Karen Corbo shares the story of her great uncle, James Leonard Foley.

Private 1600 James Foley, was the son of Edward and Eliza Foley of Kew, Melbourne. He enlsited on 29 March 1915 and was killed-in-action in France on 24 August 1916 after service at Gallipoli Peninsula and France. He was 19 years old. His brother, James Henry Foley, also died of illness on 26 October 1917 in Netley, England after service in France, aged 26. James Foley is remembered with honour at Villers-Bretonneux Memorial. A very handsome young man who enlisted with his father’s written permission due to his age. He saw WWI as his duty to serve his country. His name was inscribed on a Roll of Honour at the Town of Kew in 1918. In The Age newspaper dated 30 September 1916, there was written “Foley. K.I.A. France 24th August, Pte James Leonard (Son) Foley. Dearly loved youngest son of Edward and Eliza Foley of 3 Foley St, Kew, after 15 months active service, Anzac & France, 19yrs and 9 months. ‘Our darling boy, God knows how we have looked for your return’.

Pte James (Sonny) Foley was my Great Uncle, the brother to my Grandfather Thomas Foley. Of the four Foley sons, two died as a result of WW1. William (Blunt), an older brother, died in his early twenties in a cart accident in Kew and my Grandfather was the only son that married. Coming from a family of 10 and with only one sister marrying and one son, we are a small family. The loss of two Foley boys in WWI was never forgotten and my Grandfather often spoke of his brothers and attended the ANZAC services every year. When moving back to Mooroopna on his retirement he just walked across the road to the Memorial. Sadness is my strongest thought on the Anzac Centenary on how many lives were lost and families who lost loved ones, always brings a tear. The photo of James Leonard Foley as a strong handsome young man lost to WWI is very sad and a reminder of how lucky we are to have freedom. We must always remember and thank these young men and women for the sacrifice they made. The Great War affected so many families.