COVENTRY, James Francis
| Service Number: | 4511 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Stirling (SA), Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Stone Keeper |
| Died: | Mount Barker, 5251, South Australia, Australia , cause of death not yet discovered, date not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Section: LO, Road: 3S, Site No: 4 Mount Barker Cemetry |
| Memorials: | Mount Barker Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 4511, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 4511, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 4511, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Cornerstone College
James Francis Coventry was born in 1875, in Stirling, South Australia. His parents Henry Coventry and Elizabeth (Morgan) Coventry grew up in England, and moved to Stirling, to raise their now family of 9, (7 children). At the age of 26, on the 20th of February 1901 James got married to Christina Isabel (Ross) Coventry. According to Coventry's records he had 2 children when he enlisted on 30th of September 1916, completing the documentation named, ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’. James was described as, 41 and 6 months old, 5ft, 3 ½ inches (160.5cm), with blue eyes, grey hair, and a fresh complexion. His service number designated to identify him was 4511. This documentation was just the start of his long journey to defend Australia in World War One.
16th of December was the day he left Australia on the 'Berrima' and disembarked at Deveonport 16/12/17 to join the 8th Infantry Battalion. He left for Franice via Southampton arriving at the Mediterranean port of Marseilles, followed by a rail journey through the centre of France, on the 22nd, May 1917. He was taken on Strength to the 50th Battalion 16/6/17, they were committed in succession to the attacks around the village of Pozieres. James Francis Coventry and the other service men fought at Mouquet Farm, on August 13th and the 15th. The battle was lost. During the last few months of 1917 James was hospitalised with influenza rejoining his unit 24/10/1917. He was granted leave to the UK from 23/2 - 8/3/1918. He became ill again in May 1918 and was trasferred to the 12th Field Ambulance, his service record refers to defective vision
As the rest of the 50th Battalion fought, James was considered medically unfit to continue fighting and sent home on the 19th of October 1918, due to Rheumatism, severe arthritis, and weakness of joints. This wasn’t effective to have him fighting and working physically. He arrived home 27/12/1918 and and visited Keswick hospital. He was discharged 16/3/1919 after 23 years and 168 days service.
It is unknown what the next 11 years of his life looked like. He was reported dead at Mount Barker, SA on the 16th of March 1930. He was buried at the A.I.F Cemetery, West Terrace, Adelaide.
Bibliography
(2023) Billiongraves.com. Available at: https://billiongraves.com/images?t=med10727603&col=1&cat=147801&rec=13543440 (Accessed: 26 June 2023).
50th Infantry Battalion (2023). Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/6 (Accessed: 26 June 2023).
James Francis Coventry.pdf – Files from National Archives
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