Corporal James Saddington MM, No. 587, 40th Battalion, Australian Infantry, Australian Imperial Force (1893 - 1918)

James Saddington was born on 31 July 1893 at Waratah, Tasmania, Australia. He was the second son and third child of Frederick Joseph James Saddington and his second wife, Mary Annie King.

James enlisted in the Australian Army at Claremont, Tasmania, on 4 April 1916. His attestation paper states that he was 22 years and 11 months old, worked as a labourer, and had previously been rejected for military service on account of his teeth. He is described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 154lb, having a fair complexion, yellowish eyes, and brown wavy hair. He had scars on his left wrist and on the tip of his left ear. He was a Roman Catholic by religion. James' next of kin was listed as his mother, Mrs Mary Saddington, then living in Natone, Tasmania.

During his first few months as a soldier, James would have been drilled and trained relentlessly. On 10 June 1916, whilst still stationed at Claremont, he was brought up on the charge of having been "insolent to a non-commissioned officer on parade in that he behaved in a manner contrary to military discipline when ordered to fall in at the 12.00 parade" on 7 June 1916. The witness to his unmilitary behaviour was one Company Serjeant Major Baldwin, and James was fined 5 shillings.

On 1 July 1916, James Saddington embarked on the HMAT Berrima at Hobart, Tasmania for the journey to England, arriving at Devonport (Plymouth), Devon on 22 August 1916, having been at sea for 53 days. At this point, he was part of the 4th Training Battalion, but was transferred to the 15th Infantry Battalion on 9 September 1916. On 1 October 1916, he was taken on the strength of the 40th Battalion. The 40th Battalion was Tasmania's contribution to the war effort. Both of these battalions were based in villages near Amesbury, to the north of Salisbury. A couple of months later, on 23 November 1916, James found himself, with his battalion, in Southampton being processed for embarkation to France.

By December 1916, the 40th Battalion was serving in the trenches with all that that entailed - mud, rats, trench foot - all the horrors that you can think of. Despite the unfortunate incident back home in Claremont, James made a good soldier, receiving a field promotion to Lance Corporal on 9 February 1917. However, it did not appear to be to his liking because he reverted to the rank of Private at his own request two months later on 13 April 1917.

In June 1917, the 40th Battalion took part in the Battle of Messines, an attack on the Messines Ridge planned as a precursor to the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele. The battle commenced with heavy shelling of the German positions from 23 May to 7 June 1917, and a key feature was the detonation of 19 huge mines under the German trenches. The Battle of Messines was a complete success, accomplishing all of its objectives in less than 12 hours, with only 17,000 casualties in total out of 216,000 men participating.

On 4 October 1917, the 40th Battalion took part in the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge, part of the Battle of Passchendale. Around 36,500 Australians were killed during the two main elements of Passchendaele, which took place between 12 October and 10 November 1917. James would have lived in a world of mud (in which men drowned), water, shellholes (1 million in a square mile), and the constant sight and stench of death - a Hell which drove men insane.

Towards the end of this horror, on 3 November 1917, James was promoted to the rank of Temporary Corporal. Two weeks later, on 17 November 1917, he went on special leave to England. He was back in France on 1 December 1917, so I hope that he made the most of his fortnight back in Blighty.

On 14 January 1918, James Saddington made his Will, leaving everything he owned to his mother, Mary. The Will was witnessed by Lieutenant H J Dell and Corporal Ernest E Best, both of the 40th Battalion. Five days later, James was promoted to Corporal.

On 8 February 1918, Corporal James Saddington was awarded the Military Medal. The citation reads that he received it "For conspicuous gallantry in action East of YPRES on 4th October 1917. Throughout the Operation both during the attack and afterwards he set a wonderful example to his Section of which he was leader for most of the time. His utter disregard for danger and his fine spirits were an inspiration to the whole of his Section." His award had been gazetted in the London Gazette on 28 January 1918, and was gazetted in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 27 June 1918.

However, Corporal James Saddington was killed in action at Messines on 21 February 1918, at the age of 24. In the Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau Files for World War One, there are 13 accounts of how he died, all slightly different. It seems that C Company, 40th Battalion, were holding the line near Warneton, in the Belgian province of Hainault, when James, who was acting trench Quarter Master, and his Sergeant, a man by the name of Woolley, were killed when a shell exploded outside his dugout. He was initially buried at Ploegsteert Wood, with the service being taken by one Father Howie.

Ploegsteert Wood became known as the Chateau Rosenberg Military Cemetery, but unfortunately James was not to be allowed to rest in peace. After World War One, the owner of Chateau Rosenberg returned and wanted the two cemeteries on his land, the Military Cemetery and its Extension, to be removed. Even a personal request from the King of the Belgians had no effect on the owner's intransigence.

So, in June 1930, more than 12 years after her son's death, Mary Saddington received a letter saying that her son's body had been exhumed from his resting place and reburied "with every measure of care and reverence" in Plot 2, Row B, Grave 55 of the Royal Berks Cemetery Extension, a permanent British military cemetery. Finally, Corporal James Saddington MM was laid to rest alongside nearly 900 fellow soldiers, casualties of the War to end all Wars.

"And at the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them."

[The information for this post is courtesy of National Archives of Australia, Australian War Memorial website, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Waratah - Birthplace of Tasmanian Mining website, and Wikipedia.]