HOLTON, James Michael
| Service Number: | 3411 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 March 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 5th Divisional Ammunition Column |
| Born: | Poplar, London, England, 12 September 1898 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, United Kingdom, 24 April 1918, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bonnay Communal Cemetery Extension Buried in plot B.27 , Bonnay Communal Cemetery Extension, Picardie, France, Ebblinghem Military Cemetery, Ebblinghem, Nord Pas de Calais, France, Querrieu British Cemetery, Querrieu, Picardie, France, Cheltenham Cemetery, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Mar 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3411, 60th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1917: | Involvement Private, 3411, 60th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Jul 1917: | Embarked Private, 3411, 60th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Melbourne, Sydney | |
| 11 Nov 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Gunner, 5th Divisional Ammunition Column |
Great Uncle
James was my great uncle - a dearly loved brother of my grandmother Kate. "Our Jim" was keen to join up an fight for King and Country. He did try enlist in 1915 but his father found out and he was subsequently discharged. A year or so later, he was on a bus and a fellow passenger dropped a white feather in his lap as she got off the bus. Apparently, Jim looked older than his years. Following this incident, Jim left for Australia - a remarkable journey for a teenager who had not ventured far from him town of birth (Poplar) before this.
Submitted 15 November 2021 by Joanne Baker
Biography contributed by Terry Morgan
James Michael Holton was born at 45 Kerbey Street, Poplar in London on the 12 September 1898. James was one of four siblings born to Michael Holton and Catherine (nee) Stanton. The Holtons originated from Ireland and settled in London in 1850's when James grandfather Michael joined the London police.
James's father Michael (1860 -1929) served for many year in the Royal Navy and his uncle Edward Patrick Holton (1859 -1907) also became a an Inspector of London Police. His first cousin George Holton (1892 - 1935) also served in the Royal Navy including a stint on HMS Repulse.
It is likely given the strong family ties to the Forces that James was keen to join up during WW1. There is a record of him attempting to join the Royal Army in 1915 but subsequently being discharged shortly after for being underage. He arrived in Australia in early 1917 and quickly joined the AIF in March 1917. It was an unusal move given he had no close relatives in Australia and it is speculated he did so because of the earlier problem he had joining the Roayal Army in the UK.
He died during an artillery bombardment on the 24 April 1918 near the village of Bussy-Les-Daours. He was the only surviving son of Michael and Catherine when he was killed as a 19 year old. His headstone is incribed "Loved by all who knew him"
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