MCDONALD, James
| Service Number: | 2100 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Greta, New South Wales, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Adamstown, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Merewether Public School,New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Coal Miner / Labourer |
| Died: | Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia, 13 August 1945, cause of death not yet discovered, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 2100, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 2100, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 14 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 3 Mar 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2100, Medically Unfit |
Born James Edward Murray
James was born at Greta, NSW in 1889 to parents James Murray and Janet "Jessie" Catherine Swinton. The family moved to Adamstown, NSW in order for his father James Snr to work in the coal mines. In 1899 his mother Jessie died. Left to his own devices while his father worked, among other things the young James was a regular truant from school and as a result was sent to the nautical training school on the ship "Sobraon" at Cockatoo Island which was designed to rehabilitate unruly and/or destitute boys. After serving his “sentence”, he was adopted by Mr & Mrs James and Mary McDonald.
He enlisted at Liverpool on the 28th January 1915 as James Murray. He was issued the Service No: 632 and was assigned to Depot duties. He stated his father was James Murray. After his discharge that same year, he re-enlisted under his adopted name James McDonald at Liverpool on the 17th June 1915 and stated his father was James McDonald, his adoptive parent.
James joined his unit at Gallipoli on the 7th August 1915. A week later he was wounded in action receiving a bullet wound to his left wrist. James' injury left his hand permanently disabled. He was discharged as medically unfit on the 3rd March 1916 and returned home on the "Beltana".
Over the next three decades he spent time working as a labourer in the Cessnock, Kurri Kurri, Sydney, Mackay, Coramba, Grafton, Taree, Coolangatta, Holland Park, Lithgow, Canberra and Bathurst districts and lived a colourful life under the watchful eye of the law using the names James Edward Murray, James McDonald and James Swinton on select occasions.
James returned to the Lithgow, NSW region and it was there on the 13th August 1945 that he passed away at the age of 55.
Submitted 24 June 2021 by Louise Hebbe