SA2412
HUDSON, James
| Service Number: | 86 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 January 1916, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Croydon, England, December 1896 |
| Home Town: | Myponga, Yankalilla, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: | Yankalilla War Memorial Wall |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 86, 43rd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 86, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 86, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 86, 10th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
James Hudson Biography
James Hudson was a private during the war who served in the 10th Battalion and the 1st Australian Salvage Company Division. For a short time, he did, however, serve in the 3rd Australian infantry division. James Hudson was born in approximately December 1896 and before the war, Hudson was a labourer. He was 19 years and 1 month old when he signed up to join the war.
Hudson enlisted in the 43rd Battalion but was transferred to the 10th Battalion in England. he proceeded directly to the Western Front after training and joined the 10th Battalion on 2 October 1916. In january 1917 he was transferred to the 1st Division Salvage Company
The 1st Australian salvage company moved camp Connaught and waited there for 4 days while waiting for orders. After they received orders, they left Camp Connaught, to continue their operations. They had a few inspections to make sure their equipment was working properly as well as the equipment they had gathered. This inspection shows that he was most likely carrying a rifle or some type of gun. On the 9th of April 1918, they found empty petrol cans which they dumped at Le Grade farm. On the 11th of April, they waited for more orders after they had dumped the petrol cans.
The 1st Australian company was given orders to move to Gare De Roche Sur Yon station on the 12th of April 1918. The 1st Australian company moved from Roche station to Hondeghem which was a reinforcement camp during the war. The commander recorded that the weather was dull, this may mean that during their time at Hondeghem on the 13th of April 1918 there may have been rain. They received orders to take petrol cans to Sainte Marie Cappel which they did on the 17th of April 1918. They moved to the Morbecque from Sainte-Marie-Cappel on the 18th of April to dump more petrol cans. The 1st Australian salvage company found salvaged cloth and more petrol which they collected. They continue to collect general salvage till the 21st of April 1918.
The company finds ammunition which they collect on the 22nd of April 1918. They collect ammunition and weapons until the 27th of April. The wagons were attacked on the 27th of April this was the first conflict in April that Hudson had seen, there were no reported deaths. This was the extent of his service in April.
James Hudson continued serving the 1st Australian Salvage Company during May 1918. The first assignment in May was to collect salvage near Pertit Sec Bois. At Pertit Sec Bois there was a fight for supplies. This attack lasted 6 days, after the attack and during the attack they tagged and collected salvage such as ammunition, shells and medical supplies. Once they had collected all the supplies, they loaded 5 trucks with the ammunitions and general salvage they found. The trucks were to be sent to Caestre from Steenbecque station. On the 10th of May 1918 the company was attacked, this meant the collected ammunition was vulnerable. The 1st Australian company detonated a bomb to keep the ammunition safe, this was a success and the ammunition was kept. The paper does not mention any casualties in the 1st Australian salvage company during this attack. The company moved to L Hoff where they collected salvage around the various people killed. Soon after this on the 15th of May Hudson became sick and went to the hospital. He later rejoined the unit after some time on the 19th of July, due to this long period of time at the hospital it is likely he sustained an injury.
When Hudson rejoined his unit, he served until the 12th of April 1919 which is when he was discharged. Due to his service, he was awarded two medals, the British war medal and the victory medal. Before he was discharged, he continued to serve the 1st Australian salvage division in collecting things such as ammunition, clothing, medical supplies, guns, etc... James Hudson made his way back to Australia after he was discharged on the 18th of March 1919.