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Australia

Recommended for VC

Major William Wallace Stewart Johnston MC, of with 3rd Australian Field Ambulance was attached to the 12th Battalion when he was recommended for the Victoria Cross.
'For conspicuous gallantry under intense artillery fire and self - sacrificing devotion to duty. On 20th September 1917 on operations east of Hooge, the enemy shelled the area where the Brigade was assembled ready for the attack and many casualties resulted. The aid post in an open trench soon got congested and Stretcher Bearers became casualties. Major Johnston went out in the open with an absolute disregard of personal safety and commenced attending to the wounded where they lay. Although the barrage intensified after our attack commenced he continued to work for several hours until severely wounded about 10 am. On seven out of the eight occasions that this battalion has been in the line during the period he has been attached as RMO he has gone in with the Unit and always proved himself absolutely fearless and his devotion to duty has been most conspicuous.'[i]

Although the above recommendation was passed by the Brigade and Divisional commanders, with the flick of a pen at the next level it was downgraded to the award of a DSO.

[i] Australian War Memorial – Website – Honours and awards - https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1622254/ - retrieved 5 May 2017

William Wallace Stewart Johnston was born on 21st December 1887 at South Yarra Victoria.  He was the youngest of 2 sons born to William and Clara Johnston.  His father was a barrister who later became a county Judge.  His older brother, Donald Stewart, died in 1895 of appendicitis aged 10.          

William, known as Bill, was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School where he was a member of the school Cadet Corps.  In 1906 he commenced his medical studies at the University of Melbourne where he resided at Trinity College.  Whilst at the University he was an active and of the University Rifles and attained the rank of Sergeant.  After 2 years he left his medical studies and spent time on a property in western Victoria then in 1910 he travelled with his father to the United Kingdom.  Upon returning to Australia he recommenced his medical studies and graduated MB BS in 1914.  He was a Resident Medical Officer at Melbourne Hospital when World War 1 broke out.

In August 1915 aged 27 and 6ft 1in tall, Bill enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and was granted a Commission with the rank of Captain with the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC).  He was assigned to the No. 1 Hospital ship Karoola as Medical Officer.  The Karoola had sailed for England via Egypt to be fitted out as a hospital ship in June 1915 so Bill embarked from Melbourne for Egypt on HMAT Orsova on the 17th July.  He arrived at Suez on 11th August.  The Karoola arrived at Suez from England in late October 1915 where Bill embarked on her on 4th November and disembarked in Melbourne on 4th December.  He re-embarked on the Karoola from Melbourne on 18th December arriving back at Suez on 20th January 1916. 

On 2nd February 1916 Bill was transferred from HMHS Karoola to the 3rd Field Ambulance (3rd FA) at Tel-el-Kebir Camp.  It was here that he met and served with my grandfather, Cyril Morsley, who was a stretcher bearer with the 3rd FA and recorded in his diaries that he worked alongside Bill regularly.  The Unit embarked from Alexandria on 27th March on HMT Kingstonian and arrived at Marseilles France on 3rd April.  They entrained from there to Godewaerselde then marched to a farmhouse in Pradelles where they were billeted and could hear the booming of the artillery just 6 miles away at the firing line. 

From May to July 1916 Bill was attached for temporary duty to the 1st Infantry Brigade Headquarters as Gas Officer.  He re-joined the 3rd FA briefly before being detached for duty to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) at Puchevillers in late July.  On 9th August he was attached for temporary duty to as Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) to the 12th Australian Infantry Battalion.  By mid-August the Unit was positioned at Mouquet Farm near Pozieres and it was during the costly battle for this farm that Bill’s actions saw him awarded the Military Cross: “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during operations near Mouquet Farm from 19th to 22nd August 1916. When his battalion was relieved on the night of 22nd/23rd he stayed behind to attend to a number of men wounded during the relief and hearing that Lieutenant Butler 12th Battalion had had his foot blown off went to the front trenches, a distance of 1,100 yards, under an intense enemy barrage and dressed his wound,  together with those of several other men in the front trenches, also several others while returning under fire.” 

