John Hughes Maggs

John was born on 18 September 1892, the youngest of 10 children.  His other siblings were; 

William George Lake      b.26/12/ 1868 at North Adelaide
George Alfred                  b. 10/04/1870 at North Adelaide
Frederick Shaw               b. 21/08/1871 at North Adelaide
William Thomas Lake     b. 12/03/1873 at Walkerville
Walter Albert Francis     b. 12/03/1880 at North Adelaide
Lucy Caroline Scarlett    b.9/08/1882 at North Adelaide 
Florence Eveline Violet b.26/07/1885 at Walkerville
Lucy Clara                         b.24/07/1887 at Walkerville
Millicent Alice                  b. 13/04/1890 at Gilberton.

His father, George Maggs married Caroline Martha Lake on 7 April 1868 at Saint Andrew Church,  Walkerville.   Caroline was born on 4 March 1851 at Walkerville, the daughter of Thomas Lake and Lucy Burtt. 

John was a 22 year old motor mechanic living at Smithfield when he married Pauline Kathleen Broderick on 9 September 1912.  They were married at the residence of F.C. Richardson at St. Peters, Norwood.   On the 25 February 1913 a daughter Pauline Ronda was born at North Adelaide.

The Maggs were hotel proprietors.  George and Caroline are listed as licensee to numerous hotels.  From 1897 – 1907 they were licensee to hotels in the city.  From 1915 Caroline is listed as licensee of the Smithfield Hotel.  The family would have been residing at the hotel when John enlisted.

John enlisted on 28 August 1915.  He became a driver for the 11^th Field Ambulance.  On 31 May 1916 he embarked for active service overseas.   Two months later he disembarked at Devonport, England and proceeded to France.   He drove ambulances until 19 April 1917 when he was detached for duty with the 1^st Australian Tunnelling Company. 

The 1st Australian Tunnelling Company had worked near Messines village, while to the north at Hill 60 near Ypres.  Australian tunnellers played a vital role in the detonation of part of a series of huge mines beneath the enemy’s trenches.  There since November 1916, extending shafts for the mines while sometimes encountering German underground works.  Finally, along the whole British front, 19 mines were exploded with a devastating effect and an impact that some said they felt in London. Many of the enemy were killed, and the survivors demoralised, even before the infantry attacked.

The 1st Australian Tunnelling Company took over mining operations and mine fighting from the Canadians on Hill 60, the Canadians having previously taken over from the British.  For months the underground workings had been dug and re-dug, lost and recaptured, until finally with a tremendous charge of 123,500 pounds of explosive, the Australians blew the craters in the opening phase of the battle of Messines, on 7 June 1917.

On 3 June, four days before the Messines attack was due to begin, the forward ‘listeners’ were withdrawn and the mine shafts finally tamped. Constant testing of the cables from that point revealed that they had not been discovered and, at 3.10 am on 7 June, the Hill 60 and the Caterpillar mine, along with the 17 others on the Messines front, were blown. The explosions at Hill 60 killed 687 soldiers of the German 204th Division and blew a crater 60 feet deep and 260 feet wide.  The movie ‘Beneath Hill 60’ is based on this event.

John re-joined the 11^th Field Ambulance from detachment on 29 June 1917.  It is not known how involved John was in the explosion, but he was part of the company at that time. 

He was absent without leave from 11-15 September 1917 for which he lost 17 day’s pay.  He was admitted to hospital sick on 27 September 1917, and on 30 went to the convalescent depot.  He was admitted to Rouen hospital sick on numerous occasions.  On 3rd October 1918 he was admitted with debility to Harve.   He was again sick for most of October, November and December 1918 in Rouen. On 13 December he was transferred to the Greylingswell  War Hospital at Chichester in the UK. Graylingwell Hospital, originally a psychiatric hospital, opened in 1897. During the First World War, the (civilian) patients were moved to other hospitals as Graylingwell was designated as one of 15 psychiatric hospitals to receive war casualties. The casualties came straight from the Western Front, via train from Dover and convoy of all available vehicles, including the hospital's own four ambulances.

He left England for return to Australia on the “Nevana” as part of the nursing staff on 5 March 1919.  He disembarked at Adelaide on 18 April, and was discharged on 10 June.  He received the British  War Medal, Victory Medal and Star.

A welcome social was given to returning soldiers from the Smithfield area on 24^th July 1919.  Amongst those welcomed were A. Blackman, W.J Stewart, W. Smith, R. White and John Maggs.  The hall  was beautifully decorated.  Mr J. Blake presided and addresses were given by W. Hagen M.P, the Rev J Frew Brown and Mr Thomas Worden.  A supper and dance followed the formalities.

While John had been abroad his wife Kathleen [Kitty] passed away on 20 May 1918 at Prospect, aged 24 years.  John’s daughter Pauline Ronda died in January 1924 at the young age of 10.

His misfortune continued as on 15 September 1928 he was driving his employers car when a couple ran across the road from behind a car after a football match at Adelaide Oval.  The couple,  Mr and Mrs Daly were struck by John’s car and the man died.  His wife was injured and taken to hospital.  A trial followed where the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.  However it was later ordered that John pay £100 to the widow.  He was unable to pay all of this as his Income was only £2 per week.  He had paid £27 when he declared bankruptcy.

John re-married 24 year old Doreen Harriet Webster on 25 February 1935 at All Saints, Hindmarsh,    They had a child that year.

In 1941 in the Advertiser of 11 July 1941 under “Fourth Military District Appointments” To be Lieutenant on probation – John Hughes Maggs. 

John applied for his bankruptcy to be discharged in July 1945.  After learning he had 4 years of service in this war, that his health was not good and although his present earnings were substantial, in the future they might be reduced, it was granted.  He was now employed as a clerk in the Ministry of Munitions with a wife and a child of 10 years.

During WWII John served as Warrant Officer Class 2 with the 18th Garrison Battalion, and later as a Captain with the 18^th Employment Company. Garrison battalions were raised from men too old, young or unfit for full military service. They literally garrisoned areas, leaving regular battalions free to fight.  He was discharged on 15^th March 1944.

John died on 4 September 1977 aged 84 years and is buried in Centennial Park Cemetery.  His wife Doreen Harriet died on 10 May 1978 aged 68 years and is buried in the same cemetery as John and possibly the same plot.

His name appears only on the Smithfield War Honour Board.