NICHOLSON, John David (1892-1967)
Born on 24 June 1892, of Ryrie Street East, Geelong. He attended Geelong College from 1902 to 1905, and then Geelong Grammar School from August 1905 to 1912, where he was in the 1st Rowing VIII, 1st Cricket XI, the Shooting team, the Athletics team, as well as captain of the 1st Football XVIII and Athletics Champion in 1911. He played in the VFL with University in 1912 though only managing one game.
On leaving School he went on to Dookie Agricultural College, prior to enlisting (No 658) in the AIF on 9 February 1915. He embarked for Egypt on HMAT A38 Ulysses on 8 May 1915, and on to Gallipoli where he was wounded on 19 September by shellfire, being evacuated to HS Guildford Castle. He returned to duty on 3 November, remaining there until the Evacuation. The 22nd Battalion went to France on 6 May 1916, John having been promoted Sergeant on 31 January 1916. His unit saw action at Armentieres, Pozieres, Brind’s Road, Mouquet Farm, Menin Road, Broodseinde, Morlancourt, Hamel, Villers Bretonneux and Mont St Quentin.
He suffered shell shock at Pozieres on 27 July 1916, and rejoined his unit on 8 August, but was wounded again at Mouquet Farm on 25 August, being off duty for a little less than a month. He reverted to the ranks at his own request on 30 September, and was ill and invalided to England on 20 October. On 10 April 1917 he rejoined his unit in France, and saw action at Menin Road and Broodseinde, where he was wounded for the fourth time, and buried by a shell on 7 October. This time he was out of the line for seven weeks. In 1918 he was at Ville, Morlancourt, Hamel, Villers Bretonneux, Herleville and Mont St Quentin.
He was also mistakenly reported killed in action, presumably when he was buried alive, as reported in EI ‘Tim’ Ware’s letter to his family (‘Tim’ Ware was a friend of Jack Nicholson at Geelong Grammar School, and succumbed to Spanish influenza in Belgium in March 1919):
'Do you remember, Jerry, me telling you that Jack Nicholson had been killed? Well the day we came up here I was going to a YMCA hut that is close by, and was passing a place where some infantry were billeted when a fellow came to the door and whistled. I was with some other fellows but looked back, I thought it was like old Jack but as I had been told by so many that he had been killed and some even said that they had seen him killed, thought the fellow must be whistling to some fellow that was with us, or else had made a mistake, at any rate he kept on whistling and I looked round several times and went on into the YMCA and was having a cup of tea when in walked Jack Nich as large as life and went crook because I did not stop when he whistled. He says he is always having similar experiences, and everyone he sees thinks he ‘ought to be dead’. All the Old Boys over here were sure he was a ‘goner’, but he is here himself now to tell them he is not.'
Jack Nicholson had one final dice with fate when he was accidentally shot in the hand on 28 September 1918, and was evacuated to England on 3 October. He returned to Australia, embarking on 24 January 1919 on HMT Delta, suffering influenza on the ship, and being admitted to the ship’s hospital on 15 February.
The Australian War Memorial Collection holds a group portrait of officers, NCO’s, and men of 22 Battalion, taken at Franvillers, France on 30 May 1918, including Private J D Nicholson and ‘Bill’, the goat.
He was demobilised on 5 May 1919, having served overseas for a total of 1403 days. His battalion’s battle honours were the Somme 1918, Pozieres, Bapaume 1917, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Hamel, Amiens, Albert 1918, Mont St Quentin, Hindenburg Line, Beaurevoir, France and Flanders 1916-1918, Gallipoli 1915-1916, and Egypt 1915-1917.
Sources: Based on an edited extract from Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. p 274-275 (citing Ware Family Papers; Pegasus; National Archives; Australian War Memorial, E02418).