MCLEAN, James Harold
| Service Number: | 6539 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 December 1914, Brisbane, Qld. |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Brigade Train |
| Born: | Milton, NSW, 22 July 1894 |
| Home Town: | Casino, Richmond Valley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Natural Causes, 13 February 1972, aged 77 years, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, New South Wales Wall of Mem Aif 14 GG, 0018 |
| Memorials: | Wooroolin Great War Pictorial Honour Roll, Wooroolin WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Driver, 6539, 7th Infantry Brigade Train, Brisbane, Qld. | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun 1915: | Involvement Driver, 6539, 7th Infantry Brigade Train, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: SS Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Jun 1915: | Embarked Driver, 6539, 7th Infantry Brigade Train, SS Melbourne, Brisbane |
James Harold McLean – 6539 - 7th Infantry Brigade Train
James Harold McLean was born 22 Jul 1894 at Milton, NSW the 3rd of 10 children of John & Anne Mclean. By 1914 James was working as a labourer at Wooroolin. He registered as a member of the Wooroolin Rifle Club on 13 Apr 1914 when he was 19 years 9 months old.
He enlisted in the AIF on 12 Dec 1914 at Brisbane and was assigned to the Infantry Brigade Train 7, Company 17. His army records show that he was 20 years 5 months old, 5 ft 9 ½ inches tall, dark complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. As he was under 21 years of age his father had to provide a letter of consent for him to join the AIF.
The AIF Project states that James McLean departed from Brisbane on two different ships within a month of each other and it is not noted in his file. However he was fighting at Gallipoli by late August 1915 and left by hospital ship in late Dec 1915. His unit remained in Egypt until March 1916 when they were sent to France. Like so many other young men he was in and out of hospital whilst in France many times.
James returned to Australia on 8 Apr 1919
3 of his brothers also enlisted in the AIF.
• John Thomas (Jack) McLean – 1596 enlisted at Brisbane on 31 Dec 1914 and served in 9th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement. Jack was also living at Wooroolin before he enlisted and is included on the Wooroolin Honour Board.
• Joseph Ronald McLean – 2924 enlisted at Brisbane on 23 Sep 1914 and served in 15th Battalion, F Company. He died of wounds 2 May 1918 and is remembered at Vignacourt British Cemetery (Plot I, Row E, Grave No. 15), France
• Thomas Alexander McLean – 4869 enlisted at Lismore on 6 Jan 1916 and served in 17th Battalion, 12th Reinforcement. He was Killed in Action 8 August 1918 and is remembered at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery (Plot III, Row F, Grave No. 7), Fouilloy, France
This photo is part of the photographic memorial to the Wooroolin Volunteers during WW1 titles “For King and Country - Wooroolin Volunteers 1914 – 1916”
This amazingly wonderful memorial was in display at the Wooroolin Memorial Hall at the 2023 Anzac Day Service.
Lest We Forget
Submitted 30 July 2024 by Carol Berry
Click images to start slideshow.