John Aaron Palmer Williamson (1892 - 1982)

Born 28 Apr 1892 in York, Western Australia, Australia

Ancestors

Son of Moses Williamson and Caroline (Munro) Williamson

Husband of Margaret Edith (Jacka) Williamson — married 2 Sep 1922 in The Methodist Church, Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 30 Jun 1982 at age 90 in Boonah, Queensland, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sandra Williamson [send private message]

Biography

Genealogically Defined

Jack Williamson was born in the Colony of Western Australia (1832-1900)

John trained as a Fitter in Western Australia he then moved to New South Wales in 1911 and worked in the Government Dockyards.^[2] While there he probably saw one of Australia’s first warships being built and witnessed the Navy’s launch of the HMAS Warrego, which was “one of six River Class Torpedo Boat Destroyers built for the Royal Australian Navy [RAN] between 1909 and 1916”.^[3] Perhaps he was infected by the excitement of the launch which may have inspired him to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on the 5th March 1912.^[4]

Singapore Royal Engineers (Volunteer) a sub-unit of the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC), John Williamson crouching in front row 4th person from the right.

He left the RAN on his own recognisance on 1 October 1913 and went to Singapore where he served with the Singapore Royal Engineers.^[5]

Jack Williamson is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Australian Merchant Navy 1914-1915
Served during World War I.

He returned to Australia in 1914 and worked as an Engineer with the Merchant Marines and was involved in the movement of Australian troops to England.^[6]

JP Williamson in his Merchant Navy uniform

Private Jack Williamson served in the Australian Imperial Force in World War I
Service started: Wednesday, 9 February 1916
Unit(s): 9th Field Company Engineers, Australian Imperial Force, World War I, Australian Flying Corps
Service ended: Tuesday, 6 May 1919

Jack Williamson was awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and the 1914-1915 Star.

He served in WW1 enlisting with the AIF on 9 February 1916.^[7]

After 3 months at Roseberry Park in NSW Sapper John Palmer Williamson boarded the HMAT AJANA as a member of the 9th Field Company Australian Royal Engineers for England, Salisbury Plain Amesbury and No 21 Camp at Lark Hill.

His initial training was in the Bastard Area with 9th Brigade followed by further training at “Brighling Sea in Essex to complete a course of Engineer training that included extreme living, mining, demolition mining etc”^[8]

John Williamson wearing a WW1 AIF cap and cap badge with a non-Australian tunic [SERN 10030]

Once training was complete he embarked with the 3rd Australian Division for Le Havre, eventually being moved to Armentieres, where the “Royal Engineers made thousands of cast iron cogs for knobkerries at the Second Army Workshop at Armentieres and issued them to line divisions as trench stores”^[9]

The weather in France for the December-January winter was very bad.^[10] John suffered from illness particularly bronchitis that resulted in him being taken off duty repeatedly during December and then again in February 1917 but he was well enough to participate in the battle at Messines.^[11]

His repetitive bouts of bronchitis probably resulted from the lack of adequate convalescence between each bout. The conditions were wet and cold making work difficult, uncomfortable and very dangerous with the constant shelling. The men of the 9th Field Company Australia Royal Engineers Unit were exposed to heavy and constant shelling, slowing the engineers down as they reinforced the tunnels and carried duckboards.^[12]

Bronchitis continued to plague him even after he was transferred back to England and joined the Australia Flying Corps (AFC) on the 28th August 1917 with the rank of 2nd Air Mechanic (2A/M).^[13] He was then transferred to the 7th Training Squadron AFC on the 26 January 1918.^[14]

After discharge from the A.I.F. on 5 August 1918 in Melbourne at the end of the war he qualified for a 2nd class Engineers Certificate of Competency and returned to sea to his previous work as a marine engineer.^[15]

JP Williamson wearing a Merchant Navy uniform, post WW1

Fours years after leaving the AIF he married Margaret Edith Jacka on 2 September 1922 in The Methodist Church, Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia^[16][17].

