STRIBLING, James Edward
| Other Name: | SMITH, James Edward - Alias enlisted under |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 977 |
| Enlisted: | 10 September 1914, Blackboy Hill, WA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Stawell, Victoria, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | West Wyalong, Bland, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in action, Pozieres, France, 25 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Pozières British Cemetery Plot IV, Row V, Grave No. 5. |
| Memorials: | Kings Park Western Australia State War Memorial, Nullawil District War Memorial, Nullawil Methodist & Presbyterian Church Great European War Roll of Honour, Nullawil War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 977, 12th Infantry Battalion, Blackboy Hill, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1914: | Involvement Private, 977, 12th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1914: | Embarked Private, 977, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Medic, Fremantle |
Help us honour James Edward Stribling's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
(Served as SMITH), Son of John Edward and Amelia Ann Stribling; husband of Althea Florence Stribling, of "Avenmore", West Wyalong, New South Wales.
HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY WHAT MORE COULD HE DO
James Edward Smith was married in West Wyalong NSW on 15 April 1914, at 21 years of age. His wife was only 17 years of age and pregnant. James became a father only 7 days before he enlisted in Western Australia. How or why, he came to enlist at Blackboy Hill in Western Australia, less than six months after his marriage, is unknown.
He wrote several letters to his young wife during his service, and expressed a wish to survive the war and re-join her. She sent copies of these letters to Base Records and they are recorded in his service file as evidence that his true name was Stribling.
James was an original member of the 12th Battalion and was present at the landing on Anzac on 25 April 1915. He was wounded during the first few frenetic days and evacuated to Cairo, with a gunshot or shrapnel wound to the leg. He returned to Gallipoli in early June of 1915 but was again evacuated this time with enteric, and was eventually sent to England to recover. He eventually rejoined the 12th Battalion just prior to the Battle of Pozieres.
In his Red Cross file, he was seen to be extremely badly wounded by a shell on 25 July 1916. The mate stated he was known to all as ‘Snowy’. Another soldier said he ‘His real name was Scribbles, he told us when we were going into action.’
His surname was confirmed as Stribling after his death, through communications with his wife and others. He was given a battlefield grave, marked by a cross, and it was located after the war, his remains being interred in a military cemetery. His wife and child in West Wyalong were both granted pensions and lived long lives.
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