Whistle on lanyard : Sergeant J G MacDonald, 13 Battalion, AIF

Tube whistle of standard design made from nickel plated brass, with lead fipple, integral suspension loop, and maker's details impressed into dome at end. Attached to suspension loop is a plaited khaki cord lanyard.

Whistle used by 4250 Sergeant John Gunn MacDonald, 13 Battalion AIF. Born Glasgow, Scotland in 1896, MacDonald was living with his parents on Glebe Point Road, Sydney, NSW and working as a woodworking machinist when he enlisted with the AIF on 23 August 1915 at Holsworthy. He had earlier enlisted with 29th Infantry (CMF) on 1 July 1914 as a private. He served as a German Concentration Camp guard from 9 January to 2 August 1915 as an acting corporal. He embarked for overseas service with the 13th Reinforcements of the 13th Battalion on board HMAT Aeneas on 20 December 1915.

He joined B Company, 13 Battalion at Tel-El-Kebir in Egypt on 4 March 1916, being promoted from temporary to full corporal two weeks later. At this point, the AIF was expanded and reorganised, with 13 Battalion being split and providing experienced soldiers for the 45th Battalion. In early June the battalion sailed for France and the Western Front, with its first major action in France at Pozières in August. Here, MacDonald was recorded as suffering from shell shock on 11 August, during the battalion's part in the assault on Mouquet Farm, when the Germans unleashed a particularly heavy artillery barrage on Australian positions. His battalion had just relieved 15 Battalion earlier that day and MacDonald is one of many men from both battalions noted as suffering shell shock and 'shaking like an aspen leaf'. He rejoined his unit on 19 August and was promoted to temporary sergeant five days later; he was made full sergeant 'in the field' in Belgium on 16 September.

Sergeant MacDonald was again wounded on 11 April 1917, with a gunshot wound to his right foot, fracturing his toes, in 13 and 16 Battalions' assault on the Hindenburg Line between Bullecourt and Queant. The attack had been scheduled for the previous day, but cancelled when the supporting tanks failed to arrive; the assault successfully captured 900 metres of German trench, but was forced to abandon its gains upon a heavy German counter-assault. Overall 13 Battalion suffered 510 casualties for the morning. MacDonald was evacuated to England and spent most of 1917 recovering.

He rejoined his unit on 26 November. In late February/ early March 1918, 13 Battalion was resting and training behind the lines at Laherliere when, on 26 March, they were rushed forward to Hebuterne to contain the German surprise assault, Operation Michael, which had broken the lines at this point. MacDonald's Company helped clear the village and set up a block on one of the access crossroads. They repelled two concentrated German assaults then, on 28 March, undertook an early morning (1:20 am) attack on German machine guns and minenwerfers [trench mortars] set up in the adjoining cemetery. These were cleared and new lines dug. B Company received heavy shelling later in the morning. Either during this bombardment, or in the earlier assault, Sergeant MacDonald suffered his third wounding (again being shot in his right foot, as well as his head). He was evacuated to England and returned to Australia on 31 July 1918, where he was discharged form service on 29 September 1918.

MacDonald served with the Volunteer Air Observer Corps during the Second World War.

As a sergeant and a platoon's second-in-command, MacDonald would have used his whistle in action as a aid to commanding his platoon; usually only a small number of whistle blasts were used to indicate pre-designated commands - one, two or three blasts to indicate simple movements such as advance, stop or withdraw.