In early January 1917 Bill was admitted to the 25th Stationary Hospital at Rouen with the mumps.  After recuperating he was attached for temporary duty to the 1st Australian General Hospital (AGH) at Rouen for a month then re-joined the 12th Battalion.  Bill was promoted to Major in August and in early September was recommended for an award with the following: “For conspicuous devotion to duty as RMO 12th Battalion to which unit he has now been attached for over 12 months. He has always proved untiring in his efforts to promote the comfort and welfare of the men of the Battalion.”  He was mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig’s despatch on 7th November 1917. 

During September 1917 at Hooge near Ypres in Belgium, the Battalion fought in the Battle of Menin Road.  Bill’s actions were such that he was recommended for the Victoria Cross but was awarded the Distinguished Service Order…“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. While the enemy was shelling very heavily the position where assaulting troops were assembled, he went out into the open with an absolute disregard of personal danger and attended to the wounded where they lay. After the attack was launched he continued to work for several hours under a very heavy enemy barrage until severely wounded. On many previous occasions his fearlessness and devotion to duty while acting as a Regimental Medical Officer have been most conspicuous.” 

Bill was severely wounded in this battle with wounds to his neck, head, face, hands and arms.  He was admitted to the 6th Field Ambulance then subsequently transferred to the 10th CCS then evacuated to England on the hospital ship Warilda where he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital.  A month later he was transferred to the 5th Australian Auxiliary Hospital (AAH) at Welwyn then 2 weeks later to the 6th AAH at Moreton Gardens.  In early January he was discharged from hospital and attached for duty briefly to the 1st AAH at Harefield.  He was then attached to the 2nd AGH at Wimereux and proceeded to France in early February 1917.  At the end of February Bill was once again attached to the 12th Battalion as RMO.  The men of the 12th Battalion held him in high regard and he was recognised in the Official History of WW1 as the probably being the best Regimental Officer in the AIF.  In August he took leave then reported for duty to 1AAH at Harefield in England.  While there he received the news that his father died suddenly on the 11th August.  Bill embarked for Australia on the 28th September 1919 on HMT Osterley and his appointment terminated on 27th January 1920.   They welcomed their first son Stewart in 1925 and then Donald in 1928.  

Upon returning home Bill completed his MD degree at Melbourne University in 1921 then on the 3rd December 1923 he married his maternal cousin, Jessie Mary Clark at Scots Church Melbourne.  From 1923-1928 he was Honorary Physician at Melbourne Hospital then from 1928-1935 he was Senior Honorary Physician.  He was also Divisional Surgeon for St John’s Ambulance Brigade in 1925. 

Bill continued to serve with the AAMC as Commanding Officer of 2nd Australian Field Ambulance from 1928-1934 and in 1929 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.  From 1934-1939 he was Assistant Director of Medical Services (ADMS) at Army Headquarters.  On the 1st January 1937 Bill was made Officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.  The following year he was awarded the Efficiency Decoration for long and meritorious service and was presented with this medal at Parliament House on 30th May 1938 by the Acting Governor General Lord Huntingfield.  He was a foundation member of the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 1938 and Assistant Director-General of Medical Services for 1938-1939. 

Bill was promoted to Colonel in October 1939 then on 21st November he enlisted for WW2 aged 51.  His service number was VX229 and he was assigned to command the 2/2 Australian General Hospital.  He proceeded to Puckapunyal Camp and then to the Showgrounds Camp prior to embarking for Egypt on the 15th April 1940 on HMT Strathaird.  He disembarked at Kantara on 17th May and the following January was appointed Deputy Director of Medical Services (DDMS) responsible for medical arrangements for AIF troops in Palestine.  In late March 1941 he embarked for Greece where he co-ordinated the medical services for 2 months then proceeded, via Crete, to take charge of medical arrangements in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign in June and July.  In August 1941 he was promoted to temporary Brigadier and made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)…“For continuous and energetic supervision of medical services in the Grecian Campaign.”  He was DDMS for the 1st Australian Corps Middle East for 1941-1942 then in early February 1942 embarked from Suez for Australia on HMS Salween.  He disembarked at SA then proceeded to the Australian Corps HQ in Melbourne in March 1942.

