John Patton honoured with RSL headstone for family’s wartime service

A family patriarch whose five sons served in World War II lay in an unmarked grave for decades, until his grandson asked for help honour the family’s wartime sacrifice.

A family patriarch whose five sons served in World War II lay in an unmarked grave for decades, until his grandson asked the local RSL to help honour the family’s wartime sacrifice.

Imagine a Mackay boy as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany who, when peace was finally declared, saw that the RAF pilot coming to his rescue was his brother.

Ernest Patton was one of five brothers who served in World War II, alongside Harold, the brother who would fly him away from the POW camp and “all sorts of atrocities”.

“Can you imagine that after two or three years of being in a prisoner of war camp?” Ernest’s nephew Tim Patton said.

“The war’s over and you’re getting taken back to England, and off the plane comes your brother.

“I can’t bring words to it.”

Mackay's John Patton fathered six sons and two daughters. Five of his sons served Australia in World War Two. He lies at present in an unmarked grave in Mackay Town Cemetery on Cemetery Rd. Picture: Timothy Patton

To Tim the unlikely reunion was like “a Hollywood movie”, one of the “amazing” and tragic stories that formed his family’s wartime contribution.

Ernest’s father John Patton raised eight children in the family home on Peel Street, five of which grew up to defend Australia and its allies.

Yet only four came home.

The Patton patriarch had been resting in an unmarked grave in Mackay Cemetery, until his grandson Tim reached out to the RSL to honour the family’s sacrifice.

Mackay RSL helped organise a tombstone for John Patton, whose sons served in World War II across the world. Photo: Zoe Devenport

A new headstone was commissioned with the support of Mackay RSL sub-branch president Ken Higgins, honouring John Patton and his family’s contribution to the war effort.

“While (John Patton) didn’t serve as a soldier, five of his sons all served in different theatres of war,” Tim said to a gathered group of family and RSL representatives.

John Patton's family and descendants at the tombstone ceremony supported by Mackay RSL. Photo: Zoe Devenport

“From Britain to New Guinea, Borneo, one … a prisoner of war in Italy and Germany.

“And one … was killed … shot down in Milne Bay (in Papua New Guinea).

Family photos and wartime medals at the tombstone ceremony for John Patton supported by Mackay RSL. Photo: Zoe Devenport

“So he made a massive contribution, provided five sons to protect Australia (and) thankfully Ken (Higgins) and the RSL agreed that was a contribution worth getting behind.”

Mackay Monumental Masons created the white headstone with financial contribution from the Patton family and the Mackay RSL sub-branch.

Tim said John Patton was born in Ireland in 1880, emigrating to Australia and working as a labourer “in the depression years (doing) anything that they could make a make a buck”.

Mackay RSL's Nichole Hood and Ken Higgins with Tim Patton at the tombstone ceremony for his grandfather John Patton. Photo: Zoe Devenport

He said it was a “travesty” so many graves went unmarked in the lean years immediately after the war.

But Tim said he and the rest of the family felt “absolutely fantastic” to have honoured their grandfather, as well as their fathers and uncles, with the headstone.

“Now there’s somewhere for us and the next generation and the next generation to come along and see their family,” he said.