Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times - Tuesday 22 May 1917 Mr. James Parsonage, Gunn's Plains, has received letters from Major L.H. Payne, in which he expresses the sympathy of officers and men of B Co., at the death of Pte. J. Parsonage (Joshua was James grandson), who was killed in action on January 3, 1917. Major Payne speaks in high terms of the manner in which the deceased soldier carried out his duties. Mr. Parsonage also received a letter from the Roman Catholic chaplain, who said Pte. Parsonage died in a hospital six miles from the firing line, and was the first catholic boy of the 40th to be killed in action.

Here is Joshua's story: Joshua joined the Australian Army on the 28th March, 1916. He was 21 years and 5 month old. His mother had died two years earlier and his toddler brother had died when Joshua was 4 years old. He was no stranger to death but the war would bring a new level of tragedy. He took an oath to serve the king and to resist the King's enemies. He started training in Clarement and 5 months later he boarded a ship from Hobart. In September, the battalion arrive in England where they undergo Battle training at Larkhill. The 40th Battalion arrived in France on the morning of the 24th November, 1916, disembarking at Le Havre, moving to and spending some time in billets near Bailleul. On the 2nd December marched to, and occupied, the city of Armentieres, as reserve battalion of the 10th Brigade, which Brigade had now taken over the trenches immediately south of the River Lys, and immediately east of Armentieres. On the 9th December the Battalion relieved the 38th Battalion in the trenches immediately south of the Lys. This was the first tour of duty in the front line. Winter conditions prevailed, the trenches being very wet and in a bad state of repair, but the sector was comparatively quiet, the few casualties during the first few days coming mostly from enemy sniping. After occupying this front line position until the 16th December, the Battalion was relieved and became Support Battalion of the Brigade, occupying buildings in the shattered suburb of Armentieres known as Houplines, and on the 20th December again took over the same trenches as before. This meant Xmas Day in the front line. For three or four days prior to Xmas day the enemy waved white flags from his trenches, evidently with the idea of establishing an unofficial respite for festivities, but he received no encouragement from our side of No-Man's-Land, and on Xmas night the 37th Battalion successfully raided the enemy from the 40th Battalion sector. On the 28th December the Battalion was relieved and again went into reserve in Armentieres. On the 3rd January, 1917, the battalion again took over the same front line trenches. That same evening shortly after dark the enemy attempted a raid on the 40th Battalion trenches. After nearly an hour's preliminary bombardment a party of the enemy, numbering about eighty, appeared in front of Hobbs' Farm and got within a few yards of our parapet, but were driven off by the garrison by means of rifles, bombs, and a Lewis gun. The enemy left some dead in No-Man's-Land, while our casualties from the bombardment numbered 8 killed and 23 wounded. Sadly, Joshua was one of the wounded in the jaw, arms, hand legs and gluteous maximus. This was the first time the Battalion had met with an enemy raid, and on several subsequent occasions the results were similar. It is a fact of which the 40th Battalion was justly proud that the enemy were never over their parapet. He died shortly after the tragic events. He was buried Trois Arbres Military Cemetery plot 1 row D. His brother was given his possessions: Letter, card, coin, nail scissors, metal cigarette case, comb, metal cased pencil. A wrist watch was missing. His father received Joshua's victory medal and a british war medal 5 years after his death. 79 pounds gratuity was disputed between his father William and brother James. Information from War Record & http://www.40th-bn.org/timeline.html