John William MANSFIELD
Year of Birth: 1889
Place of Birth: Stroke on Trent, Staffordshire, England
Date of Enlistment: 12 January 1915, Cairns, Queensland
Date and Place of Embarkation: 16 April 1915, Brisbane, Queensland
Ship: HMHS Kyarra A55
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 15th Infantry Battalion
Regimental Number: 1983
Died: 8 August 1915 – Gallipoli
John was born 1 September 1889 in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England son of Albert Gough Mansfield and Mary Ann (Hannah) Wright. Albert was an earth potters turner by trade. John has siblings Flora b. 1886, Blanche Elizabeth b. 1888, Anne b. 1891, Edward b. 1892. John attended the Cross Street Board School in Stoke on Trent.
John was a fitter by trade serving his apprenticeship at the N.S. Railway Company, England. His next of kin is given as his father, Albert Mansfield of Stoke on Trent. John was 25 years old at the time of his enlistment. He was 5 foot 6 inches tall, he had a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and hair. His religion was Church of England.
He arrived in Australia when he was 21 years old. John worked for the Cairns Locomotive Workshops. He played football with the Cairns Railway Rovers.
John was killed in action whilst landing at Suvia Bay, Gallipoli Peninsula, Dardanelles, Turkey 8th August 1915. He was first reported missing, but his death was confirmed by the authority of a Court of Inquiry.
He is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey.
Online Resources
NAA: 1983, Mansfield, John William, National Archives of Australia
Photograph of HMAT Kyarra A55, Australian War Memorial
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
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