Ormerod, James Edward
No.1336 – Private James Ormerod – 32nd Battalion AIF
James Edward Ormerod was born in Springfield, Accrington Lancashire England in 1894 to James and Emily Ormerod. He was educated at the local Church of England school and after leaving James took up work as a farm labourer. When he was 18 years old he left England with his family and came to Western Australia.
They resided for a time in both Perth and Fremantle and James found work locally as a labourer/yardman at the National Hotel Fremantle. On the 15th July 1915 James went to the Perth Drill Hall and enlisted into the AIF.
He was medically examined and passed as fit for service. The doctor found him to be 5 feet 6 & ½ inches in height; weight of 138lbs; chest measurement of 34-36 inches; fair complexion; grey eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. He was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was allotted to No.16 Training Depot. The following day James was assigned to “D” Company of the 32nd Battalion AIF.
James trained with his new unit for the next few months in WA but in November it was decided to send “C” & “D” Companies from WA to join “A” & “B” Companies in SA. So leaving Fremantle on a troopship the men proceeded to Port Adelaide where they joined up with their South Australian companies and commenced training for the first time as a whole battalion. They only had a few weeks of training together before it was time to leave for Egypt.
On the 18th November 1915, James and the 32nd Battalion boarded the HMAT Geelong in Port Adelaide and set sail for Egypt, where they arrived at Suez a month later on the 18th December 1915. After being disembarked the men were sent to camp and started a rigorous training schedule. During their time in Egypt they also undertook defensive duties in the Suez Canal defence line as after the evacuation from Gallipoli the Turks were expected to attack Egypt.
A month after arriving in Egypt James was sent to the 2nd Australian General Hospital for Dental treatment. Two days later he was transferred to the 2nd Auxiliary Hospital and remained there until the 3rd February. He was then transferred to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Heliopolis where he remained until the 24th February. James was then sent back to his unit but a few days later was sent to a Convalescent Depot. During his time here James got into trouble for going absent without leave for six hours. As a punishment he was confined to barracks for three days.
On the 25th March 1916 James was transferred to the Overseas Base Camp and then into the 8th Training Battalion. On the 19th April 1916 he was admitted to the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital with diarrhoea but returned to the 32nd Battalion on the 21st April. James remained with them for the next few weeks however on the 12th May 1916 he was transferred to the 30th Battalion. He trained with his new unit for the next month in Egypt but on the 16th June they arrived in Alexandria and boarded the troopship Hororata for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 23rd June 1916.
After being disembarked the men were put on to trains and sent to the north of France, arriving in the vicinity of Armentieres. They went into the line in Fleurbaix in the middle of July 1916 and after having only a few days experience of the front line they were to take part in the Battle of Fromelles on the 19th July 1916. James survived the action with the 30th Battalion but five days later on the 24th July he was wounded in the arm by shrapnel. He was sent to the 15th Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station.
The wound did not seem to be serious as James returned to the 30th Battalion on the 31st July 1916. The 30th Battalion remained in the Fleurbaix region for the next few months but in October 1916 they were transferred to Flers on the Somme front. The 30th Battalion would spend the 1916/17 French winter in this sector but on the 5th November James was evacuated to the 36th Casualty Clearing Station suffering from trench feet. He was sent for treatment to the 4th General Hospital at Le Havre and on the 10th November he boarded the Hospital Ship Panama and was sent to England.
On arrival James was sent to Birmingham where he was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital. He remained here for the next two months while he recovered from his trench feet. On the 26th January 1917 he was released from hospital and was given a two weeks furlough before having to report back for duty. On the 10th February 1917 he reported to No.1 Command Depot at Perham Downs and on the 13th February reported to No.4 Command Depot at Wareham Camp. James was classed as medically unfit for front line service and would remain in England for the next few months.
It seems that James got into trouble at Hurdcott Camp for committing an offence of forgery. The records don’t go into detail but the military took it seriously and he was given a sentence of 44 days of Field Punishment No.2. However Major General McCay who was in charge of the AIF UK Depots remitted the sentence as James had already spent 50 days in custody awaiting trial.
While all this had been going on, James’s fitness had improved and on the 30th June 1917 he marched into the Overseas Training Depot at Perham Downs. On the 23rd July 1917 James proceeded to Southampton Harbour and boarded a troopship which took him across the Channel to France. On arrival at Le Havre he was marched into the 5th Australian Base Depot and remained there for the next five weeks. On the 1st September 1917 he marched out of the Base and joined the 32nd Battalion. On the 12th September he was sick and was sent to the 8th Field Ambulance, though two days later he rejoined the 32nd Battalion.
Apparently James wanted to rejoin the 30th Battalion, with whom he had served for the majority of his time in France, but this was not possible before the Third Battle of Ypres. The Australians took part in this offensive from September 20th and for the first few attacks till the end of the month, were successful in gaining their objectives. The 32nd Battalion saw action near Polygon Wood and it was in this area that James was killed.
On the 30th September 1917 he was in the front line trench when a German shell fell next to him killing him instantly. No.3647 Private H.F. Brown of the 32nd Battalion reported that he buried James in a sap behind the front line trench with a rough cross being put up on the grave. However it seems that the cross was later lost as after the war when the war graves parties came through the area James’s grave was not located. As a result he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres.
His parents who lived at the Federal Hotel in William Street Fremantle would receive James’s personal effects and medals. It seems that James was highly though of with 1407 L/Cpl A.G. Bullock of the 32nd Battalion stating in the Red Cross forms;
“He was a very fine fellow was Ormerod”.