was indicated as John Nicholls at the Old Bailey on Wednesday 21 April 1784 for feloniously stealing a large quantity of goods from a hair merchant and perfumer in London, where he worked as a servant and porter’s assistant.  Sentenced to seven years transportation he spent time on the Censor Hulk before embarkation on the Scarborough.  Following his arrival in Port Jackson, John who was recorded as a Gardner, became a very successful landholder of various properties by grant and purchase up until the time of his death in 1822.  As a farmer John owned livestock, and cultivated his land with wheat and maize.  John’s first marriage in 1788 was to Mary Carroll, although they only had 6 months together.  Following her death, he married Ann Pugh (Earl Cornwallis 1801) on the 25 August 1803; the Reverend John Marsden officiated.   John and Ann Nicols had twelve children from 1802 until 1823.  Ann was left to care for 11 of the children after John died in 1822.

Honouring his WW1 descendants

3299 William Henry Bond
Driver 6^th Field Company Engineers
Born 1890 Dimboola Victoria to James and Esther (Johns) Bond
Occupation Fruiterer
Enlisted 4 August 1915 Dimboola Victoria aged 25
Next of kin Father James Bond, Wimmera Street Dimboola Victoria
Embarked 24 November 1915 Sydney New South Wales aboard HMAT Ceramic A40
Returned to Australia 5 April 1919

 

1656 John Arthur Byrnes
Private 1st Machine Gun Battalion (transferred from 57^th and 22^nd Battalions)
Born 1886 Dimboola Victoria to John and Emma (Johns) Bryne
Occupation Groom
Enlisted 7 May 1915 Warracknabeal Victoria aged 29
Next of kin Father Mr John Brynes Dimboola Victoria
Embarked 16 July 1915 Melbourne Victoria aboard HMAT Demosthenes A64
Service in France
Returned to Australia on HT Kildonian Castle
Disembarked 7 May 1919
Discharged 29 June 1919

 

2419 Thomas George Dellar
Private F Company 4^th-39^th Infantry Battalion – 1 to 6 Reinforcements (May-December 1916)
Born 1885 Dimboola Victoria to William and Phillippa (Johns) Dellar
Occupation Farmer
Enlisted 11 August 1916 Melbourne Victoria aged 31
Next of kin Mother Mrs Phillipa Dellar, Willenabrina North via Warracknabeal Victoria
Embarked 20 October 1916 Melbourne Victoria aboard HMAT Port Lincoln A17
transferred at Sierra Leone to HMAT Borda for Plymouth England
Service in France
Wounded in Action
Returned to Australia 12 June 1919 per HT Karogala
Discharged 20 July 1919

 

6281 Benjamin Francis Albert Holland
Private 6^th Battalion
Born 1891 Warracknabeal Victoria to Benjamin and Sarah (Johns) Holland
Occupation Farmer
Enlisted 6 June 1916 Ballarat Victoria, aged 25
Next of kin Father Benjamin Holland, Willenabrina Nth, via Warracknabeal Victoria
Embarked 11 September 1916 Melbourne Victoria aboard HMAT Euripides A14
Service in France
Shell Gassed – Returned to England
Died 11 April 1919 of an injury to his back and head caused through falling from a wall at the Monte Video Camp Hospital Weymouth England
Buried 14 April 1919 Regis Cemetery Weymouth, Grave No 3054
Deceased was buried with full Military honours the coffin draped with the Australian Flag being borne to the grave-side on a Gun-carriage preceded by a Firing Party from No.5 Group Pall.  Chaplain the Rev J Rooke (Church of England) conducted the burial service, at the close of which the ‘Last Post’ was sounded and volleys fired over the grave.  About 200 N.C.O.’s and men followed the remains and were present at the graveside ceremony.  Headquarters A.I.F. Depots in United Kingdom were represented at the funeral.

 

5700 James Albert Johns (Brother to John Henry Johns)
Private 22^nd Australian Infantry Battalion
Born 1894 Willenabrina Victoria to Henry and Anne McMahon (Dalgleish) Johns
Occupation Farmer
Enlisted 18 April 1916 Melbourne Victoria, aged 27
Next of kin Father Henry Johns Grey Street Rainbow Victoria
Embarked 3 July 1916 Melbourne Victoria aboard HMAT Ayrshire A33
Service France and Belgium
Killed in Action 4 October 1917 Belgium by a shell while out on the jumping off tape at Zonnebeke
Previously reported missing
Name honoured on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium

1161 John Henry Johns MM (Brother to Albert James Johns)
22^nd Australian Infantry Battalion
Private 8 May 1915
Lance Corporal 25 October 1917
Corporal 26 October 1917
Born 1892 Willenabrina Victoria to Henry and Anne McMahon (Dalgleish) Johns
Occupation Farm Labourer
Enlisted 11 January 1915 Hamilton Victoria aged 22
Next of kin Father Henry Johns, Clark Street Hamilton Victoria
Embarked 8 May 1915 Melbourne Victoria aboard HMAT Ulysses A38
Service in France
Awarded the Military Medal 14 January 1918 for conspicuous courage and devotion to duty.  On 4/10/17 during the attack at Broodseinde he acted as a Stretcher Bearer and continued for hours to carry wounded to the rear quite regardless of heavy fire and personal risk.  He then returned to the front line positions and acted as one of the garrison of a post.  The following day he resumed Stretcher Bearing and his courage and coolness under fire and power of endurance proved to have a great influence on all he came into contact with.
  London Gazette 14 January 1918
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 23 May 1918
Returned to Australia 30 April 1919 on HMS Kashmir
Discharged 29 June 1919

The 1914 Star and 1914-15 Stars
Introduced in 1917, the 1914 Star was the first generic service medal.  It was awarded for service in France and Belgium from 5 August to 22 November 1914.  Fewer than 250 Australians, mostly medical personnel, received it.  Like the 1914-1915 Star it was never issued alone, always accompanying the British War Medal and Victory Medal.  The 1914-15 Star was awarded for service in any theatre of war from August 1914 to 31 December 1915.  The vast majority of its 82,000 Aussie recipients received it for services in the Middle East and Gallipoli.

The British War Medal 1914-1918
Initiated in 1919 along with the Victory Medal, this medal depicts St George on horseback trampling the eagle shield of the Central Powers.  It recognised those who were ready for active service from 5 August 1914 to 11 November 1918, whether they saw the battlefield or not, it was later extended to 1920 to include those who participated in naval mine-sweeping or intervened in the Russian Civil War.  In total 6.5 million were issued, with about 400,000 going to Australia.

The Victory Medal
In gilded bronze, this was often referred to as the Allied War Medal.  Thirteen Allied countries used the design, and the rainbow ribbon represented them united in a single cause.  It was awarded to men and women who entered a theatre of war from 5 August 1914 to 11 November 1919.  About 5.7 million were issued with 400,000 going to Australians.

Source: Australian Geographic (The journal of the Australian Geographic Society)
March-April 2015