James Gillard

James Gillard was born in Paignton, Devon, England. On his 18th birthday he enlisted in the Royal Marines Light Infantry and served 13 years with them before coming to Australia sometime after 1903.

At enlistment with the AIF on 29th October 1914 (Service No 73), James was single, 36 years old, worked as a fitter, and lived at Thirroul, N.S.W. James nominated his mother, of Torquay, England, as his next of kin.

On 16th November 1914 he was promoted to Sergeant.  He then sailed with Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, Special Tropical Corps, 3rd Battalion on SS Eastern on 28th November 1914.  He saw service in Rabaul until 1916 when he was discharged with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1, having been made Regimental Sergeant Major.

James re-enlisted in Melbourne on 8th May 1916 (Service No 7113) nominating his sister, Miss H Gillard, or Torquay, England, as his next of kin.  He was given the rank of Lance Corporal and embarked from Melbourne on HMAT A20 Honorata with 7th Battalion, 23rd Reinforcements on 23rd November 1916.

The troops arrived in England on 29th January 1917 and James reverted to Private before arriving in France on 25th April 1917, where he joined 7th Battalion on 10th May.

He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 22nd May and served on the western Front with 7th Battalion until he was admitted to hospital on 4th October 1917 (no reason recorded on his papers).

James was returned to Australia in January 1918 and discharged medically unfit with defective eyesight on 11th April 1918.