William Donovan Joynt
Encyclopedia
William Donovan Joynt VC
(19 March 1889 - ), an office worker, farm labourer, soldier, farmer, printer, publisher and author, was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy given to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
On 23 August 1918 at Herleville
, near Chuignes, Peronne, France
, he performed an act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
.
On 23 August 1918, he was 29 years old, and a lieutenant
in the 8th (Victorian) Battalion
, Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, when the following events occurred.
He was subsequently badly wounded by a shell on 26 August and evacuated to England. He was promoted to captain in October 1918, and posted to AIF Headquarters in London in March 1919. He returned to Melbourne in February 1920, and was discharged on 11 June.
. By 1929 he was pursuing business interests in Melbourne, where he was a pioneer of colour printing in Australia. About 1920 he had formed Queen City Printers Pty Ltd, and subsequently formed Colarts Studios Pty Ltd and bought the rights to a German colour-printing process. Under various business names, Joynt remained a printer and publisher for over sixty years.
He married Edith Amy Garrett, a trained nurse, in a civil ceremony at Hawthorn on 19 March 1932, his forty-third birthday.
Joynt was one of a number of ex-servicemen who in 1923 founded the Legacy Club of Melbourne, the first of fifty Legacy
Clubs. He helped lead the club’s successful campaign to have Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance
built in its present form on its present site. He was active in the Militia in 1926-33, being promoted to major in February 1930.
and subsequently Puckapunyal
. From June 1942 he was camp staff officer then quartermaster at Seymour
camp.
Having passed his 55th birthday, he was placed on the Retired List as an honorary lieutenant colonel on 10 October 1944.
’ old home, Talisman, at Kallista and lived there until they built their own home nearby.
Joynt wrote three books:
His wife Edith died in 1978. The last surviving of Australia’s World War I VC recipients, he died on 5 May 1986 at Windsor
and was buried with full military honours in Brighton Cemetery
. He had no children.
.
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Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(19 March 1889 - ), an office worker, farm labourer, soldier, farmer, printer, publisher and author, was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy given to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
On 23 August 1918 at Herleville
Herleville
Herleville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Herleville is situated on the D143 road, some east of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...
, near Chuignes, Peronne, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he performed an act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Early life
Joynt was born at Elsternwick, Melbourne and educated at The Grange Preparatory School and later Melbourne Church of England Grammar School. After working in a number of office jobs in Melbourne, in 1909 he sailed to Rockhampton and worked as a farm labourer in North Queensland, the Victorian Mallee, Western Australia and Flinders IslandFlinders Island
Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group* Flinders Island...
.
First World War
He enlisted in the A.I.F. on 21 May 1915, was commissioned on 24 December 1915, and arrived in France in May 1916. He fought in France until August 1918, where he was commended in divisional orders, shot in the shoulder, and promoted to lieutenant.On 23 August 1918, he was 29 years old, and a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the 8th (Victorian) Battalion
Australian 8th Battalion
The 8th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Initially raised in 1914 for the First Australian Imperial Force during the First World War the battalion was completely recruited from Victoria and formed the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. During the war it fought at Gallipoli and in...
, Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, when the following events occurred.
- Lieutenant Joynt took charge when his company commander had been killed. When the leading battalion had been demoralized by heavy casualties, he rushed forward and reorganized the remnants of the battalion. Having discovered that heavy fire on the flanks was causing delay and casualties, he led a frontal bayonet attack on the wood, capturing it and over eighty prisoners, thus saving a critical situation. Later, at Plateau Wood, after severe hand-to-hand fighting, he turned a stubborn defence into an abject surrender.
He was subsequently badly wounded by a shell on 26 August and evacuated to England. He was promoted to captain in October 1918, and posted to AIF Headquarters in London in March 1919. He returned to Melbourne in February 1920, and was discharged on 11 June.
Inter-bellum
Having studied agriculture and sheep-breeding in England in 1919, in 1920 Joynt became a soldier settler, dairy farming near BerwickBerwick, Victoria
Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Berwick had a population of 36,420....
. By 1929 he was pursuing business interests in Melbourne, where he was a pioneer of colour printing in Australia. About 1920 he had formed Queen City Printers Pty Ltd, and subsequently formed Colarts Studios Pty Ltd and bought the rights to a German colour-printing process. Under various business names, Joynt remained a printer and publisher for over sixty years.
He married Edith Amy Garrett, a trained nurse, in a civil ceremony at Hawthorn on 19 March 1932, his forty-third birthday.
Joynt was one of a number of ex-servicemen who in 1923 founded the Legacy Club of Melbourne, the first of fifty Legacy
Legacy Australia
Legacy is an Australian organisation, established in 1923 by ex-servicemen. The organisation has the aim of caring for the dependents of deceased Australian service men and women. The dependants of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Malayan emergency and Vietnam War deceased are cared for...
Clubs. He helped lead the club’s successful campaign to have Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance
Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I and is now a memorial to all Australians who have served in war...
built in its present form on its present site. He was active in the Militia in 1926-33, being promoted to major in February 1930.
Second World War
Joynt was mobilised on 26 September 1939 and placed in command of the 3rd Garrison Battalion at Fort QueenscliffFort Queenscliff
Fort Queenscliff, in Victoria, Australia, dates from 1860 when an open battery was constructed on Shortland's Bluff to defend the entrance to Port Phillip. The Fort, which underwent major redevelopment in the late 1870s and 1880s, became the headquarters for an extensive chain of forts around Port...
and subsequently Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Victoria, south-eastern Australia.-Description:Puckapunyal is a small restricted-access town inhabited mainly by about 280...
. From June 1942 he was camp staff officer then quartermaster at Seymour
Seymour, Victoria
Seymour is a township in the Shire of Mitchell in the state of Victoria, Australia and is located north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Seymour had a population of 6,063...
camp.
Having passed his 55th birthday, he was placed on the Retired List as an honorary lieutenant colonel on 10 October 1944.
Post war
Joynt and his wife rented, then bought, Tom RobertsTom Roberts
Thomas William Roberts , usually known simply as Tom, was a prominent Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School.-Life:...
’ old home, Talisman, at Kallista and lived there until they built their own home nearby.
Joynt wrote three books:
- To Russia and back through Communist Countries, Lothian Publishing, 1971 - travel through the Soviet Union
- Saving the Channel Ports 1918, Wren Publishing 1975 - a regimental history of the 8th Battalion
- Breaking the Road for the Rest, Hyland House, 1979 - autobiography
His wife Edith died in 1978. The last surviving of Australia’s World War I VC recipients, he died on 5 May 1986 at Windsor
Windsor, Victoria
Windsor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Windsor had a population of 6394....
and was buried with full military honours in Brighton Cemetery
Brighton Cemetery
Brighton Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield South, Victoria, but takes its name from Brighton, Victoria.The Cemetery pre-dates the Caulfield Roads Board - the first official recognition of the suburb of Caulfield. Opened in 1855 it became, together with St. Kilda Cemetery, an...
. He had no children.
Medals
His Victoria Cross is held at Melbourne Grammar SchoolMelbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
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Victoria Cross Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories.... (VC) |
| British War Medal British War Medal The British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918... |
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Victory Medal (UK) |
External links
- William Donovan Joynt at Find-A-Grave
- (William) Donovan Joynt (1889-1986) Gravesite at Brighton General Cemetery (Vic)
- Lt Joint, 8th Battalion VCs, www.defence.gov.au