Wedding photo of John Aaron Palmer Williamson & Margaret Edtih (Rita) Jacka

In 1926 he found work on land, just before his second child was due to be born.^[18] He then established himself a self-employed engineer.^[19]

He appears to have had a successful marriage and a healthy family. When WW2 arrived, his family billeted overseas and Australian service men that were on leave, in their home.”^[20] His wife Margaret (nee Jacka) is also thought to have been an active member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment in Wagga Wagga based on a photo held by the family taken during this period.^[21]

In 1945 he returned to sea at the end of WW2 on a United States Coast Guard ship, the ELISHA WHITNEY, travelling to Japan as a 2nd Assistant Engineer.^[22]

Having returned to sea in 1945 he did not return again until 1953 when he made his last two sea voyages at the age of 55.^[23]

Why he went back to sea at this time is not clear, however, he retires at the age of 60, five years later.^[24]

John passed away in 1982 on 30 June at Boonah Hospital, Queensland.^[25] John is buried with his wife in Kalbar General Cemetery, Boonah Shire, Queensland, he died of bilateral lobar pneumonia, Parkinson's disease and Arteriosclerosis, he had lived a full life dying at the age of 90, his death and decline a natural part of life and not the result of war.^[26][27]

His Headstone reads

"John Palmer WILLIAMSON, born York, Western Australia 28-4-1892, died 30-6-1982; / Margaret Edith WILLIAMSON, born Castlemaine, Victoria 25-11-1899, died 28-6-1984; / parents of John, Margaret & Dorothy;"^[28]

