John Cullen James was born in Ballarat and was a Tailor by trade when he enlisted in the Signal Troop 3, Reinforcement 13 on 5 July 1915 at the age of 19. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A19 Afric on 5 January 1916. In April he joined the Anzac Signal Company at Romani. He served at several bases in Egypt and Palestine, mostly with the 3rd Signal Troop 3rd Light Horse Brigade. In September 1918 he was hospitalised after contracting malaria, but otherwise he survived the war without significant harm. He returned to Australia on the HT Orari and disembarked at Melbourne on June 30th 1919.
Tree No. 575