BUMSTEAD, James Charles
| Service Number: | 4817 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 November 1916, Brisbane, Qld. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 31st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hastings, England, 1874 |
| Home Town: | Belmont, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Joiner |
| Memorials: | Holland Park Mount Gravatt Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Nov 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4817, 31st Infantry Battalion, Brisbane, Qld. | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1917: | Involvement Private, 4817, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Wiltshire embarkation_ship_number: A18 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Feb 1917: | Embarked Private, 4817, 31st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Wiltshire, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Ian Lang
Husband of Mrs. Esther Harriet Bumstead, Creek Road, Belmont, Queensland
James Bumstead enlisted at Adelaide Street Recruiting Depot on 17th November 1916. He reported that he had been born in Hastings, England and had served for nine years in the infantry in the British Army before emigrating to Australia. He also reported that he was married with six children and his address was Creek Road, Belmont. At the time of enlisting, James was 42 years old.
In hindsight, James was a most unlikely recruit, given his age and subsequent medical problems. It is certain that recruiting officers were under some pressure to fill quotas in late 1916. The shocking casualties reported from Pozieres and Fromelles in July/ August 1916 had led to a marked decline in recruiting numbers and the Australian Government’s attempt to introduce conscription had failed at a referendum. It is perhaps in this context that James was accepted for enlistment.
James was drafted as a reinforcement into the 31st Battalion which was desperately short of manpower, having suffered almost 50% casualties at Fromelles. After a short period of training at Enoggera and a period of home leave, James embarked on the “Wiltshire” in Sydney on 7th February 1917. He disembarked at Devonport near Portsmouth on 11th April but within five days James was admitted to hospital with bronchitis. While still in hospital, he suffered an attack of rheumatism accompanied by a fever (Rheumatic Fever?). A medical board was convened to examine James’s case during which he disclosed that he had suffered from rheumatism in the legs and hips for thirty years. The initial findings were that he was unfit for overseas service but fit for home service (i.e., in Australia); however, a further review and another stay in hospital resulted in a decision to discharge him as medically unfit suffering from chronic rheumatism exacerbated by military service.
James Bumstead returned to Australia 11 months after embarking for overseas service. He had spent all of his time overseas in England, not far from his birthplace. Upon discharge in Brisbane on 17th January 1917, James and his family were granted war pensions. James himself received one pound per fortnight and his wife Esther was granted ten shillings. His sons, Alfred and James (jnr) were granted six shillings and five shillings respectively; and the remaining children; Sarah, Gertrude, George and Percy were granted three shillings and threepence per fortnight.
Presumably James Bumstead returned to his family at Creek Road and worked in his trade as a joiner.