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James Arthur Juno, service number 10/2194
James Juno came from 'the school of hard knocks', according to his grandson Jim. His father, Philip Juneau, a Channel Islander, had come to New Zealand in 1874 with one wife, who then 'disappeared'. Philip married Mary Thorburn in 1886, and she bore him four surviving sons and a daughter, but by 1900 had 'cleared out.' A blacksmith by trade, Philip was 'a bit of a scallywag', tending to neglect his children in favour of horse-racing. James and his brother Frederick got into petty thieving and were sent to Burnham, an 'Industrial School' for young delinquents. When war broke out, all four Juno boys were quick to sign up. James enlisted in the Wellington Infantry Battalion on 15 February 1915, citing five years' cadet service on his attestation form. At the time, he was working as a farmhand. He probably posed for this photograph shortly before going overseas on 13 June.
Private Juno arrived at Gallipoli on 11 August 1915, three days after his older brother George was killed on Chunuk Bair. James was to remain in action, serving with the Wellington Infantry Brigade, on Gallipoli until the evacuation to Egypt in late December. On 6 April 1916 he embarked with the 1st Battalion, the Wellington Regiment, for France. James served in the front lines in France from 3 August until he went on leave to England on 4 December 1917. He was admitted to hospital three weeks later. For most of the next five months, James was in hospitals in England, until he embarked for home on 30 May 1918. He arrived in New Zealand on 6 August and was placed on leave without pay until his discharge from the NZEF on 12 December 1918.
Under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1915, the New Zealand Government purchased land for returning soldiers in order to help them resettle and develop farms. The sections of farmland were allocated by ballot and in 1919, James won a ballot for land for his own dairy farm at the Pihautea Returned Soldiers' Settlement, near Featherston.
In 1920, James married Florence Willoughby in 1920, and they had four children. He became closely involved in the local community; he served on the dairy board for many years, helped build the local hall, and assisted with the rifle and tennis clubs. But, recalls Jim, he was a tough man, nicknamed 'the colonel' by his children. Florence died in 1943, and James died at Featherston on 14 June 1954.