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Diary - Sergeant J.S. Glover, World War I, 1916-1917 Reg. No: ST 040202

Summary:: Diary of Sgt J.S. Glover 1 AIF, 9/3/1916 - 23/6/1917.

This is probably John Sidney Glover, service no. 4783. He was unusually old - 40 years - when he enlisted in Adelaide on 20 August 1915. Born in Norwood, South Australia, he was a bootmaker and married with three children. He had previously been rejected as unfit for service due to 'deformed teeth'. He was sent to Egypt for training, then to England. He served in the 10th and 50th Battalions.

Glover suffered from chronic rheumatism which was attributed to his age, recorded as 44 in 1917 (suggesting he was even older at enlistment). The conditions in the trenches may have contributed also: his rheumatism began during his service in France, during winter 1916, one of the worst on record. His record indicates that he 'managed to hang on', but had to be evacuated in January 1917 and was sent to hospital in England. In October he was recommended for discharge as unfit, with no official admission that his war service caused his ill-health - although it was admitted that 'exposure to cold' had a bearing on his condition. He returned to Australia on the 'A34' and was discharged on 21 December 1917. His capacity to earn a livlihood was considered to be 1/4 reduced, and he was granted a pension.
Description:: Handwritten diary with soft black covers. Inside pages are lined and text is written in purple pencil.
Acquisition Information:: Donation from Mrs C. Glover, 1986

Discipline:	Technology
Dimensions:	175 mm (Height), 115 mm (Width)

Tagged with:	wars conflicts, world war i 1914-1918
Themes this item is part of:	Public Life & Institutions Collection
Primary Classification:	MILITARY HISTORY
Secondary Classification:	Personal Effects
Tertiary Classification:	diaries
Inscriptions:	First page: Thursday, March 9, 1916./On board the HMS Mongolia for Eygypt. [extensive text]
Author:	Sergeant J. Glover - Australian Imperial Force (AIF), Europe, 1916-1917