James Candish

Personal Information
Date of Birth	unknown
Place of Birth	Melbourne, Victoria
Death	1956
Place of Death	Coburg, Victoria
Age at Enlistment	34 years, 8 months
Description	5'8¼" (1.73m) tall; weight 153 lbs (69.4 kg); fair complexion, blue eyes, fair hair
Occupation	farmer
Religion	Church of England
Address	Armadale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Mother Mrs Mary Ann Candish
Military Information
Reg Number	21919
Date of Enlistment	4 Jan 1916
Rank	Driver
Unit/Formation	HQ 23rd Howitzer Brigade transferred to 23rd Field Artillery Brigade / 3rd Brigade, 1st Division
Date of Embarkation	20 May 1916 - 18 Jul 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A7 Medic
Date of Return	4 Jul 1917 - 31 Oct 1917
Ship Returned On	HMAT A54 Runic
Fate	Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale (West Armadale panel)
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

On the 1916 electoral roll, James was described as a brickmaker living in Armadale.

War Service

At enlistment gave Armadale as his address.

Several weeks after entering Blackboy Hill camp, James was allocated to Artillery reinforcements, and was sent to Victoria to complete his initial training. Before embarking he was made a Driver and allocated to the 23rd Howitzer Battery Headquarters.

Spent time at Magdalen Camp in Winchester, rejoining the 23rd Battery on 13 Oct 1916. On 26 Oct 1916 he was transferred to the 3rd DAC train at Larkhill in England, and on 20 Nov 1916 he was transferred to the No 4 Command Depot in Wareham, and reported sick the same day with rheumatism. Admitted to Wareham hospital. On 3 Mar 1917 he left hospital for No.2 Command Depot Weymouth to await a voyage home on HMAT A54 Runic.

On arrival in Perth he was discharged with Rheumatism and debility.

Discharged 5th Military District (Karrakatta) 17 Jul 1917.

James' records are not as detailed as some others, but there doesn't appear to be any evidence that he had reached France, despite his story about being wounded. Neither is there any entry in his records for units in France, or a window of time during which he could have served in France.

"...James Candish will have a tale to tell when he comes home, for there is more than meets the eye in the brief postcards which he sent to his mother. 'Three of us went straight over to headquarters and to the firing line. I got my despatch through, but I did not get back. Oh that shell! It was a bonzer. It blew my horse's head off, and I got a bit of a scratch on my arm, and I knew no more till I woke up in the hospital..." He was wounded on the 6th September, 1916; convalescent in England."

There is nothing in his military records to verify his being WIA story, but many men with slight wounds would continue without seeking treatment outside their own unit. However, there are no entries for any unit in France or Belgium.

Post War

On his return from hostilities he moved to Victoria, and on the 1919 Electoral Roll he was living in Brunswick working for a gas company. In 1924 he had married and was now described as a stoker. 1934 address is Dawson street, Brunswick, Victoria, and in 1937 we find that he has moved the family to Box Hill, still employed as a stoker, and by 1949 they are in Ferntree Gully.

At some point he applied for a pension which was rejected on the grounds that he was "not incapacitated for earning a livelihood."