Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Corporal Joshua Samuel James Crofts (Service No:WX2804) enlisted in the Army on 20 May 1940 and was attached to 2/16 Infantry Battalion when he embarked with his Unit on 25 October 1940 from Fremantle for Palestine - where he served until 29 January 1942. Corporal Crofts served in New Guinea (14 August 1942 - 9 January 1943) and was attached to 2/16 Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 20 December 1945.

Known as Josh or Jams, he was born in Fremantle, WA in 1904, fifth of eight children of Sydney (Syd) Herbert Crofts (b1871 in hertfordshire, ENgland) and May Letitia Caporn (b1873 in Fremantle, WA). Syd arrived in Australia in 1890 and was emloyed by the JC Williamson Comic Opera Company - using the stage name Syd Reidy. Syd and May married in Fremantle in 1895 and lived in Fremantle (syd was a WAGR employee and Distillery Co Manager), in Kondinin, Mt Kokeby via Beverley, Wiluna, Toodyay and Kununoppin (where Syd was a Commercial Traveller and Hotel Licensee). May died in 1929, and in 1932 in Perth, Syd remarried - Alma Kate Williams (b1894 in Terrowie, South Australia) - Alma worked in Perth as a Stenographer and Civil Servant. By 1936 Syd and Alma had settled in Perth, where Syd was a Businessman with dierse agencies and the Banff Distillery. In the early 1940s they moved to Rockingham where Syd was a Farmer.

Josh worked in Kondinin as a Storekeeper and in Beverley in 1925 he married Elvire Norma Brockman (b1902 in Beverley, WA). In the early 1930s Josh was Hotel Licensee of the Commercial Hotel in Wiluna before moving to Albany in the mid 1930s where he was a Hotel Licensee. Josh gave his address as Perth and his occupation as Farm and Station Hand in 1940 when he enlisted in the Army. By 1949 Josh and Elvire had separated - Elvire had moved to Melbourne where she was working as a Hairdresser and Josh was back in Albany where he had joined the PMGs Department as a Postal Worker. Following their Divorce in 1950, Josh remarried in 1951 in Albany - Eva Margaret Dickenson (nee Bunker; b1904 at Lake View, WA). Josh and Eva lived in Albany, where Josh was a Postal Worker and Clerk until the mid 1960s. During his time in Albany, Josh was one of a group of four golfers on the Albany course knocked unconscious when lightning struck a nearby tree - all recovered (Trove - The Beverley Times 1970). By 1968 Josh and Eva had settled in Perth, where Josh died in 1970. Eva died in Albany in 1988.