Ralston, John Arthur (3460)

Place of Birth: Port Melbourne, VIC

Age: 18 years

Enlistment Details: Saturday, 21 April 1917 – Geelong, VIC

Service Number: 3460            view online service record

Address:
Portarlington, VIC

Next of Kin:
John Ralston (father)
Portarlington, VIC

Embarkation Details:
Date: Monday, 16 July 1917
Ship: HMAT Port Melbourne A16
Port: Sydney, NSW
Unit: 59th Infantry Battalion – 9th Reinforcements

Fate:
DOD: Sunday, 21 July 1918
Place: France

Half-Brothers: Lewis Martinsen and Frederick Martinsen.

Private, 59 Battalion, died of disease 29 July, 1918, France, aged 19, commemorated St Sever Cemetery Extension, Haute-Normandie, France.

Parents: John and Mrs Alice RALSTON, born Port Melbourne, educated St Leonard’s. He enlisted as an 18-year-old farm labourer, father at Portarlington as next of kin. Ralston died from meningitis in the 5th Australian General Hospital, France. A Death Notice, The Argus, 31 July, 1918 has him as “… only brother of Nellie, half-brother of Mrs O’Don, Fred, and Lewis Martinson (returned wounded soldiers)”. Frederick, aged 43 was shown as born in St Leonard’s, Lewis (30) in Port Melbourne; both were listed as fisherman and spelt their surname Martinsen on their Attestation papers.

Additional research by Brian Membrey