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Died: 1962. Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia. Death Cert:
7th June 1917. (Battle of Messines)
The 33rd Battalion, an especially fine unit commanded by a young veteran from Gallipolli,
Lieutenant Colonel Morshead, had been hand picked for this position, and its advancing troops
were the first under fire of distant Germans, who took long shots at them from safe trenches
many hundred yards beyond the flank. Almost immediatley also a party of the enemy at a local
headquarters in the support trench, just beyond the edge of the attack but closer that the
barrage, turned a Machine Gun upon the nearest men of the 33rd battalion as they were "mopping-up".
Three were hit, but another, Private 1244 J SPENCE 33rd Battalion
obtained the help of four additional men, and setting two to fire on the Machine Gun with
riffle-grenades, worked round behind it, killing the German crew and capturing the gun.
The Australian flank rested on the headquarters captured by Private 1244
J SPENCE 33rd Battalion, which afforded a good lookout and was held as a listening
-post, with a hidden Machine-Gun.
(BEAN: History of WW1. Vol IV, p596/7)
James Spence was a Labourer from Tamworth upon enlistment. James was buried at Tamworth Cemetery.
(Australian National Archives)
Under Construction 02/06/2006-30/05/2009.
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