CARROLL, James William
| Service Number: | 2190 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Deepwater, New South Wales, Australia, 8 September 1894 |
| Home Town: | Guyra, Guyra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Guyra Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Tram Conductor |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 29 May 1917, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Guyra District Great War Honour Roll, Guyra Public School Honour Roll, Hamilton Newcastle District Tramways Roll of Honor, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2190, 33rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 2190, 33rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
James William CARROLL was born on 8th September 1894 at Deepwater (near Guyra), NSW, and he was educated at Guyra Public School. On 16th September 1915 he joined the NSWG Railways &Tramways as a tram conductor (casual) in Newcastle, after having spent four years as an apprentice plumber in Guyra. On 22nd April 1916 he was released to join the AIF and on 7 August 1917 his position as tram conductor was made (posthumously) permanent.
James enlisted in the AIF on 25th April 1916 with the rank of Private (Service Number 2190) and was posted to the 33rd Infantry Battalion. He nominated his mother, Johanna Carter of Guyra, as his next of kin, and on his Attestation Paper he stated he had had about four years previous military service with the Australian Light Horse in Guyra.
He embarked for England aboard HMAT A68 ‘Anchises’ at Sydney on 24th August 1916. and disembarked at Devonport, England on 11th October 1916.
Submitted 19 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
James William CARROLL (2190) was born on 8th September 1894 at Deepwater (near Guyra), NSW. His mother was Johanna Carter. He was educated at Guyra Public School. He spent four years as an apprentice plumber in Guyra. On 16th September 1915 he joined the NSWG Railways & Tramways as a tram conductor (casual) in Newcastle,
On 22nd April 1916 he was released from duty to join the AIF. On 7th August 1917 his position as tram conductor was made (posthumously) permanent.
James enlisted in the AIF on 25th April 1916 with the rank of Private. He joined the 33rd Infantry Battalion. On his Attestation Paper he stated that he had about four years of previous military service with the Australian Light Horse in Guyra.
He embarked for England aboard HMAT A68 ‘Anchises’ at Sydney on 24th August 1916. He reached Devonport in England on 11th October 1916. He became part of the 33rd Infantry Battalion on 26th October 1916 and left England for France on 21st November 1916.
James was reported as missing in action at Messines Ridge, Belgium, on 29th May 1917. This was during a raid on German trenches in which he took part as a scout. A subsequent Court of Enquiry determined that he had been killed in action on this date.
Although there are differing witness statements in the Red Cross Enquiry Bureau file for James, there is general agreement about the circumstances among the statements that can be regarded as reliable, Lieutenant L C B Smith of the 33rd Battalion wrote:
‘I state that on May 25th we made a raid on the enemy trenches from which everybody returned except Ptes. Carroll and Stuart. The ground was searched for them, but nothing was discovered until June 6th when we took Messines when two bodies were discovered in exact spot where we had previously raided. As they were both scouts they carried no papers or identity discs but being the only men missing they were presumed, in fact the men who found them felt sure, they were the two, only their features were unrecognisable.’
As his gravesite is unknown, James is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France. After his death his mother, who was widowed by then, was awarded a pension of £2 per fortnight, with effect from 9th August 1917.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board