James Robert ‘Tad’ Digges was a farmer on the family’s property at Coonamble when the war broke out. He enlisted in September 1915 and was appointed as a gunner with the 5th Field Artillery Brigade. He was later appointed as a driver. He was hospitalised several times during the course of the war, suffering from trench foot, appendicitis and influenza. He settled in Mendooran after the war, where he was a newsagent and prominent public figure. Digges was an avid golfer, winning a trophy for his performance in the 1949 season.
Digges frequented Orange to socialise and to visit his friends and was well-known in the town.
