John Ross TZ/4522
| John Ross was born on 25th August 1896 to Joseph and Barbara Ross. At his enlistment into the Tyneside Division on 17th May 1915 he was residing at Gateshead-on-Tyne and employed as a clerk. He joined the 4th Battalion at Crystal Palace and on 18th June was drafted to the 2nd Reserve Battalion at Blandford. In September he was drafted to the Drake Battalion. | ||||||||
|
At Gallipoli John was sent to hospital with dysentery on 28th September and was invalided back to England via Malta. He was admitted to the Haslar Hospital at Gosport for convalescence on 18th October and, on returning to Blandford on 10th November, was drafted to the 1st Reserve Battalion and granted twenty-eight days’ leave. In May 1916 he was attached to the 2nd Drake Battalion at Blandford. Once back in France John was attached to the 3rd Entrenching Battalion on 9th November, rejoining Drake on 26th. From 22nd to 25th December he was in hospital with scabies. On 12th January 1917 he was attached to the 189th Brigade Headquarters and on 11th April was deprived of four days’ pay by the Officer in Charge of Brigade Headquarters for having a dirty rifle on parade. On 29th May he was sent to the Field Ambulance, the reason not being specified, rejoining the Headquarters on 7th June. In September he was granted ten days’ home leave. On 2nd March 1918 John was deprived of ten days’ pay for reporting late for duty. On 13th March he was admitted to the 1st South African General Hospital at Abbeville from the 45th Casualty Clearing Station, having been poisoned by gas. He was invalided back to England and admitted to the Colchester General Hospital on 18th. He was discharged on 3rd May and granted ten days’ leave. On 16th May he was awarded his 1st Good Conduct Badge. |
 |
|||||||
|
John rejoined his battalion on 9th September and was appointed Able Seaman Higher Grade three days later. He was reported wounded on 30th September during the fighting around the Canal du Nord; this was later corrected on 6th November to wounded and missing. On 28th November photographs of him were sent home by one of his comrades, stating that he had been found dead. On 11th January 1919 further enquiries were made to the Base Depot and a reply received stating: “Killed in action or died of wounds, on or shortly after 30.9.18”. He had been buried “about 1½ miles E.S.E. of Cambrai”. His body was later exhumed and reburied in Anneux British Cemetery. | ||||||||
| ||||||||