Private John Dunthorne Garnham

John was born on 6 March 1897 to John James and Frances Rosa Garnham. He was baptised on 2 May at Shooter’s Hill Parish in Kent, as the family was residing at Newcombe in Shooter’s Hill at the time. They were still there in 1901, along with one servant. In 1911, they had moved to a seven room house at 99 Pepys Road in Wimbledon, but no longer had a servant, though John Sr had been employed as a civil servant all the while. John Dunthorne’s only sibling was a sister, Margaret Macro, who was seven years older than him.

John enlisted on 3 December 1915 in Holborn, initially joining the 5th Buffs. He was living at 43 Compton Road in Wimbledon at the time. He appears to have been employed as a clerk in the London County Bank, and was only willing to join up if he could be in the Buffs, as that was the unit his supervisor was in. He weighed 158 lbs, and was 6’1”. His father was employed in the War Office Branch of the Exchequer and Audit Department, and sent a letter asking where his son would be sent shortly after he enlisted. He was told the base depot in Havre and would be “drafted hence”.

John’s service record shows that he served in France and Salonica and was transferred several times before being posted to Egypt with the London Regiment 2nd/24th Bn. on 8 March 1917. The battalion had been deployed to Egypt in January 1917 where it engaged in various actions as part of the Palestine Campaign. These included the Third Battle of Gaza, the capture of Jerusalem, and the defence of Jerusalem. John was listed as wounded in action on 7 November, 1917, and missing presumed dead. The Egypt Expeditionary Force was on operations in Southern Palestine at this time engaged in the third battle of Gaza (31 October – 7 November 1917).

He is remembered in the Jerusalem cemetery, within which stands the Jerusalem Memorial commemorating 3,300 Commonwealth servicemen who died during the First World War in operations in Egypt or Palestine and who have no known grave.