Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born in 1922 on Laund Farm at Yandanooka, Three Springs in WA, Jimmy was the eldest of five children of Charles (Charlie) Feehan (b1895 in Yandanooka, WA) and Edith Rose Long (b1900 in Coorow, WA). Charlie (a Drover) and Edith married in 1921 in Irwin WA where they settled and raised their family. Following Edith's death in 1926, Charlie placed his three youngest children (including twins one month of age) in care of the State Children's Department, and in 1927 was fined for failing to pay maintenance for them. In the 1940s Charlie worked as a Drover and Railways Employee (Assistant to the Fitter's Assistant) and remarried in 1952 in Geraldton WA to Eileen Champion (b1899 in Coorow WA). Charlie died in 1971 in Mullewa WA.

In 1941 Jimmy was a Labourer in Perenjori WA when he enlisted in the AIF (Private; Service No:WX14366) - he gave his Next of Kin as May Cain - his adoptive mother. Jimmy served with 11/32nd Battalion and was reported Missing on 27 July 1942 and officially reported as a PoW on 29 October 1942. In his Deposition (National Archives Australia) Jimmy states he was taken PoW at El Alamein and initially taken to German HQs for questioning, then to Italian HQ at Appoloni. From there he was sent to the main prison camp at Bengahzi where ' there was very little water and food was scarce'. On 7 November 1942 Jimmy was one of a group of PoWs who boarded a ship to Bari, Italy -'by the time we arrived at our destination we were very weak from the want of food and in a filthy condition'. Jimmy was then transferred to Camp 59 at Serviglian in central Italy where he worked on surrounding farms. Jimmy reports that on 10 September 1943 he was one of a group of excapees, and travelled south by night, staying with civilians. In the middle of February 1944 he made for Mont Vittoria where he had been told the Patriots were operating. Jimmy joined the Patriots, meeting up with an American and three Russians. Based at Taravarelli, their instructions were to stop cattle falling into the hands of German troops. Running out of food, he headed down Sangro River to Allied lines, from there he was taken to Taranto and via the Middle East and New Zealand, home to Australia. Jimmy said 'I would like to thank the Red Cross for all they have done for us...' (National Archives Australia).

Jimmy was Discharged in October 1944 and was in Kalgoorlie WA when he met Ellen (Nell) Flatman (nee Payne; b1917 in Perth WA). Following her divorce, Jimmy and Nell married in 1949 and Jimmy worked as a Contractor in Kewdale WA. Jimmy and Nell later divorced and both remarried. Jimmy worked as a Farmer in Beverley WA and a Contractor in Armadale, Dongara and Perth. Jimmy died in Mandurah WA in 1992.