James Albert CLAYTON

James Albert CLAYTON Update Details

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CLAYTON, James Albert

Service Number:	1116
Enlisted:	6 March 1916
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	3rd Pioneer Battalion
Born:	Giles Corner, South Australia, 2 April 1888
Home Town:	Not yet discovered
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Labourer
Died:	Hamley Bridge, South Australia, 4 March 1948, aged 59 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery:	Stockport Cemetery Plot F108
Memorials:

World War 1 Service

6 Mar 1916:	Enlisted AIF WW1, 1116, 3rd Pioneer Battalion
6 Jun 1916:	Involvement Private, 1116, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: ''
6 Jun 1916:	Embarked Private, 1116, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne
28 Oct 1918:	Discharged AIF WW1, 1116, 3rd Pioneer Battalion

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Biography contributed by Paul Lemar

James was the son of Charles CLAYTON & Elizabeth LITTLE and was born on the 2nd of May 1888 at Giles Corner, near Riverton, SA.

His parents were married on the 21st of July 1876 in the Wesleyan Parsonage, Brompton, SA.

His father was the son of Thomas CLAYTON & Edith ROWNEY and was born on the 21st of May 1852 in Darley, SA.
His mother was the daughter of James LITTLE & Janet REID and was born in 1857 in Kirkintilloch, Dumbarton, Scotland.

James was the seventh child born into the family of 10 children.

His father was a blacksmith and they lived at Giles Corner, 8 kilometres south of Riverton.

The family moved to Stockport in 1903 and James and his siblings attended the Stockport Public School.

After leaving school James gained employment as a labourer and in 1914 he joined the 23rd Light Horse (CMF Barossa).

He played cricket for Stockport and was indeed a very handy bowler.

His brother Percy enlisted into the 27th Battalion, 11th Reinforcements on the 18th of December 1915 and was allotted the service number 4357.

At the age of 27, James enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 6th of March 1916 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 1116 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
His brother Percy embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on the 25th of March 1916 and the following day James was transferred to the newly formed 3rd Pioneer Battalion, D Company on the 26th of March and entrained to Melbourne on the 1st of April.

James embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A62 Wandilla on the 6th of June 1916.
He served in France for just over 2 years and then suffered from Pleurisy.
On the 5th of November 1916 his brother Percy was Killed in Action in the front line trench at Montauban.

James embarked from England on the 24th of August 1918 on board HT Medic, disembarking in Adelaide on the 11th of October.
Three days later James boarded the evening train to Stockport and was met at the station and the children of the local schools and the Red Cross Society formed a guard of honour.

On the 18th of October the residence held a welcome home for James in the District Hall and they presented him with a gold medal.

James was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 28th of October 1918.

James married Rose Annie WAITE on the 1st of May 1920 in the Church of England, Unley, SA.
Rose was the daughter of John Sullivan WAITE & Annie OSBORNE and was born on the 13th of February 1896 in Adelaide.

They made their home in Stockport and welcomed their first child; James Graham, on the 6th of March 1921.
Neil Albert was then born on the 22nd of July 1922.

Sadly Rose died on the 9th of March 1936 in hospital in Adelaide after a long illness.
After Rose died James and the boys battled on with the farm (mostly on their own).

With the outbreak of WW2 his son James enlisted and served with the 7th Section Australian Kit Store (S10098) on the 9th of May 1941.

Then in 1943 James joined the Riverton District Council.

James died on the 4th of March 1948 in the Hamley Bridge Hospital and was buried 2 days later in the Stockport Cemetery; Plot F108, next to his parents.

Military

He was then transferred to the newly formed 3rd Pioneer Battalion, D Company on the 26th of March and entrained to Melbourne on the 1st of April.
Detailed training began at Campbellfield shortly after and in May the Battalion marched through the streets of Melbourne, before being presented with their unit colour.
They were subsequently laid up at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne prior to embarkation.

James embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A62 Wandilla on the 6th of June 1916, sailed via Capetown and disembarked in Plymouth on the 16th of July and marched into Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain.

Between July and November they carried out intensive training to prepare them for their arrival on the Western Front.
On the 15th of November James was admitted into the Fargo Hospital for 5 days suffering with Bronchitis
On the 24th of November they entrained for Amesbury Station bound for Southampton from where they were ferried across the English Channel to Le Havre.

By the 28th they had moved to Armentieres and James and his Company were billeted at Rue De College, Grand Ecole and were engaged in making duckboards, drainage and repairing trenches.
They spent Christmas 1916 in Armentieres, remaining here for all of January 1917 and then it was here on the 10th of February that James suffered with Haemoptysis and was admitted into the 10th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 11th Australian Field Ambulance the following day.

After 6 days here James rejoined his Battalion on the 19th and they remained at Armentieres for all of March, April and May.
They then moved to Ploegsteert in early June and were engaged in preparing communication trenches and road repairs before moving into the Messines Sector on the 1st of July.

On the 25th of July James was detached for duty to the Australian Post Office in London for 8 months and spent Christmas 1917 here before proceeding back to France on the 18th of March and then rejoining his Battalion on the 8th of April at Heilly Buire.
Here they were engaged with the construction of emergency tracks, machine gun dugouts and switch lines.

It was here on the 12th of May that James suffered from Pleurisy and was admitted into the 14th Australian Field Ambulance at Daours and the transferred to the 20th Casualty Clearing Station at Vignacourt.
The following day he was transferred to the 1st Australian General in Rouen and on the 16th he was invalid to England, on board the Guildford Castle, and then admitted into the Exeter War Hospital.
James spent the next 4 weeks here before he was transferred to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield.
On the 14th of June he was granted 2 weeks furlo and then reported to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth awaiting his embarkation back to Australia.

James embarked from England on the 24th of August 1918 on board HT Medic, disembarking in Adelaide on the 11th of October.

James was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 28th of October 1918 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.

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