http://www.rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/people/291802JAMES NEVILLE GOLDEN
6 July 1892 - 5 April 1918
At School 1903 -
Gunner 22513 11th Australian Field Artillery
James was born in Glossop, Derbyshire but by 1901 had moved to 26 Stockport Road,
Levenshulme, Manchester, where father Alfred had purchased a Chemist's shop. On leaving
School, James trained at the Holmes Chapel Agricultural College and in 1911 was working as a
Nursery Hand in Cheshunt Hertfordshire. James's parents, Alfred and Emily remained in
Levenshulme and by this time brother Cuthbert and sister Celia had been added to the family.
In 1912 James emigrated to
Australia on board S S Ajana
with 670 fellow passengers,
leaving Bristol on 19th June
and arriving in Fremantle,
Western Australia on 27 July.
James settled in the Perth area,
working as an orchardist.
On 16 December 1915 James enlisted in the 1st Reinforcements, 23rd Howitzer Brigade,
Australian Imperial Force. He is described as age 23 years 6 months, height 5ft 6 and a
quarter inches, weight 116 lbs with a fresh complexion, hazel eyes and light brown hair.
James was living in the outskirts of Perth in
Maida Vale, Guildford, and after
enlistment, on 5 January 1916, purchased a
plot of land comprising 43 acres in the nearby
River Swan area, presumably with the
intention of starting an orchard business on
his return. He was encumbered with a
mortgage of £162. 10s for a period of 5 years.
By April 1916 James was based at
Marybyrnong Camp, near Melbourne, Victoria working as a driver in the Divisional Ammunition
Column of the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). On 20th May 1916 the Brigade left Melbourne
arriving in Plymouth on 18 July 1916 and proceeded to Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain for
training. The camp had been completed in 1915 and designated as the School of Instruction for
Royal Horse and Field Artillery. In 1916 the AIF had decided to form training battalions in
England from which reinforcements could be posted to Australian Divisions in France. Camps
were established on Salisbury Plain of which Larkhill was one. The conditions in camp seem to
have been rather uncomfortable for the Australians, one soldier writing home in September 1916
" It has been raining like fun here and
things about Larkhill are pretty sloppy.
It's a rotten place when it rains and a
jolly sight worse if it keeps fine for any
length of time. The dust is that fine it will
get in anywhere: do what you will you
can't get away from it". At the end of
1916 the Brigade did get away from it,
marching the 4 miles to Amesbury
railway station and entraining for Southampton. On 31 December 1916 James landed in France
and on 12 January 1917 he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Army Recruiting and Training
Division. The Australian Artillery was going
through a period of reorganisation and
in February James was posted to the 12th
Field Artillery Brigade, pending absorption in
the 11th Field Artillery Brigade. On 9 March
1917 James was taken on the strength of the
11th Field Artillery Brigade, 111th Battery,
which itself absorbed part of 118th Battery.
At that time the Brigade was in the Somme
area at Behencourt, a small village between Amiens and Albert. 111th battery comprised 4.5"
Howitzers as shown below. For the rest of March the Brigade was in reserve but in April 1917
moved to lines north of
Bapaume in support of an
attack by the Australian 4th
Division on the Hindenburg
Line in the Bullecourt Riencourt
area. The Battery was engaged
in bombarding Bullecourt and
the wire in front of the German
trenches. In mid May after a
period of intense activity the
Battery was relieved and moved
back into reserve. On 17 May
the Brigade entrained to Bailleul near the Armentieres section of the line in preparation for an
attack on the Messines Ridge. On 1 June James received a gun shot wound in his right arm and
was evacuated to the 1st New Zealand Field Ambulance in Le Pont de Nieppe, just outside
Armentieres. He rejoined the Battery on 7 June. On 5 August 1917 James was again wounded,
this time by a gas shell, and more seriously, suffering from abrasions and contusions to his right
side and head and gas poisoning. He was evacuated to hospital in England where he
convalesced for four months before being sent back to France on 6 January 1918 to rejoin his
unit. By this time the 111th Battery had moved to the village of Locre, south west of Ypres,
where it was engaged in carrying out harassing fire on the enemy's roads and approaches.
At the end of March 1918 the Divisional Artillery
moved from the Ypres sector to the Dernancourt area
near Albert. The enemy had captured Albert but any
further advance had been stopped by the Infantry
who were holding the railway line to the west of the
town. The Battery was based in Melincourt and again
engaged in harassing fire. On 5 April the Germans
attacked the front line with 4 Divisions but were
repulsed with heavy casualties. Casualties in the Divisional Artillery were heavy, according to
the Divisional War Diary, "occasioned by the extensive use of instantaneous fuzes by the enemy.
The enemy's bombardment was as heavy as has ever previously been experienced, but none of
our Batteries were silenced, although the gun shields practically were the only protection
afforded to the gun detachments, as time had not permitted of completion of gun epaulments."
The 11th Brigade lost two
officers and twelve other ranks
killed that day of which five
other ranks, including James,
belonged to the 111th Battery.
The bodies were recovered and
brought back to Frechencourt
where they were buried in the
town communal cemetery by
Padre Shaw, the 11th Brigade
chaplain. "I made one cross and
put a 4 and a half inch railing
round the grave, one surround
for the fourteen graves. They are buried in one row in Frechencourt Civilian Cemetery. The
name of each is on the railing at the head of each grave respectively. There are no names on the
cross which bears the inscription "In Loving Memory of Officers, N.C.O's and Men of 4th Aust.
Div. A.F.A., K/A 5-4-18. R.I.P." The row is in the top right hand corner of the above photo,
behind the chapel, the wooden cross and name plates being replaced by headstones after the
War.
Interestingly a directive went out from Division H.Q. to all
Artillery Brigades two days later advising the importance of
digging the guns into protective emplacements. A lesson
learned too late by the Division to help James.