CARNEY, James Arthur
| Service Number: | 2894 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, August 1874 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Scene painter |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2894, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 2894, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 2894, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Adelaide | |
| 11 Jul 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2894, 32nd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide High School
James Arthur Carney, who served in the First World War, was born in Rockhampton, a town situated in the heart of Queensland, in August 1874. He was a 41-year-old unmarried man who had previously worked as a scene painter before enlisting in the army.
In 1916, he arrived in Adelaide, South Australia, and enrolled in the Australian Imperial Forces on the 22nd of January. He had no military experience prior to the enlistment. He enlisted when he was 42 years of age, as stated in his enlistment documentation, which was within the range requirement. Prior to enrolment, he was thought to be having poor vision, which reportedly had worsened during his services, although it was temporarily improved by glasses.
The period since his enlistment till the 31st of January 1916 in Mitcham, South Australia, he served as a private in the 32nd Infantry Battalion for the 2nd Australian Army Medical Corps. He later joined the Army Medical Corps as a member of the 4th Field Ambulance, where he was responsible for evacuating a chain of wounded from the battlefield.
To receive training for the field ambulance duty, he was transferred to the 14th Infantry Training Battalion. According to his casualty reports, he suffered from synovitis while training in the Egyptian military camp of Tel-el-Kebir.
On November 25, 1916, Carney was assigned to a detachment of the 2nd Australian General Hospital in Wimereux, France, to perform permanent and specific base responsibilities. While on detachment at the 2nd Australian General Hospital, Carney was transported to the hospital on 19 January 1917 owing to illness. Following his minimal recovery, his battalion was assigned to Boulogne, a small town south of Wimereux, to assist the British in defending against German submarine attacks. On November 25th, 1916, he was transferred from the 5th Australian Divisional Base Depot in Etaples, far north of Wimereux, to the 2nd Australian General Hospital for duty in Wimereux. On the 2nd of March 1917, Carney was brought to Edmonton, a city of Canada, and admitted to the Military Hospital due to the onset of Bronchitis. The hospital ship Brighton, on which he was still recovering from Bronchitis, sailed from Calais to England on the 25th of May 1917, where he was assigned to the A.I.F headquarters. He was discharged for being unfit for war service two months later, with effect from July 11, 1917 and appears to have remained in England.