Life story retold by Paul Beecroft
John (Jack) CASSIDY was born in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. He is thought to have been born in 1892 but this is not confirmed. Nothing is known about his early life, but, as will be seen, he was someone who would get into a lot of trouble and did not accept authority very well.
In 1908, whilst in his teens he was caught playing ‘Pitch and Toss,’ a gambling game and was fined 5 shillings or jail for 24 hours. Further convictions followed. Some for Larceny (Theft) and Housebreaking. He received prison sentences, the longest of which was 12 months in 1911. His last conviction resulted in 14 days imprisonment (Larceny) and he was released on February 3rd 1915.
On August 4th 1915 he applied to join the Australian Army. His Attestation Papers are slightly confusing as there was more than one. He gave his age as being 27 years and 3 months. If this was correct, then his year of birth would have been 1888. On one of his Attestation Papers he states that he has no next of kin but on the other paper Frank Cassidy is recorded as his brother. It was also recorded that he had been previously rejected from enlisting on account of his teeth.
The army did not readily accept Cassidy and it appears that they contacted an employer of his, who then confirmed that he had been in his employ for 11 months and that he was a reliable man, a good man on his farm and was also honest during the time that he was working for him. As a result, John was accepted and took the required oath on August 16th 1915. He was given the rank of Private, and his regimental number was 3277. He was attached to the 26th Battalion, 7th Reinforcements.
On August 4th, although checks were being made, he was initially sent to the Depot Battalion at Claremont in Tasmania until October 20th when he was transferred to Broadmeadows Camp in Victoria.
On November 30th he was admitted to hospital with a sore throat which resulted in him being moved to an Isolation Camp on December 1st where he remained until his discharge on January 26th 1916. On February 8th he was transferred to the 24th Battalion, 9th Reinforcements and embarked on the troopship HMAT Warilda and sailed to Freemantle. On February 16th the Warilda left Freemantle, but Cassidy had failed to re-embark along with five others. He was reported as a deserter. Some 12 days later, along with two of the other missing soldiers, he was apprehended. It does not appear that any punishment was awarded for being absent without leave.
Cassidy was then transferred to the 16th Battalion, 15th Reinforcements. His regimental number was altered to 4962. His regimental number is also interesting insomuch that there are four numbers written on his Attestation papers all of which are crossed out except for 4962. On April 1st he embarked on HMAT Ulysses and arrived at 4th Training Battalion on April 26th in Alexandria.
In May 1916, for reasons not known he was again transferred, and he joined the 48th Battalion. In July, Cassidy arrived in France and joined up with the 48th on July 18th. Within 10 days he was in trouble for being drunk in the field and was fined 10 shillings.
On August 8th 1916, Cassidy was reported missing in action and possibly killed. The Red Cross would look into missing soldiers and a number of reports were obtained by them:-
Private J. P. Davis, 4792, No. 11 Stationary Hospital, Rouen (2/12/16) – “says he knew Cassidy and saw him after August, either in Sept. or October in Ypres district near Poperinghe, He himself went to Reninghelst in order to see the dentist of the 4th F. Ambulance, and there met Cassidy who said he was then attending the doctor of the 47th Batt. Informant described Cassidy as short, dark, cleanshaven. He did not know any more particulars.”
L/Cpl. Payne, 4265, 46th Batt, Dartford (14/1/17) – “I knew Cassidy. He was killed by shell at Pozieres and was buried on top of the parapet – his grave had a cross on which was “Buried by his Comrades” and also his name, number etc. I saw his grave.”
T. Dwyer, 4974, 48th Batt (12/3/17) – “Pte Barnie Davis 4792 of A Co. who told me in Oct. Last in Belgium that he had recently seen Cassidy at Dichebouche with the 47th and that Cassidy then seemed to be suffering in the head from nerve shock or something of the kind.”
Cassidy was not however killed in action as he was found and arrested on May 17th 1917. He then appeared before a Court Martial on May 27th. He was found guilty of desertion on active service and sentenced to 15 years penal servitude and forfeited 294 days pay. He was then sent to No. 1 Military Prison in Rouen, France. On July 14th 1917, his sentence was commuted to 2 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On June 17th 1918, the remainder of his sentence was suspended, and he was released from prison and was to return to the 48th Battalion. However, he failed to return and was again reported as being absent without leave. He was arrested one month later on July 17th and returned to his Battalion.
On September 1st he was again reported missing and was arrested in Le Havre, France on October 14th. On November 2nd he was, once again returned to the 48th Battalion.
On December 5th a Field General Court Martial was held regarding Cassidy being absent without leave from June 25th to July 17th and September 1st to October 12th 1918. He was found guilty and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with hard labour.
Cassidy’s service record then becomes slightly confusing as the next entry dated December 30th states: Unexpired portion of prev. sentence to put into execution and to run concurrently. Court of Enquiry held 7.2.19 declared that No. 4962 Pte Cassidy illegally absented himself from the 48th Bn. 2.1.19 and that he is still so absent. It appears that he was again absent without leave from 2.1.19 until 26.2.19. Another Field General Court Martial took place on March 19th and he was sentenced to 12 months Imprisonment with Hard Labour and was to run concurrent with the sentence from 1918. Cassidy was then taken to No. 10 Military Prison in Dunkirk.
In June 1919, the Military Prison revised Cassidy’s sentences:-
1st sentence – 2 years Imprisonment with hard labour awarded 27th May 1917
2nd sentence – 2 years Imprisonment with hard labour awarded 5th December 1918
3rd sentence – 12 months Imprisonment with hard labour awarded 19th March 1919
The first sentence – suspended and released 17th June 1918. Unexpired portion of 1st sentence put into execution and to run concurrently with 2nd and 3rd, dated 8th May 1919.
Cassidy remained in prison in Dunkirk until July 1919 and was then transferred to England, under escort and was taken to the Military Prison in Oxford. Cassidy remained in prison there until October 1st when his sentence was suspended. His intention was to return to Australia, and he was booked to leave on the steamship Friedrichsruh but became ill and was admitted to Reading War Hospital, Oxford Road on October 7th with Tuberculosis. By the middle of February 1920 Cassidy was seriously ill, the Tuberculosis was incurable, and he died on April 2nd.
Cassidy was buried on April 7th in Reading Old Cemetery. He was given a Military Funeral. The coffin was draped with the Australian flag and pall bearers were a detachment of the Royal Berkshire Regiment.
Cassidy’s age is still not really known. A comment on his service record states “Age at death 31 years 10 months. His death was registered in Reading and his age was given as being 32. He is commemorated on the Screen Wall Memorial in Old Reading Cemetery and there his age is shown as 27. He is further commemorated on the Wall of Remembrance in St. Helens, Tasmania. His age on this wall is shown as 26.
Cassidy was obviously not what would be considered as a model soldier. Although he was absent without leave a number of times there is little doubt that he did see action. The 48th took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in both Belgium and France. What caused him to go absent so many times will never be known but in the end it cost him his life.
Division 72, War plot, screen wall