S2397
BULA, Joseph Thomas
| Service Number: | 4149 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 4th Divisional Signal Company |
| Born: | Dawson, South Australia, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Peterborough (Formerly Petersburg), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Blacksmith |
| Memorials: | Laura RSL Members WW1 Roll of Honour, Oodla Wirra Roll of Honor WW1, Peterborough Oodla Wirra Town Hall Roll of Honor WW1, Peterborough St Anacletus Catholic Church Honour Board WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4149, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4149, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Jan 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4149, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 18 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 4th Divisional Signal Company | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 4149, Battle for Pozières | |
| 22 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 4th Divisional Signal Company | |
| 27 Mar 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 4149, 4th Divisional Signal Company, Dernancourt/Ancre | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 4149, 4th Divisional Signal Company |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Joseph Thomas Bula, born around March 1891, in Cavanagh, Dawson, South Australia, enlisted in the army on 31st August 1915, when he was 24 years and 5 months old. He was Roman Catholic and wasn’t a migrant. He was white, had brown hair, brown eyes, weighed 150lbs and was 5ft 8¼.
His service number was 4149 and was put into the 10th battalion. He was a blacksmith who lived in Petersburg, SA. There was no information about previous military service found. He had no wife or children before the war, the only family mentioned about him was his brother and father. His father, Nicholas Bula, was his first next of kin, but after he died his brother, Peter Paul Bula, was his next of kin. He enlisted on the 31st of August 1915 in Adelaide; the officer who enlisted him was E.G Dutch. He embarked on the 11th of January 1916 on the Borda. When he enlisted, he was a private, but later in the war, in France, he was promoted to corporal. He was also transferred to the 50th battalion on 26/2/16, moving to the 4th Div. Signal Company on 18 March 1916. He didn’t suffer major wounds during the war, though he did go overseas often.
During the war he got sick with the flu multiple times. He got sick from the flu on 29/3/16, 14/5/16 and 17/5/16, he re-joined from the hospital on 21/5/16. He was promoted in France to corporal one day later, on 22/5/16. Later on 21/2/18 he left for France and re-joined his unit there at 24/2/18. He got a medal and was Corporal. The medal was received on January 23rd, 1922, it was a 4th military district medal.
The battle was fought in late July, he fought with the unit he was with at the time, which was the 4th Division Signal Company. Once the Australians had joined the fight at the battle of Somme, the British was focusing on getting the ridge east of Pozieres village. If they could succeed with this, they could attack the Germans at Thiepval, which they previously failed to claim. The fight started with around 60000 British casualties. This battle was bad for the British, French and Australian forces due to the overwhelming number of casualties.
This was in France, from 1916 to 1918. This was one of the bloodiest fights in WW1, the aim of the battle was to help the French Army who was fighting at Verdun and to weaken the Germans. The allies couldn’t break through the German lies and the fight brought over 1 million deaths and wounded for all sides. He also fought the battle of the Somme in 1916.
After the war, he returned home alive, meaning his family didn’t have to go through the pain of getting an obituary notice. When he returned, his only family that had been previously mentioned was his brother, who was his next of kin. Besides the information about him returning home, there isn’t much information about what he did after the war ended. He probably just went back and blended in to society, there’s no other information about him so it’s likely that he tried to go back to his previous life with his family. Joseph Thomas Bula served in WW1, showing leadership through his promotion to Corporal and strength through the limited amount of times he was injured. This shows his ANZAC spirit.
Bibliography (new links)
https://www.bbc.com/timelines/ztngxsg
http://www.awmlondon.gov.au/battles/pozieres
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/battle-of-the-somme
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/the-battle-of-the-somme-95-years-on