John O'Donnell

Who is John O'Donnell?

John P O'Donnell, was an Irish Australian soldier and poet, fl. 1915–1918.

O'Donnell was born in Tuam, County Galway in 1890, the son of an accountant in the National Bank. He served in the Australian army during World War I, arriving at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He was there eight months and wounded in that time. He later fought at the Battle of the Somme. In 1918 he was invalided home, during which time he wrote the last six poems of his only collection, dealing with the war from the perspective of an Australian.