Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William enlisted on 18 Sep 1916 and was attached to the 2nd Tunnelling Company.  He was gassed on 30 Sep 1918 (Mustard Gas) and returned to Australia on 04 Jun 1919.

William married Agnes and they had 4 children, Lorna, Constance, Robert and Douglas. He died on 30/08/1929 probably war service related, from complications of the effects of mustard gas effects in 1918.

William was the son of Henry GALLIFORD & Elizabeth Jane HEWITSON and was born on the 15th of April 1895 in Wallaroo Mines, SA.

His parents were married in 1893 in Broken Hill, NSW.

His father was the son of James GALLIFORD & Frances KINGDOM and was born on the 29th of October 1870 Wallaroo Mines, SA.
His mother was the daughter of William Railton HEWITSON & Sarah SELL and was born on the 7th of April 1876 in Burra, SA.

William was the second child born into this family of 5 children.

His father was a miner and the family moved between Wallaroo Mines and Broken Hill when William was young.

William was only 7 years old when his father died on the 8th of August 1902 in Broken Hill, NSW and then his mother moved her young family back to Wallaroo Mines.

His mother then remarried to Edward MAY and William gained 6 half siblings from 1909 through to 1919).

William became a Miner and also served 2 years in the 81st Infantry Senior Cadets.

At the age of 21, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 18th of September 1916 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 7055 and posted to B Company, 2nd Depot Battalion. He was then transferred to the Base Miners on the 10th of October.

With his impending embarkation William married Agnes MOWBRAY on the 20th of November 1916 in the Salvation Army Citadel, in Adelaide, SA.
Agnes was the daughter of Robert MOWBRAY & Sarah Ellen MCANALLEY and was born in 1899 in Broken Hill, NSW.

Then on the 4th of January he was transferred to the Miners Reinforcements in Seymour, VIC with the rank of Sapper.

William embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on the 11th of May 1917.
Whilst he was overseas Agnes gave birth to their first child Loran Daphne in 1917.
After serving in France and being gassed William embarked from England on board HT Mahia on the 4th of June 1919, disembarked in Melbourne on the 17th of July and entrained to Adelaide.

On Wednesday evening, the 30th of July, a welcome home social was held for William in the Wallaroo Mines Recreation Hall after he was welcomed at the railway platform.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 17th of August 1919 and returned to his employment as a miner.

They made their home in Robinson Street, Wallaroo Mines and welcomed their second child; Douglas Henry on the 4th of May 1920, followed by Constance Viola in 1922.

Sadly on the 19th of May 1924 little Douglas died from Meningitis at their home and they buried him in the Kadina Cemetery; Path 12, Block 83.
Robert Henry was the last child to be born into the family on the 24th of February 1927.

William died at their home in Robinson Street, Wallaroo Mines on the 30th of August 1929 and was buried in the Kadina Cemetery; Path 12, Block 83 with his son Douglas

After Williams’ death Agnes and the children moved to 295 Carrington Street, Adelaide.
Their daughter Constance died on the 15th of April 1934, aged 12 years and Agnes buried her in the West Terrace Cemetery; Eyre, Path 17, Aspect W, Plot 87.

Military

At the age of 21, William enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 18th of September 1916 in Adelaide and allotted the service number 7055 and posted to B Company, 2nd Depot Battalion.
He listed his mother, of Wallaroo Mines, as his next of kin.

On the 10th of October he was transferred to the Base Miners and then on the 4th of January he was transferred to the Miners Reinforcements in Seymour, VIC with the rank of Sapper.
William was then transferred to the Tunnelling Company Reinforcements on the 27th of February.
William embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A9 Shropshire on the 11th of May 1917, disembarked in Plymouth on the 19th of July and marched into 1 & 3 training camp at Parkhouse.

He proceeded to France on the 18th of August and was attached to the 2nd Tunnelling Company in the Nieuport Bains sector.
They then moved into their new camp in Ypres where they spent Christmas 1917.

William was taken on strength with them on the 16th of January 1918 at Bilhem Chapel Wood working on dug outs near Switch Trench.
William was then granted 2 weeks leave on the 22nd of January and when he rejoined his company they had moved onto the Aid Post in the Hindenburg line and were supervising the constructing of the Headquarters and working at the western end of the Flesquires Catacombs.

By the end of February they had moved to Metz and whilst here on the 8th of March William suffered with inflamed larynx and was admitted into the 6th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred 5 days later to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station at Lijsenthoek.
The following day he was transferred to the 1st Canadian General Hospital in Etaples and after 10 days here William was invalided back to England and admitted into the
Barnet War Hospital in Hertfordshire.

He remained here until the 10th of May when he was transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield and then 3 days later he was discharged and granted 2 weeks furlo.

William then reported to No.1 Command Depot in Sutton Veny and on the 22nd of June he was posted to the Overseas Training Battalion in Sand Hill Camp at Longbridge Deverill.
On the 3rd of July William proceeded back to France and rejoined his Company
12.7.18 rejoined Company in Querrieu.

By the September they were working on maintaining the roads that the 5th Pioneer Battalion had repaired in the Hargicourt sector under continual gas shelling.
It was here on the 30th of September that William suffered from gas poisoning and was admitted into the 132nd British Field Ambulance in Marquaix.
Two days later he was transferred to the 7th General Hospital Boulogne and after 5 days here he was discharged to the 1st Australian Convalescent Depot in Le Havre.

On the 17th of October he was discharged to Base “A” Depot and then rejoined his Company on the 28th in their billets at Friville-Escarbotin and they were here when the Armistice was signed on the 11th of November.
They remained here all of November until they marched to Pont-Remy on the 30th and entrained on No.22 Train to Charleroi, Belgium.

They moved from here on the 16th of February to Marchienne-au-Pont where they were engaged in searching for mines along the railway, taking out charges, filling in shafts and securing bridges.

Their first quota was demobilised on the 30th of March and then William and the remaining men moved to Mont-sur-Marchinne in heavy snow.
William was part of the 2nd quota to be demobilised on the 13th of March and proceeded to Base Depot.
He then embarked for England and marched into No.2 Group on the 19th.

William embarked from England on board HT Mahia on the 4th of June 1919, disembarked in Melbourne on the 17th of July and entrained to Adelaide.

William was discharged from the AIF on the 17th of August 1919 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.