James (Joe) BALSDON

BALSDON, James

Service Number: 2274
Enlisted: 27 September 1915
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 30th Infantry Battalion
Born: Blyth, Northumberland, England, 1889
Home Town: Weston, Cessnock, New South Wales
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Miner
Died: Killed In Action, France, 19 July 1916
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Kurri Kurri War Memorial, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France)
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World War 1 Service

27 Sep 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2274, Depot Battalion
11 Mar 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2274, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Sydney
11 Mar 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2274, 30th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: ''
19 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2274, 30th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix)

Help us honour James Balsdon's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Carol Foster

Son of Margaret Balsdon of Seventh Street, Weston, NSW; brother of Russell Henry Balsdon who was killed serving in the 30th Battalion, Blanche Mary Balsdon of Weston later known as Blanche Yeomans, NSW and Mrs A.B. O'Connor of 42 Gipps Street, Melbourne, Vic

Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Biography contributed by VWM Australia

Private James Balsdon was initially marked missing along with the hundered of others from the days of the 19 and 20th of July 1916. Paperwork from the Germen side came through from the American embassy with his details and dog tags. This led the AIF to mark him as Died While a Prisoner of War. 

After the war a document was provided by the German side indicating that Private Balsdon fell in the area of Fromelles on the 19 July 1916 and was never a prisoner of war as first thought. 

From the correspondance in his file it seems the family always thought that he died as a prisoner of war and not killed in action as was found in the end. 

Lest We Forget

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