John Cheshire

Year of Birth: 1903

Place of Birth: Innisfail, North Queensland, Australia

Date of Enlistment: 3 September 1941, Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Australian Defence Force: Australian Imperial Force

Rank: Sapper

Unit(s): 2/1 Mechanical Equipment Company, Royal Australian Engineers

Service Number: QX15770

Died: 4 September 1944

Age: 49 years

Buried: Cairns War Cemetery – Plot A – Row D – Grave 17

“His Duty Nobly Done Ever Remembered”
Sapper John Cheshire

John Cheshire was the second of eleven children of Thomas and Alice (Murphy) Cheshire, born 1 August 1903. His siblings were Thomas Michael, John, Lydia, Ellen, Alice May, James, Ada Mary, Margaret, Amy, Robert and Alfred Mackin. 

His father had died in 1940 and his mother lived until 1955. His brother Thomas Michael Cheshire was a returned soldier of World War I.

John had brown hair and brown eyes.  Before joining the army he was a labourer.  He was part of the Coastal Defence and Served in New Guinea.

He died of an illness in the Innisfail hospital.

John Cheshire’s name is on the Innisfail Roll of Honour board and also located at panel 25 in the  Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial. 

Online Resources

NAA: B883, (CHESHIRE John) National Archives of Australia

Australian War Memorial

Department Veterans’ Affairs Nominal Rolls

National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers

Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages

If you have a photograph or further information about this soldier you would like to share and add to his biography, please contact the Society at projects@cdfhs.org or leave a comment below. Thank you!

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