HARVEY, James
| Service Number: | 244 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen |
| Born: | 1868, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Buninyong, Ballarat North, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | South Australia, Australia, 1957, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
Biography contributed by Claude McKelvey
When James Harvey enlisted in 1901 in the 5th QIB and his details were published with the rank and file in The Queenslander, 16 Mar 1901, he noted his N.O.K. as his mother Jane Harvey, Insch, Aberdeen, Scotland. However, in the Boer War Service Paybooks for the 5th QIB, Bk 2 P. 91, it is noted he directed part of his pay to his mother Mrs. J. Harvey, Buninyong, Victoria.
A newspaper article titled "He's lived through 88 years of history" in the Mirror (Perth), 1 Jan 1955, p. 6, provided his life story to that point, spent to a large part in Western Australia. While it doesn't clarify his place of birth, it places him in Perth by 1899 where he was serving with the water police. This was the start of a long career in the W.A. police force including mounted police in Menzies and at Perth Central CIB, before going to Kalgoorlie in the early 1920s.
While not explaining how, during this, he ended up in Queensland where it notes he served in the Boer War with the 5th QIB. The article notes he was retired living in Adelaide and records held by National Archives indicate an application was made for a veterans funeral benefit in 1957.
(source- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 498; Qld State Archives- Boer War Service Paybooks, Bk 2 p. 91; "He's lived through 88 years of history" Mirror (Perth), 1 Jan 1955, p. 6).
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