James Lyall (1861 - 1940)

Born 1861 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Died 3 Apr 1940 at about age 79 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Biography

James was born in 1861 in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of James Lyall.

In about 1915 James was working as a clerk, but by 1916 he was a timekeeper with the South Australian Railways. He then worked as a labourer on the Melbourne wharves and worked as a coal trimmer on board the SS "Goulburn".

On 14 Nov 1917, James applied to become an Australian War Worker to work in the UK as a labourer or navvy, under a joint Australian government/ British government scheme to supply labour for the War effort. At the time he was married with 3 daughters and was living in Melbourne, VIC. He claimed he was 52, but in reality he was probably 56.

He was accepted and his agreement was signed on 09 Apr 1918 in Hawthorn, South Australia. He was issued with Australian War Worker Badge No. 2163 and embarked on the SS "Ulysses" from Sydney, NSW on 13 Apr 1918, arriving at Liverpool, England on 08 Jun 1918. He complained about treatment on board the ship and sought lost luggage.

James began work with Messrs. Blay & Co. (in London?) as a labourer on 13 Jun 1918. On 15 Jul 1918 he was dismissed. He complained he had not been given any reason. Blay & Co. replied he was fully aware of the reasons, but would not comment further (it later came out that he'd caused a fire in the unfinished kitchen of a hospital). He was placed with Messrs. Parkinson & Sons at Winchester on 19 Jul 1919.

Enquiries about his lost luggage dragged on. He sought reimbursement for of his fare from Birkenhead to Euston, as it had not been paid by the officer in charge of the group. He was advised that he would have to pay for it himself as he had not been at the appointed place and time required. By this stage authorities were becoming annoyed by the tone of his letters. His luggage was never found. He sought reimbursement and it was pointed out that it was his responsibility to bring it off the ship.

He was transferred by Messrs. Parkinson & Sons to Blandford on 08 Aug 1918. On 28 Aug 1918 he left Parkinsons without permission saying "I'm not going to stay here". Efforts by authorities to get him to return were fruitless and he stated he had been bullied by a ganger and wouldn't put up with it. The firm denied this. He found employment at the Southampton Docks. Authorities pointed out to him that he was not at liberty to find his own employment and in Nov 1918, after some threats of adverse consequences they placed him with the L&SW Railway at the Southampton Docks. By this stage authorities were threatening to cancel his agreement. On 15 Dec 1918 he was transferred to Messrs. McDonald & Gibbs Ltd. at Didcot. However, he did not report for work.

It seems he continued sending nasty letters to Blay & Co. and they advised authorities they were intending to put matters in the hands of solicitors.

James wrote to authorities in Jan 1919 seeking unemployment benefits for all the time he'd been out of work. The request was declined as he had been dismissed for his own actions.

He was transferred to Messrs. Matthews & Sons at the Wandover Camp, Bucks. on 25 Feb 1919. He was let go by them on 01 Apr 1919. He claimed he'd been dismissed so his position could given to a returned soldier, but they stated it was so he could be repatriated. He complained in a letter to the High Commissioner about his treatment and not being paid for time lost. He did not get his money.

James returned to Australia on the SS "Irishman", departing from Avonmouth, England on 08 May 1919. His agreement was terminated as complete on 07 Jul 1919 after disembarking at Port Melbourne, VIC.

His file was marked that his conduct had been unsatisfactory and the resettlement allowance and Victory bonus were withheld.

It seems he was "on the road", probably as a swaggie in the mid-1920's. On 25 Dec 1922 he was sentenced to 1 month in jail after being convicted at Maitland, S.A. of being idle and disorderly, breach of the Bush Fires Act and offensive behaviour.^[1] He was convicted of being idle and disorderly again on 12 Jul 1923, this time at Bute, S.A. and sentenced to 3 months in prison.^[2]

In 1935 he sought a copy of his Certificate of Service as a War Worker. He was living in Adelaide, S.A. at the time.

He died after being struck by a car in Adelaide, S.A. in 1940.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ James Lyall in the South Australia, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1862-1947 - Reference Description: AU5103-1923 SA Police Gazette 1923; Source Information: Ancestry.com. South Australia, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1862-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.; Original data: South Australia Police Gazette Indexes, 1862-1947. Ridgehaven, South Australia: Gould Genealogy and History, 2009.
2. ↑ James Lyall in the South Australia, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1862-1947 - Reference Description: AU5103-1923 SA Police Gazette 1923; Source Information: Ancestry.com. South Australia, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1862-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.; Original data: South Australia Police Gazette Indexes, 1862-1947. Ridgehaven, South Australia: Gould Genealogy and History, 2009.
3. ↑ MOTORIST TELLS OF ACCIDENT (1940, April 13). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), p. 7. Retrieved August 26, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131529517

• Birth - genealogysa.org.au - South Australia BDM Birth index - LYALL James; M; James LYALL; Adelaide; 15/381; 1860

• WW1 Australian War Worker Service File - National Archives of Australia - LYALL James - Munitions Worker Number 2163 [2040/2042] - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6446983

• Death - genealogysa.org.au - South Australia BDM Death index - LYALL James; M; Adelaide; 622/1401; 1940