Edward Lewis JAMES
Year of Birth: 1908
Place of Birth: Staffordshire, England
Date of Enlistment: 12 October 1939, Homebush, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Australian Defence Force: Australian Imperial Force
Rank: Corporal
Unit(s): Local Administration Staff, Australian Headquarters
Service Number: NX4011
Died: 5 March 1945
Age: 42 years
Buried: Cairns War Cemetery – Plot A – Row C – Grave 20
Edward Lewis James was born 26 July 1908, Staffordshire, England to Edward and Elizabeth (Heskey) James. In the 1911 England Census for Hanley, Staffordshire, it gives his age as 8, his siblings were William 7, Elizabeth 5, Phyllis 4 and James aged 1.
He married Marie Elizabeth Harders in 1930 in New South Wales and gave her as his next of kin.
Acting Corporal Edward Lewis James enlisted at Homebush, Sydney, New South Wales in 1939 and served in the Middle East, Greece, Crete and New Guinea with 2/4 Battalion, Headquarters 6 Division and Headquarters 7 Division. He was appointed Major General Vasey’s batman on the 2 September 1944.
Corporal Edward Lewis James was killed, along with Major-General G.A.Vasey, Major-General R.M.Downs, Lieutenant Colonel G A Bertram O.B.E, Flying Officer D J Bassett, Flying Officer F B Frieze, Flying Officer J W Newell, Flying Officer G Thompson, Corporal E L James and Lac J D Moore, when their R.A.A.F. aircraft crashed into the sea at Machans Beach, Cairns.
Edward Lewis James’s name is on Ingleburn Roll of Honour board and also located at panel 10; Supplementary panel 1 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial.
Online Resources
NAA: B883, (JAMES Edward Lewis) National Archives of Australia
Department Veterans’ Affairs Nominal Rolls
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
New South Wales Births Deaths & Marriages Index
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