TIMMS, James
| Service Number: | 2097 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Panmure, Victoria, Australia, 8 April 1883 |
| Home Town: | Cobden, Corangamite, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Steam Engine Driver |
| Died: | Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 September 1945, aged 62 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Naringal State School & District Great War Roll of Honor, Panmure Volunteers of Panmure who served in the Great War |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Jul 1915: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2) | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 2097, 23rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 26 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 2097, 23rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Melbourne | |
| 3 May 1917: | Wounded Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, 2097, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, 2nd Passchendaele , GSW Right Shoulder & Hand (lost middle right hand Finger) | |
| 3 May 1917: | Wounded | |
| 5 Nov 1917: | Involvement Gun Shot Wound to Left Shoulder, Departed England for Australia per H.T.Themistooles. |
James, the Grandfather I never knew.
Prior to enlisting in July 1915, James worked as an Engine Driver living in Cobden, a town located 200 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, Victoria, and about 30km north of Timboon.
He was 32 years of age when he enlisted, a lot older than most, and served at Gallipoli (ANZAC No.2097), and then in the Somme on the Western Front for about 3 years. He told dad that he knew enough not to stick his head up and take a look - not like the young ones.
He served with the 23rd Battalion, 2nd Division, 1st A.I.F. and in the 2nd Pioneers. (James' younger brother, Patrick (ANZAC No.1973), also arrived with him at Gallipoli).
James was wounded at Bapaume, France 03/05/1917. He received a gun shot wound (GSW) to the right shoulder and his right hand (he lost his second finger and recieved shrapnel wounds in his back. According to his son Kevin, he never really recovered from his wounds and was later discharged on a disability pension.
During WW2, James repaired clocks, but rumour had it that he spent his money on the horses!
My father Kevin told me that he was home on leave when the Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Dad was washing the car in North Melbourne when his father, James, came running outside to tell him and dad told him that it couldn't have been that big, probably a bit bigger than those we dropped on Germany. Little did they know.
Unfortunately James passed before I was born and I never got to know him.
Submitted 26 April 2025 by John Timms
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