- James Heane
Infobox Military Person
name= James Heane
lived=29 December 1874 – Death date and age|1954|8|20|1874|12|29|df=yes
placeofbirth=Sydney, New South Wales
placeofdeath=
caption=
nickname= "Grim Death"
allegiance=Australian Army
serviceyears= 1899-1935
rank=Brigadier General
commands=
unit=
battles=World War I
*Gallipoli Campaign
*Western Front
awards=Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Mention in Despatches (7)
laterwork= President of the Fruitgrowers Federation of New South WalesJames Heane CB, CMG, DSO (
29 December 1874 –20 August 1954 ) was anAustralian Army colonel and temporarybrigadier general inWorld War I . He retired in 1935 as anbrigadier general .Early life and career
James Heane was born in
Sydney, New South Wales on29 December 1874 . He was educated at Dubbo Superior Public School andSydney Boys High School . He became a certified auditor and then a farmer in the Dubbo district.Heane was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Australian Infantry Regiment. in February 1899. In 1903 he joined the 2nd Light Horse Regiment as a lieutenant. In 1910, with the introduction of compulsory military training, he was appointed area officer in Dubbo. He was promoted to captain on
22 June 1911 .World War I
On
3 September 1914 , Heane was appointed to theFirst Australian Imperial Force with the rank of captain as a company commander in the 4th Infantry Battalion. After the battalion was reorganised inEgypt , Heane was given command of D Company and promoted to major.Heane went ashore at Anzac late in the morning of
25 April 1915 and formed Major General Bridges last reserve until it was committed to the fighting at Lone Pine late in the afternoon. Heane earned the nickname "Cast Iron Jimmy" for his gallantry under fire in the fighting at Lone Pine on the 26th, when the 4th Battalion moved across the 400 Plateau and occupied Johnson's Jolly for a time, Heane returning from there after dark. On 1 May, Heane led a company forward under fire to support a small force. for this he was awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO) andMentioned in Despatches . He was wounded three times: in the thumb on 2 July; in the mouth; and then in the attack on Lone Pine on7 August 1915 . He was wounded so badly at Lone Pine that he was evacuated and hospitalised finally rejoining his battalion atTel el Kebir ,Egypt , in January 1916.Heane was promoted to lieutenant colonel and given command of the 1st Infantry Battalion, which he took to the Western Front. On
23 July 1916 , the battalion was committed to the line at Pozieres, advancing through the town itself. Afterwards, Heane personally walked the whole front and carefully thinned out the line so that the minimum number of men would be exposed to the enemy artillery when it discovered their location. In the fighting, the 1st Battalion lost 13 officers and 473 other ranks, about half its strength. For his leadership at Pozieres, Heane was made aCompanion of the Order of St Michael and St George .During 1916, Heane had been acting commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade twice. On
3 December 1916 , he was promoted to full colonel and temporary brigadier general and given command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade. But on 7 December, after going up to the front line and crossing several empty and apparently unused saps that were little more than ditches half filled with muddy slime, Heane found himself in a trench occupied by German soldiers. Realising that he had made a grave mistake, Heane headed for the Australian lines but was wounded in the head before he reached it. He was evacuated toEngland .Heane rejoined his unit in January 1917, and led in his brigade the Battles of Bullecourt, Menin Road, Broodeseinde,
Passchendaele ,Lys ,Lihons andChuignes . For his services in command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, Heane was made aCompanion of the Order of the Bath (CB) andMentioned in Despatches five more times.Post war
In March 1919, Heane took over the 1st Division Demobilisation Group at Tidworth, England. He returned to
Australia where his appointment to the AIF ended on7 January 1920 . In July 1920 he took over command of the 11th Infantry Brigade. From April 1921 to June 1926 he commanded the 5th Infantry Brigade. He was also honorary colonel of the 4th Battalion from 1926 until he was transferred to the retired list as an honorary brigadier general in 1935. DuringWorld War II he was commander of the Volunteer Defence Corps inNew South Wales from 1940 to 1942.Heane settled on a large citrus orchard in
West Pennant Hills, New South Wales . From 1922 to 1941 he was also president of the Fruitgrowers' Federation of New South Wales. He died on20 August 1954 and was cremated.ee also
List of Australian Generals References
[http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/%7Ermallett/Generals/index.html James Heane Biography at General Officers of the First AIF]
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