S14400
O'CONNELL, James
| Service Numbers: | 886,, 886, 7959 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 January 1915, Enlisted at Keswick, SA. |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Tunnelling Company (inc. 5th Tunnelling Company) |
| Born: | Mintaro, South Australia, 1894 |
| Home Town: | North Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 886,, 27th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Keswick, SA. | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 886, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Jun 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 886, 27th Infantry Battalion, Discharged at the 4th Military District | |
| 13 Jul 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7959, Tunnelling Companies, Enlisted at Broken Hill, NSW | |
| 24 Mar 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sapper, 2nd Tunnelling Company (inc. 5th Tunnelling Company) | |
| 15 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sapper, 7959, 2nd Tunnelling Company (inc. 5th Tunnelling Company), Discharged at the 4th Military District |
James O'Connell
(My Father's Uncle)
James enlisted on 28 January 1916.and served in the 27th Batt during the 1914- 1918 War. His service number was 886.
He was discharged as unfit 21/9/1916 and left Adelaide to go to work in Victoria.
He re-enlisted at Broken Hill on 21 November 1917.His service number was 7959 and rank was Sapper in the 2nd A.T.C and he is shown as in $th M.D. 604217
.
Records show him in 7th Infantry Brigade---known as the Blue Diamond Brigade, the 27th Infantry Battalion "D " Company known as the Blue and Brown Diamonds.
In May he is shown as being in the Rfts Tunnelling Co. 2nd Tunnelling Co .
He returned to Australia 3 March 1919 on the " Seeang Choon ".
He was discharged on 15 June 1919.
My Uncle remembers being taken to the Adelaide Railway Station to meet him on his return in 1919.
No further information has been found.
Submitted 8 August 2014 by Patricia Young
Biography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Norah O'Connell of Ward Street, North Adelaide, SA.
Commenced return to Australia, first time, on 17 July 1916 aboard HT Seeang Choon disembarking on 19 August 1918
Commenced return to Australia, second time, on 31 March 1919 aboard HT Khyber disembarking on 8 May 1919
Medals: 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
When James enlisted in WW2 in 1939 he was living in Victoria.
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