James Lindsay Archibald (1886-1916)

1914

Wyndham City Libraries

text

eng

James Lindsay Archibald

677

Alexander Archibald,
Smeaton, Victoria
Father

Werribee, Victoria

Single

Puchevillers British Cemetery,
France
(Plot II, Row B, Grave No. 78)

No.677  James Lindsay Archibald
James Lindsay Archibald, the fourth son of Alexander and Jessie (nee Mann) Archibald, was born in Smeaton, Victoria in 1886. His siblings were:

• Alexander - born 1883
• John - born 1885
• George Gordon - born 1888
• Andrew Alexander - born 1890
• Earnest Osmond - born 1892
• Robert Clark - born 1893
• Ruby Ann - born 1894
• David Pennycock - born 1895
• Charles Kingston - born 1897
• Jessie - born 1898
• Ian Roberts - born 1900

In the 1913 Electoral Roll, James Lindsay Archibald was shown living in Smeaton, Victoria and his occupation was "farmer".

War Service
James Lindsay Archibald enlisted in the A.I.F. on 11 September 1914 in Werribee, Victoria and was assigned as a driver to the 14th Battalion Headquarters.

On his enlistment papers, James stated that he had previously served with the New Zealand forces but had since left that country. (No further information has been discovered in relation to this.)

James was described as: 27 years 11 months in age, 5 feet 6 ½ inches in height and 10 stone 4 pounds in weight. He had fair skin, light blue eyes and fair skin. His religion was Presbyterian and his occupation was "farm hand".  While nothing has been found to confirm this, it is likely that James was working in Werribee at the time of his enlistment.

With other recruits from the 14th Battalion, James embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board Transport A38 Ulysses on 22 December 1914.

On 12 April 1915, he proceeded to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) for the Dardenelles.

No further details are listed on James's service record until 21 November 1915, when he is shown to have been taken on strength to the transport section at Maadi, Egypt.

In February 1916, James was treated for a strained back. Firstly, at 1st Australian Sationary hospital in Lemnos before being admitted to the Ghezireh Red Cross Hospital in Cairo on 4 February 1916. He was treated and discharged, to convalesce, on 11 February.

On 26 February 1916, James was charged with the offence of: "Losing by neglect articles of his kit – 1 pair of boots (value 12/6), 1 pair of socks, 1 pair of putties at Zeitoun on 18^th February." The articles were then charged to him in his pay book.

On 11 March 1916, Private James Archibald, rejoined his unit at Tel-el-Kebir, a training camp 100 kilometres outside of Cairo.

At the beginning of June of the same year, James joined the British Expeditionary Force and sailed aboard, Troopship Haverford to Marseilles.

On 6 August 1916, he rejoined his unit ‘in the field’ in France.

Less than a week later, on 12 August, Private James Archibald was admitted to 3rd Casualty Clearing Station in France suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest and died on the following day, 13 August 1916, as a result of his injuries.

He was buried at Puchevillers British Cemetery, Puchevillers, Picardie, France. 11. B. 78.

Private Archibald's death was reported in the following Victorian newspapers:
The Evening Echo (Ballarat), 21 September 1916, p.2.
The Ballarat Courier, 21 September 1916, p.4.
Creswick Advertiser, 22 September 1916, p.2.

Medals and Entitlements:

• British War Medal
• Victory Medal

Notes
James Archibald was the older brother of No.271 Private Ernest Ormond Archibald who was killed in action on 10 May 1915 at Gallipoli.
He was buried at Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Cemetery, Egypt (Row C, Grave No. 152).

A.I.F. Project
www.aif.adfa.edu.au

Ancestry.com

Australian War Memorial
awm.gov.au

Commonwealth war Graves Commission
www.cwgc.org

National Archives of Australia
naa.gov.au

Trove
trove.nla.gov.au

Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
www.bdm.vic.gov.au

British War Medal

Victory Medal