Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

At the outbreak of the First World War, the Lodge’s were living in Hamilton, Western Victoria.  The family consisted of the parents, James and Ellen Lodge, five sons; Frank, James (Jim), Richard, Augustine (Gus), and Frederick and two daughters; Alice and Ellen.  James Lodge was a noted stonemason in the district, responsible for the construction of many of the fine private and public buildings, which still exist this day.  At the time, Frank, Richard and Jim were working with their father in this business.

While Gus and then Frank enlisted for the war, Jim struggled on with his father James at home trying to keep the business running.  Finally, Jim enlisted on 28 June 1917, having taken the decision that he could not continue stay at home while his brothers were war.  One in England in January 1918 for training, Jim would have met up with brother Richard an acting Lance Corporal, who was also completing his training in England and would have been informed that Frank had returned to the front a month earlier.  Jim was also claimed by his brother Richard under the Kings Regulations and transferred to the 2nd Pioneers before crossing to France in April 1918.

While the four Lodge brothers were at war in in mid 1918 their younger brother Frederick died from the flu in June 1918, aged 17.  The tragedy was doubled by the death of their father, James Lodge from the same illness a month later, although his youngest daughter, Nell believes that he died as a result of “fretting” for his sons.  Ironically, the only two Lodge men to die during WWI did not go to the war.

Jim, fought in France with the 2nd Division at Mont St Quentin where the Australian’s did the hither to though impossible to gallantly attack and breach the Hindenburg line.  Jim was also fought in the AIF’s last battle in WWI at Montbrehain on 5th October 1918.  After the Armistice Jim remained in France as a part of the mopping up detachments (troops were repatriated on a “first come, first go basis”) and did not return to England until the end of May 1919, and Australia in September of that year.

James was discharged in September 1919 and commenced his own business as a builder before joining his brothers.  He married in 1921 and had four children.  He was the president of the Catholic War Veterans Association and took a leading part in other societies connected with the Catholic Church.  James was tragically killed in a car accident in Melbourne in April 18, 1940 at 47 years of age.  He was returning home after having inspected work Lodge Brothers were carrying out at the Catholic Church at Iona (near Warragul).

In the assembling of this biography, I am heavily indebted to Frank Lodge (grandson of Frank Spry Lodge MM, MC) who undertook most of the research for his unpublished book chapter “Lodges at war”.