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Historian seeks descendants of World War One soldier John Samuel Gant
Overview
Former BBC broadcaster and Suffolk historian Gerald Main is working to trace the descendants of World War One soldier John Samuel Gant as part of a project to create a lasting tribute in Hintlesham. Gant, born in Whatfield in 1887, emigrated to Australia, enlisted in the Australian Infantry in 1916, and earned the Military Medal for Gallantry for his service on the Western Front before dying of pneumonia shortly after the 1918 armistice.
Key points
- Historian Gerald Main is searching for descendants of World War One soldier John Samuel Gant.
- Gant was born in Whatfield in 1887 and later emigrated to Queensland, Australia, where he worked as a farm labourer.
- He joined the Australian Infantry in 1916 and served on the Western Front in France.
- Gant received the Military Medal for Gallantry after serving as a company runner during the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin.
- He was shot twice during the war and died of pneumonia eight days after the armistice in 1918.
- Main hopes to find a photograph of Gant so an Australian artist can create a portrait for a memorial tribute in Hintlesham.