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PAINTER, James
| Service Number: | 2963 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 March 1916, Adelaide, Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Alma Plains, South Australia, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Owen, Wakefield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Natural Causes, 11 March 1972, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Enfield Memorial Park, South Australia Rose Garden Memorial Sites, Bed CRK, Site Number 8 |
| Memorials: | Hamley Bridge District WW1 Roll of Honor, Owen Alma District WW1 & WW2 Honour Roll, Owen District Roll of Honor WW1, Owen District of Dalkey Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2963, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Adelaide, Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 2963, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 2963, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Adelaide | |
| 13 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 2963, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres | |
| 11 Mar 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 2963, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Gunshot wound, right forearm | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 2963, 32nd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide High School
Before enlisting for World War One, James Painter was a farmer residing in Owen, South Australia. He was born in Alma Plains, a small town around 90kms to the north of Adelaide. James was born around March 1893 and grew up as a Methodist. When war broke out, James enlisted to be a soldier in the infantry on the 2nd of March 1916 at the age of 23.
James was placed in the 32nd Battalion as a Private. He embarked on the HMAT Aeneas on the 11th of April 1916 and contracted measles while onboard, disembarking in Colombo, Sri Lanka to recover. James arrived at a training camp in Tel El Kebir outside of Cairo and trained for two months before travelling overseas on the HMHS Franconia from Alexandria. He joined the war on the Western Front in France.
James proceeded to join the 32nd Battalion in Étaples, France in September 1916. In December 1916, James was detached to the Lewis Gun School for 15 days while he learnt how to operate a Lewis Gun. On the 26th of September 1917, James participated in the Battle of Polygon Wood, which involved successfully driving Germans away from a heavily defended outpost. Over the course of five days, the 32nd Battalion suffered 24 fatalities and 82 other casualties.
A few weeks after the Battle of Polygon Wood, James was promoted to Lance Corporal and was wounded in the field shortly after. James suffered from shrapnel wounds to his face and was admitted to hospitals in Arques, France, and Boulogne, France. He was in the hospital for around two months before he re-joined the 32nd Battalion in the field.
When James received a gunshot wound to his forearm in March 1918, he travelled to England on the SS Colchester and was admitted to a hospital in Sutton Veny for a little over a month. James then attended a Trench Mortar school for one month, where he learnt how to operate a Trench Mortar gun.
After returning from a short leave in Paris, the war ended, and James was sent back to Australia to his family. James married a woman named Sheila Doreen. James and Sheila returned to live at Alma Plains near Owen to run the farm. Eventually, James died on the 9th of March 1972 at the age of 79. James Painter received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service to the Australian infantry.
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