JAMES, Charles Rodda
| Service Number: | 2176 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide South Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Keswick, City of West Torrens, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Rose Park SchooL, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Wood Machinist |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 November 1916, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
AIF Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers AIF Burial Ground, Flers, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Norwood War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2176, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2176, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Adelaide |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Gleeson Christopher John
Charles Rodda James
Charles Rodda James was born on the 16th of February from Norwood Adelaide, he lived with his father, Charles Thomas James and his brother, John James, who fought in war with him as well. Rodda was a wood machinist and did 3 years of senior cadets before he signed up to war. He enlisted on the 31st of May 1915. On the
15th January 1916
James was picked in the war for strength and was put in the 27th Battalion. Charles was then taken to Egypt with the 27th Battalion to train in combat. They trained in Egypt because their was not enough space in Europe so they were taken to Egypt with the New Zealand’s which created ANZAC, they learned combat, riding horses, and shooting. Egypt was quite hot and had many diseases which caused some people to go home before they even got into war The 27th battalion were there for 2 months and left for Marseilles.
21st of March 1916
He disembarked in Marseilles France but when he arrived he was then transferred to the 8th Battalion Which he was then moved to Etaples France. Etaples was a camp ground for British, Australia, And New Zealand soldiers. They stayed there until they had been told that the Germans had arrived in Rue Marl so they moved there. In the first week of them entering 2 people had died and 11 wounded including James, James suffered a Gun Shot Wound and was transferred to a hospital.
16th of July 1916
Charles came back to the war and fought in Boulogne very close to where he was first taken to hospital. The plan for the 8th Battalion was to attack very offensively into Boulogne to believe the Germans were there but weren’t there at that moment then the Germans came and attacked without them knowing and many people were wounded and dead Including James yet again. He suffered another gunshot wound and experienced some shell shock the day after he had been taken to hospital. Shell shock is another word for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which is when the person has an anxiety attack from experiencing something in the past. James Re-joined the battalion 8 days later and was moving to Belgium and he suffered myalgia. It doesn’t explain how he suffered it but I believe it was from his gun shot wounds.
30th of September 1916
He came back at the end of the second battle of Ypres. The second battle of Ypres was against the Germans and Belgium but Germany were pushing in so some other countries were involved in the war including Australia.
5th of November 1916
Charles was shot down and was killed in Action on the 5th of November 1916. In Flers France and was buried there.
Other information
His brother John James Fought in the same war as Charles and won the war and came back to Australia in 1918 and passed away in 1952
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