Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James (Jim) was the youngest of John Allen and Elinor (Ellen) Hannah’s sixteen children. He was born in Quorn, on the 7th March ’21. Jim’s siblings included six sisters, twins Emily Ellen and Ruth Evelyn (Emily died at birth), Vivian Hilda May, Kathleen, Marjory May and Charlette Margaret, plus nine brothers Andrew George, John Munro, Peter Silvinus, Alexander David, Frederick Thomas, Reginald Herman, Alfred Charles, Ronald Arthur, and Charles 21(or 18 March ‘22
Jim’s father, John Absalom came from Gloucester, England, arriving on the ‘Vendue’ in 1891. He predominantly undertook stevedoring work at Port Augusta and Quorn, but later farmed at Arden Vale near Quorn. There, he was actively involved in local council being the Councillor for North Quorn Ward in the Kanyaka District for two years. His other activities included the local Agricultural and Horticultural Society, the Quorn Racing Club, the Football Club, the Quorn and Port Augusta Buffalo Lodges and being a Past Primo of Pichi Richi Lodge, all adding to his local involvement.
The family was involved in farming at Arden Vale but returned to Port Augusta where John again was engaged in stevedoring work and the fishing industry up to the time of his death aged 55 in October ’26. Many members of the Waterside Workers and Buffalo Lodge attended the funeral. Jim was just five years old at the time. Less than four years later, Jim’s 53-year-old mother Elinor died on the 20th March 1931 in Port Augusta.
Jim eventually followed his older brother, Reg working as a station hand until the outbreak of WWII. 28-year-old Reg enlisted to serve on the 26 February, ’41. The following week 20-year-old Jim enlisted. Reg became SX11667 and Jim SX11739 with both allocated to the 2/48th Battalion, and both nominated their oldest brother, Andrew George as their next of kin. (Andrew was working in the Andamooka Opal fields at the time.) Following pre-embarkation leave, in April Reg and Jim were aboard the Ile de France on their way to the Middle East, arriving on the 14th May ’41. Following training at the Amiriya Staging Camp, Jim was appointed to the Infantry Special Group.
Despite never having seen snow, Jim was briefly allocated to the 1st Australian Corps Ski School in January ’42 before returning to the 2/48th Battalion. The following month, he sustained a fracture to his jaw. Unlike his talented brother John, a highly successful boxer, Jim’s injury occurred after an ‘unofficial’ night out in Tripoli. Inevitably, a Court of Inquiry was held which concluded that Jim was standing in the middle of Tell Street and as an army vehicle approached, Jim moved in front of it, thus sustaining his injuries. The driver, Captain R. G.B. Turvey 129235 (Tunnelling Group) was in full control of his vehicle and immediately collected witness detail. No mention was made of first aid applied.
Whilst in hospital, Jim continued to push army boundaries and was regularly fined. His fractured jaw became infected in June that year causing a further two weeks of hospitalisation. Soon after he returned to the 2/48th his brother Reg was taken Prisoner of War.
For Jim, the effects of his broken jaw continued to affect him with inflamed neck nodes and painful boils in the following months. Finally, the much depleted 2/48th Battalion was on the voyage back to Australia via Melbourne in February ’43.
By May that year, Jim and D Company were involved in jungle training in Queensland as the battalion prepared to face a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. During training Jim again earned several fines for being AWL with the subsequent, predictable, loss of pay.
John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan, described how the coming of May brought night exercises, hungry leeches, rain and lack of fire, dampening any enthusiasm for the training. Those exercises took from three to five days, including one on the appropriately named, winding, slippery Python Hill. Jim’s company missed out on their evening meal, it had rained all night, the men had been beset by leeches and the final indignity was no breakfast. Glenn record that ‘A particularly hungry 17 Platoon, led by Lieutenant Murphy, came upon a camp just arising to greet the morn. The smell of food was too much for Privates Absalom, Bloffwitch, Giles and Co., and soon the whole platoon was breaking a forced fast. Finally, they made a staggering progress through the heart of the camp, giving soldierly advice to those just getting out of bed.’ Worryingly, the camp was Divisional Headquarters, but very fortunately Major-General Wootten took the whole procession and the comments with good humour – however no ‘platoon of the 2/48th ever marched through divisional headquarters again and Lieutenant Murphy continued to command 17 Platoon’.
By August ’43 Jim disembarked in Milne Bay and again was fined for being AWL for four days but continued to take unofficial leave and be fined, including confined to barracks for two days. Conditions continued to be challenging. In one incident, related by SX7878 Sergeant Bill Manley in Tobruk to Tarakan, Jim’s sense of humour came to the fore and in this incident, was appreciated. As Bill and his men moved towards Mount Lunaman, the tropical conditions contributed to a high rate of malaria. Black mud almost up to the men’s waists, decaying vegetation and a myriad of insects were a breeding ground for jungle fevers. Bill recognised an exceptional leader in Brigadier ‘Torpy’ Whitehead. A delightful story in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ described, in Bill’s unique style how:
“After enduring mud, slush, mosquitoes and downpouring bloody rain the troops arrived just to the rear of Mount Lunaman. All had been out of smokes for days and all were at the snarling point, caused mostly by no bloody smokes. The dispersal had just been completed, when, passing through D Company, came the grand old man, Brigadier Whitehead, puffing away contentedly at his pipe. The aroma of good tobacco drifted to the troops, who had not had a smoke for days. Jim Absalom asked in a quiet, matter of fact voice, “What about a puff on the pipe, sir?”
The Brigadier immediately shared the contents of his pouch with the men (minus one pipeful) and asked his officers about the lack of supplies for the men. The response that it was a luxury and therefore not for the front-line soldiers was met with disbelief and immediate orders from the Brigadier were made to ensure the tobacco appeared by the following day. It did!
Jim contracted an extremely high temperature (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin) and malaria before returning to Australia. A further overseas stint to Tarakan via Morotai followed in April ’45 before he was finally discharged on the 27th February ’46. Reg had been freed as a Prisoner of War and returned to Adelaide via train on the 9th July ’45.
On his return, Jim worked on Curnamona Station out from Yunta, a highly respected sheep and horse breeding station. before returning to Port Augusta early in the 1950’s. He had married Wanda Hilda with the two having four children, Raelene, Jennifer, James and Denise.
Aged 56 James died on the 11th December 1977 and now rests in the Stirling North Garden Cemetery, Section 5 Row M Grave 8. Wanda lived to be 64 and died on the 29th March 1988. She now rests with him.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.