James Strange
James Strange (Service No 4533) was born in Bacup, Lancashire, England around 1889.
At enlistment James was single, 26 years old, worked as a wheeler and lived at Thirroul, N.S.W. One of James hobbies was as a drummer with the Thirroul Brass Band.
James embarked from Sydney on HMAT A71 Nestor with 19th Battalion, 11th Reinforcement on 9th April 1916. He arrived in England on 7th June 1916 and joined 19th Battalion in France on 6th October 1916.
He was wounded in action on 12th November 1916 and evacuated to hospital for treatment of a gun shot wound to his left leg, returning to duty on 19th January 1917.
On 15th April 1917 James was wounded a second time and evacuated to hospital in England for treatment of shell shock. He was repatriated to Australia in July 1917 and discharged medically unfit with a pension on 24th October 1917.
On 20th July 1918 he married Mabel Redshaw in Thirroul and they had one child before the mariage failed in 1928.
After the war, James worked for the Coledale Colliery.
His service is commemorated on the Thirroul-Woodward War Memorial.