Allegiance Australia Rank Corporal Battles and wars World War II | Name John Ross Years of service 1918
1943–1945 | |
Born 11 March 1899
Newtown, Victoria ( 1899-03-11 ) Battles/wars First World War
Second World WarEnglish Died June 3, 2009, Bendigo, Australia Service/branch First Australian Imperial Force, Volunteer Defence Corps | ||
John Campbell "Jack" Ross (11 March 1899 – 3 June 2009) was at the time of his death Australia's oldest living person and the last Australian veteran of the First World War.
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Early life and family
Born in Newtown, via Maryborough, Victoria, Ross served as a wireless operator in the Australian Imperial Force, enlisting in January 1918, but never left Australia or saw active service. He later went on to serve in the Second World War as a corporal with the 20th Battalion, Volunteer Defence Corps.
His wife, Irene (née Laird), predeceased him by several decades. He was survived by a son, Robert (dec.) a daughter, Peggy Ashburn, four grandchildren - Jeanette, Heather, Kay, and John – and nine great-grandchildren.
Honours
On 11 November 1998, Ross had been awarded the 80th Anniversary Armistice Medal to mark the end of World War I. He had also been awarded the Centenary Medal for contributing to Australian society in the 100 years since federation.
The death of William Evan Allan in October 2005 left Ross as the last Australian digger from World War I. However, the English-born Claude Choules, a World War I veteran who served for Britain, lived in Western Australia. Ross became Australia's oldest man at the age of 108, on 12 June 2007, upon the death of Frank Scarrabelotti. Following the death of 112-year-old E. Beatrice Riley, he was verified as the oldest person in Australia.
Ross celebrated his 110th birthday with chocolates and cake and a commemorative letter from the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd.
Death
As a civilian, Ross worked for Victorian Railways until he retired in 1964. Ross died peacefully in his sleep at approximately 4 am. at the Golden Oaks Nursing Home in Bendigo on 3 June 2009, aged 110.