Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James William (Jim) Ringin was born on August 4th 1875 in Chepstowe in the district of Ballarat Victoria. James was the second eldest child of 5 (also the first boy) of David Ringin and Elizabeth Smythe. In the 1880’s the family moved from Chepstowe to Drouin south on lot 132 where James and his brothers and sisters would attend the Drouin South State School. James for much of his young early years would work as a labourer in the drouin area working for the buln buln shire James's father David was the Clerk of Works for the Shire as well. In his time living in Drouin James meet Isabella Kennedy a dressmaker originally from Guildford , Victoria. On the 30th November 1899 in Warragul , Victoria James and Isabella got married and both would continue to live in Drouin living on lardner road.





In the year of 1900 James Signed up for the Victorian Rangers and served in that for the next six months it was the Infantry version of the Victorian Mounted Rifles. Also in the year of 1900 James and Isabella would have their first kid Donald Alexander Ringin. For the next few years James continued to work for the shire but was now working as a council ganger and had another two girls and a boy in that time (Eliza 1902 ,Janet 1904, James,1909). In 1913 James youngest son Angus was born but sadly Angus passed away in January 1914 was buried in early February that year. James younger brother Andrew Ringin listed in the AIF on the 4th August 1915 and shipped out in November that year. 3 months later after Andrew shipped out James Enlisted on the 2nd of February 1916 where he would join the 22nd Infantry Battalion. In march James was granted final leave before he would ship off so friends of James and his brother andrew from the local quarry organized a social evening giving James a send off before he left.





During the evening James’s parents expressed their pride in that two of their sons were going to do their part for the empire. they also gave a toast to andrew who was over on the western front to his good health and safe return. Towards the end of the night the quarry staff presented James with a handsome cigarette case and holder showing the esteem which they men held him at. The local newspaper also said that this was a big sacrifice for james to do this leaving his family to fight showing that James was built of the stuff the empire is made of.





James embarked on the HMAT euripides on April 4th 1916 with the 12th reinforcement and would arrive in england 3 months later. While James Training in england James in late december became sick and was sent to a hospital in england where he would remain until the end of January 1917. Once James returned he continued to train until 31st march 1917 where james would join the fight over in france joining his battalion. For the first 13 days of april 1917 the James 22nd battalion were training until the 14th where they entered the frontline at Noreuil and would remain stationed there until the 20th where they would practicing for the 2nd battle of Bullecourt.





From the 20th April to 1st may 1917 James and the 22nd would carry out battle practice at Favreuil. Then on the 2nd of May James , the 22nd battalion and the 2nd Division moved up to the frontline at Bullecourt waiting for the attack to commence. Then in the early hours of May 3rd James the other Australians launched the attack to take Bullecourt. James and the Australians managed to capture their objectives capturing a part of the Hindenburg Line after taking part in the bloodiest trench Hand to hand fighting since the Somme which would continue with German counter attacks. After two days of fighting and stopping the counter attacks James and the 2nd division were relieved from fighting nonstop for two days with the 22nd battalion losing 438 men in the battle (when the battle was finally on the 17th may another 7000 Australians had been lost to capturing Bullecourt giving it the nickname “The Blood Tub”)





Days after James and what was left of the 22nd Battalion performed carrying parties out to the frontline soldiers at bullecourt. Following this James and 22nd went into reserve for the next few months where they would train in fighting and learning to survive gas attacks. On September 12th 1917 the James and the 22nd were once again mobilized and moved out of reserve to the battlefields of Passchendaele. James and the 22nd Moved onto the frontline at Westhoek Ridge on September 16th 1917. After two days on the frontline at Westhoek James was wounded receiving gunshot wounds to the face and left shoulder. James was sent back to England to recover until January 1918 where he was sent back to Australia and was discharged on June 12th 1918.





Upon his return from the war he received a very warm and loving welcome from everyone especially his family seeing that he had returned home where other hadn’t. When James returned to the A.N.A group he was apart of he received a gold pendant from them. Once James returned to work he was promoted to Works foreman for the Buln Buln shire. In the 20’s and 30’s James and Isabella continued live peacefully in drouin living normal lives with James also leasing some land out to his daughter janet and son in law George Hoult (who worked for James). In March 1930 Tragedy struck James with his younger brother andrew passing away at age 41 and 3 days later his father only a year after James’s mother Elizabeth had passed.





The family got them all buried together. James continued to still work as the works foreman in the 30s and 40’s until his retirement where he passed down his Job to his son in Law George Hoult who had not long returned from fighting in Second World War and later that year James’s other brother David jr passed away leaving james as the 2nd last child alive.

On 11th may 1947 James passed away peacefully in Drouin at the age of 71 and is buried in Drouin cemetery and James was remembered as being fearless , noble , courageous. In honour of James and his family the Buln Buln shire named a road in Drouin after them naming it “Ringin Road”

James and Isabella had 5 kids over the span of their lifetime

Their eldest Donald William Ringin married Gladys Willis he was a blacksmith and they had 2 Children. Donald passed away in November 1966 in Preston , Victoria and Gladys in 1991.


Second eldest but first girl Eliza Olive Ringin married Clifford Johnson
and they had 5 kids . Eliza passed away in Colac , Victoria on April 1st 1972. Cilfford passed away 3 years later.

the third child Janet Isabella Ringin married George Sutton Hoult.
they lived in drouin where george worked for James. They had 15 kids together
and janet had to look after all of them while George was fighting the japanese in
new guniea. George passed away in 1974 and janet passed away in 1981 both are buried in drouin.


their fourth child James Smythe Ringin married Isabell Wilson and they had 2 kids together. During WW2 James Served in the Airforce as an LDG Aircraftman. James passed away in 1963 at age 54. his wife passed away in 1998.

Angus David Ringin was the last born child of James and Isabella sadly he passed away in drouin one year after he was born.



Story Written by Thomas Buckingham