Description
1914-15 Star, Impressed “3552 PTE J. STEVENS. 16/BN. A.I.F.”
British War Medal, Impressed “3552 L/BDR. J. STEVENS. 16 BN. A.I.F.”
Victory Medal, Impressed “3552 L-BDR. J. STEVENS. 16 BN. A.I.F.”
Born in 1874 in Ballarat, Victoria, James Stevens, a miner by trade, attested for the Australian Imperial Force at the age of 41 at Blackboy Hill, Western Australia on the 7th August 1915, enlisting as Private 3552 of the 11th Reinforcements to the 16th Infantry Battalion. He embarked amongst the 11th Reinforcements at Adelaide aboard the H.M.A.T. A24 ‘Benalla’ on the 27th October. Following disembarkation at Egypt, Stevens transferred to the Royal Australian Artillery and on the 7th March 1916 was taken on strength to the 24th Australian Field Artillery Brigade and posted to the 112th Howitzer Battery on the 13th March at Tel-el-Kebir. On the 3rd June, Stevens proceeded to France and disembarked at Marseilles on the 13th June, to which he served with the 112th for the rest of 1916. On the 1st January 1917, Stevens was taken on strength to the 12th Army Brigade of the Australian Field Artillery, and the following year on the 14th October 1918, he was appointed Lance-Bombardier.
On the 14th December 1918, Stevens transferred to the Australian Imperial Force Headquarters in London for duty with war records, spending the next half year post war here until returning to Australia aboard ‘Somali’ on the 1st June 1919.
A fine Great War Trio to a Lance-Bombardier of the Australian Field Artillery who served for the entire war. Court-mounted on a blue felt backing for presentation, medals well preserved, Extremely Fine.