CARRUTHERS, John
| Service Number: | 93 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 6th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 93, 6th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 93, 6th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Suevic, Sydney |
Cousins Meeting
My Grandfather Percy George Edward Carruthers and Private John Carruthers of the 6th Light Horse were cousins. My Grandfather's diary for 1915 shows that when he heard in Glasgow that he had been posted to the Dardanelles with RAMC, 1/3rd Lowland Field Ambulance attached to 52nd Lowland Division, he tracked John (known as Jack to the family) down in Egypt and there is an address for Jack listed in his notes for 28 August 1915. His writing is tight and difficult to read at times but the Regiment and Service Number are correct although Jack is noted in the diary as being "Trooper J Carruthers" rather than Private.
Percy initially deployed to Gallipoli and was evacuated with some of the last Commonwealth personnel on 8 January 1916 (from his own diary again). The two cousins kept in touch throughout early 1916 and finally on 13 May 1916 Percy wrote in his diary that Jack rode in to see him and the two met a couple of times during mid May and that he enjoyed tea with "both Australian Light Horse camps".
His diary does not elaborate further and there are no other entries for 1916 which mention Jack but it seems good to know that the bonds of family were still something which provided a comfort and a highlight in the deserts of Sinai a century ago.
John (Tony) Carruthers - Edinburgh, Scotland. Apr 2017
Submitted 21 April 2017 by John Carruthers