Corporal John Walter Sinclair

Corporal John Walter Sinclair

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Mr James Donaldson

John Walter Sinclair was born on 11 November 1885 in Dingwall, Scotland to William Sinclair and Janet Fraser Sinclair (nee Forsyth).

He served in the 1/1 Highland Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), first as a Private and later as a Corporal. His regimental number was 1474. Unfortunately, it appears that John Walter Sinclair's full service records was one of the two million First World War service records destroyed during the Blitz in the Second World War. However, from unit diaries and histories, and British medal cards and indices it is possible to piece together a picture of John Sinclair's war service.
Embarking from Devonport, UK, on 8/9/1915 on the RMS Andania, the Highland Mounted Brigade proceeded to Gallipoli via Alexandria, arriving on 26/9/1915 and remaining there until the evacuation on the 19th and 20th of December 1915. John Sinclair was a stretcher bearer stationed at Suvla Bay's "C Beach". After evacuation in mid-December 1915, the unit sailed via Imbros and Mudros to Alexandria, Egypt, where it camped at Sidi Bishr Camp from the 28th of December. In February 1916 the entire Highland Mounted Brigade was absorbed into the 2nd Dismounted Brigade and served on the Suez Canal defences and as part of the Western Frontier Force in Egypt. John Sinclair had been evacuated sick earlier, probably in November 1915, and while convalescing in Egypt in late 1915 and early 1916 he acquired a collection of antiquities.

By January 1917 the unit was again reorganized, this time into the 229th Brigade which joined the 74th Yeomanry Division from February 1917. At this time the 1/1 Highland Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance was reorganized into the 229th Field Ambulance. The 74th Yeomanry Division served in the Palestine Campaign at the second and third battles of Gaza, at the capture and subsequent defence of Jerusalem and at the Battle of Tell 'Asur. In April 1918 the Division again returned to Alexandria before moving out to France in May 1918 where is served in the Second Battle of the Somme and on the Hindenburg line. After the Armistice in November 1918, the unit was eventually disbanded in July 1919.

John Sinclair received both the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service, alongside the 1914/15 Star for his service at Gallipoli.

He died in Brisbane, Australia on the 20th of September 1956.

Corporal

11/11/1885

20/09/1956