Charles Frederick James was born on 17 March, 1885, and was baptised at St. Peter's Anglican Church, Eastern Hill. He was the son of Lewis James and his wife, Sophia, nee Friedlein. At the time of his enlistment, Charles James was 31 and 11 months old, working as a Public Servant and living at 53 Park St., Moonee Ponds with his wife, Alice Montgomery James. The couple had two children, Vincent Friedlein James, b. 1910, and Norman Charles James, b. 1915. Charels James was tall man for the time, 5' 11" and already had military experience, seven and a half years with the Senior Cadets Battalion.

After training, presumably at Broadmeadows, Charles James embarked from Melbourne on board H.T. Port Lincoln on 22 June, 1917, arriving in Egypt on 6 August. On 7 August, he was appointed Acting  Quarter-Master.  He then reverted to Trooper and marched out to his unit, the 3rd Light Horse, and was taken on strength on 6th  September.

The  3rd Light Horse had first seen action during the Gallipoli Campaign and had taken part as infantry in the Battle of the Nek.  The war painter, George Lambert, did a painting titled 'Charge of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of the Nek', showing the Australian in hand to hand combat on rocky terrain against the Turks. They were withdrawn to Egypt in February, 1916, and served in the Sinai and Palestine campaign until the end of the war. Charles James served only three weeks with the 3rd, before being transferred to the 8th Battalion on 26 September, 1917. 

He was not with the 8th Light Horse for long. On 27 October, he was in hospital at Abbassia  with Sandfly Fever.  on 4 Novembet he was discharged to Moascar and taken on strength with the 3rd Light Horse. He must still have been unwell, however, and was again transferred, leaving the 3rd Light Horse to join a Training Regiment.  He seems to have stayed weth the 3rd Training Regiment, until the following year, when he was again ill. He was taken to hospital at Abbassia on 28 May, 1918, with diarrohea, follwed by arthritis.  Following this, he was declared medically unfit for military service. He embarked from Suez om board H.T. Aeneas  and was discharged from further service on 18 February, 1919. 

From 1916-1919, Alice and Frederick lived at 53 Park St., Moonee Ponds, with Frederick working as a railway employee. He died in 1951, at Parkdale Victoria.