MCKENNERY, James
| Service Number: | 1398 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 December 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, 26 June 1879 |
| Home Town: | Bundaberg, Bundaberg, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Eventide Nursing Home at Sandgate, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 14 June 1949, aged 69 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1398, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1398, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Bee embarkation_ship_number: A48 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Apr 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 1398, 9th Infantry Battalion, 1st MD, medically discharged (wounding) |
Help us honour James McKennery's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Private James McKennery (McKinnery) (Service No. 1398), an Australian World War One veteran who was wounded in action at Gallipoli, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with plaques in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
James McKennery (also spelt McEnery, McEneiry, McKinnery) was born on 26 June 1879 at Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, to Denis McEnery and Mary McEnery (nee Moran).
On 12 December 1914, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Bundaberg, Queensland, recording his occupation as labourer. He embarked from Brisbane on 13 February 1915 with the 9th Battalion aboard HMAT Seang Bee.
He joined his unit on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 7 May 1915 and was wounded twice during the campaign, sustaining a gunshot wound to the chest on 20 May 1915 and a gunshot wound to the shoulder on 7 November 1915. As a result of his injuries, he was returned to Australia and discharged on 19 April 1916.
Following his return to Australia, McKennery endured significant hardship. He was admitted on multiple occasions to the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum on North Stradbroke Island, established under the Benevolent Asylum Wards Act of 1861 to care for those unable to support themselves due to illness or infirmity. Records indicate he had no money or property at the time. After the asylum closed in September 1946, he was transferred to Eventide Nursing Home at Sandgate.
Private James McKennery died at South Brisbane on 14 June 1949 aged 69, and was buried in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. He was unmarried and had no known children.
After reviewing thousands of WWI service and medical records, we are confident that Private James McKennery was among the many returned soldiers who died without sufficient means in their estate to fund their own burial. The Repatriation Department (now the Department of Veterans’ Affairs) covered the cost of tens of thousands of veterans’ burials—many of which, like his, have remained unmarked for decades. Thousands more are yet to be identified.
After seven decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia, ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
Click images to start slideshow.