FRANCIS, James William
| Service Numbers: | 4305, 4350 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 47th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, 8 July 1888 |
| Home Town: | Laidley, Lockyer Valley, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Blacksmith |
| Died: | Laidley, Queensland, Australia, 25 August 1931, aged 43 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Laidley Cemetery, Qld |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Laidley Memorial Park Gates |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4305, 47th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 4305, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
| 17 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 4305, 31st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Brisbane | |
| 5 Mar 1918: | Imprisoned Bullecourt (Second) | |
| 5 Mar 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4305, 47th Infantry Battalion, per HT Nevasa | |
| 8 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 4350, 47th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private James William Francis (Service No:4305) enlisted in the AIF on 4 January 1916 and was attached to 31st Infantry Battalion on 17 November 1916 when he embarked from Brisbane on board HMAT Kyara A55 for England. Private Francis was hospitalised in England with Mumps, and was in France on 5 April 1918 when he was reported Misiing in Action - confirmed PoW in German hands on 2 May 1918. His Obituary (Queensland Times; 29 August 1930) relates that he was captured at Bullencourt and escaped from German lines the night before the signing of the Armistace 'His escape was effected with three companions, who being unobserved, dug an outlet in the trench in which they were confined, and left unnoticed during the night, eventually linking up with the Allied Forces'. Private Francis embarked for the RTA on 5 March 1919 on board HT Nevasa and was Discharged on the 8 June 1919.
Born in 1888 in Ipswich QLD, Jim was the second of nine children of Jacob Francis (b1862 in Wagga Wagga, NSW) and Elizabeth (Annie) Ann McBean (b1864 in Ipswich, QLD). Jacob and Annie married in 1885 in Ipswich, QLD and lived in Ipswich, Ma Ma Creek, Grandchester, Roma and Laidley where Jacob was a Blacksmith.
Jim worked as a Blacksmith with his father in Laidley, and in 1921 married Hilda May Randall (b1896 in Laidley, QLD). Jim and Hilda settled in Laidley where Jim was a member of the North Star Cricket Club. In 1930 Jim was admitted to Rosemount Military Hospital where he died in August. Hilda later remarried and died in 1948.
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