Studio portrait of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) John Joseph Scanlan, 59th Battalion from Middle ...

Accession Number H06233
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white - Print silver gelatin
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Studio portrait of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) John Joseph Scanlan, 59th Battalion from Middle Park, Victoria. A 24 year old shipping clerk prior to being appointed a Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt) in the 7th Battalion on 23 August 1914, he embarked for overseas with D Company from Melbourne aboard HMAT Hororata (A20) on 19 October 1914. 2nd Lt Scanlan was wounded in the shoulder at Gallipoli in May 1915, evacuated to Malta and then England before he returned to Australia on 29 February 1916. Following his recovery, he re-embarked from Melbourne as a Lieutenant with the 4th Reinforcements, 57th Battalion aboard HMAT Orsova (A67) on 1 August 1916. After a short period in England, he arrived in France in October 1916 and joined the 59th Battalion. He was promoted to Captain on 1 November 1916, to Major on 20 February 1917 and to Lt Col on 6 February 1918. Lt Col Scanlan was awarded a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his energy, resource, initiative and courage since the beginning of the war in Egypt, Gallipoli, France and Belgium and particularly as second in command and in command of the 59th Battalion. He was shortly thereafter awarded a Bar to the DSO for conspicuous gallantry when in command of the 59th Battalion during the counter-attack on Villers-Bretonneux on the night of 24/25 April 1918. The battalion gained their second objective with very few casualties and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. He was also Mentioned in Despatches (MID) on three separate occasions. He arrived back in Australia on 28 May 1919 and went on to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Second World War from July to October 1940.