James Gibson Russell

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Thu, 20/04/2017 - 12:03

First Name:

James

Middle Name:

Gibson

Last Name:

Russell

Date of Birth:

Wednesday, May 28, 1873

Mother's Name:

Agnes Russell nee Gilbert

Father's Name:

Alexander Russell

Date Enlisted:

Sunday, May 21, 1916

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Rank at Discharge:

Private

Unit:

59th Battalion

Service:

Infantry

Awards:

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Wednesday, June 17, 1936

Place of Death:

Yangs Creek, Wollombi, N.S.W.

Details:

James Russell was born in West Calder, Scotland and arrived in Australia with his family in 1879. In 1900 he married Mary Devirs in Wollongong, N.S.W.

James enlisted for the first time (Service No 2965) when he was 43 years old; he worked as a labourer and the family lived at Balgownie, N.S.W. He & Mary had 2 daughters when he embarked from Sydney on HMAT A19 Afric with 59th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement on 3rd November 1916.

The troops arrived in England on 9th January 1917 and James joined the fighting in France on 25th March 1917.

He was wounded in Belgium on 23rd October 1917 and sent to hospital for treatment of gas injury but returned to duty shortly afterwards, on 27th October. However his injury was worse than first thought and he was repatriated to Australia in January 1918. After further treatment James was discharged from the AIF as medically unfit on 26th July 1918.

On 4th September 1918 James re-enlisted (Service No 1571) and he was posted to the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, Army Medical Corps. He was sent to Rabaul where he served until September 1919.

He was again discharged, medically unfit, on 12th December 1919.

James died in 1936 and is buried in Aberdare Cemetery, Cessnock, N.S.W.

His service is commemorated on the Balgownie War Memorial.

Sources:

NAA: B2455, RUSSELL JAMES GIBSON