POSTCARD, World War 1

Postcard with black and white photograph of four soldiers in unifrom standing in front of wooden fence, two wearing floppy white hats, two wearing akubras. Message on reverse in purple pencil "To Eliza/From Joe". Joseph 'Joe' Jackson (no.1784 AIF) is on the extreme right side. The photograph is probably taken at Blackboy Hill, Western Australia in early 1915. Driver ‘Joe’ Joseph Jackson (No. 1784, AIF), a grocer from Victoria Park, was possibly related to ‘Lida’ and had lived in Boulder as a child. He sent her many postcards. He enlisted in the AIF, aged 19, on 18th January, 1915, joining the 11th Battalion at Gallipoli on 4th of June, 1915. Three weeks later he was evacuated with influenza to hospitals in Heliopolis and Helouan in Egypt, before re-joining the Unit at Gallipoli on the 17th July. Two weeks later he was involved in the Battalion’s bloody but successful preparatory attack on the Turkish line prior to the Australian attack on Lone Pine. Severely depleted, sick and exhausted the Battalion hung on at ANZAC until evacuation in December.
After Gallipoli, he along with half of 11th Battalion were transferred on 29th February 1916 to the newly formed 51st Battalion and deployed to the Western Front in June 1916. Joe was appointed ‘Driver’ of Battalion supply wagons. This was often dangerous as they had to endure frequent German shellfire on roads leading to the front. He survived the bloody battle of Pozieres but was again hospitalised in September 1917 with an ‘aonic hernia’ and again in October with an injury or wound to his right thigh. He was sent to Hurdcott and Weymouth Hospitals in England.
Perhaps not coincidently he re-joined the 51st from hospital on 4th April 1918 in the midst of desperate fighting around Dernancourt, France to stem the massive German spring offensive. This included participation in the attack on Villers-Bretonneux later in the month. In September the Battalion joined the successful final Allied offensive, participating in the attacks on the Hindenburg outpost line. Joe survived until the Armistice in November but was again hospitalised at Hurdcott, being described as ‘febrile’. He was eventually repatriated to Australia, arriving back 18th April 1919, nearly four and a half years after enlistment.

Department: 

Collection

History Collection

Collection Item Data