Joseph Johnson was born on 10 November 1884 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. The sixth of nine children to William Johnson and Mary Featherstone, he grew up in Coxlodge and as a child probably played football, after all, the family lived only 3 kilometres from the home ground of Newcastle United, English League champions in 1904/05, 1906/07 and 1908/09.
Joseph married Elizabeth Hall in July 1911 and two months later they welcomed the arrival of their first child, Margaret. By this time Joseph was in the middle of a five-year apprenticeship as a painter and soon after completing his qualifications he, Elizabeth and infant Margaret emigrated to Western Australia. The young family settled in the Wheatbelt town of Narrogin where Joseph found employment as a painter.
And when a regional football league kicked off in the region in 1913, he was quick to put his hand up to wear the Narrogin’s black and white stripes in competitive fixtures against neighbouring towns Cuballing and Toolibin. Joseph also figured prominently on the right wing in friendly outings with south west towns Collie and Katanning – scoring twice against the latter – as well as visiting metropolitan league teams Rangers Glebe, Training College and Thistle. In September 1914, soon after the season had wrapped up, Joseph and Elizabeth celebrated the birth of their second child, Joseph junior.
Joseph enlisted as a Private with the 28th Battalion in July 1915. He arrived in Egypt late in the year and by the end of January had joined his unit in France, where he was promoted to Lance Corporal. In July 1916 Joseph suffered gun shot wounds to the shoulder, neck and back while fighting at Pozieres and, after assessment in the field, was sent to hospital in London, England. In time, Joseph would be diagnosed with chronic rheumatism.
He spent twelve months regaining his strength at No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs before, in September 1917, joining the administrative headquarters of the Army Ordnance Corps in London. He remained there through to the end of the war, by which time he’d been promoted to Extra Regimental Sergeant.
On returning to Australia in late 1919, Joseph accepted a position as a painter with Western Australian Government Railways. Consequently, the family moved around a bit with stints in Brookton, Narrogin and Kalgoorlie. On retiring from working life in 1949, Joseph and Elizabeth settled in the inner Perth suburb of Maylands. 44 years of marriage ended when Elizabeth passed away in 1955.
Joseph Johnson was 82 when he passed away on 15 May, 1967, in Nedlands. He was most likely in care at Hollywood Repatriation Hospital.