Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of R.A. Britsow of 6 Charnock Road, Clapton, London, England

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Employed as a commercial artist with W.H. Smith & Son' Artist Studio in London prior to emigrating to Australia.

The case of John Trotman Bristow is an example of the true pioneering spirit shown by so many of Britain's sons and for which she is renowned , and which has made her Empire.

One of a large family of sons who between them have travelled in most parts of the world, John at the age of 22 decided that he couldn't remain in England but must go to Australia and lead a vigorous open-air life.  Up to this time he had been following his profession as an Artist (Commercial art)., but at times  the tediousness of his work in a glass studio which was extremely hot in summer and yet like a refrigerator in winter time, was more that one of his active disposition could endure.  He was a fine footballer, boxer and oarsman.  He left England in July 1912.  Arriving at Sydney he accepted work immediately in a Blue stone quarry where he worked for six months.  Several lads who landed with him started work at this quarry also, but had had enough at the end of a week.  John got taken on by the Foreman on naively telling him in reply to an enquiry as to what he did in London - that he pushed a truck at London.  Dates -  showing a bravery arm in substantiation of his statement.  "All right, push that truck of stone over there" was the reply.  During the following twelve months John gained valuable experience in Market gardening, fruit farming, sheep dipping and bush clearing.  After about 18 months he started a small market garden with another Englishman whom he had met when learning his work.  The two men put in six months relentless toil, as a dry weather advanced and saw them watering their beans bare footed and by dashing with their friends, the water out of two pails dispersed by a bar from their shoulders.  Thirteen hours a day soon passed.  The drought increased and the day after their last five pounds was spent in getting a little more water supply laid on from the creek the terrific floods came and washed the whole district away.  Whereas after another fortnight there would have been 250 pounds produce to send to the market. As they viewed the wreck in the morning after the flood there wasn't a soverign's worth left!  They were now penniless.  Australia teachers her men to swim in anything and John next became Head gardener on a ranch, with small piece of land for his own use as a market gardener.  In this way he hoped presently to try his luck a second time.  The outbreak of war, an immediate response to the call for volunteers, and a troopship, and John was in Cairo by October 1914.  There he met two of his brothers who had left England in the 1/1st Herts. Yeomonary immediatley on the outbreak of war.  After several months of training in the desert at high pressure, the Australian troops left for Gallipoli.

April 1915 - The world knows what marvellous things Australia's sons did at that first landing on Gallipoli.  John lived three days, through this fighting: a truly a long time then and the morning of the third day in a new attack he became wounded by shrapnel in the chest.  When found by friend at midday, at midday all John could do was to whisper 'I'm done for'.  Too badly wounded to attend to himself much, his water long since drunk, he had lain racked with thirst, his blood slowly draining from his body, but with obstinate tenacity fighting for his life.  Williams, the friend who found him, attended to his wounds as best he could and gave his his water bottle, promising to return as soon as he could find helpers to carry him down to the beach.  This he managed to do so at 5pm with the aid of three others and a waterproof sheet.  By this time John couldn't even speak but was still conscious; he was carried to the Hospital ship and surrounded by his wounded companions by whom he tried to send a meassage to his brothers but was too weak to do so, he expired.  Williams related this to a brother in Cairo who went to Gallipoli at a later date.  (Doctors had far too much to do at this time and that some men should suffer through lack of immediate attentions was inevitable.

So the British Empire has given greatly of her best.