In April 1942 as DDMS of 1st Australian Corps he transferred to Queensland where he embarked from Brisbane in August on the SS John Hart for Port Moresby as part of the New Guinea Force.  There he was responsible for fighting against malaria, organising the evacuation of the sick and wounded from the Kokoda Track and in supplying medicines to the front.  In December he was appointed DDMS for the 2nd Australian Corps and served in North Queensland.  He relinquished that appointment in May 1943 and in early July was classed as medically unfit for field service.  On 20th July 1943 he was discharged and transferred to the Reserve of Officers List with the rank of Honorary Brigadier.  He then took up the appointment as Honorary Physician to the Governor General of Australia as well as resuming his practice and his Honorary post at the Melbourne Hospital.  In December that year he was mentioned in despatches…“For having rendered gallant and distinguished services in the south west Pacific area.”

Bill’s wife Jessie was accredited by the AMF in September 1942 and served full-time as YMCA Commissioner of War Services.

Bill was Medical Director of the Australian Red Cross Society from 1943-1944 and in July 1944 he was made Commander of the Order of St John of Jerusalem then in mid-September he was presented with his CBE at Government House in Melbourne by the Acting Governor General.

In 1945 Bill was President of the Melbourne Club and from 1945-1952 he was a member of the National Council of Australian Red Cross Society.  On the 9th January 1948 he was made Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.  From 1949-1952 Bill was a member of council of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and from 1958-1960 Vice-President.  In 1950 he became a member of the University of Melbourne Graduate Union and in 1958 was President.  The library at Graduate House was named after him when it was opened in 1971.  From 1951-1957 he was Commissioner of Victoria for St John Ambulance Brigade.  Bill was Chief Commissioner to the Priory in Australia in 1957 and from 1956 until his death was the Chairman of Melbourne Medical Postgraduate Committee. 

On the 5th August 1960, Queen Elizabeth II conferred the honour of Knighthood upon Bill making him Knight Bachelor in recognition of his work for Post-Graduate education in medicine.  The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry.  Recipients are entitled to use “Sir” before their name and use the post-nominal letters “Kt”.  The Governor General bestowed this knighthood on Bill at Government House on the 6th July 1960. 

From 1961-1962 he was a member of council for the Melbourne University.  On the 13th August 1962, the University conferred on Bill the degree of Honorary LLD, Doctor of Laws.  Honorary degrees are awarded by Universities to recognise outstanding achievement in a particular field or service to the broader community and the LLD is the highest qualification available.  Just 18 days later on the 21st August after a very full and notable life, Bill died in East Melbourne.  He was cremated and a memorial plaque in his honour is found on his parents gravestone at St Kilda Cemetery VIC.   He was survived by his wife Jessie and their 2 sons.  Stewart became a medical practitioner and St John Divisional Surgeon and Donald became an Anglican missionary at the Martyrs School in Papua-New Guinea. 

Bill is commemorated on the Lindisfarne Officers of the 12th Battalion Pictorial Honour Roll in the RSL Club in Burnie Tasmania. 

William Wallace Stewart Johnston was awarded for service in WW1 Commander of the Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Mention in Destch, 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and for service in WW2, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Mention in Desptach, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945, Service Medal and the Greek War Medal 1940-1941.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 21st July 2022.

Sources

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/johnston-sir-william-wallace-stewart-10634

https://stjohn.org.au/assets/uploads/history%20journal/History_vol_08.pdf

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