TUTTON, James
| Service Number: | 66538 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 May 1918, Enlisted at Sydney |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 16th to 27th Reinforcements (NSW) |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1881 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Public School, New South Wales |
| Occupation: | Wharf Labourer |
| Died: | Illness - Pneumonia, Quarantine Station, Quarantine Station, Woodman Point, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 12 December 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Rockingham Cemetery, Western Australia Church of England Section, Row A, Grave 31, Rockingham Cemetery, Rockingham, Western Australia, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Coogee "Boonah" Tragedy Memorial, Kirup War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 13 May 1918: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 66538, Enlisted at Sydney | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1918: | Involvement Private, 66538, 16th to 27th Reinforcements (NSW), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Oct 1918: | Embarked Private, 66538, 16th to 27th Reinforcements (NSW), HMAT Boonah, Adelaide | |
| 12 Dec 1918: | Involvement Private, 66538, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 66538 awm_unit: 21 General Service Reinforcements awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-12-12 |
Private James Tutton
The troopship, 'Boonah' arrived back in Fremantle in 1918 bearing soldiers infected with the Spanish Flu then rampant in South Africa where the ship had docked. A number of the soldiers, quarantined at Woodman Point, and the nurses attending them died.
James died from that disease on 12 December 1918 and was buried at East Rockingham cemetery that day (Ang A1 31). He was 36 years of age, from Sydney, New South Wales.
A room in the museum at the former quarantine station, and a Boonah memorial outside the former Isolation Hospital commemorates the tragic loss of life. James and other men and women were also honoured at a Boonah Century Commemoration Ceremony at the former quarantine station in December 2018.
66538 Private / James Tutton / Australian Imperial Force / 12th December 1918 / RIP.
AWM Roll of Honour, Panel 185
Lest We Forget.
Submitted 31 May 2025 by gail dodd
Biography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Mr. & Mrs. E,F. Tutton of Balmain, NSW; husband of Elizabeth Frances Tutton of 17 Roseberry Street, Balmain, NSW
James did not serve overseas due to the ship being recalled
Medal: British War Medal