William James (soldier)

William James
Lieutenant William James in November 1952, during the Korean War
Nickname(s)	Digger
Born	(1930-05-14)14 May 1930 Shepparton, Victoria
Died	16 October 2015(2015-10-16) (aged 85) Brisbane, Queensland
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1948–1984
Rank	Major General
Unit	1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment Royal Australian Armoured Corps
Commands held	8th Field Ambulance
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam War
Awards	Companion of the Order of Australia Officer of the Order of Australia (Military) Member of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Officer of the Order of St John
Other work	National President of the RSL (1993–97)

Major General William Brian "Digger" James AC, AO (Mil), MBE, MC, FRACS (14 May 1930 – 16 October 2015) was an Australian soldier and military physician who served in the Australian Army during the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

William James was born in May 1930 in Shepparton, the son of Thomas James, a local orchardist who had emigrated from Ireland. He was educated at Grahamvale State School and Shepparton High School. His lifelong nickname "Digger" pre-dated his military career, having been applied when someone placed a slouch hat on his head at the age of ten months.

At the completion of his schooling, James attended the Royal Military College, Duntroon, from which he graduated in 1951.

Posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), in 1952 James served as a platoon commander during the Korean War. On 7 November, during the Second Battle of Maryang San (Hill 355), he led a patrol of twelve men to capture an enemy outpost. The group inadvertently entered a Canadian minefield, resulting in the death of one soldier and four injuries, including the loss of James' left foot. Using a shoelace as a torniquet, James then organised the evacuation of his men from the battlefield, radioing for help and waiting three hours before being evacuated himself due to a shortage of stretchers.