT 1
9th Battalion AIF
RANK
Private
CAMPAIGN 1
Gallipoli
CAMPAIGN 2
Western Front
OTHER INFORMATION
9th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement; embarked on Seang Bee 13-02-15; Awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
STORY OUTLINE
John (Jack) Lematey (Lematy) was eldest son of blacksmith William Lematy and his wife Ellen.
(Two brothers-inlaw, Frederick Smith and Frank Coulthard, also served in WWI and his youngest brother William was killed in WWII).
Enlisting in December 1914, he was with the 9th Battalion in Gallipoli and then the Western Front.
The following extract from a newspaper article tells something of Jack's service:
“... Jack Lematy, son of well-known blacksmith Mr Bill Lematy of our township.The soldier in question had a great experience during the storming of Gallipoli heights, but had good luck to escape injury. Some time this year he fell foul of a Hun missile in the shape of a piece of shrapnel which injured his knee while engaged in a harmless game of cards in a dug-out in France.”
After the war, John remained single and spent time in Sydney and Brisbane. He died in 1963 aged 72, and was buried in the Port Douglas Cemetery.
SERVICE NO
1373
