MOUNSER, James Clement
| Service Number: | 2573 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 April 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, 13 November 1886 |
| Home Town: | Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 20 October 1917, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2573, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 2573, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Kanowna embarkation_ship_number: A61 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 2573, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Kanowna, Adelaide |
Help us honour James Clement Mounser's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Sharyn Roberts
NOTE: The Family name was incorrectly transcribed on the Embarkation Roll as MOUSER. The correct Family name is MOUNSER as evidenced in the Service Record. The record on this memorial has been amended to accord with Service Record. Correction undertaken by the Chief Moderator, March 2017.
Information provided by Howard S TRURAN
Jimmy was a mate of Private William (Bill) Howard TRURAN 2713. They were together at the Menin Road battlefield on 20 October 1917. They both went over the top and a shell attack killed Jimmy outright. Although Jimmy's body acted as a shield for Bill he was badly wounded and was treated at a Canadioan Aid Station before being evacuated to the UK for further treatment. Jimmy has no known grave. Bill's only son Howard grew up well aware of the sacrifice that his Father's mate Jimmy had made. Jimmy Mounser is always remembered.
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
James Clement Mounser was the son of Agnes Robinson of 14 King William Street, Fitzroy, Victoria. Agnes Robinson, had previously been married to a Henry Mounser, who passed away in 1888, and James Mounser was her son from this marriage. She then married Henry John Robinson who passed away in 1898.
James Mounser had three half-brothers, all sons of Agnes and Henry Robinson who died during WW1.
2889 Pte Albert Douglas Robinson, 60th Battalion AIF, was killed in action at Fromelles, 19 July 1916, aged 21.
2095 Pte. Alexander Robinson 23rd Battalion AIF, died of wounds only a few months later at Flers, 20 November 1916, aged 25.
986 Private Edward Robinson 8th Battalion AIF, died of wounds 11 September 1918, age 28.
James Mounser was killed near Zonnebeke when working as a runner. He was killed by shell fragments when not far from his destination bringing a message from the front line. In his service file he was reported to have been buried by Lieutnenant L.D. McCarthy 16th Battalion, in the Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery. McCarthy would be awarded a VC the following year for what some regarded as the most effective piece of individual fighting in the history of the AIF. A note in Mounser’s file states his remains could not be located in cemetery after the war.
His mother Agnes eventually received his medals and effects.
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