James Robert ‘Tad’ Digges
From The Orange Wiki
DIGGES, James Robert ‘Tad’
Service no: 10146 [1]
Place of birth: Mendooran
Address: Gidgenbah, Coonamble
Occupation: Famer and grazier
Next of kin: Charles Henry Digges (father), Gidgenbah, Coonamble
Date of enlistment: 14 September 1915
Place of enlistment: Warwick Farm
Age at enlistment: 29
Fate: Embarked HMAT Berrima A35, Sydney, 17 December 1915. Admitted to hospital in Rouen, France, 22 November 1916 suffering from trench foot. Admitted to hospital in England 8 January 1917 suffering from trench foot. Discharged from hospital 26 January 1917. Admitted to hospital in England 28 April 1917 suffering from appendicitis. Granted furlough 4 June 1917 to 19 June 1917. Proceeded to France 15 August 1917. Admitted to hospital England 26 September 1918 suffering from influenza. Rejoined unit 26 October 1918. Returned to Australia 11 June 1919. Discharged 4 August 1919.
James Robert ‘Tad’ Digges was a farmer on the family’s property at Coonamble when the war broke out. He enlisted in September 1915 and was appointed as a gunner with the 5th Field Artillery Brigade. He was later appointed as a driver. He was hospitalised several times during the course of the war, suffering from trench foot, appendicitis and influenza. He settled in Mendooran after the war, where he was a newsagent and prominent public figure. Digges was an avid golfer, winning a trophy for his performance in the 1949 season.
