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Cable, James Brewer (Jimmy) (1901–1952)

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Cable, James Brewer (‘Jimmy’) (1901- 1952) sawyer, timber-worker, barman and gaoled trade union official 

Birth: 20 July 1901 at Waverley, New South Wales, son of James Cable, storeman and labourer, and Louise Mary, née Brewer. Marriage: 1924 at Rozelle, Sydney, NSW, to Eva May de Grunchy. Death: 17 November 1952 at Lidcombe state hospital, Sydney, NSW. Religion: Anglican. 

  • Took an active part in 1929 Timberworkers’ lock out at Glebe. Became embroiled in heated dispute on 22 April with scab timber worker and police constable escorting timber wagon in Oxford Street, Sydney. Ensuing altercation saw Cable strike policeman near left eye. Sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment for the assault, presiding magistrate suggesting this was a lenient sentence and that ‘the man…(Cable) fills me with disgust — makes me positively ill’. Unsuccessful appeal. Union journal later remembered Cable’s imprisonment arising from ‘his activities in that fight for union rights’.
  • Served in the militia for 12 months. Was working as a barman, when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 26 June 1940. Served from 1941 to 1942 in the Middle East. Discharged on 5 March 1946.
  • Resided in Central Coast, New South Wales, 1930s. Postwar at Nimmitabel.
  • Brick wall fell on him at Nimmitabel on 26 February 1952, breaking his spine causing paraplegia and pyelonephritis leading to death eight months later. Inquest held Parramatta 27 November 1952.
  • Buried at Anglican cemetery, Wamberal, NSW, 18 November 1952.

Sources
N.S.W. Timber Worker, April 1953; Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 15 June 1929, p 4; Evening News (Sydney), 7 June 1929, p 9; .

Additional Resources

Citation details

'Cable, James Brewer (Jimmy) (1901–1952)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/cable-james-brewer-jimmy-33431/text41800, accessed 25 September 2023.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Birth

20 July, 1901
Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Death

17 November, 1952 (aged 51)
Lidcombe, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.

Occupation
Military Service
Key Events