James Ernest Minter

1924 - 1987  (63 years)

• Name	James Ernest Minter
  Birth	2 Jun 1924	Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	3313
  _UID	4A1EB43AC1874619A33FFBBC1F49825FDFBB
  Death	10 Aug 1987	NSW, Australia   [1, 2]
  Burial	12 Aug 1987	Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle, NSW, Australia   [3]
  Notes	The following appear at http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Items_listing.asp?S=1&F=1&O=0&T=I&C=178: 1. MINTER JAMES ERNEST : Service Number - N156964 : Date of birth - 02 Jun 1924 : Place of birth - WALLSEND NSW : Place of enlistment - BRANXTON NSW : Next of Kin - MINTER SARAH 2. MINTER James Ernest (Private) : Service Number - N156964 : Unit - 14th Australian Camp Hospital (Staff), Australian Military Forces : Date of Court Martial - 26 July 1944. 3. MINTER James Ernest (Private) : Service Number - N156964 : Unit - 14th Australian General Hospital, Australian Military Forces : Date of Court Martial - 11 October 1945. 4. MINTER James Ernest (Private) : Service Number - N156964 : Unit - General Details Depot, Australian Military Forces : Date of Court Martial - 26 March 1946. Records relating to James's WW2 service can be found at the National Archives of Australia. Australian Electoral Roll 1949 for Heaton, Shortland, NSW contains, at New Tunnel, Wallsend: Charles Robert Minter, senior, New Tunnel, Wallsend, labourer Hannah Minter, home duties George Minter, labourer Elsie May Minter, home duties James Ernest Minter, labourer [wife not listed]. Australian Electoral Roll 1954 for Wallsend, Shortland, NSW contains, at New Tunnel, Wallsend: Charles Robert Minter, senior, labourer Hannah Minter, home duties George Minter, labourer James Ernest Minter, labourer [wife not listed]. The following appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 10 August 1951 (citation http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18214946): Mine Shaft Inquest Story Of Shots NEWCASTLE, Thursday.-A witness in the Jesmond mine shaft inquest said to-day that he had seen Michael Joseph Maher put a rifle to a shoulder and had heard two shots. He said that this followed an argument he overhead between Michael Maher and his brother, Ernest ("Slack") Maher. The police have charged Michael Joseph Maher, 50, with the murder of Ernest Maher, his brother. The witness, James Ernest Minter, of Jesmond, gave this evidence when Mr. T. H. D. See, S.M., opened the second day of the inquest into the death of Ernest Maher at Jesmond on July 11. Police had found the body of Ernest Maher in a disused mine shaft with a bullet wound in the back of the head. "ARGUMENT" Minter, who said he did not work because of illness, told the Coroner that he was a good mate of "Slack" Maher. He said that he and "Slack" had often gone together to the local two-up game. Minter said that on July 11 he was on his way to the game. "Near Jesmond Park I heard 'Slack's voice," he said. "1 crossed a canal and stood on the bank of a cutting where I saw 'Slack' Maher and his brother, Mick. "I heard their voices raised in argument. Michael Maher said, 'I have a case coming up in Sydney and I want some money for it. It is over a boy I have there.' "'Slack' replied, 'I gave you money before and you refused to pay me back, I won't give you any money.' "RIFLE TO SHOULDER" "Mick said, 'I want money urgently and I don't care how I get it.' "I saw Michael Maher put a .22 rifle to his shoulder. I saw 'Slack' walk away down the track. "I turned and heard one shot. I glanced back, turned again and heard a second shot. "I glanced back again and saw Michael Maher walk away. 'Slack' had disappeared. "I then went to a two-up school, but didn't tell anyone what I had seen. I assisted in the search for Maher on Thursday night and Friday after the shooting. "During the search Maher said to me, 'Did you see anything of 'Slack' yesterday.' I said, 'No, but I heard his voice raised and I heard two gunshots afterwards." Minter added that he had been present when Maher's body was recovered from the mineshaft. "KEEP QUIET" On Friday night, he said, Maher went to his place and they went into a bedroom by themselves. Maher told him: "Keep your mouth shut. Keep quiet. Don't say anything. We will be under police protection and we will be watched everywhere we go." Minter said that on July 24 he had first told police the story of what he had seen. Questioned by Sergeant Goode, assisting the Coroner, he said, "1 did not say anything before because I was frightened of Michael Maher." Sergeant Goode: Why did you change your mind? Minter: I was worried, my conscience was playing up, and I wanted to tell the truth. I couldn't sleep at nights. Questioned by Maher's counsel, the Public Defender, Mr. F. Vizzard, Minter said: "I sometimes borrowed money from 'Slack' Maher. He had also lent my mother money, but not often." The inquest was adjourned until Monday. Australian Electoral Roll 1958 for Wallsend, Hunter, NSW contains, at New Tunnel, Wallsend: Charles Robert Minter, senior, labourer Hannah Minter, home duties James Ernest Minter, labourer [wife not listed]. Australian Electoral Roll 1963 for Wallsend, Hunter, NSW contains, at New Tunnel, Wallsend: Hannah Minter, home duties James Ernest Minter, labourer [wife not listed]. Australian Electoral Roll 1968 for Wallsend, Hunter, NSW contains, at New Tunnel, Wallsend: Hannah Minter, home duties James Ernest Minter, labourer [wife not listed]. Australian Electoral Roll 1980 for Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW contains, at 1/87 Parkway Avenue, Merwthr: James Ernest Minter, labourer [wife not listed]. James, his wife and sons appear in the Genes Reunited tree of Kirrily Cant, September 2009.
  Person ID	I3313	Ash, Kent
  Last Modified	2 Feb 2021

  
  

  Father	Charles Robert Minter,   b. 13 Dec 1880, Richmond River, New South Wales RD d. Bef 8 Sep 1960, Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia (Age 79 years)
  Mother	Hannah OAKLEY,   b. 1882, Waratah NSW RD, Australia d. Bef 29 Dec 1971, Newcastle, New South Wales RD (Age 89 years)
  Marriage	3 Sep 1901	Newcastle, New South Wales RD   [4]
  Family ID	F857	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Sarah Anne FENNELL,   b. 20 Nov 1924, Maitland East, NSW, Australia d. 27 Aug 1975, NSW, Australia (Age 50 years)
  Marriage	17 Jun 1941	Mayfield, NSW, Australia   [5]
  Children	1. Neville James Minter,   b. 17 Jun 1941, NSW, Australia d. Bef 11 Jul 2016, Telerah, NSW, Australia (Age 75 years)   2. James Ernest Minter,   b. 1942, NSW, Australia d. 1942, Kurri Kurri, NSW, Australia RD (Age 0 years)
  Family ID	F752	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	16 Oct 2010

  
  

• Event Map

  Marriage - 17 Jun 1941 - Mayfield, NSW, Australia  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S210] WW2 service record at National Archives of Australia, Oct 2010. [S221] NSW BMD index online, January 2011 and later, Reg No. 106635/1987. (Reliability: 3). [S502] http://sandgate.northerncemeteries.com.au. [S6] Merrilyn Minter (Reliability: 3). NSW BMD reg no. 7132/1901. [S95] New South Wales Register of Births, Deaths & Marriages, June 2008 (Reliability: 3). Reg. no. 12057/1941. Date from James's WW2 service record.