Great Southern Line Anzac Story Reseach Report by Mary Hutchison

Page 23

23

NSWGR Employment Card: NSW Public Records Staff no 1959

Steam Shed Inspector and had worked for the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) in the head office in Sydney. He was at Eveleigh workshop when he volunteered for the NSW railway unit in 1916 and was appointed its Commander. When he returned to Australia in 1919 he was appointed Steam Shed Inspector at Goulburn. In 1934 he was promoted to Divisional Locomotive Superintendent. He retired in 1940.

at Tamar’s address as his next of kin. With enlistment there was pressure to finalise the divorce which raised issues of custody and from this time William had little contact with his children. Before the War, William had been a member of the Australian Light Horse (like army reserve). He was promoted to Major during his war service and Mentioned in Despatches by Douglas Haig. Was highly regarded as an officer. He remarried in 1924 while working in Goulburn (Millie Stewart). A daughter, Norma, was born in 1927. (note that Rita also had a daughter called Norma – surname James as she was not married). Tamar James was the president of the railway unit comforts fund in Sydney. It is not clear whether she was also the sister ‘Nurse’ James mentioned in GEPP. William was 65 when he retired in 1940 and 91 when he died in 1966. His sister

from the time Wilson was reemployed at Goulburn in 1925 until 1934 when James was promoted and Wilson committed suicide. A tangible connection to his public role Transport Heritage NSW has acquired two of William James war service medals – only tangible connection with him. A keen cyclist One of the newspaper articles mentions that he was a keen cyclist in his youth.


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.