BALLANTINE, John Adrien
| Service Number: | 3692 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 25 March 1894 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor mechanic |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Mouquet Farm, France, 4 September 1916, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3692, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3692, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Itonus embarkation_ship_number: A50 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3692, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Itonus, Brisbane |
Ballantine J A
My mother was 10 years old when her two uncles went to war. John and his brother Thomas Chambers Ballantine were both like those before them young in their 20s' and willing to fight for their country.
When overseas they sent to my mother a fez hat and she cherished that and in later years gave it to me. The boys were life had already suffered as their mother had died in childbirth, leaving 3 boys, the older brother William was my Grandfather. Unfortunately I never met him as he died young.
Both boys were killed in the war but their lives are remembered by the living decendants of which there are manner. Thanks to William my Grandfather who fathered 8 children.
We as a family keep the two boys in our hearts and will try to have future generations remember them and their efforts in fighting for all Australians.
Submitted 17 July 2017 by Dorothy Ann Wood
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
John Ballantine was born in Brisbane during 1894 but his mother died in 1895. His father died in Brisbane during 1907 when he was still only 13 years of age. He appears to have been brought up by his aunt (Dad’s sister), Elizabeth Phillips, who was living in Brisbane and was named by Thomas as next of kin and beneficiary of his will.
His older brother, 3314 Pte. Thomas Chambers Ballantine 13th Battalion had also been killed in action at Mouquet Farm about three weeks earlier, 11 August 1916, aged 26. The brother Thomas was raised by another aunt who lived in Drummoyne NSW.
The brothers’ medals were eventually claimed by a surviving brother, William David Ballantine of Casino NSW.
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