John James Delaney #Q9503

Indigenous Australian, John Delaney, 'J' Company, 11th Depot Battalion

John James Delaney was born in Longreach in 1893 and was working as a horsebreaker in Landsborough, Queensland when he volunteered to serve with the first AIF in June 1916. Delaney trained at Frasers Hill Camp, Enoggera, but was admitted to the hospital having contracted measles. Delaney then succumbed to pneumonia and passed away 4 September 1916, his wife Lucy Delaney was with him at the time of his death.

His half-brother Abby (Albert) William Delaney also enlisted, first in March 1916 but was medically discharged, and again one month after his brothers death, but was discharged on the grounds of "not likely to become an efficient soldier".

Several attempts were made by the AIF to locate John Delaney's next of kin in 1922 to present them with his Memorial Scroll. His wife Lucy had remarried in 1919 and moved to NSW. His mother too had remarried in 1909 to Ernest Eaves and was living in Longreach. The Records Department published a notice in the press in 1923 seeking information regarding his next-of-kin and were contacted both by his mother and his brother Abby, then living in Gympie.

Read more ...

• Service record: DELANEY, John James
• Roll of honour
• 'Next of kin wanted' Brisbane-Courier, 9 March 1923
• Service record: DELANEY, Abby William
• One of the soldiers featured in SLQ’s HistoryPin Collection
• Queensland’s Indigenous Servicemen [digital story & oral history, 12 mins, MP4]

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.