James Candish
From Our Contribution
 Ancestry.com | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | Not known |
| 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." [1]
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."
References
- ↑ "The Drill of the Foot-Hills" (PDF) (1917). Western Australia. Feb–Mar 1917. p. 15. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via State Library of Western Australia.