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John William Dodds (Regimental No 2299)
John William Dodds was born the son of John and Margaret Ann Dodds
in Adamstown. On his Embarkation Roll he listed his mother as his next
of kin. He was a 21 year-old labourer who lived with his mother in
Railway Street, Dudley.
John’s father lived in Cowlishaw Street, Redhead a situation that implies a
family separation. Army pay, which was the world’s best, and foreign
travel were probably very appealing. As the eldest of four children
William may have enlisted in the AIF for financial reasons. What might a
wheeler do?
When John’s father died during the war his mother made a successful
request for the return of her son and family breadwinner. However, for
whatever reason John enlisted again in March 1916 after being discharged
in15th November, 1915.
John had had previous military training,when he enlisted in Cowlishaw
Street Redhead on 31 August 1916 as a Private in the 34
th
Battalion (1-6
Reinforcement). This indicated an earlier interest in military matters.
After training in New South Wales he embarked for Europe on 17
October 1916. He reached his unit on 21 January 1917. Some soldiers
failed to reach Europe, dying during the passage from Sydney to the ports
of Southern France. Dodds and the 34
th
Battalion were at the front in
France. He received a gunshot wound to his thigh and was picked up by
9
th
Field Ambulance from where he was taken to Ipswich Hospital in
England.
Over his period of service William had been wounded on three separate
occasions.
From Ipswich Hospital he went AWL from 16 August 1917 to 6
December 1917. Once back at the Front John was injured, wounded in the
back. When he recuperated, he went AWL again from 2 December 1918
to 7 January 1919. It was obvious that John had suffered badly on the
Western Front and he was declared mentally unfit for duty and
discharged. Dodds was treated with some compassion in comparison to
his English and French allies who often court-martialled and executed
men for desertion. Obviously French and English commanders and their
troops were more desperate, considering their closeness to home,
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