Carl John BAKER #7744

Indigenous Australian, Jack Baker, 15th Infantry Battalion

Carl John (Jack) Baker, was born near the town of Innisfail in 1886. Jack married Ada Lyall in 1908 and when he enlisted in August 1917 was living at Edge Hill, Cairns with his two small children.

Baker initially trained at Rifle Range camp, Enoggera, where he was assigned to the 26th Reinforcements for the 15th Infantry Battalion. They travelled by train to Sydney where they embarked on HMAT Euripides, 31 October 1917 bound for England. During the voyage Baker was hospitalised first with pleurisy, and then with mumps.

Baker arrived in France in April 1918 and joined his battalion which was at the time fighting near Villers Bretonneaux. He was wounded in action, 13 August 1918 when his company was near Bayonvillers and was admitted to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance, with multiple shrapnel wounds, but died same day, almost a year to the day he enlisted.

Carl John (Jack) Baker is buried at Villers Bretonneux Communal Cemetery, south west of Corbie, France. Jack’s medals, memorial scroll and plaque where later issued to his wife Ada.

Read more ...

• Service Record: BAKER, Carl John
• Roll of Honour
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• One of the soldiers featured in SLQ’s HistoryPin Collection

Watch ...

• Queensland’s Indigenous Servicemen Digital Story and Oral History

The information in this blog post has been researched by State Library staff and volunteers, it is based on available information at this time. If you have more information that you would like to share or further research uncovers new findings, this post will be updated.