JAMIESON, William Alexander
| Service Number: | 2144 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 September 1915, Cootamundra, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 31st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Junee, New South Wales, Australia, 19 May 1897 |
| Home Town: | Tumut, Tumut Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Tumut State School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Fromelles, France, 21 July 1916, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery IV. E. 7. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2144, Cootamundra, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2144, 31st Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Feb 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2144, 31st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Melbourne | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Wounded Private, 2144, 31st Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), 19th July 1916: -Reports from one solider that William was killed - Reports from another solider stated they saw him "not too badly wounded" at the dressing station and was taken away in an ambulance |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
William Alexander JAMIESON (Service Number 2144) was born in Junee on 19th May 1897. He joined the NSW Government Railways as a junior porter in the Junee District in May 1913. In September 1915 he was released from duty to enlist in the AIF at Cootamundra.
He embarked from Melbourne in February 1916 with reinforcements. He was sent first to Egypt, where he was ‘taken on strength’ by the 31st Battalion. In June they were sent to France, landing at Marseilles on 25th June. In a letter sent to his parents in Tumut (published in the Tumut Advocate & Farmers’ & Settlers’ Adviser, 29/8/1916), he described in detail his journey north:
‘I do not know if it was coming from the desert of Egypt that made me think that France is the most beautiful place I have ever seen… The wild flowers are very pretty…The weather is cold; they say it is summer now. I only hope that I am home for winter…’
He was reported missing in action on 21st July 1916, in the Battle of Fromelles.
In November 1916 his identification disc was received from Germany (and later sent on to his parents in Tumut). The particulars accompanying it indicated that the soldier was deceased. He had been buried by the Germans in a mass grave in Pheasant Wood.
In 2009 his remains were recovered. In 2012 they were identified by the use of DNA technology. He was reburied with full military honours in a new cemetery, the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, where his grave is identified by a fine new headstone.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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