** 1937 28th Bn.
Born Overton, Hampshire England, CoE. Enlisted 28 June 1915, age 21, labourer. Nok a friend, Isobel Summers c/- Gosnells Hotel, Gosnells. Embarked at Fremantle – three embarkation dates were found. The AWM list is 2 September 1915 per A68 Anchises. At one point in his service file it is ex Fremantle 5 June 1915 per A2 Geelong and later in his file as ‘embarked from Australia 1.9.15.’ At the Battle of Poziers, on 29 July 1916 he was wounded in the face, left arm and right leg by fragments of an exploding enemy artillery shell. He was admitted to King George Hospital, Stamford where his face was reconstructed by pioneering plastic surgery. A report some months after his admission reads: ‘large irregular area of scaring about the left extremity of the lips with constriction. Wound quite healed, much loss of bone substance to left side of mandible … only allowing movements which prevents mastication. Wounds of forearm healed good function result. Amputation stump of left leg healed.’ RTA per Bremen June 1919. Service medals: 1914-1915 Star, BWM and VM. While recuperating in London he was billeted with the Chubb family at Stockwell and 8 February 1919 he married Helen Lucy Chubb, spinster age 36. His father was deceased and James’ father was recorded as an Inspector of Police. James Gibbs died 9 November 1942. This is one of only two J.W. Gibbs recorded on the WW1 Embarkation Roll and neither has an address linked to Cottesloe, Mosman Park or Peppermint Grove. However, J.W. Gibbs, with the left side of his face hidden from the camera, is standing in the back row of the 1932 team photograph of the Cottesloe RSL Cricket Club printed earlier in this book. In 1926 he resided at Braemar Broome St, Cottesloe.
