BOUEL, James Napoleon
| Service Number: | 20912 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Sea Transport Staff |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jul 1918: | Involvement Private, 20912, Sea Transport Staff, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '24' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 1918: | Embarked Private, 20912, Sea Transport Staff, HMAT Borda, Sydney |
A member of the Sea Transport Service
Corporal James Bouel
James Napoleon Bouel was born on 3 March 1897 in Brisbane, Queensland. He was the son of Charles Napoleon Bismark Bouel (1872-1930) and Jessie Carver (1875-1938). He was living at Bell Street, Upper Paddington, Brisbane and working as an accountant when he enlisted in the AIF on 21 June 1918. James stated that he had previously served in the military with the Senior Cadets, Citizens Forces and Home Service. Given his prior military experience, it may have been expected that James would have enlisted prior to 1918. His service records indicate that he, in fact, had attempted to enlist but had been rejected due to ‘cardiac’ reasons.
Bouel was allocated the service number 20912 and initially served as a Private with No. 6 Section, Sea Transport Staff. The Sea Transport Staff was responsible for running the ships that carried reinforcements to the Middle East and Europe and for returning seriously wounded or ill soldiers to Australia.
He completed two trips to England. The first was aboard the A30 Borda, departing Sydney on 17 July 1918 and arriving in London on 27 September 1918. On his second voyage, Bouel embarked aboard the A32 Themistocles from Melbourne on 5 March 1919 and disembarked at Plymouth on 29 April 1919. By this time, he had been promoted to Corporal.
Bouel returned to Australia on 22 May 1919 and was discharged from the AIF on 7 September 1919. However, the very next day, on 8 September 1919, he re-enlisted for Special Service with the Sea Transport, A.M.C., under service number 86390. He served as a Corporal until his final demobilisation in February 1920.
Tragically, James Bouel passed away on 22 June 1933 at the age of 36. He is buried at Rookwood Cemetery in New South Wales.
Submitted 15 September 2024 by Tim Barnett