A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Gunner James Fahey
Born: 1884 Pakenham. Died: 2 April 1954 Carlton.
Enlisted: 10 August 1915 aged 31 years.
Served: Egypt and the Western Front.
The fourth of five Fahey brothers to enlist was James, the eldest, who joined up in August 1915, shortly after his brother Thomas. Like Thomas, James enlisted at Liverpool in NSW, working as a labourer at the time.
Initially, James was allocated to the 11th Reinforcement, 1st Light Horse Reserve Regiment. Once in Egypt, he was transferred as a gunner to the artillery. Eventually, he was assigned to the 110 Howitzer Battery, serving on the Western Front. Late in the War, he was hospitalised for a stomach condition.
After the War, James returned to Victoria, where he lived with his twice-widowed mother in Carlton. He worked as a labourer and continued to live in Carlton for the rest of his life.
He never married.
James died on 2 April 1954, and was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery.
This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com
