Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James was the son of William WALKER & Margaret CALBACH (CALBECK) and was born on the 27th of July 1870 in Walter Street, North Adelaide, SA.

His parents were married on the 13th of May 1856 in the Church of Scotland Manse, Adelaide, SA.

His father was born in 1830 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland and his mother was born in 1836.

James was the ninth child born into this family of 12 children.

His father had arrived in South Australia on the 30th of July 1855 as a labourer on board the South Sea.

His father was a gardener and James grew up in Walter Street, North Adelaide before the family moved to 18 Barnard Street, North Adelaide.

James married Harriet JONES nee BROWN on the 29th of August 1904 in St Matthew’s Church, Kensington, SA.
Harriet was the daughter of William Voules BROWN & Emma TREBLE and was born on the 21st of April 1869 in Hummocks, SA.

**Harriet was previously married to Captain Phillip Hughes JONES on the 3rd of April 1894 in Sunderland, Durham, England.
Romantic circumstances surround the history of their marriage. Phillip had arrived at Port Germein as an apprentice on board a ship. Harriet and Phillip met and Phillip became attached to her. It was only after he had departed in his ship, however, that he revealed his desire, and then he wrote to Harriet asking her to become his wife.
Harriet reciprocated his love and it was arranged that the two should be joined in the bonds of matrimony when Phillip secured an appointment as Captain.
This was not long in coming, and when Phillip was given the command of a boat Harriet went to England where they married and after the wedding ceremony they were never separated until the last voyage.

Harriet and Phillip welcomed 2 daughters into the family; Dorothy Emma Seaborn was born at sea on the 31st of January 1895, followed by Marjory Edith on the 10th of June 1897.

In all Phillips travels Harriet accompanied him, but on the last occasion she remained in England, and this voyage was the ill-fated one in which Captain Phillip Jones lost his life.

On Thursday the 13th of July 1899 the City of York was wrecked at Rottnest Island.
Eighty-nine days previously they had sailed, laden with general cargo, from San Francisco with a crew of 26 and for the entire trip they had good weather until they arrived off the Australian coast on the 1st of July.
From then on they had gale after gale of violent weather. The heaviest of all had occurred on Tuesday night, but the ship rode it splendidly. The following morning the weather cleared, and they had a nice breeze, which in the evening, freshened to a squall, but nothing like what they had experienced before.
The wind was right in their favour and at 6pm they thought the voyage was practically over.
Phillip changed the course two or three times and they soon saw a “flare up”, which Phillip took to be the pilot's signal, but which was at the foot of Rottnest lighthouse. They headed right for the light when Phillip called out “Luff” and 5 minutes later they were in the surf.
Phillip put the helm hard up, but the ship would not answer, and a moment later she struck with a crash. The swell raised her, and her bow swung round square to the lighthouse, and then they saw they were burning a 'flare up' at the foot of the lighthouse.
It had been impossible to judge the distance from land, and right up to the moment the ship struck they had no thought of danger. As soon as the ship struck Phillip gave the order, “Clear away the lifeboats” and he ordered all hands into the 2 boats.

Phillip’s boat was capsized and all in it were cast into the waves.
Out of the 26 crew, 15 were saved and 11 drowned, with their bodies never being recovered.
To add to the sadness, a telegram was awaiting for Phillip at Fremantle, announcing that his wife had given birth to a daughter; Phyliss Harriet, on the 22nd of May.

After the death of Phillip Harriet had returned to South Australia where little Marjory died on the 21st of February 1902**.

James and Harriet made their home at Woolnough Road, Exeter and welcomed their first child; James Hempton, on the 11th of October 1905, but sadly, he was born prematurely and died the following day.

James gained employment as a Customs Officer and he joined the Semaphore Rifle Club before they moved to Watson Avenue, Rose Park.

On the 28th of November 1914 his younger brother; John Calback WALKER, enlisted into the 1st AIF and landed at Gallipoli on the 25th of April 1915, with the 10th Battalion (1434).

At the age of 45, James enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 17th of January 1916 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 12785 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Exhibition Camp.

On the 1st of February he was transferred to the Australian Army Medical Corps and moved to Mitcham Camp where he was posted to the newly formed 11th Australian Field Ambulance.

James embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Suevic on the 31st of May 1916, disembarked in Plymouth and entrained to Larkhill Camp on the Salisbury Plain, for further training.
He spent four months in the Salisbury Plain in training and whilst he was here, back in Australia, his eldest step daughter married on the 13th of July 1916.

James proceeded to France on the 24th of November 1916 and served here until he suffered from a Urethra Stricture and was invalided back to England.
Back in Australia on the 12th of May 1917 his brother; John, hung himself from a rafter in the Military Prison in Mitcham Camp whilst being held on detention.

James remained here for a further 12 months before he embarked from England on the 9th of December 1918 on board SS Argyllshire.
He spent Christmas 1918 on board the transport before disembarking in Adelaide on the 28th of January 1919.

He was admitted into the 15th Australian General Hospital in Torrens Park on the 5th of February for 10 days before being discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 24th of March 1919.

James returned home to Harriet and joined the Semaphore & Pt Adelaide Sub-Branch.
They later moved to Percy Street, Semaphore and then Hampton Court, South Semaphore.

James died suddenly in a Private Hospital on the 17th of August 1933 and was buried 2 days later in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section D, Drive B, Path 17, Site Number 10.

Harriet died on the 28th of January 1954 and was buried in the St Jude’s, Brighton Cemetery.

Militray

At the age of 45, James enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 17th of January 1916 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 12785 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Exhibition Camp.
He listed his wife, of Watson Avenue, Rose Park, as his next of kin.

On the 1st of February he was transferred to the Australian Army Medical Corps and moved to Mitcham Camp on the 16th of February.
On the 1st of March he was posted to the newly formed 11th Australian Field Ambulance.
They commenced training in the hills to the south of Mitcham. This training was to prove remarkably valuable, as the terrain was very similar to that which they would soon encounter in France.

James embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Suevic on the 31st of May 1916 and arrived in Fremantle 5 days later to pick up the 44th Battalion.
They sailed again the following day and reached Durban on the 21st of June and Cape Town 4 days later.
After 2 days here they continued to Cape St. Vincent and then arrived in Plymouth on the 21st of July, where they disembarked and entrained to Larkhill Camp on the Salisbury Plain, for further training.

They spent four months in the Salisbury Plain in training before marching to Amesbury Station on the 24th of November 1916, entrained to Southampton and proceeded to France.
On this cold, wet and depressing day they were on their way to the Western Front only eight and a half months after being raised in balmy South Australia.

They arrived in Le Havre the following day and marched to Docks Rest Camp and then entrained the next day to their billets in Bailleul.
Two days later they took over the Divisional Rest Station from the 9th Australian Field Ambulance in Steenwerck, where they had 107 patients.
They spent Christmas 1916 here and then treated 2538 patients before moving to L’Estrade on the 26th of February and then onto Armentieres.

They undertook various duties in support of the Third Division which included; running sector medical posts and stations, operating Advanced Dressing Stations and running rest areas.
By early May they had moved to Pont d’Nieppe and then onto Pont d’Achelles in early June, before taking over the Advanced Dressing Station at Kandahar Farm, near Wulverghem.
During their time on the Western Front the Ambulance was involved in numerous areas and sectors including Ploegsteert and Messines where no carry was less than 2 miles over ground which was shell-churned and trackless.

By mid July they had opened an Advanced Dressing Station at Westhof Farm and then by early August they took over the Field Hospital at Rue-de-Muss, near Bailleul.
A few weeks later they took over the Field Ambulance Station at Ouve-Wirquin and it was here that James sufferer from a Urethra Stricture and was admitted into his own ambulance on the 29th of September and then transferred to the 15th Casualty Clearing Station at Ebblinghem.

Four days later he was transferred to the 7th Canadian General Hospital in Etaples and 2 days later he was transferred by No.24 Ambulance Train and admitted into the 6th General Hospital in Rouen on the 3rd of October.
He was discharged from hospital 3 days later and marched into the AGBD (Australian General Base Depot), where he was deemed unfit for duty.

James embarked for England on the 5th of November 1917 and marched into No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth.
James remained here for a further 12 months before he embarked from England on the 9th of December 1918 on board SS Argyllshire.
He spent Christmas 1918 on board the transport before disembarking in Adelaide on the 28th of January 1919.

He was admitted into the 15th Australian General Hospital in Torrens Park on the 5th of February for 10 days before being discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 24th of March 1919.

He was awarded the British War & Victory Medals.