This small Second World War memorial from St. Clement's Anglican church at Newry was added to St. John's at Maffra after St. Clement's, which had served the community since 1871, closed in 1965. It was originally a three-light ornamental window, ordered by the Reverend HV Cairns in December 1950, on behalf of Jessep's parents, John Robert and Annie Elizabeth Jessep, 'Willow Park', Newry. The Cross and Grape Vine symbols were in the central light and 'IHS' and 'Alpha and Omega' symbols inset into the two outer lights. When the window was moved to St. John's it was cut down to a single light and installed in an opening behind the organ console. It is ikely that each of the three inscriptions was originally in each of the three lights.
Robert (Bob) John Jessep was a farmer at Maffra when he enlisted at Royal Park on 9 June 1941. On 12 August 1941 he was posted to 8 Reinforcements, 2/24 Battalion as Acting Corporal, a position he held intermittently throughout his army life. The reinforcements left Sydney for the Middle East on 25 September and Jessep served in Libya until he was killed in action on 31 October 1942 and buried 'in the field'. Hewas interred at El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt.
References & Acknowledgements
AWM Roll of Honour; NAA: B883, VX57397; Brooks, Robinson & Co. job books 1923-c.1966; June Lawson, et al, Meals, Memories and Maffra, 1997; www.cwgc.org.
