James Hilton Cadzow

   Another name for James was Jim Cadzow.

  General Notes:

James enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on the 15th March 1915, at Enoggera in Queensland. At the time he was a resident of Thursday Island, Single, and a Miner. He had previously served as a Torres Straits Cable Guard at the Thursday Island Wireless Station. James was 21 years of age, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 12 stone 6 lb. His physical development was described as Good, complexion Fair, eyes blue and hair brown. He had a scar on the scalp over his right forehead and no vaccination marks. His religion was Roman Catholic. He was Attested for the 25th Battalion, 7th Infanry Brigade on the 9th June 1915 at Greenhills in Queensland, and was recommended for a Transport Unit due to the fact that his sight was defective in his left eye.

He embarked from Australia on the 29th June 1915. He embarked from Alexandria on the 4th September 1915 for Gallipoli. He suffered a bout of Diarrhoea whilst on the Gallipoli Peninsula between the 19th and 22nd of November 1915 which was treated in Hospital. He was then admitted to the No. 1 Auxiliary Hospital suffering from Myalgia on the 5th December 1915. Myalgia is muscle pain, and may be caused by a viral infection, or by overuse or over-stretching of the muscles.

There is a record of him disembarking on the 23 January 1916 at the Helouan Depot, Cairo, Egypt. On the 14th March 1916 he embarked for France, disembarking in Marseilles on the 19th March. On the 18th August 1916 was appointed temporary Corporal, replacing a Cpl Ralston who had been evacuated. By the 11 November 1916 he was recorded as "To be Corporal & Lance Sergeant vice Price evacuated", and on the 14th November he was promoted to Sergeant replacing Sergeant Bell who was Killed in Action, also in France.

On the 30th April 1917 he arrived in England having been appointed to the 7th ?????, and supernumerary to the 25th Battallion. He arrived at Rolleston on the 3rd May 1917 and was recorded as "in from France". Between the 19th June and the 17th July 1917 he attended a Special & Supplementary Physical Training course in Tables & Bayonet Fighting at Aldershot.

James left England on the 15th November via Southampton heading for France on the Deserill and rejoined his Unit on the 22nd November. On the 22nd December 1917 he joined the No. 6 Officer's Cadet Battallion at Oxford in England as a Cadet and was supernumerary to the 25th Battallion. A report on him in May 1918 commented that he "has made steady progress. A strong character with plenty of decision. Average intelligence and a little slow at grasping his subjects, but will do well."

On the 22nd June 1918 he qualified for Command in Infantry and was to retain the appointment of Cadet until commissioned. By the 29th July 1918 he was on commision at the Australian School of Musketry with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant

On the 19th August he was on his way back to France where he joined the 25th Battallion. On the 12th October he was transferred from the 25th Battallion to the 26th Battallion. On the 23rd November 1918 he bacame a Lieutenant and on the 16th May 1919 he returned to the UK for repatriation to Australia.

He returned to Australia on the Chemnitz departing England on the 7 July 1919, disembarking on the 5th September 1919 in Melbourne where his parents lived. He left the A.I.F. on the 4th November 1919.

James was the recipient of the British War Medal and the 1914/15 Star and the Victory Medal.

He rejoined the Army on the 1st July 1920 and appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the "R of O, 3rd MD" (??), from which he retired in 1st December 1925.

There are also records at the National Archives of Australia, which suggest he may have served in WW2 also (yet to be accessed). He is believed to have been a Captain responsible for recruiting a Company of Torres Strait Islanders on Thursday Island and surrounds.

In 1943 he was a builder living in Victoria Ave on Thursday Island. In 1954 it is recorded as Victoria Parade, Thursday Island and his occupation is business proprietor. Living on Thursday Is. also (but not recorded as Victoria Pde) is Lydia Ivy Cadzow, possibly his wife.

  Noted events in his life were:

• He worked as a Miner at the time of his enlistment in the AIF on 15 Mar 1915 in Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia.