WILSON, James Maitland
| Service Number: | 929 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 September 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 1st Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia, 24 January 1891 |
| Home Town: | Eaglehawk, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Menin Road, Belgium, 20 September 1917, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery Plot Ii, Row A, Grave No. 8 |
| Memorials: | Eaglehawk St Peter's Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 929, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 929, 7th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 929, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 929, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW right scalp. | |
| 14 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
| 8 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 929, 7th Infantry Battalion, The August Offensive - Lone Pine, Suvla Bay, Sari Bair, The Nek and Hill 60 - Gallipoli | |
| 1 Sep 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 Nov 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 Feb 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Company Quartermaster Sergeant, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Company Quartermaster Sergeant, 1st Pioneer Battalion | |
| 24 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 1st Pioneer Battalion | |
| 20 May 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 929, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Attached to 2nd Australian Tunnelling Coy. | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 1st Pioneer Battalion | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 929, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 8 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 929, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Mouquet Farm | |
| 20 Jan 1917: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, Mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig's dispatch of 13/11/16 for distinguished services and devotion to duty in the field. | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 929, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Menin Road, Killed in action | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Involvement Lieutenant, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 1st Australian Pioneer Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-09-20 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Larna Malone
James Maitland Wilson, known as ‘Snowy”, was born in Eaglehawk, the son of James & Emily Wilson, of Kirkwood Street, Eaglehawk. He was a miner/mine manager and working in Qld until the outbreak of war. He Returned to Eaglehawk before volunteering for the Expeditionary Force. He was 23 years & 8 months old, and had no previous military service. He Enlisted for the Second Expeditionary Force on 11/9/14. At Broadmeadows Camp men were being “weeded out” (i.e. rejected as unsuitable). Some of the later volunteers were drafted into the 1st force to fill vacancies. James Maitland Wilson was one of the men drafted into the 1st Expeditionary Force. He was allotted Service no. 929 and appointed to ‘H’ Company, 7th Battalion.
He missed out on the special Send-Off provided in Eaglehawk for the volunteers of the 2nd Expeditionary Force. The mementos provided by the Eaglehawk committee were given to his relatives.
The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’. Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids. (6/12/14)
In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized. In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company. This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.
The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915. James Maitland Wilson was wounded during the early stages of the Landing, sustaining a scalp wound on the right side of his head. He was treated on board HMT Lutzow, and was not admitted to hospital.
In May, Lieut.-General Sir W.R. Birdwood, in command of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, was asked to provide part of the Australian force to assist in a British offensive at Cape Helles. The 2nd Australian Brigade, which included the 7th Battalion, was one of two brigades provided. The 7th Battalion left Anzac and disembarked at ‘V’ Beach, Cape Helles, on May 6th. The battalion moved forward on May 8th in what was later known as the “2nd Battle of Krithia” (8-11 May). This battle achieved minimal gain and casualties were extremely high.
James Maitland Wilson was Appointed Lance Corporal on 14th May. The battalion returned to Anzac Cove on 17th May 1915.
On August 8th the 7th Battalion moved into position at Lone Pine, preparing to participate in a Diversionary attack on the Turkish trenches on the 400 Plateau. ‘D’ Company, under Lieut. W. J. Symons, was on the left, manning the line from Wood’s Post to Goldenstedt’s Post. Heavy fighting ensued with multiple casualties. The battalion remained in the sector, helping to “clean up” after the fighting.
“At present we are having 2 pretty hard days in the trenches, then 2 days out for a rest, so that is not too bad . . . . ‘Ding’ and ‘Snowy’ Wilson are here with me, two very good lads. They are lance-corporals, one step under me . . . . “ Note: Ding = Harry Dinwall . “Snowy” = James Maitland Wilson. [Letter. Cpl John Truesdale. August 1915. Pub. Bendigo Advertiser October 16 1915]
On September 1, James Maitland Wilson was promoted to Corporal. On September 13, the battalion embarked for Lemnos & marched to Sarpi Camp. The health of the men was of great concern and it was hoped to improve this by an extended period of rest. The men were fed well, but the improvement in the men’s health was to be very slow indeed. Corporal Wilson was promoted to Sergeant and A/CQMS on 15/11/15. The battalion returned to Anzac on November 21st.
In December preparations began for the evacuation of Anzac. The 7th Battalion was withdrawn on the night of December 19th. They embarked for Lemnos and disembarked in Egypt on 6th January 1916. The Force was re-organized and new subsidiary units were created. One Pioneer Battalion was formed for each infantry division.
Wilson: “They had formed a new battalion, called the 1st Pioneer Battalion – the first of its kind to be formed by Australians – their work being chiefly mining”. [Bendigonian June 1, 1916]
James Maitland Wilson transferred to the 1st Pioneer Battalion on 15/3/16. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 24/3/16. Later, he was attached to 172 Company R.E. (Tunnelling), directing all mining work (7/5/16). He was Mentioned in Despatches for ‘distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty in the field.’ He was promoted to Lieutenant on 1/7/16 and rejoined the 1st Pioneer Battalion on 2/7/16.
James Maitland Wilson was KIA on 20/9/17. He was Buried in Belgian Battery Corner Military Cemetery, Ypres.
“The First Lot. 7th Battalion. The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone
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