John Eric Shiels was born on 18 September 1914 at Muswellbrook to Victor Paul Shiels and Martha M Fuller.
John enlisted in the Australian Army on 21 May 1941 at Gloucester and was aged 26 years and 8 months stating his occupation as bush worker and his father Victor Paul Shiels of Upper Lansdowne as his next of kin.
John was originally posted to 5 Training Battalion, Tamworth.
On 3 September 1941 he disembarked from Sydney arriving in the Middle East on 23 September 1941. He returned from the Middle East on 9 February 1942.
John was then sent to New Guinea in September 1942 where he was wounded in action. He then returned to Brisbane from New Guinea on 8 January 1943.
When John was discharged on 24 March 1944 he was posted to Reinforcements 2/4 Battalion.
John’s brothers Earle, Walter and Royden and his sister Edna also enlisted during WW2.
John died at Quirindi on 14 August 1985 aged 71.
