General News
11 August, 2026
In memory of a Digger
FOR 81 years, the grave of World War I soldier Private William Gordon Johnston lay unmarked in the Innisfail Cemetery, his bravery and sacrifice all but forgotten.
That changed in May, when family and Innisfail RSL members gathered for a dedication service to unveil a new headstone, finally giving the decorated Digger the recognition he earned on the battlefields of France.
The tribute was made possible through the efforts of his granddaughter Jenny and her husband, local war historian Tony Derksen, who worked with family members to ensure Mr Johnston’s life and distinguished service were honoured.
Born on 18 April 1893 in Hertford, England, his early life was marked by hardship. After his father died in 1900, he and his five siblings were placed in the London Orphanage Asylum.
Expelled at 15, he found work through the Church of England as an apprentice draper for Burnett and Company, London. In 1912, he immigrated to Australia aboard the S.S. Waipora, unknowingly travelling alongside fellow orphanage resident Catherine Corderoy, whom he would later marry.
Mr Johnston worked on cattle stations near Hughenden before taking up pineapple farming at Manton, west of Townsville.
With the outbreak of World War I, he attempted to enlist in Townsville in August 1916 but was medically discharged.
Determined to serve, he travelled to Brisbane and successfully enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 5 September 1916.
He married Catherine the following month and embarked overseas with the 10th reinforcement of the 7th Machine Gun Company aboard R.M.S. Ormah in January 1917.
Serving with the 12th Machine Gun Company, Mr Johnston displayed remarkable courage during heavy fighting near Millencourt and Lavieville, France in March 1918.
When enemy forces advanced at daybreak, he and Private Bruce hauled their Vickers gun onto the railway line, forcing the attackers back under devastating fire.
Mr Johnston shielded his comrade with his own body, remaining at his post despite being wounded. For his actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for ‘conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty’ which he received from King George the fifth at Buckingham Palace.
After returning to Australia in May 1919, Mr Johnston took up soldier settlement farming in the Glasshouse Mountains before moving to Charters Towers and later Innisfail, working as a linesman with the Post Masters general department.
He also served part-time during World War II with the Army’s Lines of Communication. The couple raised four children.
In 1945, he was fatally injured when a telegraph pole snapped while he was working. He died on 28 July 1945, aged 52, and was buried in an unmarked grave.
Eldest grandson Donald Johnston, aged 86, described his grandfather “as a tall man, who was firm but a kind person.”
In 2025, Tony Derksen discovered the Department of Veterans’ Affairs marking first world war private graves grants program and, with support from Mr Johnston’s descendants, secured funding for a plaque and organised a graveside dedication service.
The family extended gratitude to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, particularly Karen Humphreys, as well as Peter Gill, the Innisfail Uniting Church, Cassowary Coast Regional Council and the Innisfail RSL for helping honour Mr Johnston’s life and service.
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