| Date of birth | |
| Place of birth | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Catholic clergyman |
| Address | Gundagai, New South Wales |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 29 |
| Height | 5' 6" |
| Weight | 142 lbs |
| Next of kin | Mother, Mrs A Bossence, 32 Park Grove, Burnley, Victoria |
| Enlistment date | |
| Rank on enlistment | Chaplain (4th Class) |
| Unit name | Chaplains' Corps |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Chaplain |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | Chaplains' Department |
| Recommendations (Medals and Awards) |
Unspecified Recommendation date: |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Medals |
Military Cross 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During a raid on a strongly defended hostile position he advanced with the foremost assaulting line under heavy shell, machine gun, and rifle fire, rendered first aid to wounded men and assisted them to safety. His fine example of courage and cheerfulness had a most inspiring effect on the men.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No 150 Date: |
| Family/military connections | Brother: 2310 Pte Francis BOSSENCE, 3rd Bn, killed in action, Lone Pine, Gallipoli, 7-12 August 1915. |
| Other details |
War service: Egypt, Palestine, Western Front Embarked Melbourne, 25 September 1916; disembarked Devonport, England, 11 November 1916. Proceeded overseas to France, 22 January 1917; reported for duty, 7th Bn, 3 February 1917. Transferred to London en route to No 2 Australian Stationary Hospital, Egypt, 13 May 1917. Attached for duty to 14th Australian General Hospital, Abbassia, 12 July 1917; struck off strength to join Camel Brigade Headquarters, 21 August 1917, and attached to 4th Anzac Bn. Posted to 4th Light Horse Brigade, 29 March 1918; attached for duty to 4th Light Horse Regiment, Jericho, 24 April 1918. Admitted to 66th Casualty Clearing Station, 3 May 1918 (fever); transferred to 76th Casualty Clearing Station, 4 May 1918 (malaria); to 47th Stationary Hospital, 16 May 1918; to 14th Australian General Hospital, Port Said, 18 May 1918; discharged to duty, 8 July 1817. Admitted to 31st General Hospital, Cairo, 9 July 1918 (malaria); transferred to 14th Australian General Hospital, Port Said, 20 July 1918. Commenced return to Australia from Suez on board HT 'Karoola', 3 August 1918 (debility); disembarked Melbourne, 4 September 1918; discharged (appointment terminated), Sydney, 1 January 1919. Medals: Military Cross, British War Medal, Victory Medal Bossence was a controversial figure in dioscesan and parish circles. When the the diocese of Wagga was separated from that of Goulburn in 1918, he applied to the new bishop, Dr Dwyer, who secretly polled his clergy: overwhelmingly they voted to reject Bossence. In 1926 he approached Archbishop James Duhig of Brisbane for support, and as a result was appointed priest-in-charge (but deliberately on Duhig's part, not 'parish priest') at Enoggera. Within a year Bossense's quarrelsome personality brought him into conflict with the church hierarchy: Bossence sued a parishioner for defamation, and was in turn sued by another parishioner. Bossence counter-attacked by criticising Duhig's administration of his archdiocese, and lost both cases - one was settled with costs against him, and the other was settled out of court with an apology and costs. Further controversy followed in 1933 when Bossense was revealed as the major beneficiary of a Brisbane parishioner. Bossence became the controller of the major part of the estate when Duhig ordered the church beneficiaries to renounce their legacies; he refused to comply while the others obeyed the archbishop, and eventually won a court case when Duhig sued him for control of the estate. By the time Bossence died in December 1969, he had so successfully played the stock market that in his will he left the sum of $655,728.59 to the Canberra-Goulburn Diocese for the purpose of building a Canberra National War Memorial Catholic Cathedral. |
| Date of death | |
| Age at death | 82 |
| Place of burial | Woden Cemetery (Roman Catholic Clergy Section), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Sources | NAA: B2455, BOSSENCE Ignatius Ernest
T.P. Boland, 'James Duhig' (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1986), chapter 16. |
Postal Address:
Po Box 7916
Canberra BC 2610, Australia
Street Address:
Northcott Drive,
Campbell, ACT 2600
