WALL, James Gerald
| Service Number: | 36183 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 May 1917, Claremont, Tas. |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 14th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Benalla, Victoria, Australia, 1875 |
| Home Town: | Stanley, Circular Head, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway construction |
| Died: | 4 June 1927, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 5 May 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 36183, Field Artillery Brigades, Claremont, Tas. | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 36183, Field Artillery Brigades, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Sydney embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1917: | Embarked Gunner, 36183, Field Artillery Brigades, HMAT Port Sydney, Melbourne | |
| 21 Aug 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Gunner, 14th Field Artillery Brigade , France | |
| 8 Oct 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Gunner, 36183, 14th Field Artillery Brigade , Breaching the Hindenburg Line - Cambrai / St Quentin Canal, Gassed. Evacuated to UK. Never rejoined unit. | |
| 27 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Gunner, 36183, 14th Field Artillery Brigade , RTA 23 March 1919 and discharged as MU (illness). |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Married with three children and living in Stanley, Tasmania, 42 year-old Jim Wall enlisted in the AIF on 5 May 1917, as a Gunner in the Field Artillery Brigade reinforcements.
He embarked overseas on 9 November 1917 and, after a long voyage via Egypt, Italy, and England, eventually joined the 14th Field Artillery Brigade in France, on 21 August 1918.
While firing in support of an American infantry attack on 8 October 1918, the 14th Field Artillery Brigade was subjected to a German gas bombardment, and Gunner Wall was evacuated with gas poisoning the next day. He was moved to a hospital in England and at some stage developed nephritis, an inflammation of the kidneys.
He was repatriated home to Australia on 23 March 1919 and was medically discharged from the AIF on 27 July 1919.
After the war, Jim Wall moved to Castlemaine and worked as a ledger clerk with Thompsons Foundry. He became a member of the Australian Natives Association (ANA) and was also instrumental in the formation and workings of the Castlemaine branch of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to the present day, RSL.
“Digger” Jim, as he affectionately became known, was President of the Castlemaine branch of the RSSILA from 1920-22. He dedicated his life to the troubles of the individual soldier and to fighting the injustices that many veterans suffered in the post-war years.
“Digger” Jim Wall died on 4 June 1927, aged 52. Following his death, a tablet dedicated to his long and valued service was unveiled at the Castlemaine Memorial Hall.
In a clear and very visible demonstration of the high regard in which Jim Wall was held, the memorial tablet was unveiled by General Sir John Monash, who made a special visit to Castlemaine for that purpose.
Robert Wight, March 2024
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