John HERBERT

Constable John Herbert joined the Queensland Police at the age of 20 in February 1908. He was stationed at Petrie and Woolloongabba for four years, Woodford for three years and then back to Petrie for six months before joining the A.I.F. He was awarded the Police 'Medal for Merit' for stopping a bolting horse and butchers' cart on 4 March 1912 by grabbing the horse reins (at great risk to himself) before anyone was hurt. Private Herbert embarked from Sydney on 7 February 1917, aboard the HMAT Wiltshire as part of the 31st Infantry Battalion. He was initially assigned to the 31st Battalion with his two brothers but was sent as part of the reinforcements to the 41st Battalion on 4 January 1918 as a Lance Corporal. On 7 September, the 41st attacked Roisel in northern France and took heavy machine gun and artillery fire. Lance Corporal Herbert, 29, was wounded by shrapnel to the back and chest during this attack and died from his wounds two days later on 9  September 1918. His two brothers survived the war.