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Cecil James Baxter - Information

Cecil James was born in Douglas Park in 1897 to David James and Frances Baxter. He eventually moved to Beaconsfield on Oxford St in Burwood with his parents. Here, Cecil attended Burwood Public School before beginning work as a general carrier. When war broke out, he decided to enlist in the AIF on the 16th of February 1916 at Bathurst.

Cecil trained at the Depot Battalion at Bathurst, and was allocated as a Private to the 2nd Reinforcements, 53rd Battalion in March. His unit then departed Sydney aboard the HMAT Ceramic on the 14th of April 1916. Arriving in Egypt, he was taken on strength to the 56th Battalion on the 28th of May. The following month, Cecil was shipped out from Alexandria to the Western Front. Sadly, Cecil was only in the frontlines for a few weeks before he was wounded in action during the Battle of Fromelles as the attack turned into a shamble. On the 20th of July, he was hit several times in his chest, arms and buttocks. He was quickly rushed to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station in Rouen. Here, he died of his wounds on the 22nd of July 1916. He was buried at Estaires Communal Cemetery, Estaires in France.