James Bouel had the distinction of being added to the Toowoomba British Football honour board a month before he enlisted for the war in June 1918. He was one of several individuals on the board who assisted the war effort in direct but non-combat roles. Bouel had previously been rejected for the AIF due to cardiac issues but instead became a member of the Home Services, working at the 6th Australian General Hospital in Brisbane for over two years. The 6th A.G.H. was a military hospital located in the Yungaba building at Kangaroo Point.
Bouel finally enlisted in the dying months of the war, joining the 6th Sea Transport Section and largely served in England. Bouel returned to Australia in mid-1919, acting as nursing staff on the return voyage, and was discharged after he arrived.
Before the war he was the goalkeeper for the Cities and Rovers clubs.