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James Quinn - Information

When the war started, James Quinn was living in Wollongong on Kenny St with his family. He was born in Campbelltown in 1893, and began supporting himself working as a labourer. When James was 22 years old, he joined the AIF in Liverpool on the 5th of January 1915. During training, he was delegated to the 4th Reinforcements, 3rd Battalion as a Private.

James embarked Sydney on the HMAT Shropshire on the 17th March 1915. He arrived in Egypt and was shortly transported to the Gallipoli Peninsula. He joined his unit at Anzac Cove at the end of May. The appalling hygienic conditions in the trenches on Gallipoli took its toll on James. In mid June, he reported sick with a septic foot, and was admitted to No. 2 Stationary Hospital. He returned to duty, only to report back to hospital with eye trouble. He was evacuated to Egypt, and admitted to No. 1 General Hospital in Cairo with conjunctivitis. The infection spread rapidly, and unfortunately James was now suffering from a loss of vision. Consequently, James was sent back to Australia on the 3rd of September 1915 from Suez on the Ulysses. He had permanent vision loss. He resided at 460 Riley St in Surrey Hills in 1917, and by the 1930s, he had moved to Brisbane.