James (Jim) Alphonso McMahon
Stephen LearmonthJim was born in 1891 at Albury in New South Wales. He was one of eleven children of John and Mary (née McGrath) McMahon.
Jim enlisted on the 30th of July 1915 at Melbourne, Victoria. At the time he was a single, 24 year-old butcher. He had tried to enlist early but had failed to pass his medical examination. This time he was successful. He was allocated the Regimental Number 3202 and placed in the 7th reinforcements for the 22nd Battalion. His initial training was done with the 99th Company Depot. After two months he was transferred to D Company of the 1st Depot Battalion at Seymour, and then, finally, A Company at the same location.
On the 20th of November 1915 the 7/22nd (7th Reinforcements of the 22nd Battalion) boarded HMAT A73 Commonwealth at Melbourne. There were 925 other souls on the Commonwealth, not counting the crew. After undertaking training with the 6th Training Battalion at Zeitoun in Egypt, Jim was taken on strength with the 7th Battalion of the 1st AIF at Serapeum. Whilst in France, this battalion would be part of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Australian Division.
The soldiers of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) not only had to contend with the heat, dust, Turks and local population but also the added dangers of disease. Communicable diseases such as influenza, mumps, dysentery, typhus and cholera were very common. Many soldiers were hospitalised more than once. It is no surprise then that on the 19th of March 1916, Jim was admitted to the 1st Australian Field Ambulance suffering from the mumps. He was immediately transferred to the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital as Ismailia and placed under isolation. It would be over three weeks before he rejoined his unit.
On the 9th of May the reinforcements for the 7th Battalion embarked on OC Troopship Caledonia at Alexandria. Nine days later they disembarked at the Port of Marseilles in the south of France. It took a further three days of train travel to reach the 1st Australian Divisional Base Depot at Etaples, France. It was here that all troops coming into France undertook further training before heading to the front under the guiding eyes of British instructors. There was more trench digging, route marches and days of drill. The camp was known as “The Bullring” due to the amount of “bull” that the soldiers had to encounter.
Jim marched out to join the 7th Battalion on the 16th of June. He found them based at Sailly, a small village in the north of France where they were resting and being brought up to strength. Jim was in time to join the battalion in their first major action in France at Pozieres in the Somme Valley, on the 23rd of July. Three AIF Divisions, the 1st, 2nd and 4th, would form the right flank of the British front. The objectives of the 1st Division included attacking the village of Pozieres and capturing the blockhouse known as “Gibraltar”. The high ground at Pozieres was important, not only as it covered the ground for miles around but it could also be used as a launching place for further attacks.
The preparation for the attack involved a heavy bombardment which included phosgene and tear gas. The infantry crept into no mans’ land close behind the bombardment and when it lifted they rushed the German trenches. After bitter fighting the village was taken. Despite almost continuous artillery fire and repeated German counter-attacks, the 1st Division held their ground. At some stage during the first day of fighting Jim was killed. It is not known exactly where or how but it must have been witnessed as his service records do list him as initially being “missing in action” but “killed in action”. By the time the division was relieved on the 27th of July, they had suffered 5285 casualties out of approximately 1400.
Jim has no known grave. He is remembered at the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial), and the Sandy Creek District Honour Roll (First World War). For his service he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.