Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

SERGEANT JOHN STAFFORD CARDWELL 2590 AIF

John Cardwell was born in Lancashire UK in 1883 and he served in the British Army for Seven Years, plus another five as a reservist.  He joined the AIF in Brisbane on the 3rd of June 1915, having travelled from Townsville. John gave his brother Edward, a Blackpool builder as his NOK, but later changed it to his father Nicholas.

He embarked for the Middle East on the 16th of August 1915 on HMAT A55 Kyarra. It was practice with reinforcement groups, that only officers generally held substantive rank, with all the other ranks being private soldiers. To assist the officers a dozen or so mature men would be granted acting rank for the voyage to provide a command-and-control structure in the detachment. John was promoted to Acting Corporal for the voyage, reverting to Private when he joined the 9th Battalion on the island of Mudros in mid-November 1915, the day the battalion was evacuated from Gallipoli.

In March 1916, many of the battalions which had served on Gallipoli were halved to assist in expanding the AIF. The 9th Battalion’s child was the 49th Battalion and in March 1916, John transferred to the 49th.  Despite his previous military experience, it would not be until September 1917 that he was promoted to Lance Corporal and then to Corporal in the November.

The 49th had an illustrious career and whilst John was serving in it, it fought in the Battles of Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, Messines, and the Third Battle of Ypres. Johns’ elevation from Private to Corporal over two days came at the conclusion of the Third Ypres, to replace Corporal Arthur Siddle who was killed in action on the 17th of October. Up until this point John was only granted one period of 21 days leave in the UK, in January 1917, presumably spent with family in Lancashire. He received a second leave over Christmas 1917, and on his return to France he was transferred to the Australian Army Ordinance Corps as an armourer. He was promoted to Armourer Sergeant in May 1918.

John was not a well man, in July 1918 he was hospitalised with Laryngitis, which was found to be caused by Tuberculosis. He was immediately evacuated to England and after treatment he embarked for Australia on HMAT D22 Runic for discharge.

On the passage to South Africa John’s condition deteriorated and on the 26th of October he was landed from the ship to Number Three South African General Hospital in Durban where he passed away late in the evening of the 11th of December. The following day John was laid to rest in the Stellawood Cemetery, Durban South Africa, with Reverend HV Fairburn of the Church of England officiating.