CABLE, James Troy
| Service Number: | 1764 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 December 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Light Trench Mortar Battery |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Randwick, Randwick, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Civil Servant |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 4 July 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Picardie Crucifix Corner Cemetery, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Leeton ANZAC Memorial Clock Tower and Memorial, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 1764, Light Trench Mortar Batteries, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 1764, Light Trench Mortar Batteries, HMAT Orsova, Sydney | |
| 2 Dec 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1764, 7th Light Trench Mortar Battery | |
| 4 Jul 1918: | Involvement Private, 1764, 7th Light Trench Mortar Battery, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1764 awm_unit: 7th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-07-04 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
James Troy Cable was born in Randwick, New South Wales, in 1898, the son of James and Mary R. Cable. He grew up on Pine Street and attended Sydney Technical High School from around 1911 to 1916, where he excelled in woodwork and metalwork. His school records show consistently high results in practical subjects, skills that would later prove valuable in his military service. After leaving school, he worked as a public servant with the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission in Sydney, helping provide water to farmland communities.
On 22 May 1916, at just 18 years of age, Cable enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He was assigned to the 7th Light Trench Mortar Battery, a unit providing vital artillery support to frontline battalions. After 195 days of training, he embarked from Sydney on HMAT Orsova (A67) in December 1916, bound for service on the Western Front.
As a private, Cable held the lowest rank, but his role in the mortar battery was crucial: maintaining equipment, preparing munitions, and providing cover for advancing infantry. He went on to fight in major campaigns of late 1917, including Poelcapelle, enduring constant shellfire, machine-gun attacks, and appalling trench conditions. By 1918, Cable’s unit resisted the German Spring Offensive and later participated in the “Peaceful Penetration” tactics that wore down German defences.
On 4 July 1918, during the Battle of Hamel, Cable was killed in action when a mortar shell prematurely exploded. He was only 20 years old. The battle was a landmark victory for the Allies, but it came at the cost of many young Australian lives.
Private Cable is buried in Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery in France (plot III. B. 19). His name is commemorated on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and on the honour board of Sydney Technical High School, ensuring his sacrifice is remembered. His family received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal in recognition of his service.
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