James Willie Bush

James Willie Bush

Personal Information
Date of Birth	not known 1883
Place of Birth	Kingsley, Norfolk, England
Death	1 Oct 1918
Place of Death	near Bellicourt, France
Age at Enlistment	32 years, 5 months
Description	5'3¼" (1.61m) tall ; 120lbs 54.431 kg ; fresh complexion ; blue eyes ; brown hair
Occupation	Tramway employee
Religion	Methodist
Address	307 Albany road, Victoria Park, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Wife , Mrs Alice Bush
Military Information
Reg Number	5815
Date of Enlistment	30 Mar 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	28th Battalion, 16th Reinforcements
Date of Embarkation	10 Oct 1916 ‒ 2 Dec 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A23 Suffolk
Fate	Killed in Action 1 Oct 1918
Monument	Gosnells War Memorial Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll Villers-Bretonneux Memorial Australian War Memorial
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

James had been an apprentice engineer with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, working for them for seven years prior to emigration to Australia. Arrived in Australia two years before he enlisted.

War Service

On arrival at Plymouth in England he was sent to the 7th Training Battalion to prepare for service on the Western Front. On 28 Dec 1916, with less than a month's preparation he proceeded overseas to France from Folkestone aboard HMT Princesse Clementine. Following a few days in the 2nd Division's Base Depot in Étaples, James joined the 28th Battalion on 9 Jan 1917 at Mametz where they were in the process of relieving the 19th Battalion in Switch and Needle Trenches near Delville Wood two days before they moved into the front line south east of Guidecourt.

On 16 Jan 1917 James was seen by the 36th Casualty Clearing Station and sent on the next day to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Rouen suffering with Pleurites (inflammation of the lung) and Bronchitis. On 21 Jan 1917 he was transferred to England aboard HMHS Gloucester Castle. On arrival he was admitted to the Reading War Hospital where he was treated until 9 Feb 1917 when he was granted leave and orders to report to Perham Downs on 24 Feb 1917. On 27 Feb 1917 he was admitted to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital before being transferred to 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford on 3 Mar 1917 suffering with VD. On 12 May 1917 he was released from hospital to duty (total ineffective period being 68 days) and on 14 Jun 1917 he returned to France via Southampton, rejoining his battalion on 2 Jul 1917 in reserve near Bapaume. Two days before returning to France he was found guilty of Unlawfully altering his Pay Book, for which he was awarded 14 days Field Punishment NO 2. Given his movement soon after it is not recorded if he carried out his punishment.

On 26 Aug 1917 he was again in need of medical attention, seeking the help of the 7th Australian Field Ambulance for trench fever. James rejoined his battalion on 30 Aug 1917. On 1 Oct 1918 the battalion began the day in Templeux Le Fosse, marching to Templeux Le Gerard closer to the front lines, and then that evening they were urgently called forward to the front through Bellicourt to the le Catelet - Nauroy Line of trenches, arriving there at 3:00am on 2 Oct 1918. A footnote to the days activity in the battalion's War Diary noted that casualties enroute had been 1 Other Rank killed, and 2 wounded (by shellfire). James was the KIA casualty. While James records indicate that he was buried, he is remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial so his grave was not able to be found later.

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  Villers-Bretonneux Memorial
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  section of 28th Battalion panels

Post War

By February 1922 James's wife had moved back to England, living in Bolton Lancashire.