Les James Explained

Les James
Fullname:	Leslie Joseph James
Birth Date:	29 June 1890
Birth Place:	Geelong, Victoria
Death Place:	Passchendaele salient, Belgium
Originalteam:	Mercantile
Position:	Rover / Wing / Forward
Guernsey:	1913-14: 6, 1915: 8
Statsend:	1915
Years1:	1909–11, 1913–15
Games Goals1:	72 (14)

Leslie Joseph James (29 June 1890 – 22 October 1917), also known as "Jack James", was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League.^[1]

He was killed in action in World War I. He died on the Passchendaele salient in 1917.

Family

Fifth of the eighth children of Joseph James (1856–1902), and Martha James (1857–1930), née Smith, Leslie Joseph James was born at Geelong on 29 June 1890.

He married Alice May Ward (1888–1963) in 1913. They had two children: Leslie Thomas James (1913–1979), and Iris May James (1915–1993).^[2]

Two of his brothers, Frederick William "Fred" James (1884–1948) and Sydney Harold "Syd" James (1898–1969), also played with Geelong: Fred, played two games in 1908, and Syd played four games in 1919.

Football

He played 72 senior games with Geelong.

Death

He was killed in action on 22 October 1917.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

See also

• List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service

References

• First World War Nominal Roll, Private Leslie Joseph James (7117), 14th Australian Infantry Battalion, Australian War Memorial.
• World War I Service Record: Leslie Joseph James (7117).
• Roll of Honour: Private Leslie Joseph James (7117), Australian War Memorial.
• 374th Casualty List: Victorian Details Shown: Killed in Action, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Saturday, 22 December 1917), p.12.
• Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
• Main, J. & Allen, D., "James, Les", pp. 88–90 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002.

External links

• • • Les James, at Boyles Football Photos.

Notes and References

1. In some sources, he is listed as playing for Geelong again in 1919; however it was actually his brother, Syd James (1898-1969) on debut.
2. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10247843 Photograph: Private Leslie Joseph James (7117), Australian War Memorial.
3. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/119756545 In Memoriam: James, The Geelong Advertiser, (Tuesday, 22 October 1918), p.1.
4. https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1048566/document/5636237.PDF Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau Files, 1914-18 War: 7117 Private Leslie Joseph James, Australian War Memorial.
5. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/119747781 Well-Known Footballer Killed, The Geelong Advertiser, (Wednesday, 28 November 1917), p.4.
6. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/73337918 Private Leslie James, The Ballarat Courier, (Monday, 10 December 1917), p.4.