BICKHAM, Colin James
| Service Number: | 5958 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Tunnelling Company (inc. 6th Tunnelling Company) |
| Born: | Newport, Victoria, Australia, 1889 |
| Home Town: | Newport, Hobsons Bay, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Williamstown, Victoria, Australia, 28 December 1966, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Altona Memorial Park, Victoria |
| Memorials: | George Town Municipality Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 5958, Tunnelling Companies | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1916: | Involvement Sapper, 5958, Tunnelling Companies, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Oct 1916: | Embarked Sapper, 5958, Tunnelling Companies, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 6 Feb 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 5958, 3rd Tunnelling Company (inc. 6th Tunnelling Company) | |
| 15 Aug 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sapper, 5958, 3rd Tunnelling Company (inc. 6th Tunnelling Company), Family reasons |
Help us honour Colin James Bickham's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Colin Bickam was a miner, working at Pine Creek, Northern Territory, when he enlisted in Darwin in June 1916. His mother lived in Lefroy, Tasmania. His father had passed away there in 1909.
His younger brother, 783 Lce. Cpl. Clifford William George Bickham 40th Battalion AIF, was killed in action at Messines on 7 June 1917, aged 20. An older brother, 784B Cpl. Charles Henry, also of the 40th Battalion AIF, was killed in action at Passchendaele in Belgium only three months later on 12 October 1917, aged 30.
Colin had arrived in France during early 1917 and was posted to the 3rd Tunnelling Company. He served until May 1918, when he was ordered to report to AIF HQ in London for return to Australia, most likely at his own request due to the death of his two brothers. He was returned to Australia during June 1918.
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