Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James Mclean was born in 1886 at Eldersley, Renfrewshire, Scotland the child of John & Margaret McLean. I have found nothing about this young man until he enrolled in the Australian Army at Childers on 6 Jan 1915 giving his father as NOK- John McLean, 8 Crawford Street, Lamb Hill Glasgow, Scotland.
There are several James listed in the AIF Project as having served during WW1 but this man fits best as it was quite normal for cane workers to go to the Wooroolin District to work during the peanut season.
James was assigned to the 15th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement and his unit embarked from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A49 Seang Choon on 13 February 1915.
His army records show that James was 29 years 7 months old and was 5ft 5 ½ inches tall with ruddy & fair complexion, olive eyes and sandy hair. He had no distinguishing he was Presbyterian denomination.
His army files list many “casualties” including Colitus whilst at Gallipoli in Jul 1915, Diarrhoea and Dysentry at both Gallipoli and Heliopolis then again in Egypt as well as a poisoned thumb! He was also wounded in Action in France in Apr 1918. I wish I could read and understand the files property but I can see that this man was at many places during the war – Tel Kabir, Codford, Southampton, Le Harve, Etables, France, Birmingham, Dartford, Hurdcott and Tidworth are all mentioned.
On 19 Oct 1916 James McLean married Margaret Bryce at The Registry office New Kilpatrick, Dumbarton according to the rites of United Free Church of Scotland. Margaret was a Sewing Machine Factory Hand and James gave his occupation as Sugar Plantation Worker. James gave his residence as Codford Camp, Wiltshire. Another time of learning for me.
The Codford area has had a long history with ANZAC soldiers and during World War I large training and transfer camps were established for the tens of thousands of troops waiting to move to France. Codford also became a depot in 1916 for the men who had been evacuated from the front line and were not fit to return to the front.
Codford's 'Anzac Badge' was the idea of an Australian Brigade Commander during World War I, who wished to leave a visible memento of his brigade when it departed. This consists of a gigantic Rising Sun badge (measuring 53 x 45 metres), carved in 1916 into the grass of a hillside to expose the underlying bright white chalk. The soldiers of 13 Trg Bn AIF who maintained the badge as a form of punishment named the site 'Misery Hill.
With the end of hostilities in 1918 Codford was used a reception and transit camp for many of the men arriving with their Quota from Belgium and France and awaiting their return to Australia, including many of the men from the 22nd Battalion during the winter and spring of 1919.
James and Margaret McLean returned to Australia on board the Marathon arriving back in Australia in Jan 1920. They lived in Taylor St Childers. Their son Harold was born in 1922 and sadly Margaret died in 1926.
I have not located any records for James after the death of his wife until his own death in 1946. James is buried at Lutwyche Cemetery.
Lest We Forget