Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James Henry Drever was born in South Australia on 1887 in a small town called Holyeton. Holyeton is west of Clair near the Barrossa Valley, and in the time of James was born in a railway town.

In this railway station town, James was a farmer and was brought up with a Methodist religion belief. James had a wife but she had sadly passed away.

James was short, standing around about 5 feet and 4 and a half inches tall and weighing only 140ibs at the time of enlistment. James had blue eyes, and dark brown hair.

James at the age of twenty-eight joined the Royal Australian Army for World War One. He was given a service number of 1048. He travelled on-board the A35 Berrima on 22 December 1914.  This boat weighed 11,137 tons with an average cruise speed of 14 knots or 25.92kmph, the boat was owned by the P&O SN Co, London, and it was leased by the commonwealth until 10 October 1917.

At the age of twenty-eight James was living in Norwood at number 30 on the Parade in South Australia. James was a widow when he joined the force. According to service records I could not see if it is known if James left any children behind, his next of kin lived in the West Coast new south wales in Australia. This could have been a brother; however, it is not known who.  This was information found from the service records. There records stated they sent 10 shillings per pay to James’ next of kin. All we know is that the money was sent to Cara wa in new south wales which is located near Sydney.

James enlisted for the position of Ambulance driver on the 11th of September 1914. It was on the 22nd of December in 1914, just 11 days later, that James found himself on a ship called Berrima.  James got on this ship in Melbourne and this ship took James to Gallipoli on the Western Front. It was here that James would have seen many disturbing scenes, been one of the first people on hand to help sick, wounded and terrified soldiers. The visions and sights that James would have seen, no body would have want to see.

As an ambulance driver he would have had to drive through areas that had been under attack and check for soldiers that needed medical aid. It states that James was a driver, however it is known that when an extra pair of hands was needed to hold bandages and assist, he would have been called upon.

James did get wounded in his service, and was admitted to a hospital in France on the 17th of September 1918. We know this as a letter stating his health was sent to his next of Kin. The letter said that his condition was not known only that he was wounded. The next of kin would not be informed any further unless James did not make a satisfactory recovery. Luckily James recovered to continue serving, until the end of the war or was over, as his date in hospital was close to the end of the war.

James worked and served in the Army until the war ended in 1918. For his service James received a pay of sixty shillings. Each pay an extra ten shillings was put aside to give to James after he was to leave the Army.

James returned to Australia on the 23rd of October 1918. For James’ service for the country of Australia James received the Star medal, this was a bronze medal which was engraved with the crown and an oak wreath. It had the words King George V, as King George the 5th was the king at the time of war. This medal was attached to a blue, red and white ribbon. James received this medal for showing the ANZAC spirit and showed a loyal commitment to service to our military and country.

There are no records on what James did after returning from the war. We can be sure that James’ life was forever changed through what he saw and experienced. James showed the true Australian spirit, of helping others in need.