James Flanagan was born in Ballarat c.1885.  On enlistment on 15 August 1914 he gave his occupation as salesman.  He was unmarried, and his address and that of his mother, Mrs. Flanagan, his next of kin, was 61 Grey Street, East Melbourne. 

He was appointed to the Naval & Military Expeditionary Force (Tropical Unit) (1 Battalion), C Company as a private.  According to Wikipedia the AN&MEF was a small volunteer force of approximately 2,000 men, raised in Australia shortly after the outbreak of the First World War to seize and destroy German wireless stations in German New Guinea, which were used by a German cruiser squadron and threatened merchant shipping in the region.  

On 19 August Flanagan embarked at Sydney aboard HMAT Berrima for Rabaul arriving on 12 September.  The mission was quickly accomplished and on 10 November 1914 he returned to Sydney per SS Matunga as guard and escort to those German civilians who refused to swear an oath of neutrality.  Back in Australia they were allowed to return to Germany.  On his arrival back Flanagan was discharged – Time expired, on 4 March 1915. For this relatively limited amount of service he was still able to claim the usual 1914/14 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.  In 1917 he was granted a pension of £3 per fortnight.  He was at that time living at Roylands, Arthur Street, Burwood. He moved to Sydney again and was living at the Sailors’ Home, George Street North in 1920. He died 13 December 1949. His death notice in the Argus the next day read:

FLANAGAN -On December 13 at the Anzac Hostel, Gardenvale, James Patrick Flanagan beloved son of the late James P and Mary T Flanagan of East Melbourne, loved brother of Valentine and Teresa.