S12150
FORD, James Christopher
| Service Number: | 543 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron |
| Born: | Millicent, South Australia, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Millicent, Wattle Range, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | 24 November 1962, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Section: KO, Road: 7A, Site No: 38 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Oct 1914: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2), 543, 9th Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 543, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Surada embarkation_ship_number: A52 public_note: '' | |
| 6 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 543, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Surada, Melbourne | |
| 19 Apr 1917: | Wounded 543, 3rd Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron , Ford was wounded and transported to a casualty clearing station. | |
| 11 Jul 1917: | Wounded 543, 3rd Light Horse Brigade Machine Gun Squadron , Ford was discharged to Australia, due to gunshot wounds to his cranium and neck. He embarked at the Suez Canal in Egypt and disembarked in Port Sydney. | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Trooper, 543 | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 543 |
Help us honour James Christopher Ford's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
James Christopher Ford was born in approximately 1893, in Millicent, South Australia. Ford was Roman Catholic and worked as a Labourer before his enlistmen. He was unmarried and had no children. Ford enlisted 26th of October 1914,aged 21 years. He was 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed approximately 10 stone (National Archives of Australia 1999).
James Christopher Ford was a private, serving in the first reinforcement of the 9th Light Horse Brigade. His unit underwent training in Melbourne from October 1914 to February 1915. Alongside his unit, Ford embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board the HMAT A52 Surada on February 6, 1915.
In March 1915, the 9th Light Horse Brigade arrived in Egypt, where they trained for two months before being sent to Gallipoli in May 1915. While at Gallipoli, James Christopher Ford contracted influenza and was sent to the number two field A hospital for his recovery. On the 22 of August 1915, Ford was admitted and transported to Mudros. This was just five days before the catastrophic attack on Hill 60, from which the 9th Light Horse Brigade suffered heavy casualties. On the 21st of December, Ford was found guilty by the Regl.Court Martial and sentenced to 42 days detention for (1) being absent from quarters (2) being in possession of falsely altered pass (3) making use of same. Ford served his detention and returned to duty in the 9th Light Horse Brigade.
After the Gallipoli campaign, the 9th Light Horse Brigade was sent to Egypt, to join the 3rd Light Horse Reserve Regiment. During this time, they were defending Egypt from invasions from both Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. On the 6 of March 1916, Ford joined the 3rd Light Horse Reserve Regiment alongside other members of the 9th Light Horse Brigade. On the 29th March, Ford received 168 hours (one week) of detention for being absent from parade. He rejoined his unit 27 of April 1916.
On the 13 of July 1916, Ford joined the 3rd ight Horse Brigade as a part of the Machine Gun Squadron. This squadron was formed in July 1916, to provide intense gun support for the 3rd Light Horse Brigade. The Machine gun squadron fought in the first Battle of Gaza on the 26th of March 1917. The squadron also fought in the second Battle of Gaza, which took place on the 17 of April 1917. During this battle, on the 19 of April 1917, James Christopher Ford was wounded. He was admitted and transported to a casualty clearing station. Just seven days later, Ford suffered a head injury and was transported to a hospital. He was reported as dangerously ill on the 10 and 12 of May 1917. Ford was not pronounced as ‘out of danger’ until the 21 of May 1917.
James Christopher Ford was discharged from the 9th Light Horse Brigade, Machine Gun Squadron on the 5 of October 1917, due to gunshot wounds to his cranium and neck. He embarked at the Suez Canal in Egypt and disembarked in Port Sydney, SA (National Archives of Australia 1999).
James Christopher Ford was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force due to being medically unfit (not due to misconduct). James Christopher Ford died on the 24th of November 1962, at the age of 69 of unknown causes. He was interred into the West Terrace cemetery on the 30th of November 1962, just six days after his passing (Clare 2025).
Bibliography
AIF project (2025). Details. [online] Adfa.edu.au. Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=101082 [Accessed 17 Sep. 2025].
Australian War Memorial (2016). 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment. [online] Awm.gov.au. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51043 [Accessed 11 Sep. 2025].
Australian War Memorial (2025). James Christopher Ford. [online] Awm.gov.au. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2322753?image=1 [Accessed 31 Aug. 2025].
Australian War Memorial (n.d.). Mudros Harbour on the Greek island of Lemnos, with Australian camps in the foreground. The ... [online] www.awm.gov.au. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C00705 [Accessed 21 Aug. 2025].
Clare, C. (2025). Image of James Christopher Ford’s Grave. [Photograph] West Terrace Cemetery.
GALLIPOLI ASSOCIATION (n.d.). Order of Battle - MEF - The Gallipoli Association. [online] www.gallipoli-association.org. Available at: https://www.gallipoli-association.org/campaign/order-of-battle-mef/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2025].
GuildFord ANZACS (2015). MILITARY ABBREVIATIONS USED IN WW1 & REFERENCE SOURCES | Guildford Anzacs. [online] www.guildfordanzacs.org.au. Available at: https://www.guildfordanzacs.org.au/military-abbreviations-used-ww1-reference-sources [Accessed 31 Aug. 2025].
National Archives of Australia (1999). Defence and war service records | naa.gov.au. [online] www.naa.gov.au. Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4023078&isAv=N [Accessed 4 Sep. 2025].
Our Contributions (2021). HMAT A52 Surada 1.jpg. [Online Image] BirtwistleWiki. Available at: https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/File:HMAT_A52_Surada_1.jpg [Accessed 19 Sep. 2025].
South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau (2025). James Christopher Ford | South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau. [online] Sa.gov.au. Available at: https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/soldier/james-christopher-ford [Accessed 31 Aug. 2025].
State Library South Australia (2025). Soldiers at Morphettville Army Training Camp. [online] State Library of South Australia. Available at: https://digital.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/nodes/view/6715 [Accessed 19 Sep. 2025].
The Australian Light Horse Association (2000). Australian Light Regiments and Brigades – Australian Light Horse Association. [online] lighthouse.org.au. Available at: https://www.lighthorse.org.au/mounted-troops/.
UNSW AUSTRALIA (2016). The AIF Project. [online] Adfa.edu.au. Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/aif/ [Accessed 4 Sep. 2025].
Virtual War Memorial Australia (2025). James Christopher FORD. [online] Vwma.org.au. Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/167633 [Accessed 14 Aug. 2025].
Click images to start slideshow.