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Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Trewavis, John (6098)

Place of Birth: Port Melbourne, VIC

Age: 21 years 1 month

Enlistment Details: Monday, 8 November 1915 – Melbourne, VIC

Service Number: 6098            view online service record

Address:
229 Bridge Street
Port Melbourne, VIC

Next of Kin:
John Trewavis (father)
229 Bridge Street
Port Melbourne, VIC

Embarkation Details:
Date: Friday, 28 July 1916
Ship: HMAT Themistocles A32
Port: Melbourne, VIC
Unit: 5th Infantry Battalion – 19th Reinforcements

Fate:
RTA: Sunday, 11 May 1919
Discharged: Monday, 11 August 1919


Brothers: Charles Stanley Trewavis and Harold John Trewavis

John was a member of the Graham Street Methodist Church choir. His brother Charles was probably the conductor of the choir. When he enlisted, the choir presented him with safety razor and the church gave him a signet ring. John played with the church cricket club and was presented with a money belt on behalf of the club.

1916 ‘GRAHAM-STREET METHODIST CHURCH.’, Port Melbourne Standard (Vic. : 1914 – 1920), 19 February, p. 1, viewed 30 January, 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91163982

1 Comments

  • Brian Membrey
    Posted September 8, 2016 2.44 pm 0Likes

    AKA to me as Uncle Jack, Thoresby Grove, Eaglemont, 1940s-60s

    His Attestation has him having served with the 52 Infantry under the compulsory Universal Military Training Scheme, but as having previously been rejected from the AIF because of a sub-standard chest measurement (shown as 32 to 34 inches at his later medical examination).

    He was promoted to Corporal while in camp, but reverted to Private at his own request on embarking for overseas. He was transferred from the infantry to 8 Field Artillery Battery on his arrival in England in October, 1916 and served out his time with few details of note on his Service Record. He arrived back in Australia on 27 June, 1919 and was formally discharged on 11 August.

    John Trewavis senior died 25 July, 1935 at 122 Graham Street, Port Melbourne (noted as his sister’s residence) 78 years of age. An In Memoriam notice has sons Leslie, Harold, Charles and John, Death Notice has a daughter, Olive as deceased. His wife, Elizabeth Jane was noted as dying at 229 Bridge Street on 7 December, 1931. Olive died November 30, 1918 at 22 years of age, the obituary in the Port Melbourne Standard 14 December, 1918 notes Sergeant Harold Trewavis, Privates Charles and Jack all on active service, “Leslie is employed at Earl’s”- this was a wonderful old hardware store that closed about 10-12 years ago, then run by two brothers in the style of the early 1900s, still closing for 45 minutes for lunch).

    Coincidentally, John junior married an Olive (Smith, my mother’s elder half-sister) who i believe he met via the Graham Street church. They had one child, born at “Banksia”, Eaglemont, Heidelberg on 9th December, 1926, a daughter, Shirley Grace, who because of a 20-year age difference was to me always “Aunt Shirley”. She later married Robert Grant, an accountant with optical and hearing aid suppliers, Angus & Coote.

    “Uncle Jack” was later involved with real estate and died in Heidelberg in 1960, Olive also in Heidelberg in 1977 at 80 years of age.

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