Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

James (Jim) Anderson Yuill was born at Kent Town, Adelaide, SA on the 18th June 1887, the son of John Ford Yuill and Katie Henriques.

Jim’s father John Ford Yuill was born in Scotland and educated at Peterhead and at Aberdeen University. Due to ill health and requiring a warmer climate he migrated to Adelaide, Australia in 1868. He worked for the Mercantile Marine & Insurance Co. John returned to London to qualify as an ‘average adjuster’ and was the only man in South Australia to hold a Lloyd’s certificate as a marine adjuster. He was well known as an accountant, auditor, valuator and fire insurance adjuster.

John Ford Yuill married Katie Henriques in Victoria, Australia in 1882 and the couple had four sons and three daughters, Elsie May Ford (b about 1883), Mary Joan (b 1884), Margaret Skelton (b 1886), James Anderson (Jim b 1887), William Keith (Keith b 1889), George Ashwin (b 1892), John Ford (Ford b 1894).

Jim's father had played cricket in the very early days of club cricket in South Australia. He played for the "South Australians" during the 1974/75 season and was still playing occasional social games in the 1880s. This was in the early days of the South Australian Cricket Association which was formed in 1871. In 1877 he was one of three nominations from the South Australians Cricket Club to be appointed to act as SACA umpires.

Schooling

Jim attended St Peter’s College, Adelaide where he passed four subjects (Geography, English History, Latin and German) in October 1902. Jim represented St Peter’s in the Inter-collegiate cricket match against Prince Alfred College (PAC) in December 1902 and he won the December Form Prize for "Form Remove Beta".
Tragically for the Yuill family, Jim’s father, John Ford Yuill, passed away in March 1903, aged just 56 years.

Jim played Inter-collegiate football against PAC in July 1903. In September 1903, Jim was third in the Long Jump at the St Peter’s Sports and in October 1903 he tied for third in the Long Jump at the Inter-Collegiate Sports. Jim represented St Peters at Inter-Collegiate cricket for a second time in December 1903. He passed two subjects (English Literature and Algebra) in the Junior Examinations in December 1903.

The St Peter’s College club report for the 1903/4 season said that “The best all-round man in the team before Christmas was J.A. Yuill. He is a good medium paced leg break bowler, a safe bat, and good field. ... He obtained 23 wickets with an average of 23 runs.”

Early Career

Jim was only 16 years old when he left school and joined the workforce; perhaps his move from school to the workplace was necessary due to his father’s death.

Jim joined the Adelaide Steamship Company. He won the 150 yards handicap race at the company picnic in February 1904. In June 1904 he was a member of the Adelaide Steamship Company football team in a match against the AMP Society.

Jim played cricket in the Shipping Companies match at Adelaide Oval in January 1907. In February 1908 Jim and Mr F Lancelot Parsons left by the “Grantala” on a trip to Sydney.

Sport

Cricket

Jim commenced playing cricket for the Glenelg Cricket Club in November 1904 and he became the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Club in September 1905. He was also the Honorary Secretary of the Glenelg Oval Association from at least September 1908 a position he held until he moved to the country in 1912.

When the Glenelg Cricket Club entered the South Australian Cricket Association B Grade in 1907/08, Jim was a member of the team along with this younger brother WR (Keith) Yuill. Jim made a top score of 81. Other brothers, John Ford Yuill (jnr) and George Ashwin also played with Glenelg but did not play in the top side.

In 1908/09 the Glenelg Club was promoted to the A Grade competition and Jim was a member of their first team who played the other new A Grade club University at Glenelg Oval in October 1908. Jim bowled a tight 6 overs for only 6 runs, but did not bat.

Having played in Glenelg's first ever A Grade game, not having batted and given his position in the alphabet, Jim is now designated as cap number 11 for Glenelg. His brother Keith is cap 14.

Jim batted 5 times in the 1908/09 season scoring 60 runs with a high score of 45. He batted on all 5 occasions “without a cipher (sic)” (duck) and therefore had an average of 12. He bowled 30 overs, 3 maidens, 175 runs for 1 wicket.

In February 1911 Jim played in a B Grade match for Glenelg with his two youngest brothers, George Ashwin and John Ford Yuill (jnr).

Jim Yuill played his final A Grade game for Glenelg against Adelaide in October 1911 coming in as a replacement for an unavailable player. He did not get a bat or bowl or take a catch. He does not appear to have played for the Glenelg again in the 1911/12 season (A grade or B grade). It is most probable that this was Jim as the Glenelg Cricket Club history does not credit his youngest brother John Ford as having played any A Grade Cricket for the club. John Ford Yuill (jnr) was known by his middle name and when referred to by a single initial he was generally F Yuill.

Lacrosse

Jim played A Grade lacrosse for Holdfast Bay from at least the 1907 season until 1911. On the 8th August 1909 he played Lacrosse for South Australia against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

He also played in the Old Scholars Lacrosse match for St Peter’s against PAC in 1909.
Jim was on the committee which organised the 1910 Interstate Lacrosse Carnival but missed selection for the SA team. He was on the up for selection again in 1911 but again did not make the team.

