James McManus is one of almost eleven thousand Australian soldiers who died in France during the war who have no known grave.
Originally from Scotland, McManus was a Toowoomba-based grocer when he enlisted in March 1917. He was assigned to the 15th Battalion and reached France in January 1918. McManus died in action on the 4th of August 1918. The audit of war graves in 1922 could not establish where he was buried, leading to his name being added to the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneaux.
His service was also recognised before his death on the Toowoomba British Football Association honour board unveiled in May. McManus had been the Premiership Cup winning captain of the Cities club in 1915.