DOW

click to enlarge
courtesy of the AWM
fateful moment when Lieutenant John Turnour,
of the 59th Battalion, drew fatal enemy fire
while his men attacked from the flanks

John was possibly born at either Brighton, VIC or Black Rock, SA to Keppel Arthur Turnour⁽¹⁾ and Margaret Ann Wallace. John had three brothers, Arthur, James and Keppel, who are also remembered in the Avenue - another brother, Donald, also enlisted in the AIF.

click to enlarge
courtesy of Louise Ryan.

John (aka Jack) was a theological student at Bendigo, VIC when he enlisted in the AIF, 7^th Battalion on the 1^st of September 1914 - only a few weeks after war was declared - aged 21½. He embarked aboard the HMAT A20 Hororata in October and disembarked in Egypt in December.

On the 25^th of April 1915, John landed at Gallipoli where he was wounded - bullet wound to the right shoulder - and evacuated to Malta and admitted to hospital. After returning to Egypt in August he rejoined his unit at Gallipoli in September. John was admitted to hospital at Lemnos in November - icterus and sore on leg - for a month before being promoted to Corporal and returning to Egypt in January 1916. In late February 1916 John transferred to the 59^th Battalion and was promoted to Company Quartermaster Sergeant before embarking from Alexandria in June, disembarking at Marseilles, France, 10 days later.

After surviving the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916 John was again wounded in August - gunshot wound to the scalp - and admitted to the 30^th General Hospital, Calais, France. Shortly after this he was appointed Second Lieutenant and evacuated back to England where he was discharged from hospital later that same month.

John rejoined his unit in the field in late September 1916 and in October was detached to the Light Trench Mortar School for a week. In January 1917 he was detached to the 5^th Divisional Infantry School for a month. In mid February, John was promoted to Lieutenant before again being wounded a month later at Flers, France - a gunshot wound to the right arm. After being evacuated back to England and admitted to hospital John rejoined his unit in June and was detached to Corps Intelligence School a month later for two weeks.

click to enlarge
courtesy of the AWM

On the 26^th of September 1917, during the Battle of Polygon Wood, John was again wounded - shell wounds to abdomen and right arm. He died of his wounds at the 17^th Casualty Clearing Station two days later. He is buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

On the 12^th of January 1918 the Routine Orders issued by Lieutenant General Birdwood contained a Congratulatory:-

He is listed on the Bacchus Marsh & District Roll of Honour and the Morrisons Tableland & District State School Honor Roll. All five brothers' as well as their father - who was a Recruiting Sergeant⁽¹⁾ - are also listed.

Notes

1. Ryan L. 2009
   TURNOUR FAMILY OF COHUNA Their experience of World War One
   Available at Cohuna and Kerang libraries 940.548194 TURN