SA9200
WATSON, Samuel James
| Service Number: | 1035 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 May 1941, Fort Largs, SA |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Waterloo, SA, 11 January 1887 |
| Home Town: | Cadell, Mid Murray, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | drover |
| Died: | Waterloo - south Australia, Australia , 2 January 1979, aged 91 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 1035, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 1035, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 1035, 10th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 16 May 1941: | Enlisted Fort Largs, SA |
|---|
Help us honour Samuel James Watson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
At the age of 27 years and 9 months, S.J. Watson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on the 7th September 1914. Watson's apperance on his Attestation Papers was described as standing at 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 143 lbs (64 kg) with a 36-inch chest, 36-inch chest, black hair, and grey eyes.
When he joined the AIF, S.J Watson was put in the infantry, where he became the sergeant of an infantry battalion that took second in command. He fought in three different battalions during the war namely 10th, 29th, and 50th Battalions. On the battlefield, his major function was to assist in controlling and leading soldiers in order to ensure they were safe and successful during combat operations.
One of his most notable battles was the fight at Dardanelles, part of the Gallipoli Campaign, a significant and deadly battlefront during the war. The conditions at Gallipoli were some of the toughest faced by soldiers, constant artillery fire, lack of supplies, disease, and harsh terrain. Like many of his fellow soldiers, S.J. Watson faced unimaginable challenges, but he continued to show courage and determination. Despite being wounded in action during the Dardanelles campaign, his bravery did not go unnoticed. For his exceptional acts of courage under fire, S.J. Watson was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field. S.J. Watson was in and out of the hospital during the war, he was first transferred from Sicilia on 28/7/15 with "diarrhoea" On 19/10/17 S.J. Watson was wounded in action and in hospital again.
Bibliography:
Vwma.org.au. (2019). Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/.
www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). Fremantle, Western Australia. November 1914. The troop transport Ascanius (A11) which was the ... [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H16157.
Terrace, V. (2024). View digital copy. [online] Naa.gov.au. Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1915176 [Accessed 23 Sep. 2024].
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