He spent some time at Coonamble NSW where his sister Nellie (nee Jessop) Mulcahy lived. The following details may have to be checked: Re: Samuel "Private" No 1692 enlisted 11th May 1915, aged 18 years and 11 months, five foot eight inches, complexion dark, hair dark brown, permission signed M.Cahir(mother). Married Mary McMahon. Landed Gallipoli 1915 - bronchitis 15th December 1915. Auxilliary Hosp. Helliopolis-Cairo Jan 1916 Transferred to 59th Battalion 8th April 1916 Killed in action Fromelles-France 19th July 1916 Burried VC corner, Australian Cemetery, Fromelles, France. This is a lawn cemetery with names commemorated on a screen wall. See panel 16 for Jessop. The cemetery is 2 miles from Fromelles on Rue Delvas Genealogical Directory. DEANE 1872 + Geelong, Vic, Aus (20566). 1866 + Sydney. NSW. Aus (20711) or 1700-75 Tullamore, Kings, Off, Irl (22943)
Note
The Battle of Fromelles was a diversionary action to assist the British. General Pompeyelliott pleaded with the British General H to cancel the operation as it would be a massacre. The Germans had machine guns sited on both sides of the advance. The Australians had no chance and over five thousand five hundred were wounded, killed or missing in one day. Elliott stressed "My beautiful boys could have done no more!" He committed suicide in 1931 as a consequence of this.
from Tom Stephens: 20July2016: Having had the centenary anniversary of Sam Jessop's death drawn to my attention by Genevieve and Michael Slattery, and having recently cycled near to this area, I have been looking more closely at the records online and elsewhere about Mum's (half-) Uncle, Sam Jessop - who was a casualty of WWI near Fromelles in 1916. His death date is widely recorded as 19th July 1916; however, you will see that because of some confusion about whether he had in fact survived Fromelles, the Red Cross did some closer interviews of various soldiers who were contemporaries and at that battlefront. The report judged to be the most reliable comes from informant "Wather, S.E." which suggests that Sam Jessop was killed in action near Fromelles in the frontline trenches of nearby Fleurbaix around 26th July 1916; Sam had recently been made a Sergeant in the AIF 59th Battalion. He had the previous year fought and survived Gallipoli.
You will see below that his name will be projected onto the outside of the Australian War memorial at the times listed below over the period ahead while the centenary of this War is marked.
In the book "The descendants of George & Bridget Jessop - 150 Years in Australia 1839-1989" at p. 55 it is recorded that Sam's wife was Mary McMahon (in the subsequent family tree her maiden name is given as Jacobs); and the book records that they had one daughter Thelma who also died in 1916.
There is an interesting on-line record of papers that relate to Sam Jessop at the following site, which includes a copy of the letter that his mother - Rebecca nee Higgins, later Cahir - wrote, trying to ensure that her letters posted to him in 1916 got through to him; she was at that time under the mistaken belief/hope that he was held as a prisoner of war by the Germans.
These references have been usefully all added to his spot in the family genealogy that are mostly maintained by Paul Stephens.
Location on the Roll of Honour Samuel Jessop's name is located at 168 in theCommemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial (as indicated by the poppy on the plan). Plan of Commemorative area showing which panel the name Samuel Jessop's is located Roll of Honour name projection Samuel Jessop's name will be projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory on: Fri 12 August, 2016 at 10:22 pm Sat 1 October, 2016 at 7:24 pm Thu 1 December, 2016 at 2:22 am Sat 4 February, 2017 at 10:11 pm Sun 2 April, 2017 at 2:05 am Thu 18 May, 2017 at 8:05 pm Fri 30 June, 2017 at 12:19 am Sat 12 August, 2017 at 7:19 pm Sun 1 October, 2017 at 12:43 am Thu 30 November, 2017 at 9:43 pm Sun 4 February, 2018 at 4:05 am These dates and times are estimates. Please note that previous advised times on this site have recently been changed to ensure that early evening projections are clearly visible and not affected by twilight. The actual time of projection could also change as a result of weather and other factors, so it is advisable to check closer to the date. In the rare event of a temporary loss of electrical power, the names scheduled for display in that period will not appear until the next time listed. Read more about the Roll of Honour name projections To: familystephenswa@gmail.com; tom.stephens51@bigpond.com From: familystephens@hotmail.com Subject: Sam Jessop Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2016 14:15:46 +0800
File note: Samuel Jessop
59th Bat A.I.F. – Jessop A (deleted; S.F also deleted) (Samuel) 1692. (m. July 19th.’16) Witness says he saw soldier killed in his dug-out in first line of trenches at Fleur Baix, about July 26th., ’16. Witness was close to solider at the time of his death. Soldier was with two other sergeants talking, when a shell exploded and killed all three. Soldier lived about an hour afterwards, but remembered nothing. Witness knew him well. Description. Hgt 5ft7. Fair complexion. Informant. Wather. S.E. 4962 55th (57th?) Battalion A.I.F. Soldier was just promoted to Sergeant February 2nd, 1917
Fromelles has a number of Commonwealth War Graves, including the V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial on the Rue Delvas. It is visible on Google Maps and there are a number of photos of the cemetery attached there. The CWGC online site records at this cemetery Samuel Jessop as a private 1692 of the AIF with memorial reference, 16; this is a numerical reference which is associated with a large number of casualties recorded for this cemetery. Perhaps it is a wall plaque where Sam Jessop’s name is included along with many other names of soldiers who were killed in action and who do not have a known individual specific burial site. About 1.8kms away is Fleurbaix – which is the location of a number of war cemeteries, including the Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery; it is also visible on Google maps at Rue du Petillon Fleurbaix and there are photos there on line attached; there are a large number of individual headstones at this cemetery. The online list of the names of those buried here does NOT include Samuel Jessop. Sam Jessop’s enlistment as documented in the “descendants of George & Bridget Jessop – 150 years in Australia 1839-1989” at p.55 Online at the AWM there is a set of papers from the Australian Red Cross Society that refer to Samuel Jessop (1692) – which detail the efforts taken to establish his death; these papers make it clear that earlier uncertainty was based on some confusion where there are details of another soldier with the same or similar surname, variously recorded as either Jessop or Jessup. These papers include a handwritten letter from Sam’s mother Rebecca (by then "Cahir", she had remarried) trying to get her letters delivered to him in 1916 in the mistaken/hopeful belief that he was a German prisoner of War.
Born Samuel JESSOP 1896 1 Location Katamatite, VIC Eyes Brown Hair Dk Brown Height 5' 8" Father George Mother Rebecca Agnes HIGGINS Brothers Sisters
Marriage Mary JACOBS 8-Dec-1914 2 Location Numurkah VIC Children Thelma Dory 1915
Military Honours
Medals Awarded are:
1914/15 Star British War Medal-1914-1918 Allied Victory Medal 1914-1919
Career and General working notes 3 Samuel was married on 8 Dec 1914 and signed up for Military Service in 11 May 1915; joining the 6th Infantry Brigade, 22nd Infantry Battalion, 2nd reinforcements. After service in Gallipoli he was transferred to 59th Australian Infantry Battalion and went on to active service in Europe (i.e. on the Somme in France). Samuel was killed in France the following year. His wife Mary remarried in 1917 Samuels Military records show a Mary McMahon signing for his medals.
Died In the field France 19-Jul-1916 4 Location Killed in Action in the field France
Individuals - Stephens History
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