Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James Alexander Campbell was born in Balaklava, South Australia, on February 1886, as listed on the his service record. Not much is known about his birth family; however, he grew up in his hometown of Largs Bay, Port Adelaide Enfield, and attended school at Christian Brothers College. He later got married to Mrs. J.A. Campbell, who was listed as his next of kin on his service record. Before he enlisted in the Great War, he had previous military experience as a member of the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery. On the 7th of June 1915, at the age of 29 and 4 months, he enlisted in the A.I.F (Australian Imperial Force) with the rank of corporal (his rank at enlistment may have been higher than private due to his previous military service).

With Campbell's service number being 278, he embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A67 Orsova on July 17, 1915. Campbell was taken on strength with the Siege Artillery Brigade; later named the 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade. Like most Australian heavy batteries, the 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade served in England on the Western Front and was largely detached from the rest of the AIF. Due to Campbell's appointed unit, he would have spent relatively little time on the Somme and was used further north around Arras and Vimy in France and into Flanders as a part of the British Corps Artillery.

During his service, Campbell suffered from mental trauma and many different diseases. This would lead him to go to various hospitals in France. During his service, he was diagnosed with hysteria on multiple occasions. Hysteria was common among soldiers, as the main cause is experiencing psychological trauma, and being in a war can take a heavy toll on your mental state. Campbell was admitted to the hospital on September 15, 1916, for, presumably, an injury to his Radius and Ulna. He was later discharged on the 3rd of November, making him stay at the hospital for around 18 days. Moreover, on April 14, 1918, Campbell fell ill with influenza and had to be admitted to the hospital. Lastly, sometime between his military service and death, Campbell suffered a severe loss, with his right eye needing to be replaced by a glass eye.

Campbell went through several promotions, when he first joined he was a Gunner and then was promoted to Corporal on the 7th June 1915. He was promoted to Sergeant on the 27th February 1917, and he reached his peak rank of Lieutenant on January 4, 1918. 

Campbell returned to Australia on January 16, 1916. He survived the war and would have been proud of his country's victory. Campbell passed away at the age of 51 on January 19, 1938, due to being fatally struck by a lorry and sustaining life threatening inquiries of a fractured skull and cerebral haemorrhage. After his death, his local community was informed of his heroic military service through the newspaper, and his funeral commenced with his body being buried in AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia, to commemorate his courageous actions.