MOFFITT, James Arthur
| Service Number: | 652 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Irvinestown , County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland., 22 September 1891 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bacon curer, Railway Porter |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 3 September 1916, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery Grave IV. C. 6. INSCRIPTION - WE CANNOT LORD THY PURPOSE SEE BUT ALL IS WELL THATS DONE BY THEE |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 652, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 652, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney | |
| 3 Sep 1916: | Involvement Sergeant, 652, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 652 awm_unit: 2 Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1916-09-03 |
Help us honour James Arthur Moffitt's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
He was 24 and the son of William and Eliza Jane Moffitt, of Ederney, Co. Fermanagh, Ireland.
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
He is honoured on the Enniskilen War Memorial.
He is also remembered on the family grave at Ardess (Old) Cemetery, Church of Ireland, Co. Fermanagh, Ireland.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
James Arthur MOFFITT (Service Number 652) was born in Irvinstown, County Fermanagh, Ireland, on 22nd September 1891. He joined the NSW Government Railways as a porter in June 1913 at Darling Harbour. He may have had a previous occupation, or perhaps just a joking nature, for he gave ‘Bacon Curer’ as his ‘trade or calling’ when he enlisted in the AIF at Randwick in August 1914.
He was allotted to the 2nd Battalion. He was embarked for the Middle East from Sydney in October 1914. In April 1915 he landed at Gallipoli. He was wounded in action (bullet wound to scalp) between 25th and 30th April. He was evacuated to hospital in Cairo (Egypt), where he was admitted on 1st May. On 27th June he was transferred to a convalescent hospital. In July he returned to Gallipoli and re-joined his unit.
He was wounded again on 8th August (bullet wound in back or thigh). he was again evacuated to Egypt and admitted to hospital in Cairo on 12th August. On 15th August he was transferred to the first of two convalescent hospitals, and on 27th October was discharged to base details. In November he went back to Gallipoli for his third time there, re-joining his unit on 9th November. He was returned to Alexandria in December 1915 when all Allied troops were withdrawn from the Dardanelles.
In February 1916 he was made a Lance Corporal, and in March was sent with his Battalion to France. He spent five days in April at a ‘Vermonal Sprayer School’ at Oxelaere. In August he was promoted to Corporal, and a week later to Sergeant.
On 3rd September 1916 he suffered shell wounds to the body and a crushed leg. He died of his wounds the same day at the 10th Field Ambulance. He was buried in Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, Belgium.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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