John ‘Jack’ Garbutt Carey

CAREY, John ‘Jack’ Garbutt- – – – – SPC ?

DoB:– – 18 June 1886, Ballarat

Father:- – Arthur John Carey

Mother:– – Elizabeth, nee Park

The College could find no reference to John Carey in the College Annuals. The latest date he could reasonably have been at the College would be 1905, at age 18.

Jack Garbutt Carey moved to NSW and married Jennie Wood in 1913 in Inverell, NSW.

Service No:– 1847 / 2930 / 67369 (AKA Atherton, John Frederick)

Rank:– – Private

Unit:– – 15th Battalion / 9th Reinforcements / 14th Battalion

It seems that Jack Carey enlisted on a few occasions. On all his enlistment papers he was noted as being five feet eight inches tall, of medium complexion and with blue eyes and brown hair.

On the first occasion, Private Carey (Service No 1847) embarked from Adelaide on 1 April 1915 aboard the Port Lincoln and arrived at Suez. He was transferred to the isolation hospital at Abbassia suffering from venereal disease. He was returned to Australia on the Kayarra to recover and by August 1915 was transferred back to duty.

Private Carey (now Service No 2930) embarked at Melbourne on 27 September 1915 per the Hororata, bound for Egypt. He was taken on strength at Moascar on 8 January 1916, but by the end of March 1916 was removed from active duty due to chronic asthma and bronchitis. The Medical Report stated that Carey:

– ‘-¦ has suffered from asthma for many years. After – enlistment he was laid up 3 weeks on one occasion, and a – fortnight on another. Arrived in Egypt October 27 1915, – and has several attacks. Was on light duty 3 weeks at a – time. Admitted to No 1 Aux hospital on Feb 21 1916 with a – typical asthmatic attack. After a few days he had a – condition suggestive of a broncho-pneumonia, but neither – TB nor pneumonia could be detected -¦’

On 12 August 1918, Private Carey signed up again as Jack Frederick Atherton (Service No 67369) aged 32 years. However, by 17 September 1918 he was being treated for venereal disease on Nelson’s Island, a small island in the Mediterranean Sea approximately 20 kms east of the port of Alexandria. He was soon returned to Australia and on 12 December 1918 was discharged from the AIF.

Jack Carey and his wife lived in Sydney for the rest of their lives. Jack died at the age of 60 on 26 August 1945. He is buried at the Woronora Cemetery, NSW.