As the Centenary of Armistice Day Approaches, Honoring My Great Uncle
Private John (Jack) Sweeney – 3rd Pioneer Battalion. Service No 325 John Sweeney, my great uncle, brother of my paternal grandmother, and known to all as Jack - to save confusion with his Dad, also John. He served with the 3rd Pioneer Battalion on the Western Front and was killed in action and is buried in France. The tragedy of his death was compounded with the death of his wife, shortly after the end of the war. His 3 sons were then placed in an orphanage in Geelong. The Sweeney Family came to Australia from Ireland as immigrants in 1876 and settled in Melbourne. John was the first child to be born in Australia, his two older siblings, Peter and Mary were born in Ireland and he had three younger sisters. John was born in Pharan on July 11 1880, he joined the Garrison Artillery in 1899 when he was 19 yrs. of age, this was just before the Boer War, and served with them for about 3 years. John’s service record has his occupation as a ...