FORD, James
| Service Number: | 4789 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 4 September 1890 |
| Home Town: | West End, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Christian Brothers Catholic School, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Grocer |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 27 March 1918, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4789, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4789, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Commonwealth embarkation_ship_number: A73 public_note: '' | |
| 28 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4789, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Commonwealth, Brisbane |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
James Ford was the son of James and Mary Ford, and he was one of five children, the family hailing from West End, Brisbane, Queensland.
Three of the Ford brothers enlisted during WW1, two being killed in action and the third was a prisoner of war for over 18 months, before he died in 1926, at 35 years of age.
Robert (24) and William (22) enlisted in the AIF together on 29 July 1915, joining the 11th Reinforcements of the 15th Battalion and being assigned the numbers 3296 and 3298 respectively. James (27) enlisted two months later, also being assigned to the 15th Battalion.
On 1 February 1917 during at attack on Stormy Trench at Gueudecourt, Robert was listed as missing in action. It was subsequently discovered he had been captured by the Germans. He spent the remainder of the war in a Prisoner of War camp in Germany.
James’s other brother 3298 Pte. William Ford 47th Battalion AIF was killed in action at Messines on 7 June 1917.
James remained with the 15th Battalion, surviving its major actions throughout 1917. After being twice wounded during 1917 he was killed in action by a shell whilst the battalion were in a support trench near Hebuterne on 27 March 1918.
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