Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James was born at Alberton on the 20th June ’20 and was named after his Broken Hill born father, James Snr. His mother was Mary Colleton from Gawler. The family of twelve children grew up in Kilkenny, a north-western suburb midway between Port Adelaide and the city. James had seven sisters, Margaret, Irene, Monica, Kathleen, Patricia Jean and Barbara and four brothers John, Michael, Peter and Lawrence, the latter also serving during the final year of WWII.
Patricia was a regular contributor to the Southern Cross newspaper, giving a glimpse of family life in her published letters. These included a winning piece detailing a two-week family camping holiday at Merino. The family had travelled by motor lorry and slept in two tents their father had erected. The children spent their time explore the caves in the rocks nearby, and "crabbing". Despite one bucket of crabs being knocked over in a tent and scattering, all were safely recaptured. Although a storm threatened to wreck one of the tents, the holiday remained the happiest ever spent.
Being a strong Catholic family, all children attended Church-run schools with James attended the Marist Brothers’ School where he played traditional sports of football and cricket. Post school he gained employment at the Port Adelaide Globe Timber Mills with over 100 workers and was one of the biggest importer of Oregon and softwoods. It was considered an innovative factory as even the ‘waste’ products of shavings and dust were used for engine fuel. James then worked for Michell’s as a wool scourer at Southwark, removing impurities and contaminants from fibres enabling the wool to be used in textile fibre.
Immediately after his 20th birthday, James enlisted on the 25th July ‘40 to serve in WWII. He was allocated the number SX9620 in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion and was soon on his way to serve in the Middle East. Once there, the recruits completing a few months training in Cyrenaica. From there, they were soon on their way to serve in Tobruk, Syria and Egypt. By the start of April 1941, the 2/48th were in Tobruk where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to new enlistees. James was to become one of the famed Rats of Tobruk and rise to become a Lance Corporal.
James’ younger brother, Lawrence Bernard had been with the militia before he enlisted in June ’45 just after his 21st birthday, becoming SX38822. He served for thirteen months before he was discharged in July ’46. By that time, James had been discharged in November ’45.
James’ young brother, John Vincent was a child during the war and too young to serve. He had numerous poems published in the Mail as an 11- and 12-year-old, then post school became an apprentice electrical fitter but certainly pushed the boundaries, with several court appearances. His poetry writing moved to letter writing to newspapers, covering topics including the local Woodville Football Club’s proposal to join the SA Football league when he believed they should do more to help local footy, to solutions to tackle Adelaide’s parking problems. He also railed against the lack of knowledge "brain" workers had regarding efficiency and the ‘appalling’ material handling in the building and secondary industries as machinery and methods had not changed since the turn of the century. It was such a blow to the family when John died aged 37 in April ’65. He was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery where later his 82-year-old father, James who died on the 12th Aug ’76 and Mary who died on the 9th Dec ’81 aged 90 were also interred.
James Anthony died on the 22nd April ’76. He is buried in the Salisbury Memorial Park, Catholic section 875 with his wife Patricia Adrienne, who pre-deceased him on the 21 August 1970.
Laurence who also served during the war, lived to be 92 and died on the 30th Nov 2016. He was buried in the Woronora Memorial Park in NSW.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.