John Malbon Maughan

A School Monitor in School House, John was awarded the Macarthur Scholarship and in 1895, the Broughton Scholarship. Dux of the School in 1895, having won the Form Prize the previous two years, he also won the Form VI Maths Prize. A member of the 1st XV for two years, John left School to study Law. The recipient of the Broughton and Forrest Exhibition, John graduated from Balliol College, Oxford with Honours. Admitted as a solicitor in 1906, John eventually became a partner in a Sydney firm with Mr Houghton Bradley.

With the introduction of Compulsory Military training in 1911, John, together with other Old Boys, volunteered as Cadet Officers at Erskinville and was amongst the first to join up when war broke out in 1914. In September he found himself as a Lieutenant and later Commanding Officer of the Australian Naval and Military expedition to German possessions in the Pacific, taking administrative control of Bougainville and Buka. Returning to Australia now as a Captain, John embarked again for Gallipoli as Commanding Officer of D Company, 17th Battalion. Evacuated from Gallipoli and promoted to Major, John went to France where in 1916 at Pozieres, he received the Distinguished Service Order for conspicuous gallantry during a bomb fight by exposing himself to enemy fire to light up the way for his troops. He was wounded during this action, but was able to command the 20th Battalion in the advance of Bapaume and the 5th Training Battalion at Salisbury Plain. In 1918 John was eventually invalided back to Australia.

On returning to Australia John quickly immersed himself in community activities as Honorary Secretary to The King's School Old Boys' Union and as Vice President of the NSW Law Institute. He continued for some years as the commanding officer of the 19th Battalion AMF, and was appointed a member of the first Returned Soldiers' Repatriation Committee. For fourteen years John was Chief Commissioner of the Boys Scouts Association in NSW. John continued to practise Law and had just retired before his death in September 1950.