MCALLISTER, David Henry John
| Service Number: | 25476 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 November 1915, Place of Enlistment, Cairns, Queensland. |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Irvinebank, Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 4 July 1895 |
| Home Town: | Irvinebank, Tablelands, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Irvinebank State School, Irvinebank, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 8 October 1918, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cairns Cenotaph, Herberton Methodist Circuit and Mission Area, Herberton Uniting Church, Irvinebank Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 25476, 21st Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade, Place of Enlistment, Cairns, Queensland. | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Jul 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 25476, 21st Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Jul 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 25476, 21st Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade, HMAT Orsova, Sydney | |
| 1 Feb 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Gunner, 1st Division Artillery | |
| 20 Aug 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Gunner, 25476, 1st Division Artillery, Gassed, Belgium | |
| 10 Nov 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Gunner, 25476, 1st Division Artillery, Gassed, Belgium | |
| 22 Sep 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Gunner, 25476, 1st Division Artillery, Shell Wound thigh | |
| 8 Oct 1918: | Involvement Gunner, 25476, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 25476 awm_unit: 2 Field Artillery Brigade awm_rank: Gunner awm_died_date: 1918-10-08 |
David Henry John McAllister
David Henry John McAllister was born 4 July 1895 at Irvinebank, the eldest of seven children to John McAlister and Emily Blundell. David Henry John born 1895, Adeline Janet 1897, Bessie Adeline 1898, Janett Doreen 1901, Robert Gordon 1903, Donald Merton 1905 and William Bruce 1907.
Prior to his service in the 2nd Australian Field Artillery Brigade, David served in the Far North Queensland Kennedy Regiment, known as the Dirty 500. Members of the Dirty 500, including David, landed on Thursday Island on 16 August 1914 from the troopship “Kanowna”, to take part in the capture of German New Guinea. An incident on board the “Kanowna” involving the firemen forced the immediate return of the troops to Townsville on 18 August 1914; he was discharged the same day.
On his enlistment in the Australian Infantry Force at Cairns on 11 November 1915, his occupation was a Miner and he was aged 20 years and 4 months. He was 5 feet 7 inches, weighed 152 pounds with a fair complexion, grey eyes and fair hair. He was Methodist and named his father, John McAlister, Irvinebank, Ql , as his next of kin.
David embarked on HMAT Orsova on 29 July 1916 from Sydney and arrived at Plymouth, England 14 September 1916.and landed at Etaples, France on 17 January 1917. He was gassed twice in Belgium. The second time he was transferred to the Connaught Hospital in England for treatment on 19 December 1917.
He returned to duty in France on 13 February 1918. He was wounded in action for the third time on 22 September 1918 and admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station severely wounded in both legs. He died of his wounds on 8 October and is buried at St Sever Cemetery Extension, Haute-Normandie, France. Courtesy of The Cairns District Family History Society.
Submitted 1 April 2021 by Lynette Turner
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