This photo was sent to Albert James’ sister, Beatrice Campbell, in 1915 with the inscription on the back, “Censorship is pretty tight so can’t say where I am”. He clearly had a wry sense of humour!

Albert arrived in Egypt with the 30th Battalion in December 1915 after enlisting in July just short of his 20th birthday – though he claimed to already be 21 years. There the battalion undertook training and defence of the Suez Canal before leaving for France in June. They travelled by train towards the trenches of the Western Front and the disastrous first engagement that became known as the Battle of Fromelles.

For Albert, his involvement at Fromelles ended when he received a significant shrapnel wound to his shoulder on 20th July 1916. He was admitted to the hospital at Wimereux and then evacuated on 21st July from Boulogne to England on board the hospital ship St Denis. He took some months to recuperate and eventually returned to his unit in November 1916. A letter that Albert wrote to his parents at this time was published in the local paper and is reproduced below.

Albert served out the remainder of the war but suffered extensive periods of hospitalisation – including a second evacuation back to England. His casualty forms show him as suffering primarily from bronchitis and influenza (raising suspicions for some that he may have been gassed at some stage) but also from impetigo of the face and trench fever. He spent nearly 10 months in England during 1917 and then, on his return to France, he was hospitalised off and on throughout February to May 1918. After May, he seemed to have recovered his health.

In July 1918, he was promoted in the field to Lance Corporal, then temporary corporal in September and finally corporal in December 1918.

During this period, Albert was awarded a commendation (mentioned in orders by the Corps Commander, General Monash), together with Privates Dawson and Strong, based on the following recommendation dated September 1918:

Albert left England for Australia in April 1919, returning to his pre-enlistment trade as a carpenter. He had completed his apprenticeship with A.W. Oldfield in Auburn before the war.

On Christmas Eve 1921, he married Eileen Adele Martin at North Parramatta All Saints Church and they went on to have three sons (Ronald, Colin and Vernon) and two daughters who sadly died in infancy (Doreen and Deidre).

When the second World War broke out, Albert enlisted with the Citizen Militia Forces in October 1941 before transferring to the AIF in September 1942. He was discharged as medically unfit in July 1944, aged 49. His two eldest sons also served.

Albert remained in Parramatta until his death in February 1958 aged 62. His funeral service was conducted at the All Saints Anglican Church where he and Eileen had married 36 years earlier. Eileen herself died in September 2001 at 99 years of age.

Albert’s military service medals from both world wars and his Returned from Active Service badge were on display at the museum housed in the town hall at Fromelles in France. The current Battle of Fromelles Museum (whose origins began with that town hall museum) provided a photo of the medals (below) together with a shell fragment, probably representative of the injury Albert suffered at the Battle of Fromelles.

“Uncle Albert has only been known to me as a photograph on a wall” says Noela Shortman but she takes great pride in the service her family member gave to this country:

This story was written by Noela Shortman, a member of a Queensland branch of this largely New South Wales based family. She may be contacted via the Fromelles Association and also wrote that: