John Campbell Ross (1899–2009) — last Australian World War I veteran

Military service

Ross’s military record spans two world wars in different capacities. In the First World War he trained as a wireless operator while remaining in Australia. Two decades later he joined the Volunteer Defence Corps during the Second World War, serving as a corporal with the 20th Battalion. His later wartime role was part of Australia’s home defence effort during a period of heightened concern about the threat to the mainland (Second World War service).

Civilian life and career

Outside the armed forces Ross spent most of his working life with the state railway system. He worked for Victorian Railways until his retirement in 1964, a long career in public transport that reflected the steady civic lives of many veterans of his generation (Victorian Railways).

Honours, recognition and civic commemorations

In later life Ross received several commemorative awards recognising his connection to the First World War era. He was presented with the 80th Anniversary Armistice Medal on 11 November 1998 (80th Anniversary Armistice Medal) and later received the Centenary Medal in recognition of his contributions across the century (Centenary Medal). For his 110th birthday he received a congratulatory letter from the Prime Minister of Australia (Prime Minister) and from Kevin Rudd, a gesture that drew public attention to the dwindling number of veterans from the First World War.

Family, final years and death

Ross married Irene Laird, who predeceased him by many years. He was survived by a son, Robert, a daughter, Peggy Ashburn, four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. In his last years he lived in Bendigo and died peacefully in his sleep at the Golden Oaks Nursing Home on 3 June 2009 at the age of 110 (Golden Oaks Nursing Home).

Legacy and notable distinctions

After the death of William Evan Allan in October 2005, Ross became widely regarded as the last Australian "digger" from the First World War. That distinction is sometimes qualified: other First World War veterans, such as Claude Choules, served with British forces and later lived in Western Australia, so debates about national attribution and residency have appeared in contemporary reports. Ross also became Australia's oldest man in June 2007 following the death of Frank Scarrabelotti and was at one point verified as the oldest person in Australia after the passing of E. Beatrice Riley.

• Enlisted: January 1918 (First AIF, wireless operator)
• Second World War: corporal, 20th Battalion, Volunteer Defence Corps (see service)
• Civilian career: Victorian Railways (retired 1964) (workplace)
• Honours: 80th Anniversary Armistice Medal (commemoration), Centenary Medal (centenary)

John Campbell Ross’s life spanned three centuries of rapid social and technological change. He is remembered both as a member of the large cohort of Australians who answered the call during the First World War era and as a public figure whose longevity drew attention to the living links between modern Australia and its early twentieth-century history.