John engaged in the Third Battle of Ypres, a campaign between the allies and the German Empire, from the 1st to the 8th of October 1917. The following week was spent reorganising prior to the commencement of the Celtic Wood Operation at midnight on the 30th. He moved out for action at 11.30pm on the 19th and engaged in battle for 3 days. This period saw Westley engage in intense training and preparation until the 17th, when the Battalion marched to the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. September 1917 saw the Battalion move to Belgium in the leadup to the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge. This title made him responsible for a group of roughly 15 soldiers who he was authorised to control as a representative of the commanding officer of his Battalion. John Richard Westley, number 7357, was the 24th reinforcement of the 10th Battalion and was instantly promoted as a sergeant. The troopship docked in Europe on the 26th of August. On the 23rd of June 1917, four months after his enlistment, unit HMAT A30 ‘Borda’ embarked from Adelaide, South Australia carrying Westley onboard. His motives to sign up are likely connected to his previous military service and the extreme shortage of Australian soldiers from 1916. The 5-foot-4-inch male enlisted for war at a recruiting office in Mitcham, South Australia on the 16th of February 1917 aged 33. When he was not an active soldier, his source of income centred around farming. His previous battle experiences led him to the Boer War (1899-1902) at the age of 16, likely as a cadet due to his youth. He worked as an institutional staff member for 1 month and was still serving at the time of his WW1 enlistment. Since the age of 19, he belonged to the Seaforth Highlanders, a line infantry regiment of the British army. John had an extensive military history before serving in WW1. They resided in Eden Hills, South Australia, where their two children were born and raised. His next of kin, Ethel Westley, became his wife on May 11th of 1914. He was devoted to the Church of England and spent his life between Europe and Australia. John Richard Westley was born in Poplar, England during November of 1884.
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