Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

William Brian "Digger" James (14 May 1930 – 16 October 2015) was an Australian soldier and military physician who served in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Early life

William James was born in May 1930 in

Shepparton Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...

, the son of Thomas James, a local orchardist who had emigrated from Ireland. He was educated at Grahamvale State School and

Shepparton High School Shepparton High School (SHS) was a public high school in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. It opened in 1909 as Shepparton Agricultural High School – the first high school in Shepparton and one of the first public high schools in Victoria. It c ...

. His lifelong nickname "Digger" pre-dated his military career, having been applied when someone placed a

slouch hat A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, often, although not always, with a chinstrap. It has been worn by military personnel from many different nations including Australia, Ireland, the ...

on his head at the age of ten months.

Military and medical career

Duntroon training

At the completion of his schooling, James attended the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state = ...

, from which he graduated in 1951.

Korean War

Posted to the

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

(1RAR), in 1952 James served as a platoon commander during the

. On 7 November, during the

Second Battle of Maryang San The Second Battle of Maryang-san (5 November 1951) was fought during the Korean War, in which British forces, possessing a hill top and surrounding area, were overwhelmed by Chinese forces. Background By this stage in the Korean War the front ...

(Hill 355), he led a patrol of twelve men to capture an enemy outpost. The group inadvertently entered a Canadian minefield, resulting in the death of one soldier and four injuries, including the loss of James's left foot. Using a shoelace as a torniquet, James then organised the evacuation of his men from the battlefield, radioing for help and waiting three hours before being evacuated himself due to a shortage of stretchers. He underwent surgery at an American MASH unit in Korea, before being flown to

Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

, Japan where he spent four months being treated at the British Commonwealth General Hospital. In late December, he was repatriated to Australia where he spent fourteen months in recovery at the Royal General Hospital, Heidelberg. On 3 March 1953, James was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for gallant and distinguished service in Korea due to his actions that day. The citation for his MC read:

Medical training

Upon his release from hospital, James transferred to the

Royal Australian Armoured Corps The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is a corps of the Australian Army which provides the Australian Defence Force's armour capability. Armour combines firepower, mobility, protection and networked situational awareness to generate shock ...

. He was posted to a training regiment at the School of Armour, serving as the regiment's

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

before taking up a position as cadre staff in the

12th/16th Hunter River Lancers The 12th/16th Hunter River Lancers is an Australian Army Reserve cavalry regiment. It was formed on 1 May 1948, although it draws its lineage from units that were originally formed in the 1880s. It is currently a Light Cavalry unit equipped with ...

, a reserve cavalry regiment, based at Muswellbrook. His experiences in military medical facilities sparked an interest in the field, and in 1957, James left the Army to study medicine at the

Sydney Medical School The University of Sydney School of Medicine, also known as Sydney Medical School (SMS) is the graduate medical school of the University of Sydney. Established in 1856, it is the first medical school in Australia. In 2018, Sydney Medical School j ...

, from which he graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). After serving his hospital residency, James rejoined the Army as a medical officer for the

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...

(RAAMC).

Vietnam War

Promoted to major, James was posted to command the 8th Field Ambulance in South Vietnam during the

from January 1968 to January 1969. He also served as senior medical officer for the

1st Australian Task Force The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north of Bà Rịa i ...

Nui Dat Nui Dat (Núi Đất) is a former 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) base now part of Ba Ria city in Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, Vietnam. It is not the name of an official ward, it just means "dirt hill" ( núi đất). History 1966–1972 In ...

over the same period. He used his personal experience as a wounded soldier in Korea to inspire and encourage other patients, particularly those injured by land mines. In April 1969 he became a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the military division for his Vietnam service.

Post-war service

In 1971, James served with a British

St John's Ambulance St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

medical relief team during the aftermath of the

Biafran Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

in Nigeria, for which he became and Officer of the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. Returning to Australia, James was appointed Queensland state director of Army Medical Services from 1971 to 1975, then AMS director at Army Headquarters from 1975 to 1981. In 1981, he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, and served as director-general of Army Health Services until his retirement from the army in 1984.

After retirement

From 1993 to 1997, James was National President of the

Returned Services League The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. Mission The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...

(RSL). From 1993 to 2000, he sat on the council of the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

, serving as the council's president from 1999 to 2000. He was also chairman of the Australian Light Horse Association, and his face was used as the model for one of the soldiers on the Light Horse memorial in

Beersheba, Israel Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

which he unveiled in 2008, and was funded by his childhood friend, Richard Pratt. An avowed monarchist, James was a member of

Australians for Constitutional Monarchy Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (ACM) is a group that aims to preserve Australia's current constitutional monarchy, with Charles III as King of Australia. The group states that it is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation whose rol ...

(ACM), and a delegate to the

Australian Constitutional Convention 1998 The 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention was a Constitutional Convention which gathered at Old Parliament House, Canberra from 2 to 13 February 1998. It was called by the Howard Government to discuss whether Australia should become a rep ...

Personal life

James died on 16 October 2015. He was married for more than 60 years to Barbara, with whom he had four children.

Honours and awards

Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon

Australian Active Service Medal 1945-75 ribbon

United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon

Defence Force Service Medal (Australia) ribbon

Australian Defence Medal (Australia) ribbon

Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp

References

External links

Service Record on Nominal Roll of Australian Veterans of the Korean WarService Record on Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, William 1930 births 2015 deaths Military personnel from Victoria (state) Australian generals Australian military doctors Australian military personnel of the Korean War Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War Australian amputees Companions of the Order of Australia Officers of the Order of Australia Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Australian recipients of the Military Cross Officers of the Order of St John Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Sydney Medical School alumni Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates Australian monarchists Delegates to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1998 Australian people of Irish descent