25/04/2026
ANZAC tales: the four Jacks from Bridgetown - Part 1
Private John Michael (Jack) TOWIE, Service No: 3140/5230/WX31939, was aged just 16 years when he enlisted in the AIF in January 1916. He stated his age as 18, Occupation: farmhand - his father had a farm down Manjimup way. He served in Egypt with the 11th AIF Machine Gun Company, but continuing bouts of various illnesses saw him medically discharged and returned to Australia in the latter part of 1916. He quickly recovered and immediately reenlisted, arriving first in England and then France in 1917 where he was wounded at Messines before succumbing to another bout of illnesses. Once again he embarked for Australia, returning in February 1918 and medically discharged. On his way home he was the guest of Robert Crawford, publican of the Freemasons Hotel in Bridgetown, to honour his ‘gallant heart’.
Jack returned to farming before joining the railways as a conductor, motorman and engine driver and fitter. But he was not yet done, enlisting again in 1941, serving four years with the 19th Reserve Garrison Battalion as a trainee armourer, then late in the war three months in Bougainville, and promoted Seargent.
Jack spent his later years in Worsley, Bunbury and Perth. He died in 1983.
***********************************************************************
Lance Corporal Wilfred Joseph (Jack) SEYMOUR, Service No: 697 enlisted from Bridgetown in November 1914. Originally from Katanning he had been working as a sleeper cutter in the Bridgetown area when war broke out. Few soldiers exhibit the spirit of ANZAC as does Jack. After serving with the 28th Battalion at Gallipoli he was sent to France and slightly wounded in June 1916. He was killed in action between 3rd and 6th November 1916. His grieving parents in Katanning received the news that he had been killed in France, no other details. It was only after the war in 1919 that the story of his fate emerged from an account by Lieutenant Hector Haslam, himself from Katanning. This is a news item from the Tambellup Times, 22nd January 1919:
An Unknown Hero.
Lieut. Haslam, in speaking of his experiences in France, stated he was an eyewitness of the following act of bravery performed by a boy, who, he thought, came from this district, but whose name he did not know. It was at that stage of the war when the Germans were pressing back our men, and in a sortie made by the Australians to cover some movement of the troops, a man was wounded and fell in No-Mans-Land under direct fire from the enemy. When Lieut. Haslam had reformed his men in their trench one of them saw that the German snipers were firing at this wounded man, and with the exclamation " I can't stand this!" ran out and lay alongside his comrade, taking the German fire. Later, when it was possible to get to the men, the man who had been out there wounded was living although in a bad way, whilst the other who had gone to his assistance was dead and riddled with bullets.
It was such acts of invincible courage and devotion to their comrades that gave to the Australians the proud record they bear today.
The following week the boy in Haslam’s tale was identified. His action was considered worthy of a VC, though this did not eventuate.
Jack is buried in the Warlencourt British Cemetery, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.
Lance Corporal Wilfred Joseph Seymour
