Members of the extended family of former Wonthaggi Fire Fighter, John Sparks, pictured, join together with present-day members at the fire station in Wonthaggi last Sunday to honour the war service and volunteer fire fighting service of Corporal Sparks who was killed just over 100 years ago in World War 1. M741317
AS PART of the final year of the 100-year commemoration of the tragedy of World War 1, a contingent of Wonthaggi Fire Brigade members, in full dress uniform, will make a pilgrimage to the small village of Contalmaison, near Pozieres, in northern France.
It is here, at the Sunken Road war cemetery, that one of their own, John Sparks, a 23 year old corporal in the 8th Battalion AIF, and a former wheeler in State Coal Mine, lies in his final resting place.
For years a portrait depicting this fresh-faced young man in his fire brigade uniform, complete with shiny silver helmet, has had pride of place in the fire station.
But until recently, his name and little else was known of his life and the ultimate sacrifice he made.
Not any longer.
At the initiative of fire captain Kim O’Connor, and under the direction of former captain, Bill Watson, with the help of the Wonthaggi Historical Society and Wonthaggi RSL, his story has finally been told in full.
John Sparks was born in May 1893 at Joadja Creek in New South Wales, an area south west of Woollongong. His mother Hannah Sparks later married William Lamb from Dollar via Stony Creek, and the couple had two children Maggie and William. Hannah Lamb passed away on August 7, 1907 aged 33 years. John’s father is unknown but his grandfather, also John Sparks, took care of John and he regarded him as his father. John’s three aunts Mrs Wilson, Mary Brown and Frances Wardle cared for young John with Frances being credited with raising John after his mum’s passing, moving into her home. John worked at the Wonthaggi State Coal Mine as a wheeler, although the family is not sure when he started but he would have worked with Frances’ husband and his uncle Anthony Wardle who was also a wheeler. John also became a volunteer fire fighter with the Wonthaggi Fire Brigade at about the age of 14.
John enlisted with the Australian Imperial Forces on the 18th of August 1914 at Broadmeadows, Melbourne and was in the 8th Battalion AIF which embarked for Alexandra and the Gallipoli campaign on April 5, 1915. The 8th Battalion was part of the second wave. On landing at Gallipoli John was wounded in action, in the foot, and left for France on March 31, 1916. During this time he was made a lance corporal on April 19, 1916 and then promoted to corporal on August 5, 1916. John was reported as wounded on August 18, 1916 and later passed away. He was only 23 years of age but already a veteran of two of the worse theatres of war in history.
During John’s time in England he met Miss Lucy E A Lockett and they had a son John William Lockett.
According to Mick Wardle, a local relative of John Sparks, the family has not been able to locate the family of John Lockett but they hope to do so when they travel to France and England next year, to join the local fire brigade members pilgrimage to the area around Pozieres in northern France.
John’s original war medals, which were later stolen, came to Frances Wardle who paid for their replacement and her surviving daughter, Myrtle Hunter (née Wardle) has held them in safe keeping since Frances’ passing.
Mrs Hunter, aged 94, was the honoured guest at a special commemoration ceremony at the Wonthaggi Fire Station last Sunday and recalled her mother speaking very fondly of her late cousin John, whom she regarded as a son.
“I never met him, of course. He died before I was born, but mum raised him like her own son and really felt the loss, even years later,” Mrs Hunter said.
Speaking at the commemoration, Captain Kim O’Connor said the memory of John Sparks was a very important part of the 107-year history of the brigade.
“Our purpose this morning is to honour our former fireman John Sparks as the first step of a long journey that will be completed when we pay our respects with a fireman’s graveside service in France next year,” Captain O’Connor said.
Captain O’Connor will lead the Wonthaggi Fire Brigade group.
“A contingent of Wonthaggi Fire Brigade Members and also members of John’s family will be travelling to France next August and we intend to link up for local French fire fighters during our stay.
“The brigade will stay in the town of Albert and I’m sure we will see, as John himself saw, the golden statue of the Madonna on top of the Basilica.”
Later in the morning, Mrs Hunter presented the fire brigade with John Sparks’ original war medals, together with the ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ presented by King George V. The brigade previously had a replica set of Sparks’ medals.
My great grandmother was one of Jack’s half sisters. When I was growing up Grandma had a small piece of cane in the bottom of her wardrobe together with a copy of a letter from the Army advising Jack’s family that he had been killed in action. When Jack was leaving for the war he took a piece of cane and broke it in two, telling Grandma that they would join it back together when he returned. Grandma kept her piece of the cane for the rest of her life.
I had researched John Sparks back in 2015 and forwarded the information onto the Wonthaggi Fire Brigade. I would love to know if the family managed to make contact with the family of his son John Lockett.
