STEVENSON, James
| Service Number: | 341 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914, Broadmeadows, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 4th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Euroa, Victoria, 1885 |
| Home Town: | Violet Town, Strathbogie, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Violet Town, 1952, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Violet Town Public Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Euroa Telegraph Park, Violet Town 'Unknown' WW1 Honour Roll, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 341, 4th Light Horse Regiment, Broadmeadows, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 341, 4th Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wiltshire embarkation_ship_number: A18 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 341, 4th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Wiltshire, Melbourne | |
| 4 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 341, 4th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 21 Jan 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 341, 4th Light Horse Regiment |
Help us honour James Stevenson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Elsa Reuter
STEVENSON James 341 SGT
4th Light Horse Regiment
1885-1952
The war had barely been declared when Jim and Bill Stevenson enlisted. Their farming parents, James and Christina (Pascoe) Stevenson had bred a good team of farm labourers to spread the farm work so there were plenty of brothers left to carry on in their absence.
Off the two older brothers went together to enlist in Melbourne on 18 August 1914. Jim was 29 and Bill was 24. Jim enlisted first and was allotted 341 as his service number; Bill went next and was allotted service number 342. Both men were still single, coming from an isolated farm at Boho, and no doubt thought it was a chance to spread their wings and serve their country.
The Stevenson men were drafted into the 4th Light Horse Regiment. After two months training to bridge the gap from civilian to army life they both embarked on HMAT Wiltshire on 19 October. Theirs would have been the convoy threatened by the German SMS Emden, which was eventually sunk by HMAS Sydney.
Jim and Bill arrived at Alexandria on 11 December 1914, thence to Mena training camp with duties in and around Cairo. On 19 May 1915 they embarked on City of Edinburgh for Lemnos and thence to Gallipoli. Owing to the rough terrain they served without their horses as infantry at Courtney’s Post and Shrapnel Gully.
Jim was promoted to the rank of CPL in November 1915. Back in Egypt after the evacuation of Gallipoli the troops were constantly training as well as patrolling the Canal Zone on horseback. On 21 March 1916 they embarked from Alexandria for Marseilles on board the Castrian. Soon after arrival at Marseilles they entrained to the battle fields in Northern France near Armentieres, where Jim was detached for duty with the CRE; thence to Fleurbaix and later Messines. In June 1917 he was promoted to the rank of TSGT, probably because his SGT was either wounded or killed. This rank was made official on 12 September 1917. In July 1918 Jim, while acting as troop leader was ordered to gallop out and secure the left objective of Lam east of Bligny. He held the post against strong enemy resistance but was forced to retreat. He did however succeed in stemming the enemy advance for a time. For this he was awarded the French Militaire Medaille, conferred by the President of the French Republic.
A year later he was transferred to Administration Headquarters in London for 1914 leave to Australia. He embarked on board the HT Devon in October 1918 arriving in Melbourne the following month. He was discharged on 21 January 1919.
Jim returned to farming life at Boho: in 1921 he married Elsie Mary Whitfield. They had two children, Charles (1920-2013) and Alan James (1923-1952).
Jim died at home in 1952 and is buried beside his parents in the Violet Town Cemetery.
Decoration : French Medal Militaire
Service Medals: 1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal
Memorials: Boho State School Honour Board
Main Honour Board, Memorial Hall, Violet Town
Boho Honour Roll
Copper plaque affixed to exterior wall, Memorial Hall, Violet Town
Tree no 48 - an English Elm Was planted in 1917 by brother Seth Stevenson.
It was still standing in 2013 and was tended by Gwen Croxford.
© 2016 Sheila Burnell
Biography
Awarded the French Medaille Militaire (www.awm.gov.au) in 1919
Click images to start slideshow.