Private John Frederick Whiteway Wilkinson
2nd Reinforcement, 24th Battalion, Australian Infantry
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: 1883
Place of Birth: Islington, London
Date of Death: 29 July 1916 aged 32
Buried: Remembered on Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie (an Australian National Memorial); Seafront Memorial and St. Michaels Memorial Window, Teignmouth, Devon; and Blundell’s School Memorial.
Private John Frederick Whiteway Wilkinson age 32. John was born at Islington, London in 1883, the son of William Henry Whiteway Wilkinson, a surgeon, and his wife Charlotte. In 1891 the family was living at Thornpark Villa, Thornpark Road, Teignmouth, and later at Inverteign House, Teignmouth. He was shown on 1901 census at Inverteign House with his family, he was working as a clerk in the family business which was clay merchants. The family were living at Inverteign in 1911, but John was not listed, however he is shown lodging at Tormohan, Torquay on the 1911 electoral roll. All his early records show his surname as John Frederick Whiteway Wilkinson, it is only on his military records that he is shown as Whiteway-Wilkinson.
John attended Blundell’s School at Tiverton and is remembered on the school roll of honour. On leaving school he joined the family firm of Whiteway and Co. of Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, where he was a director. He was on a tour of Australia and Tasmania when war was announced. He proceeded to enlist with the Australian contingent, signing the enlistment form on 31 May 1915.
On 16 July 1915 he embarked from Melbourne for Egypt on HMAT Demosthenes A64, where on 9 September 1915 he joined the 2nd Reinforcement, 24th Battalion, Australian Infantry, Australian Imperial Force, service no. 1750; he then served in the Dardanelles campaign and in Egypt. The Battalion arrived in Alexandria on 10 January 1916 and later joined the BEF on 20 March 1916, sailing to France and disembarking in Marseille on 26 March 1916.
John was killed on 29 July 1916 and was buried in the vicinity of Pozieres, France, his grave is unknown. Remembered on Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie (an Australian National Memorial); Seafront Memorial and St. Michaels Memorial Window, Teignmouth; and Blundell’s School Memorial. John was one of five brothers all serving in the war.
Dr and Mrs Whiteway-Wilkinson had opened up Inverteign House in 1915 and set aside 8 beds to be used as a home for injured officers.
