James HALL

HALL, James

Service Number: 3318
Enlisted: 30 August 1915, Sydney, New South Wales
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 53rd Infantry Battalion
Born: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1897
Home Town: Woolloomooloo, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling: William Street Superior Public School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Barrister's Clerk
Died: Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial
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World War 1 Service

30 Aug 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3318, Depot Battalion , Sydney, New South Wales
2 Nov 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3318, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: ''
2 Nov 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3318, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney
19 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3318, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3318 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19

A brief history of James

James was born in 1898, to Fanny Hall. Her mother died the same year as James was born and at that time Fanny also began raising her youngest brother George who was just a few years older than James. George was also killed in action later in the war. James enlisted in 1915 and was assigned to the 53rd Battalion and sent to France. He saw action for the first time on 19th July 1916 at the battle of Fromelles where he was killed. Along with most of the 5533 Australian soldiers killed that day, his body was never identified and he is possibly buried along with others in unmarked graves at VC Corner in Fromelles. VC Corner is the only Western Front Cemetery without grave markers because so many bodies could not be identified.
VC Corner is unique as it is the only all-Australian cemetery on the Western Front. Located in the village of Fromelles 16 kilometres west of Lillie, the cemetery contains nearly 400 unidentified bodies from the Battle of Fromelles which occurred on the 19th and 20th of July, 1916. Panels commemorating the missing are inscribed with the names of those soldiers who died during this misguided attack.
Fanny never really came to terms with her son’s death and letters on his file indicate she continued to search for him in later years.
Hall, James Number: 3318 Rank: Private [Pte] Unit: 53rd Bn Service: Army Conflict: 1914-1918 Date of Death: 19/07/1916 Place of Death: Cause of Death: Killed in action Memorial Panel: 157 Cemetery or Memorial Details: 7 V C Corner Australian Cemetery France Next Of Kin: Place Of Enlistment: Woolloomoolloo, NSW Native Place: Sydney Notes: HALL, Pte. James, 5318. 53rd Bn. Killed in action 19th July, 1916. Age 19. Son of Thomas and Fanny McCann, of 510, Bourke St.,Surry Hills, New South Wales. Native of Sydney. 8.
Source: AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army
James has not been identified among the remains discovered in 2008 of Australian and British soldiers buried by Germans at Pheasant Wood, Fromelles. It is believed it is unlikely that James is in this group as his dog-tag was handed in by an Australian officer. Unfortunately that officer was himself killed prior to any record being made of how he obtained them.

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