Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James Wilson was born in Oamaru in New Zealand in 1879 and enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force at Liverpool, Sydney, on December 21st 1914. He had been working as a Labourer in Australia before joining up. Initially allocated to the 4th Reinforcements to the 3rd Battalion he embarked at Sydney on March 15th 1915, bound for the Middle East.

After many weeks on the high seas he disembarked at Alexandria and proceeded by train to Mena Camp. A month later, on April 25th  1915, Anzac troops stormed ashore at Ari Burnu under as murderous hail of Turkish rifle and machine-gun fire. They sustained heavy casualties and clung desperately to the beachhead at Anzac. Not long after, Private Wilson was shipped under the cover of darkness to the shores of Gallipoli on May 31st 1915.

Upon arrival Jim was sent up to the line opposite Johnson's Jolly & Owen's Gully, where the 3rd Battalion were entrenched. The next couple of weeks saw the Anzac line extended in this area through sapping towards what was known as the Pimple. On August 6th , with calico patches on their sleeves and tunics, the 1st Brigade entered the line at the Pimple. At 2-30 Pm, 3 large mines were exploded to give more cover for the Assault Battalions. At 4-30Pm an artillery barrage fell upon the Turk trenches at Lone Pine from both land based guns and those of ships off the coast.

At 5-30 pm a whistle was blown three times to signal the beginning of the attack by the 1st Brigade. As they went over the top, the Turks unleashed a hail of fire upon them. This was in turn countered by a fusillade of rifle and machine gun fire from the Australian 2nd Brigade. Private Wilson and the 3rd Battalion raced towards Lone Pine with their bayonets gleaming gold in the afternoon light. Upon reaching them, they found the trenches roofed in with large logs and sand, and a large group gathered around them. The Turk artillery then opened up on this gathering and almost forced the men to find a way in to seek shelter.

Some of the men jumped down into the darkness of the trenches to fight it out hand to hand with the bayonet, while others raced ahead to where the saps opened up to daylight to engage the enemy. Once into the trench system the Anzacs managed to secure them up to nearly what had been their objectives. Thus a new post overlooking Owen's Gully was established and strongly held by the Australians at Lone Pine.

On August 7th the Turks launched a counter attacks to retake the lost ground at Lone Pine from the Australians. It was to no avail, but the fighting was indeed fierce and often hand to hand, with the Bomb becoming the most lethal of trench weapons. On the morning of August 8th 1915 the Turks again counter attacked the centre of Lone Pine, which was held by the 3rd Battalion.

It was during the heavy fighting of this day that Private Wilson was wounded in action. He suffered a bullet wound to his chest and shoulder, and was evacuated to a military hospital at Ras-el Tin, in Alexandria. Such were his wounds that he was sent to England for further treatment. By April 12" 1916, it was decided that James Wilson would be invalided back to Australia and discharged. On the same day, he embarked aboard the hospital Ship "Karoola" bound for Australia. He was discharged at Sydney on 3 July 1916.