Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Ferdinand Voss and Matilda Voss, of John Street, Corowa, NSW.  Formerly of Burrumbuttock, NSW

Medals: 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

James Voss was the second son and 5th child of eight of Matilda Hore and Ferdinand Voss.  William, James’ older brother, also enlisted in the war.

James Voss enlisted at Kensington, Sydney on August 27th, 1914, and disembarked in Egypt on December 2nd, 1914. The battalion took part in the ANZAC landing on April 25th, 1915, as part of the second and third waves and served there until the evacuation in December. In August, the battalion was engaged in the attack on Lone Pine.

In November 1915, James was in hospital with jaundice and then cellulitis and did not re-join his unit in Egypt until January 1916. On March 21st, 1916, the battalion left their training camp and made the journey to Alexandria where they boarded the transport ship HMT Grampian and sailed for France and the Western Front. In April they moved into the trenches in the Fromelles region, working to improve and strengthen the trenches. In May and June, they experienced enemy aircraft carrying out reconnaissance flights and artillery fire and heavy shelling.

On July 20th the battalion moved to Ovillers-la-Boisselle and the Battle of Pozieres. For six days the Battalion remained on the front line and were under heavy attack. There were many casualties. Ninety-one men were killed, three hundred and fifty were wounded and forty-three were missing.

August began with training drills away from the frontline but by the 15th the battalion was back in the frontline engaged in the Battle of Mouquet Farm, and again the five days spent under attack came at a cost. Thirty men were killed, one hundred and twenty-seven were wounded and three were missing.

By September 1916 the Battalion was in the trenches at Hill 60 and carrying out reconnaissance on the nearby Menin to Ypres railway line. In late September the 7th Battalion were relieved of their position by the 3rd Battalion. James Voss was probably unaware that the soldiers leaving the trenches had fought alongside his cousin Arthur. He was probably not aware of which battalion he was in and thus unlikely to know his cousin had died and was buried nearby. He may also not have been aware that his cousin Frederick of the 22nd was also involved in the defence of this region. 

On October 6th the 3rd battalion were at the Swan Chateau and enemy fire was still present but not intense and they were able to carry out patrols each evening. They spent a few days on the frontline and were then withdrawn to their billets.

On October 15th they marched from Steenvorde to Arneke, via Cassell, a distance of eleven miles. The unit diary also notes that, Sergeant. J. M Voss was found dead with a bullet wound in the head. A court of enquiry was established as other soldiers claimed he had been murdered by his mates. No further information is contained in his record

James Voss was 20 years old when he died. He is buried in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Flanders, Belgium.