James Hart Paton was born in Busby, Renfrewshire, and arrived in Adelaide in December 1911 aged 22. A cabinet maker, he emigrated on his own without wife or family. Paton played for Warilda in 1912 but when that club folded up he switched to Cheltenham for the 1913 season. He was a goalkeeper, and although some of his performances in 1913 were said to be outstanding, he changed clubs again in 1914 when he turned out for the Adelaide club. Once more he finished the season on a high note, with some fine performances culminating in the Cambridge Cup final in which Adelaide defeated Hindmarsh 2-1 after extra time.
He enlisted in the AIF in November 1914. His unit, the 16th Battalion landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Fierce fighting followed as the ANZACs consolidated their foothold. On 2 May an Australian assault on a Turkish position was halted. James Paton was never seen again and he was reported missing in action. A year later a court of enquiry determined that he had left his unit and joined a group of New Zealanders who were planning a fresh assault. This also failed and Paton was believed to have perished during this action.