He was vice-captain of the Holdfast Bay A Grade in the 1911 season

Athletics

Jim competed in the 135 yards handicap flat and the 440 yards handicap flat races at the South Australian Amateur Athletic Association sports meeting on Adelaide Oval in April 1906.

University

In 1911 Jim commenced studying toward a Diploma of Commerce at the University of Adelaide. He gained a Division II pass in Business Practice and a Division III Pass in Commercial Law in December 1911.

It is likely that Jim was undertaking the studies in the evening and/or part-time.

University Sport

In January 1912 J. Yuill played B Grade cricket for the Adelaide University in a match against his former team, Glenelg. This appears to be his one and only game for Adelaide University and it is likely he was called in as a late replacement as he was not originally named in the team.

Murat Bay, West Coast, SA

In April 1912 Jim left Adelaide and set up an agency business at Murat Bay (now Ceduna) on the West Coast, SA. He was the agent for his former employer Adelaide Steamship Company and a number of other firms.

He played cricket for Murat Bay in a match against Denial Bay in July 1912.

Jim was on holidays in Adelaide in August 1912 and in September 1912 he performed the song “I do like to be beside the seaside’ at a Smoke Social held to welcome the Streaky Bay Footballers to Murat Bay.

Jim disposed of his business at Murat Bay in June 1913 and moved to Sydney.

Sydney, NSW

In Sydney Jim took up a position as a shipping clerk with the company GS Yuill and Co Ltd.

GS Yuill and Co Ltd was a shipping company and frozen meat exporter. The company had been founded by George Skelton Yuill, Jim’s uncle and the youngest son of Rev James Yuill and his wife who’s maiden name was Anderson. Jim’s younger brother, Keith, had joined the firm in Sydney in mid 1912.

Keith commenced playing lacrosse for the Sydney Lacrosse Club shortly after he moved to Sydney and in July 1913 Jim joined him in the First Grade team. Although he only joined the side part way through the season, Jim quickly became a valuable member of the team and was a member of the side who were runners-up in the First Grade premiership match in August 1913.

Jim played Third Grade cricket for North Sydney in the 1913/14 season and in one match against Waverley he had an innings of 124 runs. His brother Keith also played for the North Sydney Cricket Club.

Jim and Keith both played lacrosse for the Sydney Club again in the 1914 season. Unfortunately due to work commitments, Jim was unable to seek selection for the New South Wales team which was to tour New Zealand in 1914. However, both Keith and Jim were selected for the Inter-State match between NSW and Queensland played in August 1915.

It is unclear if the brother’s continued to play cricket for North Sydney in the 1914/15 season. They commenced playing lacrosse for Sydney in the 1915 season but due to the impacts of World War I the competition was suspended in July 1915.

World War I

Sadly for the Yuill family their mother, Katie passed away suddenly on the 25th June 1915, at Penzance Street, Glenelg.

Jim returned to Adelaide (one assumes for his mother’s funeral) and undertook a medical examination on the 30th June 1915 at Keswick, Adelaide.

On the 10th August 1915 he enlisted in the eighth reinforcement of the 27th Battalion with Service Number 3312. He was 28 years old, 5’8 3/4", 144 lbs, with a medium complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He named his sister, Elsie May Ford Yuill as his next-of-kin and stated that he had been a member of the Sydney Athletics Sports Rifle Club for four months.

He attended Non Commissioned Officers’ School in September 1916 and Officers’ School in October/ November 1915. While in Adelaide he attended the Hunt Club races and the “Dickens Fair” in late September 1915.

Jim was an acting Sergeant from the 16th November 1915. He embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A30 Borda on 12th January 1916 and joined the 7th Training Battalion at Zeitoun (a training base at Cairo, Egypt) on the 27th February 1916. He then reverted to the ranks when he was transferred to the 10th Battalion on the 28th February 1916 at Serapeum, Egypt.

On the 23th March 1916 he departed from Alexandrina, Egypt and disembarked at Marseilles on the 3rd April 1916. He served with the 10th Battalion in France and on the 1st August 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

Death

The 10th Battalion diary reports that they were in operations near Pozieres from the 16th to the 23rd of August 1916. On the 22nd August 1916 in the field in France, Lance Corporal James Anderson Yuill was killed in action.

Having no known grave, Jim is remembered at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France.

He is also remembered at the Yuill family plot at St Jude’s Church, Brighton.

He left an estate valued at £2,000.

In the early 1920s, the Glenelg Council named some new streets, in honour of some of the fallen of WWI. Fittingly, Yuill Street, named for Jim Yuill, is across Brighton Road from the Glenelg Oval.

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared by Beth Filmer for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project (with assistance from Rob O'Shannassy, Janne Filmer & Kym Beilby) please see the document attached or the Adelaide University site AdelaideConnect at
https://connect.adelaide.edu.au/nodes/view/25783

Extract from the Adelaide University Football Club and Adelaide University Cricket Club document honouring "The Fallen" Anzac Day 2015.

James played with the Adelaide University Cricket Club in the 1911/12 Season while studying Commerce and working for the family shipping agent company. He also played Lacrosse for University and represented the State.

James enlisted on 10th August 1915 and joined the 10th Battalion in Egypt on 28th February 1916. On 4th August 1916, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He was killed in action on 22nd August 1916, during the 10th Battalion’s attack on Mouquet Farm.