SHURIN, William Henry
| Service Number: | 3957 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 September 1915, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Heathcote, Victoria, 1881 |
| Home Town: | Heathcote, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | South Heathcote State School |
| Occupation: | Sleeper hewer |
| Died: | Natural causes, Cohuna, Victoria, 11 May 1953 |
| Cemetery: |
Cohuna Cemetery, Victoria Methodist Section Row 10 Grave 48, unmarked |
| Memorials: | Greenbushes War Memorial, W.A. |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3957, Blackboy Hill, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3957, 11th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 22 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3957, 11th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Fremantle | |
| 9 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3957, 11th Infantry Battalion |
William Shurin
William Henry Shurin, born 1881 in Heathcote, Victoria and was the son of John and Sarah Ann (nee Woodruff) Shurin/Shuran. William was a “Sleeper Hewer” by trade and also an avid road cyclist and axeman in wood chopping events. In 1896 he sailed with his father to Western Australia, per “SS Bulimba” His father had tendered, and won, the Government contract to clear the land for the proposed Mundaring Dam in 1898. He again sailed from Victoria to Fremantle aboard the “Riverina” in September 1907 and again in 1910. He most likely would have assisted with the supply of sleepers for the Donnybrook to Bridgetown railway line.
On the 15th September 1915, at the age of 34, while residing at Greenbushes, West Australia, he enlisted in the 12th reinforcements, 11th Battalion, of the Australian Army. He was shipped out on the 22nd November 1915, aboard the “Mongolia” to Habieta, Egypt and then to France. While he was stationed in France he received gunshot wounds to both shoulders, including a compound fracture, August 1916 and a gunshot wound to right leg on the 5th May 1917. He returned to Australia, 28 February 1919, aboard “Anchises” disembarking at Melbourne, Victoria.
On 22nd April 1922, the Prime Minister, Mr. Hughes, unveiled the WW1 Memorial that was dedicated to the 200 men who enlisted from the Greenbushes district.
After returning to Victoria, William married Isabella Grimes nee Wilson (the widow of James Grimes), in 1928, at Heathcote and became stepfather to her 2 children, there was nil issue from this marriage.
William died on the 11th May 1953 at Cohuna, Victoria.
Submitted 8 April 2016 by Kathleen Jones
Biography contributed by Yvonne Wilson
William was one of 11 children of John and Sarah (nee Woodruff) Shurin, he was born at Heathcote Victoria. He worked as a Timber Hewer and moved to Western Australia when his father John Shurin was awarded the contract to clear the land for the Coogardie Pipeline and William worked on the clearance.
He returned to Heathcote where he was born and entered woodchopping competitions and even bike races. He was still hewing timber when he enlisted for WW1.
William received gunshot wounds to both shoulders and later to his right leg while stationed in France with the 11th Btn.
When he returned after the war he married Isabella Wilson in 1928 and they lived in Cohuna on the Murray River where he died on 11th May 1953 and Isabella died on 28th August 1962. They are buried 4 graves apart. They did not have any children.
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