James Lawrence McKenna
From Our Contribution
 Western Mail 30 Mar 1917 page 23 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 4 Aug 1895 |
| Place of Birth | Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Death | 22 Sep 1976, aged 81 |
| Place of Death | East Victoria Park, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 20 years, 1 month |
| Description |
5'5¼" (1.66m) tall ; 116 lbs 52.617 kg ; sallow complexion ; grey eyes ; dark hair |
| Occupation | Saw filer's assistant |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr Edward McKenna |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 4860 |
| Date of Enlistment | 14 Sep 1915 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation |
11th Battalion, 15th Reinforcement, transferred to 51st Battalion on 20 May 1916 and 44th Battalion on 27 Oct 1916 /11th Brigade, 3rd Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 1 Apr 1916 ‒ 25 Apr 1916 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A38 Ulysses |
| Date of Return | 1 Jun 1919 ‒ 8 Jul 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | SS Somali |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 8 Jun 1917 Messines Returned to Australia |
| Monument |
Jarrahdale Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
In Feb 1907 was attending the Jarrahdale Board Mill School.
War Service
Two months after beginning his military training, James was allocated to the 14th reinforcement draft for the 11th Battalion, but on 1 Feb 1916 he was re-allocated to the 15th reinforcement draft, travelling with them to Egypt aboard HMAT A38 Ulysses, disembarking on 25 Apr 1916. On 20 May 1916 he was transferred to the 51st Battalion reinforcements from the 3rd Training Battalion in Serapeum, Egypt. Rather than heading to France to join the 51st Battalion, he travelled to England, as on 6 Aug 1916 he embarked in Alexandria and the next entry in his records implies that he was granted leave in England during Aug 1916. On 1 Sep 1916 he was charged with overstaying Leave in England from 1:00am 30 Aug 1916 until 7:00am 1 Sep 1916 for which he forfeited 3 day's pay and was awarded 10 days of field punishment.
On 27 Oct 1916 he was transferred to the 44th Battalion, having only been released from hospital that day. On 25 Nov 1916 along with the rest of the 44th Battalion he left Larkhill, and proceeded overseas to France through Southampton, arriving in Le Havre at 6:30am on 26 Nov 1916, before moving on to Steenwerck where they were placed in reserve. James had short stints in hospital with scabies (5 - 9 Dec 1916 and 21 Jan - 1 Feb 1917) before being wounded in action on 8 Jun 1917 during the battalion's attack on Messines Ridge. James suffered a shell wound to his right thumb, and was assessed first by the 9th Field Ambulance, then the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station before being passed to the 1st Convalescent Depot, and then the 3rd Canadian General Hospital. On 3 Jul 1917 James embarked on HMHS St David in Boulogne for England, where he was admitted to the Queens Canadian Military Hospital in Beechborough Park the same day.
Released to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital from 7 - 10 Sep 1917 where he appears to have also been treated for appendicitis, before proceeding on furlough and then moving to No.2 Command Depot at Weymouth for rehabilitation. On 28 Nov 1917 James proceeded overseas to France a second time, and spent a few days in the 3rd Australian Division Base Depot at Rouelles before he rejoined the 44th Battalion on 5 Dec 1917, which at that time was training behind the lines in the Somme region. Leave was granted to him on 25 Oct 1918 after all the Australian Infantry units were withdrawn from the front lines, and he celebrated this by again reporting back late, this time AWOL from 9:00pm 10 Mar 1919 to 4:45pm 11 Mar 1919. Punishment was 2 days Field Punishment No. 2, and three days pay forfeiture.
On 2 Apr 1919 he began the process of moving back to Australia, where he was discharged by 5th Military District on 23 Sep 1919.
Post War
In early 1922 James married Catherine Smith.
Electoral Roll entries - 1922 Nanga Brook with Catherine, saw filer; 1925 - 1931 Hoffmans Mill saw filer; 1936 Treesville, saw filer; 1943 with son Edward Stanton at Kirip, saw filer; 1954 a clerk at Kirip; 1958 - 1972 at 2 Cardiff street, Victoria Park
Notes
As with all other casualties, James injury was reported in the Australian press i.e. the Kalgoorlie Sun 15 Jul 1917 p.3 reports 'James Lawrence McKenna, wounded.'