Sources

1. ↑ Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Western Australia, Certificate of Birth Registration for John Aaron Palmer Williamson, 28 April 1892 (Registered 17 May 1892 Registration No. 630 Western Australia)
2. ↑ J.N. Bird (Works Manager), Letter of Service for Palmer Williamson from Millars’ Karri and Jarrah Company (1902) Ltd, 13 July 1911, Personal papers of Jack Williamson, photocopy held in Sandra Williamson's possession.
3. ↑ Australian Navy Website, ‘HMAS Warrego (1)’, http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-warrego-i, accessed 1 May 2017.
4. ↑ Service Record of Jack Williamson, p. 1, A6770, National Archives of Australia; Certificate of Service for Jack Palmer Williamson, Official number 1521, Personal papers of Jack Williamson, photocopy held in Sandra Williamson's possession; J. Cantley Beard (Engineer Lieutenant. R.A.N), Letter of Service for J. P. Williamson on the HMAS PARRAMATTA, 20 January 1913. Personal papers of John Williamson held by son John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson.
5. ↑ Service Record for John Palmer Williamson, p.1.
6. ↑ Certificate of Discharge Transport A.37 8 April 1915 for John Palmer Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson; Certificate of Discharge Osterley 21 May 1915 for John Palmer Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson; Certificate of Discharge Pukaki 6 December 1915 for John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson.
7. ↑ Australian War Memorial: First World War, 1914-1918 10030: Sapper John Palmer Williamson accessed on 7 Feb 2023.
   See also: National Archives Australia: 8389870, National Archives Australia: 31455479
8. ↑ Goddard, Henry Arthur, Events of 1916 for 24th Company Army Service Corp, 9th Australian Machine Gun Company and 9th Field Company Australian Engineers complied by Henry Arthur Goddard. P.9
9. ↑ BOU, J., The AIF in Battle: How the Australian Imperial Force Fought, 1914-1918, North Sydney: MUP Academic Digital, 2016, p.152.
10. ↑ Army, Australian, "WWI The Western Front - Australian Army", Our-history/History-in-Focus/WWI-The-Western-Front. Accessed May 1 2017.
11. ↑ Service Record for John Palmer Williamson, p.2 & 9. [Note original website address has been changed down and no longer available as at 20 December 2020
12. ↑ AWM4 Subclass 14/28 - 9th Field Company, Australian Engineers, July 1917
13. ↑ Service Record for John Palmer Williamson, p.4 & 10.
14. ↑ Service Record for John Palmer Williamson, p.4 & 10.
15. ↑ Certificate of Competency 2nd class Engineers for John Williamson, Personal papers of John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson; Service Record for John Palmer Williamson, p.14.; Certificate of Discharge MALAITA 4 September 1920 Melbourne for John Palmer Williamson, Personal papers of John Williamson held by son John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson; Alexander Weir (Chief Eng), Letter of reference for J.A. Williamson, 14 September 1920. Personal papers of John Williamson held by son John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson.
16. ↑ NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Marriage Certificate of John Aaron Palmer Williamson & Margaret Edith Jacka (Original a Marriage Transcription by Joy Murrin (Transcription Agent NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages) Certificate 11616 year 1922)
17. ↑ K.W.Redman, Death Certificate John Aaron Palmer Williamson (2016, Brisbane. Certified copy of Register of Deaths kept in the General Registry in Brisbane Registration Year 1982 Number 55286)
18. ↑ Queensland Government, death certificate 55286 (1982 ), John Aaron Palmer Williamson; Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Brisbane. [Margaret Williamson’s birth was noted on John Aaron Palmer Williamson’s death certificate.]
19. ↑ Repatriation Record for John Palmer Williamson, p. 160
20. ↑ Chris Lee, Eulogy for John Palmer Williamson son of John Palmer Williamson as read out at his funeral by son-in-Law Chris Lee, 30 June 2006, Transcript provided by Glenys Williamson.
21. ↑ Photographer unknown, Margaret(Rita) Williamson marching with Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD), c 1939, digital image from Helen Condon's Private Photo Collection.
22. ↑ Certificate of Discharge ELISHA WHITNEY Yokohama Japan, 13 December 1945 for John Palmer Williamson, Personal papers of John Williamson held by son John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson; Daniel Sigler (Recruitment and Manning War Shipping Amd.) Telegram to John P. Williamson & John Geale, 12 December 1945, Personal papers of John Williamson held by son John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson.
23. ↑ Certificate of Discharge [unable to read] discharged 16 June 1953 for John Palmer Williamson, Personal papers of John Williamson held by son John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson; Certificate of Discharge River Glenelg 27 July 1953 Newcastle for John Williamson, Personal papers of John Williamson held by son John Williamson, photocopy held by Sandra Williamson.
24. ↑ Repatriation Record for John Palmer Williamson, p.160
25. ↑ Ryerson Index accessed 7 Feb 2023. Death notice: John Palmer WILLIAMSON on Wednesday, 30 Jun 1982 at Boonah Hospital, Queensland, late of Kalbar, Queensland, formerly of Gosford. Published Fri, 2 Jul 1982 in the Sydney Morning Herald.
26. ↑ Death Certificate of John Aaron Palmer Williamson died 30 Jun 1982, Registrar of Birth, Death and Marriages, Queensland, 55286/1982
27. ↑ Memorial: "Billion Graves"
    Kalbar General Cemetery, 71-101 Munbilla Rd, Kalbar Queensland 4309, Australia
    BillionGraves memorial (accessed 7 February 2023)
    Memorial page for John Palmer Williamson (28 April 1892-30 June 1982); Transcribed by robandi, Oct 16, 2016; Photographed by daniel1980, Sep 26, 2016.
28. ↑ General Cemetery, Boonah Shire website

DNA Confirmation:

• Paternal relationship is confirmed by an autosomal MyHeritageDNA test match between Sandra Williamson and JMc, her 2nd cousin 1x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are John Williamson and Louisa Walker, the great great grandparents of Sandra Williamson and great grandparents of JMc. Predicted relationship from MyHeritageDNA: 2nd cousin twice removed, based on sharing 127.9 cM across 7 segments. DNA test taker Sandra Williamson is the granddaughter of John Williamson, the son of Moses Williamson, the son of the common ancestors John Williamson & Louisa Walker.

Also See:

• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image) Find A Grave: Memorial #181860021 (accessed 5 April 2024 Memorial page for John Aaron Palmer Williamson (28 Apr 1892-30 Jun 1982), citing Kalbar General Cemetery, Kalbar, Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia; Maintained by Judy Biggs (contributor 48397106).
• FamilySearch Person: LKH9-54S
• A curated List of Newspaper articles for John Aaron Palmer Williamson (1892 - 1982) on the National Library of Australia's Trove website