GRIFFIN, James
| Service Number: | 4422 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 December 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 19th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Orange, New South Wales, Australia, 1875 |
| Home Town: | Orange, Orange Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tramway Maintenance Worker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 14 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Warlencourt British Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Orange Cenotaph, Orange WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4422, 19th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 4422, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 4422, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
James GRIFFIN was born in Orange, NSW, in 1875. His parents were James and Ellen Griffin. He became a temporary labourer in the Tramways Maintenance Branch, Sydney and Suburbs District.
On 14 November 1916 he was reported a being missing in action. A subsequent Court of Enquiry determined he had been killed in action.
Depositions in his Red Cross Enquiry Bureau File describe what happened. Private J R Howth (4438) reported: ‘He came with the 11th to the 19th Reinforcements. I knew him. He worked on the tram lines in Sydney before the war. … He was wounded in the knee and I saw him going out, and on his way out I saw him killed in a sap at Flers on 14th Nov. 1916. He was hit in the side of the head by shrapnel. He did not make a sound but opened his mouth once or twice and died quite easily. The enemy got a machine gun trained on the sap and we had to clear out and his body was left there. I was wounded myself. We held the ground. Many bodies were left as long as two months, but were buried eventually, and I think there is a good chance his was buried. I was at Flers in June [1917] and had a look at all the crosses but did not see his amongst them, but there were a lot marked “Unknown”.’
Submitted 8 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
James GRIFFIN was born in Orange, NSW, in 1875. His parents were James and Ellen Griffin. He was a temporary labourer in the Tramways Maintenance Branch, Sydney and Suburbs District. On his Attestation Paper when he joined the AIF, James Griffin gave his occupation as ‘Labourer’ and his address as being at Glebe in Sydney.
He joined the AIF on 13th December 1915 with the rank of Private (Service Number 4422) and was posted to the 11th Reinforcements to the 19th Infantry Battalion. On his Attestation Paper he stated his age was 40 years and he indicated that he was a widower. He nominated his father, who was still living at Orange, as his next of kin.
He left Alexandria, Egypt, for England on 29th May 1916 and reached Plymouth on 7th June 1916. On 9th September 1916 he left England for France, marching in to the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on 11th September 1916. He left there on 24 September 1916 and was taken on strength of the 19th Infantry Battalion two days later.
On 14th November 1916 he was reported a being missing in action. A subsequent Court of Enquiry determined that he had been killed in action.
Depositions in his Red Cross Enquiry Bureau File describe what happened. Private J R Howth (4438) reported: ‘He came with the 11th to the 19th Reinforcements. I knew him. He worked on the tram lines in Sydney before the war. … He was wounded in the knee and I saw him going out, and on his way out I saw him killed in a sap at Flers on 14th Nov. 1916. He was hit in the side of the head by shrapnel. He did not make a sound but opened his mouth once or twice and died quite easily. The enemy got a machine gun trained on the sap and we had to clear out and his body was left there. I was wounded myself. We held the ground. Many bodies were left as long as two months, but were buried eventually, and I think there is a good chance his was buried. I was at Flers in June [1917] and had a look at all the crosses but did not see his amongst them, but there were a lot marked “Unknown”.’
The Australian War Memorial gives his cemetery or memorial details as: Warlencourt British Cemetery, Warlencourt-Eaucourt, Arras, Nord Pas de Calais, France. After he died his father was granted a pension of 15 shillings per fortnight with effect from 23 February 1917.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board