CHOAT, James Henry
| Service Number: | 3057 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mount Barker, 1880 |
| Home Town: | Mount Barker, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Mount Barker Springs School |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Pozieres, France, 4 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Mount Barker Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Roll of Honor, Mount Barker War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3057, 27th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3057, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Medic, Adelaide |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Cornerstone College
James Henry Choat (known as Jim to his friends and family) arrived in France as a private with the service number of 3057 in the 27th Battalion, which in turn was part of the 7th brigade, which in turn was part of the ANZAC Second Division. The 27th Battalion had fought in Gallipoli on the 12th of September, and suffered relatively few casualties before departing in December. After the 27th Battalion left Gallipoli, they eventually arrived in France, and fought in the battle of Pozieres.
Before the war, Choat was a farmer that worked on a farm owned by Mrs. H. Rundle. He was born and raised in Mount Barker, and went to school in Mount Barker Springs School, along with his family. He had four brothers, sisters and parents. His mother was Martha Ann Choat (nee Miller) and his father was named Fredrick Herbett Choat, and they also lived in Mount Barker. He also had four brothers that served in the military, and one was named Frank Clifford Choat, who was in the 9th Battalion and came back from the war on the 19th of September 1916, and so did the rest of James’ brothers, although not on that date.
Before he went to join the army at age of 35¼ on the 18th of August 1915, he was part of the Mt Barker Rifle club for two years, which probably affected his choice of entry into the army and he was a Methodist Christian, along with the rest of his family.
The battle of Pozieres occurred in a village in France, more specifically in the Somme Valley. The village was first captured by the first Australian Division, on the 23rd of July in 1916. The first Division suffered near constant artillery fire and attacks by the Germans, trying to take the village back, however they weathered the attacks, but by the time they were relieved by the second Division on the 27th of July they had taken 5,285 casualties.
The Second Division, which included James Henry Choat, relieved the First Division fought two major battles against the Germans. The first on the 29th of June, which resulted in many causalities for the Australians, and the second on the 2nd of August, where they pushed the Germans back further. However they were heavily bombarded by the Germans, and took many casualties.
By the time they were relieved by the 4th Division on the 6th of August, they had taken 6,848 causalities, one of which was Choat.
The 4th Division also took heavy fire from German artillery, but they defeated a German counter-attack on the 7th of August, which was the German’s last attempt to retake Pozieres.
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