GRAINGER, James Henry
| Service Number: | 1068 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 September 1914, An original member of G Company 5th Bn. |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 4th Australian Field Artillery Battery |
| Born: | Burnley, Victoria, Australia, 10 April 1896 |
| Home Town: | Kensington, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Kensington State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Factory worker |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 10 April 1917, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bapaume Australian Cemetery Row A, Grave No. 1. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1068, 5th Infantry Battalion, An original member of G Company 5th Bn. | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 1068, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orvieto embarkation_ship_number: A3 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 1068, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orvieto, Melbourne | |
| 10 Apr 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 1068, 4th Australian Field Artillery Battery, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1068 awm_unit: 4th Australian Field Artillery Battery awm_rank: Gunner awm_died_date: 1917-04-10 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
James Henry Grainger was one of three sons of John and Mary Grainger of Ascot Vale in Melbourne who served during WW1.
James’s older brother, Company Sergeant Major William Paterson Grainger 47th Battalion AIF was killed in action at Messines on 7 June 1917, aged 26.
James had raised in Kensington where his parents were living, attended Kensington State School and was working at the Barnet Glass and Rubber factory, in Footscray, Victoria, when he enlisted very early during September 1914. He was an original member of the 5th Battalion and served at the Anzac landing on 25 April 1915 where he was shot in the arm.
He was evacuated to Egypt to recover and rejoined the 5th Battalion on Gallipoli during September 1915. He was transferred to the 21st Field Artillery Brigade when he first arrived in France and later transferred to the 2nd Field Artillery Brigade.
He was mortally wounded near Lagnicourt on 9 April 1917. He was said in his Red Cross wounded and missing file “to have been with a group of men from the Battery who were together in a bit of trench with some canvas covering over it, when a shell came and pitched right amongst them; seven were killed and six wounded, Grainger being one of the latter. He died next day or the day after. I do not know where he was when he died, but I expect he got as far as a CCS.”
Another brother, 1192 Corporal John Grainger 21st Field Artillery Brigade, also enlisted during August 1914 and returned to Australia during November 1919, having served for over five years.
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