THOMSON, James
| Service Number: | 4632 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 October 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hackney, Middlesex, England, 29 July 1885 |
| Home Town: | North Sydney, North Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Process engraver |
| Died: | 1957, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4632, 4th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Feb 1916: | Involvement Private, 4632, 4th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Feb 1916: | Embarked Private, 4632, 4th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Sydney | |
| 15 Apr 1917: | Imprisoned The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Near Dernancourt on 15 April 1917 the sole escapee of an outpost of 13 men of the 4th Battalion, which was surrounded by attacking Germans, was 5665 Private Alick Buckley. James Thomson was one of the men captured by the Germans.
In a Red Cross witness statement, he gave Thomson credit for saving his life.
“We were all in a Machine Gun section in the open about three quarters of a mile in front of Dernancourt on the morning of 15th April, when we were surrounded by the Germans. They took us all prisoners but I was wounded and they did not trouble much about me and that night I rolled away, and crawled until I got to our outposts.
…None of the others were wounded. Thomson saved my life by bandaging up my wounds and refusing to leave me until he had done so in spite of the threats of the Germans. He was my mate, and he was a mate.”
Buckley’s head had been grazed by a bullet, fracturing his skull and losing the movement of his right arm and leg.
James Thomson was born in London England during 1885 and it is unknown when he arrived in Australia, but he arrived with his parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Thomson and they were living in North Sydney when James enlisted. He stated on his enlistment form that he was a process engraver and had worked for W. J. Baker & Co. for three years.
He survived his period of captivity with the Germans and was repatriated to England during December 1918. He arrived back in Australia during March 1919 and was married the same year.