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John Chalmers, George Cross (11 March 1894 – 29 March 1982) was a New Zealand-born Australian exchange recipient of the George Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry awarded to civilians or to military personnel for actions "not in the face of the enemy" in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. A member of the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, Chalmers was awarded the Albert Medal in 1922 for his actions in rescuing a swimmer during a shark attack at Coogee Beach. With the establishment of the George Cross, the Albert Medal was discontinued and, in 1971, living recipients of the decoration were invited to exchange their medal for the George Cross; Chalmers took up the offer and formally became a recipient of the George Cross.
On 5 October 1915, Chalmers enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force for service during the First World War. Allotted to the 7th Reinforcements of the 25th Battalion as a private, he embarked from Brisbane aboard HMAT Itonus on 30 December. Arriving in Egypt, Chalmers was re-allocated to the newly formed 47th Battalion on 9 March 1916, following an expansion of the Australian forces. Following a period of training, Chalmers was shipped from Alexandria along with the rest of his battalion in June, bound for the Western Front.
Disembarking at Marseille on 9 June 1916, the 47th Battalion moved into the trenches the following month, where it took part in its first major action of the war at Pozières. For the remainder of the year, Chalmers served alternating stints in the trenches and training behind the frontlines with his battalion. Having contracted trench foot, Chalmers was evacuated to England for treatment in February 1917. During this time, Chalmers married Jessie Alice Courtenay at the register office, Dorset, on 30 July 1917; the pair were later to have a son and a daughter. Having sufficiently recovered, he rejoined the 47th Battalion in France during September.
Serving at Messines and Passchendaele, Chalmers was transferred to the 45th Battalion on 25 April 1918. Following action at Amiens, he was granted three weeks leave to the United Kingdom in September. Following the Armistice, Chalmers returned to Australia on 3 July 1919 and was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 18 October.
Re-settling in Sydney with his wife, Chalmers joined the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. In 1921, he won belt races at several beaches around Sydney, and won the Australian Lifesaving Belt Championship the following year.
Chalmers actions during the incident were widely publicised in the media, with The Sydney Mail describing the rescue as "one of the most glorious deeds of gallantry ever recorded in Australia". Both Chalmers and Beaurepaire were awarded medals from the Royal Shipwreck Relief & Humane Society of New South Wales and the Surf Life Saving Association of New South Wales. On 7 July 1922, the announcement and accompanying citation for Chalmers to be awarded the Albert Medal was published in the London Gazette, reading:
Chalmers and Beaurepaire were both granted life memberships with the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club and North Bondi Surf Life Saving Clubs for their efforts during the rescue. Following fund raising by the public, Chalmers was given £3,000, which he used to repay the mortgage on his home and place a deposit on a truck.
Chalmers retained his affiliation with the Surf Life Saving Association for the rest of his life, later being presented with their twenty-five and fifty-year service awards. During his life, Chalmers was employed as an ironworker, and later a rigger, at the Balmain shipyards. Aged 88, Chalmers died at his home in Bondi Junction on 29 March 1982; his ashes were scattered on Bondi Beach.
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