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John was born in Devon, England into the large family of Samuel Berry and Anna Frances Hyne. In 1882 his father set sail for Australia to take up some farming land at Ulooloo just north of Burra with his eldest son, while the rest of the family followed them out a year later. Samuel learnt the craft of farming as he moved around to Clare, Hahndorf and Macclesfield.

It was from Macclesfield in January 1901 that a young colt breaker well known around the town as Jack, enlisted for the 5th South Australian Imperial Bushmen’s Contingent (SAIB) to go to South Africa. He fiddled his age by a few years to appear younger, and with his recognized horse and bush skills he soon found himself promoted from Trooper to Lance Corporal.

The SAIB arrived in Port Elizabeth on 23rd March 1901 and headed for Kroonstad in the Orange Free State where they were joined by the 6th SAIB. Soon the South Australians were involved in fierce fighting with attacks against Boer convoys in which they distinguished themselves as a fine fighting force. In one of these first engagements Jacks horse was shot from under him at Kafel Kop.

In a letter to his father John recalls “KROONSTAD 19 AUG 1901, We have been in one of the hardest fights ever fought in South Africa, I don’t want to see another fight like it, the sight was terrible to see, dead men and horses everywhere. It was the 4th of June that we were making our way towards Kroonstad to the Wilge River when about three o’clock in the afternoon we saw a lot of wagons making south. Our squadron was sent after them, and a 12-pounder was shelling them from behind. The Boers retired from the wagons and fired on us from each side, but they did very little damage; we were cut off from the main body though, and had to wait till it was dark before we could get back. (They had just crossed the river, how they got across I don’t know for our horses could only cross at one place). We galloped five miles without stopping, and I was the first man across the river. We only captured ten wagons but could see a lot more a long way off. We had no big gun with us so we had to go back, reaching camp at 9 o’clock. Colonel De Lisle said he would have the rest of the convoy before another 24 hours had passed. We were sent after them at three o’clock next morning, 120 South Australians of the Fifth Contingent and 100 of  De Lisle Mounted Infantry, sighting the Boers about daylight; they thought we were friends until it was too late. There were only about fifty with the convoy, with Kaffirs driving the wagons. The Boers got under the vehicles and fired at us as we galloped up on each side of them. We lost eight horses in the charge, and one man fell and broke his neck the Boers shooting him after. As soon as they saw they could not get away they put up their hands, while we took their arms away. Our Captain, thinking it was not safe, as so we were so few and had no big gun, said we had better move back towards the main body, and after getting some old mud yards we halted, just as we did so seeing troops coming towards us; they were waving their hats and we thought they were our men coming to our relief, but when we saw they were Boers you could have knocked us down with a feather”.

“They were all around us and we got under cover just as a shower of bullets came from all sides. Our horses had no cover and in about an hour 100 of the lay dead and dying everywhere. We got behind the sod wall and dug holes through with our bayonets to fire through, though we could not show our heads above the wall.  The enemy knew if they wanted to do anything would have to be quick before our main body arrived, so they charged us from all sides. Volley after volley we gave them, knocking them from their horses, though they still came on, getting behind our wagons, some of their rifle barrels being only ten yards away, while our men were falling around us. The Boers wanted us to surrender but the officers told them we would ‘never surrender’. We had no chance of getting away, half our horses being shot, so to take fine care they did not get away with their wagons an officer went along and shot a bullock in each wagon; but as soon as they saw him they shot the poor fellow dead. We drove them back from the yards time after time, coming very near to our bayonets. Our ammunition was very near done when all of a sudden the Boers started off over the hills, and looking round we saw our advance guard coming with pom pom gun (being a quickfirer, fires a shell 3,000 yards, and at a rate of 100 a minute), and when they started to use the gun the Boers could not get away quick enough”.

The action was not to end there however for John and his mates as by the start of August they were in the thick of it again. This time their patrol approached a farm house at Grootvallier near the Vaal river. This farm was known to be used as a Boer Commando camp and was believed to have about 300 Boer soldiers resting there, including a Boer General. The British column containing 200 South Australians waited until dark and stealthily approached the enemy position. As they neared the camp they increased to a gallop to charge, when they unexpectedly came across wire fences halting them in their tracks. Now committed, they were forced to dismount and attack on foot in a close quarter bayonet charge, and what followed was a bloody and deadly affair. Many of the Boers were able to escape including the General but the South Australians had won the fight and captured the farm, many prisoners and their stores. This action was later described by Colonel De Lisle who stated “the very dashing night attack at Grootvallier was worthy of the best traditions of the Australian troops in the war.”

For his efforts in these and many other battles John Berry stood out, and was recognized by being mentioned in Lord Kitcheners despatches and awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, of which only 60 were awarded to Australian units.

The 5th SAIB sailed back to Australia in April 1902 and John returned Macclesfield and married local girl Florence Mary Smith in 1904. John was by then working as a Warder at Yatala Labour Prison and later at Adelaide Gaol, where the couple lived in a Warders cottage. On 22 August 1903 John was presented with his DCM by the Governor, Sir George Le Hunt, at a grand ceremony on Montefiore Hill. In the years to come war would again raise its head and John like so many others joined the queue to enlist for active service. In 1914 he was however, already 45 years old, and try as he might he was rejected eight times.

After years in the city it was time to return to country life and John and Florence bought 200 acres at Macclesfield and apart from farming this land did numerous jobs in the area. One of these jobs was shearing and John and his eldest son Walter would travel around to various sheds and stations where Walter would be a wool roller and his father became a ‘gun’ shearer. In the late 1920’s the family loaded up their possessions on horse drawn wagons and moved north to try farming at places like Gulnare, Yaninee, Warramboo and Spalding before coming south again and settling in Mount Compass. Florence passed away in 1950 while living at Mount Compass and Jack was to live another eleven years and died at Woodville in 1961 aged 89. It was Jack and Flo’s wish to be buried where she was born and they are laid at rest together in the Macclesfield Cemetery.

Chronicle Thu 29 Aug 1935 (Trove)

Macclesfield Men

Before he left for his farm at Warramboo, on Eyre Peninsula, the other day, Jack Berry came in to tell me that he had been staying at Macclesfield with his father-in-law, Mr. E.H. Smith, who was born there 82 years ago, and has never been further away than Adelaide and Murray Bridge. Mr. Smith's eyesight is failing, and his daughter (Mrs. Berry) is looking after him. He was a district council clerk for many years. Old Mr. Smith says that when the first telegraph wire went through Macclesfield, some of the people used to watch the wire, thinking they might see the words going by. Then somebody told them that the wires were hollow, and the sound travelled inside; and they went home!

Jack Berry was the first South Australian to win the D.C.M. in the Boer wax. He was the only man to enlist from Macclesfield. When he returned the local band played, 'See the conquering hero comes'; and Jack wondered what it was all about.

He told me that he met the other day Mr. Gooch, the grand old man of Macclesfield, and former village black smith and musician. Mr. Gooch, who is 84, was digging potatoes in his garden when Jack met him. He was born in Suffolk, and has lived in Macclesfield district since he was three. 'I asked him if he still had a drink, and he replied, 'Does a duck swim?' '

Jack Berry said, 'We adjourned to the place we used to frequent 35 years ago, when Mr. Gooch played the violin at the local dances, and got very thirsty.' Jack thinks that his brother-in-law, Hartley Smith, is one of the best fox decoyers he has seen. He hid in a tree with a gun, mimicked a fox, and bagged three in three nights while Jack was there. He is very resourceful. In the absence of a drill, he plate for a plough by firing a .303 rifle bullet through it.