MCCONNELL, James
| Service Number: | 7063 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 21st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Richmond, Victoria, Australia, May 1892 |
| Home Town: | Brunswick, Moreland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Driver, Milk Cart. |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 14 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Sep 1916: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 7063, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 7063, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 14 Apr 1918: | Involvement Private, 7063, 21st Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 7063 awm_unit: 21st Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-04-14 |
7063 James McConnell
Although not a blood relative, Pvt. James McConnell was my maternal grandmother's first husband. I always knew that he had gone missing in France during the war but had never learned much more about him until I visited France in 2011, saw his name on the 21st Battalion panel at the Australian National Memorial, then researched more about him when I returned home.
My research led me to discover that 'Mac' as he was known, went missing near the village of Dernancourt in the Ancre river valley, near the rural city of Albert, and that Dernancourt was just 2 villages, or 8km, from where I was staying!
In the early hours of 14th April 1918, Pvt. James McConnell was part of a raiding party in the Lavieville sector; map reference - E.14.a.25.60 – according to 21st Btn. diary this is where the raid took place at 12:45am on 14th April 1918. This point is approx. 300m to the right from the crossroads intersection just north of the quarry site on the road that passes the Dernancourt cemetery. Red Cross reports state that 'Mac' was last seen wounded in the German trenches, having been shot, he was firing upon the Germans with one of their own pistols. He swore he would never be taken prisoner and eye witnesses say they never saw him after that raid. German records do not show him as having been taken prisoner, and it is believed that he was buried in the field where he finally died.
James McConnell left his wife Lillian and two young children John and Joyce behind in Footscray when he left for the war. Lillian married John Thomas Maher after the war and my mother, Catherine born in 1921, was the first of their 6 children. Sadly, there are no known photos of James McConnell.
On a second visit to France, in 2018, I visited the spot, as close as I could get, to where Pvt. 7063 James McConnell went missing.
Lest We Forget.
Written by Ash Hind.
Submitted 29 December 2020 by Ash Hind