James Donald Law

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Sat, 17/12/2016 - 11:41

First Name:

James

Middle Name:

Donald

Last Name:

Law

Mother's Name:

Eliza Law nee Graham

Father's Name:

James Law

Date Enlisted:

Wednesday, August 11, 1915

Rank at Enlistment:

Private/ Sapper

Rank at Discharge:

Private

Unit:

5th Pioneer Battalion/ 1st Mining Corps

Service:

Infantry

Awards:

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Place of Death:

Bowral, N.S.W.

Details:

James Law (Service No 162) was born in Goulburn, N.S.W. around 1881, the youngest of 12 children. The family moved to Dapto, N.S.W. and at enlistment James was single, 31 years old, and worked as a labourer.

He embarked from Sydney on HMAT A38 Ulysses on 20th February 1916 as a Sapper with the 1st Mining Corps, Company 1. Documentation on James' file show that he was disembarked from the Ulysses with a number of other soldiers and re-assigned to the 6th Reinforcements, 5th Pioneer Battalion. James then embarked with these troops from Fremantle on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne on 30th October 1916.

The 6th Reinforcements arrived in England on 28th December 1916 and joined 5th Pioneer Battalion in France on 7th February 1917.

James saw service on the Western Front without any recorded wounding.

On 3rd June 1918 he transferred to 5th Machine Gun Battalion and served with the battalion until the end of the war.

On 19th April 1919 James married Mary McLaughlin in Glasgow; he was returned to Australia shortly after the wedding, in May 1919.

James was discharged from the AIF on 23rd August 1919.

He died in Bowral in 1947.

Sources:

NAA: B2455, LAW JAMES DONALD