Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James Pratt STOTT was born on 24 July 1894 in New Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. James was the fifth of 15 children born to James Glennie STOTT & Ruth Ross PRATT. James grew up in his native Scotland emigrating to Australia on the S.S. Orama Orient Line of mail steamships at the age of 19. Landing in Melbourne on 14 July 1913, James travelled to the Wimmera District in North-West Victoria working on farms called Trelawney & Bon-accord near Donald.
Upon the outbreak of War in August 1914 James then travelled back to Melbourne to Enlist in the Australian Imperial Force on 30 September 1914 being issued Regimental Service Number 5135 and the Rank of Driver. James went into training at Broadmeadows being assigned to the 3RD Light Horse Brigade Train (12TH Army Service Corps). On 14 January 1915 James injured his left knee during training being thrown from a horse, the result of this meant that James did not embark with his original unit aboard the HMAT A51 Chilka on 2 February 1915. James was in fact never discharged from the AIF with the Service Number 5135 and upon returning to Broadmeadows Army camp on 23 July 1915 had to Re-Enlist for service as it appears the AIF lost his original Attestation papers. James was issued Service Number 7071 with the Rank of Driver and embarked with the 8TH Reinforcements to the 3RD Light Horse Brigade Train on 26 August 1915 aboard the HMAT A68 Anchises. James is not recorded on the Embarkation Roll for this voyage.
Arriving at Suez, Egypt on 18 September 1915, James was sent to join the members of his unit at Heliopolis Army camp where they were based doing Transport and supply work for the troops. Although not recorded on his service papers on the National Archives Australia there is evidence to suggest that James may have deployed to Gallipoli or the forward assault bases for the Gallipoli campaign in late November to assist with the planned evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula. Following the Gallipoli campaign, the 3RD Light Horse Brigade Train was disbanded in March 1916 and the men of this unit were either transferred to units bound for France while few remained with the Light Horse in the Middle East. James was one of the members transferred to the Infantry to go onto France and on 4 April 1916 was taken on strength of the 46TH Australian Infantry Battalion, 12TH Brigade of the newly formed 4TH Division. Embarking on 3 June 1916 aboard the Transport ship Kingstonian at Alexandria, Egypt and landing at Marseilles, France on 10 June 1916. James would serve the remainder of the Great War on the Western Front with the Transport of the 46TH Battalion in France and Belgium. He returned to Australia on 29 May 1919 aboard the S.S Warwickshire being discharged from Active Service on 20 July 1919.
James returned to his native Scotland and married his sweetheart Mary Ann DUNCAN in Aberdeen, James was a farmhand on Marys’ parents property as a teenager. James and Mary then moved to London where James Served as a Police Constable with B Division in the Metropolitan Police from 1920 to 1922. Their first Daughter Muriel Patricia was born in London before they decided to follow James’ Brother Jack back to Australia, Returning aboard the S.S Balranald. In 1923 they settled in the beautiful area of Neerim South with James working in the logging Mills around Neerim and Noojee along with Brother Jack, James had a Manchester Truck in which he would cart fire wood to sell and transport cattle to the Warragul market, He would often travel to Melbourne to bring back the beer for the Neerim South pub. James and Mary had two more Daughters Sheila Heather and Mary Elisabeth, their first property called the ‘Willows’ was about 3-4 miles from Neerim South toward Cowden Road which they lived from 1924-1934 before finally moving to 40 McDougal Road where James purchased a Dairy farming property which they named Bon-accord, this property overlooked the township of Neerim South. James and Mary were very active in the Neerim South community, especially with the local church. James served as an active member of the Tarago Valley Fire Brigade from inception, was on the committee for the Neerim District sub-branch of the RSL also from its inception and was President for some time, He served on the Neerim South Annual Show and Neerim South Hall committee and other various committees such as the Neerim District Agricultural Society and was a Neerim District Branch delegate of the Victorian Dairy Farmers Association for 26 years, during this time James also served during the Second World War with the 9TH Garrison Battalion at Fort Nepean, Portsea and in the local Volunteer Defence Corps. After residing in Neerim South for 42 years James and Mary finally sold Bon-accord and moved to Warragul in 1964.
Mary passed away in 1967 aged 68 and James continued to live in Warragul until he passed away at West Gippsland Hospital on 22 September 1978. Aged 84. Lest We Forget.