HISTORY
JIMMY NO-LEGS Hagan
I
n the early years of settlement of Bribie Island, with only a handful of residents, several of them were unique characters that left their mark. On my regular Heritage walks and talks, everyone is always fascinated to hear about a man affectionately known as Jimmy No-Legs. He was James Hagen who lived at Bongaree for 30 years, and his 100-year-old cottage is still a prominent and attractive site today. Jimmy was born in Brisbane in 1889 and grew up with his parents and two
Jimmy Hagen’s house 2021
By Barry Clark Bribie Island Historical Society
brothers Jack and William. Before he was 21 years, old both his parents had died, and at age 26 in 1915 he enlisted in the Army to fight in World War 1. He nominated his brother Jack as next of kin, with whom he was living at the time. Within a few months, Private James Hagen left Australia aboard a troopship to join the 52nd Battalion and arrived at the battlefields of France on a wet and cold January day in 1917.
made to amputate both of his legs below the knee, to save his life. Months of recovery and
hard to adjust to a new way of life, but never really mastered his artificial legs. With the help of his brother
WAR IN FRANCE
The conditions of war, living in deep, cold and waterfilled trenches, rapidly took their toll. Within just 6 weeks, Jimmy found himself in a field hospital being treated for his rotting flesh. He was quickly shipped back to England and spent nine long months in hospital with “Trench Foot” while Doctors fought to save his feet and legs. Eventually, a decision was
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The Bribie Islander
Jimmy Hagan after amputationUK 1918
rehabilitation followed, learning to walk on new artificial wooden legs, before eventual discharge from the Army in June 1918. Back in Brisbane, he worked
Jack, who worked at the Lands Department, Jimmy decided to move to the new settlement of Bongaree, on Bribie Island, where life might be easier and basic.
