John William Edward Coles
Rank:
Private
Serial No:
Serial No. N20322
Regiment:
46th Battalion, 2nd Battalion & 30th Battalion
Suburb:
Wedderburn
John William Edward Coles - Information
John was the oldest child of John and Mary May Coles, whom had moved to Wedderburn from Forbes where John was born and raised. John was living in Chatswood and working as a motor mechanic, when he joined up at Moore Park on the 23rd of February 1916, aged 25. After enlisting, John was placed with the Depot Company, 46th Battalion at Bathurst until April 1916. He was then transferred to the 19th Reinforcements, 2nd Battalion at Liverpool. He was once again reassigned to the NSW Signal School and placed with the 30th Battalion in Kiama in July.
It seemed that John was struggling during training, and was therefore taken to Milson Island in September. A thorough medical examination uncovered that John had displaced and thickened bones, a weak ankle, and one leg which was an inch shorter than the other. This made him unfit for service. These abnormalities developed as a result of household accidents that occurred years before John enlisted. In 1910 in Forbes, he fractured his leg when he slipped over on the floor, and it failed to heal correctly. Then in 1912, his legs were further damaged when a plough turned over on top of him, trapping his legs. Consequently, John was medically discharged on the 28th of January 1917. John returned to Campbelltown, and resided on Waminda Ave. He married in 1922, and passed away in 1965 in Campbelltown.