John Bashall arrived in Australia with his family from England in 1913. In 1914 and 1915 he represented Lancashire Society in Metropolitan Association matches. He served at the Western Front where he was twice wounded, a gunshot wound to the left thigh in September 1917 and then one to the left knee on 18 September 1918 when displaying conspicuous gallantry in the 4th Light Trench Mortar Battery. It did not go unnoticed and Corporal Bashall was awarded a Military Medal.
“The consummation of his gallantry was when after locating a Machine Gun which was impeding the advance of the Company to which he was attached, he rushed one of his mortars forward under severe machine gun fire and directing its fire succeeded in dislodging the gun. At this moment the advance looked like being seriously hampered by the effective fire from this Machine Gun. With utter personal disregard for his own safety, although sniped at the whole time, Corporal BASHALL observed coolly and accurately the fire of his Mortar. He was at last badly wounded by a sniper whilst doing this.” Commonwealth Gazette No. 115.
Upon his return to Sydney, and despite his wounds, he turned out for Lancashire Society for one more season in 1920. John Bashall died in Sydney in 1976, aged 82.