39th Battalion
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John Sherlock Willaton (SN 624) born at Ballarat, was an 18 year old engineer when he enlisted in Ballarat on February 14th 1916. Assigned to the 39th Infantry Battalion he embarked aboard the Ascanius on May 27th and sailed first to England and then to France in August 1917. On October 12th 1917 he suffered a severe gunshot wound to his right foot that required his evacuation to hospital in England where he was assessed as unfit for further active service. He was returned to Australia aboard the Corinthic, disembarked at Melbourne on March 3rd 1918 and was discharged ‘medically unfit’ on April 26th .