Corporal John “Jack” Spark/s
By Rhonda McKinnon 2015
A friend, who was going overseas for a holiday, asked me if I could find any details of her relative Uncle John Spark who was killed in WW1. She had plans to visit the Gallipoli Peninsula in August 2015 and wanted to find his headstone. I had researched several branches of her family, but could not find an “Uncle John Spark”.
My friend Lesley Dix, sent a photo from Pozieres the day she found her “Uncle John Sparks”. Further research reveals that John Spark was born in 1893 Joadja Creek, NSW, Australia, illegitimate son of Hannah Spark (daughter of John Spark & Elizabeth “Betsey” Ramsay).
Two years after his birth his mother Hannah Spark married William Lamb and they had six children. Hannah died, the same year that their last child was born in 1907, at Dollar, Victoria. After his mother’s death he was raised by his grandfather John Spark and his aunt Frances Wardle nee Spark in Wonthaggi, Victoria.
John enlisted in the AIF on 18 August 1914 at Broadmeadow Camp, Victoria. Pte John Sparks, No 935 of D Coy, 8th Battalion, was 21 years & 3 months of age, 5’ 8” tall, 151 lbs, black hair, dark complexion, light brown eyes and had a scar on his right hand. He was a coal wheeler, was a member of the Wonthaggi Fire Brigade and lived in Hunter Street, Wonthaggi, Victoria.
The 8th Battalion was raised within two weeks of the start of the First World War. The majority of it’s personnel were drawn from volunteers for overseas service from rural Victoria. After undertaking training, the battalion left Australia two months later, heading for Egypt via Albany. He embarked at Melbourne on H.M.A.T. A24 Benalla on 19 October 1914 to the Gallipoli Campaign.
I was able to follow the service of the 8th Battalion from a most interesting “Diary of Lt John Gibson Pitt – 8th Battalion”. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27946?st=0 The battalion’s first major action in France was at Pozieres in the Somme valley in July 1916. He was promoted to Corporal on 11 August 1916. Sadly Corporal John Sparks was killed in action on 18 August 1916, exactly two years since he enlisted.
On 22nd November 1916, 2nd Lt F Hickson, 8th AIF reported that on 18th Aug, as he thinks, not the 8th as stated in the Red Cross List of Missing, Corpl. Sparks was buried by a shell. His body was recovered and buried in the Australian Cemetery to the south of Pozieres. No sign of wounds probably killed by shock or suffocation.
On enlistment John Sparks had named “John Sparks his father” as next of kin. On the 2 October 1916 John Spark Snr (his grandfather) received a message from Base Records in Melbourne, “Regret to advise you that No. 935 Corporal J Sparks 8th Battalion, has been reported wounded”. Two weeks later he received a letter, dated 20 August 1916, from the Chaplain in France to inform him that Corporal John Sparks No. 935, 8th Battalion had been killed and buried. John Sparks Snr sort the assistance of the Town Clerk, H H Strickland to inquire as to whether he was wounded or killed.
On the 5 January 1917 John Sparks Snr died and this caused problems in disposing of Cpl John Sparks possessions. His step-siblings and his Aunt Frances Wardle wanted his war medals.
Sometime during 1916 John Sparks had a relationship with Lucy Eleanor Alice Lockett. It is not known if he had spent time in England on leave, or Lucy served in the British Army in Alexandria. Records show that after his death John Sparks and Lucy Eleanor Alice Lockett’s son was born. John William Lockett was born about February 1917, and received a War Pension from his father’s service, commencing 26 February 1917 until 26 February 1933, of 20/- per fortnight. I have been unable to locate further information for his son.
On 28 May 1919, C McIntyre, Secretary, Wonthaggi Fire Brigade, wrote to Base Records asking when and where Corporal John Sparks, as they were doing an enlargement of him with engraving on the frame and needed the correct information. They replied, stating he was killed in action in the field in France on 18 August 1916.
To my surprise on 24 April 2015 an article was published in the Bass Coast Post:
The mystery of Corporal John Sparks
CFA’s Wonthaggi Fire Station still has a photo of Corporal John Sparks in pride of place on its wall – almost 100 years after he was killed in France during the First World War. But, other than a few basic details about where he was from and when he enlisted, Corporal Sparks remains a mystery.
Well I could fill them in about Cpl John Sparks as I had just spent a few weeks researching and writing his life story. I sent this story to Jamie Moresco of Wonthaggi Fire Brigade and he replied:
We have a beautiful portrait of Corporal J Sparks that sits proud in our meeting room. We have just received replica medals to be mounted alongside of his photo.
The members would like to extend their invitation to any of his family who are still with us to come along and have a look at his picture that sits proud in our/his brigade.