OXENHAM, Joseph
| Service Number: | 3540 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Northampton, Western Australia, Australia, 15 October 1894 |
| Home Town: | Northampton, Northampton, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | 1980, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Northampton WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3540, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 3540, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 3540, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Benalla, Fremantle | |
| 20 Jun 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Joseph Oxenham was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry at Zonnebeke in Belgium on the 26 September 1917 when he was in charge of a section of men which he very skilfully handled during an advance under heavy fire. He captured 12 prisoners, took all of his objectives, consolidated the position and then led a party of stretcher bearers to recover wounded men. He personally removed three men to safety at great personal risk. He suffered a gunshot wound to the face the next day and was evacuated to England for several months.
He was awarded a Bar to the Military Medal for bravery on the 23 August 1918 when he worked his way through a German trench system, overcoming opposition wherever he met it. After throwing bombs into one enemy post, he rushed it and killed or captured the whole garrison. This action occurred at the same place Lieutenant Lawrence Dominic McCarthy won his “Super VC”.
Oxenham returned to Australia in February 1919.