Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James Delahunty was born in 1870 in the small hamlet of Barkstead in Victoria's Central Highlands.

He grew up in the central highlands surrounded by dense bush. James worked as a Bushman in rural Victoria.

His father, Patrick Delahunty was born in Ireland in 1833. Patrick migrated to the Victorian goldfields and married Mary Anne Riordan in 1868. His mother was born in 1846 in what was then called 'Van Diemen's Land'. 

Patrick and Mary had a large family, as was common out in the bush at that time. Mary predeceased Patrick in 1898, leaving him a widower. 

James had ten siblings. However, he wanted to make his own way. Hence eventually migrated to Western Australia. For many from the Victorian Goldfield districts in the 1890's had been lured across to W.A. 

That was boom time in W.A. The westward migration was driven by newly discovered W.A. Goldfields. First was the rush was at Coolgardie. Then further to the East at Hannan's find. That site became kown as Kalgoorlie.   

James had likely tried prospecting in W.A. at some point because he lived near the Victorian Goldfields. 

However by the late 1890's he was a Bushman based in Collie. He worked in the Great Southern district of South Western Australia.

His plans changed when a second Boer War broke in mid October 1899. Hostilities commenced when large Boer Commandos invaded neighbouring British South African Colonies.

Undersea cables meant that local newspapers printed thrilling acounts in almost real time to foster a call to arms. For the Boers had besieged outposts of the British Empire at Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith.

Churchill is reputed to have said that it was very sporting for the Boers to take on the might of the British Empire. The Boers quickly captured Churchill.

He was a war correspondent and POW in what was called the "Transvaal War". The Empire had to change tactics. Hence the call to arms for Australian Bushmen to enlist and fight for Empire. 

James decided to enlist. For Australian Bushmen Contingents were being raised to counter effective Boer Commando Tactics.

Traditional Infantry soldiers were ineffective as this conflict quickly became an irregular mounted war. 

The Empire needed Australian Bushmen who could ride and shoot to hunt down the elusive Boer Commandos.

James was an experienced Bushman who could ride and shoot. He was over thirty which as seen as too old. Hence, he resolved the age issue by stating that he was 28 years old. Colonial Attestation Forms usually recorded new recruit's age "as stated'. 

James passed his riding and shooting tests. Hence was selected and he was enlisted into the 6th Western Australian Mounted Infantry. His unit was the last to be raised by the W.A. Colonial Government before W.A. Defence Force matters were ceded to the new Australian Commonwealth Government. 

James completed three weeks training at Camp Karrakatta before embarkation. He then went on to fight and die in the Transvaal.

He was killed while approaching Boers whom he believed had surrendered. His belief may have been caused by Boer subterfuge. For several Boers had indeed surrendered at Bladplaat - but not all of them. 

It is quite an understatement to say that his death was caused by a missunderstanding. However, that is what the WA Colonial Military site states. It has a 6th WAMI active service time line note indicates that James was the sole Australian KIA.

That is confirmed by the 1911 reference that AWM cites: "Records of the Australian Contingents to the War in South Africa 1899 -1902" LTCOL P. L. Murray RAA (1911), pages 427, 440.

In contast, Five Boers were KIA in what was James' final and fatal action. 27 Boers were taken POW in his last action.  

There were incidents during the 2nd Anglo-Boer War which fell short of the rules of war. However, these cases were not wide spread. The Breaker Morant case is an exception. That case remains controversial. 

LT W H Young 6th WAMI was wounded in the same action in which James was KIA. His 6th WAMI "on parade pre-departure photo" which would include James is attached.

Needless to say LT Young's first hand account of that fatal 1901 action at Bladplaat in the Transvaal would be useful. However, he was likely WIA before James was KIA. Hence may not have witnessed his death.

Either way, WAMI war diaries do not seemed to have survived the ceding of W.A. Colonial Defence Force to the newly formed Commonwealth Defence Force. The latter then raised the Boer War Commonwealth Horse Battalions. These were the predecessors of the more famous Greta War Light Horse Regiments.

Finally, it was Ex-Boer War POW, Winston Churchill who grew to admire the ellusive Boer Commander tactics. For what he had expected to be a short sharp lesson, delivered by the Empire, soon became a very costly and drawn out pyyric victory.

Hence when he raised U.K. Special Forces after France fell in 1940, the then PM Churchill called his elite fighting soldiers "Commandos". Their special tactics used in occupied Europe are well known. That is the legacy of the 2nd Anglo-Boer War Commando Tactics.

The conflict in which PTE James Delahunty 6th WAMI fell.  

He was buried eight miles from where he fell according to a letter that his C.O. wrote to James' father, Patrick.

That letter from the Front was published in Patrick's local Newspaper, the Portland Guardian on 18 December 1901. That newspaper article is linked.      

The exact location of James's war grave in not yet to hand. Lest We Forget.