FORBES, James
| Service Number: | 1172 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Williamstown, Victoria, Australia, 28 January 1875 |
| Home Town: | Williamstown (Vic), Hobsons Bay, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, 22 August 1915, aged 40 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Williamstown Pictorial Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 1172, 18th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 1172, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
James FORBES, (Service Number 1172) was born at Williamstown Victoria on 28 January 1875. He evidently grew up in Victoria as he claimed 2½ years’ service with the Victorian Garrison Artillery. He was thus relatively old when he first gained employment with the railways in 1913 as a clerk at Goulburn Locomotive Depot. After on a few months he was ‘dispensed with’, but regained employment as a labourer at Eveleigh Locomotive Depot two weeks later. He was not married.
In February 1915 he joined the Expeditionary Forces. He reached Gallipoli on 16 August and became missing in action between 21 and 25 August.
Without any known grave he is memorialised at Lone Pine.
Submitted 8 July 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
James FORBES (Service Number 1172) was born at Williamstown Victoria on 28th January 1875. He claimed 2½ years’ service with the Victorian Garrison Artillery. He relatively old when he first gained employment with the railways in 1913 as a clerk at Goulburn Locomotive Depot. After a few months he was ‘dispensed with’, but regained employment as a labourer at Eveleigh Locomotive Depot two weeks later. He was not married.
In February 1915 he joined the Expeditionary Forces. He reached Gallipoli on 16th August.
He became missing in action between 2st and 25th August 1915. A court of Enquiry held at Tel el Kebir, Egypt, in January 1916 ruled that it ‘reasonable to suppose (him) dead’.
Without any known grave he is memorialised at Lone Pine.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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