The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels could not help James Norman Johns.
Jimmy Johns grew up on the farm spotlighted on the side of the hill by this morning's rising sun. He was the only child of Sarah and William Vernon Horace Johns. William had served in WW1. Leaving Australia as a young man of 19 years and 1 month, he first fought in Gallipoli and then in France where he was wounded but was returned to the battle front on his recovery and discharged on 14/7/1919.
As a returned serviceman, he drew this block as part of the Soldier Settlement Scheme. Jimmy grew up in the valley and when war broke out again he went to Geelong in Victoria to train as part of a special forces unit - a type of commando squadron formed in 1941. He came home on embarkation leave Christmas 1942. He was headed for New Guinea to help stem the Japanese march forward through the Pacific.
He was one the Fuzzy Wuzzy angels could not help. Thirteen days after leaving home Jimmy's 2/7 Independent Company had literally just walked on to the battle front when a booby trap of jam tins hooked to wire was tripped and triggered a hail of machine gun fire and grenades and Jimmy was killed. He was buried in the jungle on Mat Mat Hill, Mubo. He was aged just 21.
His death is recorded in the book "the Battle of Wau" by Phillip Bradley and the second pine tree in the Ubobo State School grounds (see my post on 26th April) raises its limbs to the sky in his memory.
Rest in peace Jimmy
Lest We Forget.
@cmuir1963@vernabeth Thank you both. For a small community the loss was huge and as time passes these stories are lost. I thought it was important to record them.
