John’s occupation and marital status upon enlistment, was detailed as a teacher, who was single.
- Date of Birth – 15 August 1893 in Araluen.1NSW Birth Death and Marriages, https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/ Birth – 7983/1893 Parents John and Alena J. Registered in Braidwood. Accessed 13 June 2026.
- Parents – Son of Alena Jessie Begbie (formerly Howard) of 35 Maitland Road, Islington, New South Wales, and the late John Howard.
- Enlisted – 20 March 1915 at Liverpool, New South Wales. Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on board Transport Berrima on 25 June 1915.2University of NSW AIF project https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=144448 Accessed 12 June 2026.
- Regimental Number – 8813National Archives of Australia.https://www.naa.gov.au/. NAA: B2455, Howard J.A., Item ID– 6994015 Accessed 12 June 2026 and Karen Nelson, Marching Home to Braidwood. Braidwood RSL. UPS, Ulladulla, NSW. 2016. p 74 .
- Aged at embarkation – 214Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1632064 Accessed 12 June 2026.
- Military service – 20th Infantry Battalion, C Company, Rank – Sergeant5Virtual War Memorial Australia, https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/53761 Accessed 12 June 2026.
- Serving at the Gallipoli campaign, John was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.
- Died of wounds on 10 May 1916 (aged 22 years).6Find a Grave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56329271/john-alexander-howard John Alexander Howard’s name is located at panel 91 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
- Buried at the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension (Nord), Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France7 Commonwealth War graves. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/199977/john-alexander-howard/ Accessed 12 June 2026.
Alena Jessie MacKenzie (1871-1933) married John Howard (1870-1895) in 1893 at Goulburn. Alena and John had three children; John (1893-1916), Margaret (1895-1955) and Elizabeth (May 1896-1960).
John Howard, a Police constable aged 24, died on 15 November 1895 in Braidwood. John died from a self-inflicted gunshot, following the verdict against him, in a slander case brought by him to recover the sum of £200 damages for slander.8australianpolice.com.au https://australianpolice.com.au/john-howard/ Accessed 12 June 2026. In 1895, John Howard had been stationed at Braidwood for about fifteen months, coming from Araluen. ‘Constable John Howard, Bailiff, to the small debts court at Araluen, vice G. Taylor, resigned, from the 2nd inst [April 1894].’ 9Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883-1930), Wednesday 11 April 1894, p 3.
Alena next married to Arthur Vernon Begbie (First Class Constable) (1868-1955) in 1897 in Braidwood, N.S.W. Arthur and Alena had six children; Arthur (1897-1930), Donald (1899-1918), Alfred Campbell (1901-1972), Herbert Alexander (1905-1958), Charlotte (1907-1974) and Reginald (1910-1974).
In May 1916, the Burrowa News10Burrowa News (NSW : 1874-1951), Friday 26 May 1916, p 2 FROGMORE. (From Our Correspondent) described that ‘On Saturday last … word came through that Sergeant J. A. [John Alexander] Howard, had died in England, from wounds received in France a few days previously. It is now a little over 12 months since “Jacky”—then a private, left Australia to do his duty towards his country and King. By everyone who knew him he was regarded as a model for other boys to copy. Whilst attending the Frogmore Public School he won a Bursary entitling him to free education at a secondary school, and he went to Fort Street school. There he applied himself diligently to his studies and succeeded in winning a scholarship entitling him to entrance to the Teachers’ College. He showed the same zeal for advancement as had characterised all his previous career, and he left the College with his second-class certificate, being employed by the Education Department as assistant at Stanmore Superior Public School when the war broke out.’
John’s stepbrother Arthur Percival Elphinstone Begbie (born 15 September 1897, Araluen, New South Wales, labourer from 35 Maitland Road, Islington, New South Wales, enlisted on 12 March 1917, 20th Battalion, Reg No-6771, wounded in action on 3 October 1918 (gun shot wound right leg, severe), returned to Australia on 2 March 1919, and died on 21 November 1930.
John’s stepbrother David Smirnoff Begbie Service Number 6775, who was born in Yass, New South Wales, Australia on 17 February 1899, enlistment date 19 April 1917 and died of his wounds in France on 28 April 1918.11Virtual War memorial Australia https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/270366. Accessed 12 June 2026.
The Daily Examiner12Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW : 1915-1954), Monday 3 June 1940, p 4. in a June 1940 report titled “Fine Military Record” details ‘The Begbie family have figured in wars for the past century and a half. Mr. Arthur Vernon Begbie, aged 72 years, father of the Rev. A. Campbell Begbie, minister in charge of the Presbyterian Church, South Grafton, can relate many fine tales of gallant deeds and sacrifices by members of his family, His grandfather, Peter James Begbie, was a Major-General and was attached to the Madras Artillery in the late seventies, his father, Major-General Elphinstone Begbie, C.B. earned the D.S.O. and died at the age of 95 years early in the Great War. Arthur Vernon Begbie attempted to join the army in the 1914-18 struggle but was rejected on account of his age. Three sons, however, participated in the last war, John gained a sergeant’s stripe, and was later killed in France after serving in the Gallipoli campaign, Donald paid the supreme sacrifice, and Percival died sometime after returning to Australia following the signing of the Armistice as the result of wounds received in battle. The three brothers all served with the 20th Battalion, machine-gun section, and enlisted at the same time [sic]. Three other sons, Herbert Alexander and Reginald, will join the colors on Wednesday in this war, and another son, the Rev. A. Campbell Begbie, of South Grafton, expects to be called in the near future as a member of the seventh division of the 2nd A.I.F’.