MEYER, William Carl
| Service Number: | 5798 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 March 1916, Kadina, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bright, South Australia, 7 March 1894 |
| Home Town: | Hilltown, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Bright Lutheran School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 21 September 1917, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial Plot XLI (41); Row A, Grave No.21. |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Burra District WW1 Honor Roll, Burra Fallen Soldiers Memorial, Clare WW1 Memorial Arch, Hilltown War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Kadina, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1916: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 5798, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' |
|
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5798, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 29 Dec 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5798, 10th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road | |
| 31 Jul 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5798, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières |
Photos in a 44 gallon drum
PHOTO’s & post card writings – supplied by Debb Schiller - great-great niece (provided 12 January 2014).
The photos survived for many years in a sealed 44 gallon drum in my great grandmother’s back garden ! (William’s sister).
Hello,
I have a keen interest in my family history and am currently researching the family of my great grandmother Anna Bertha Auguste Hentschke (nee Meyer) who was born at Bright in 1879.
My interest began when I acquired a bag of old photos from my great uncle, via my parents. Many of the photos were unidentified and remain so, however, there were three that I have been able to identify as pertaining to a WW1 soldier Wilhelm Carl Meyer who was a farmer at Hilltown at the time of enlistment in 1916 and made the supreme sacrifice at the battle for Menin Road, Ypres, Belgium on 20 September 1917.
What makes these photos so special is that they each have a letter written to my great grandmother on the reverse side. The photos survived for many years in a sealed 44 gallon drum in the back garden!
Our family had no idea that granny had a brother who was killed in the Great War. Through my research on Trove and the AIF, AWM websites and by obtaining his service records I have been able to piece together a little of Will's story.
I live in Loxton, SA and hope to visit the Clare District sometime soon as I would like to establish where the Meyer family farm was. My husband and I hope to make a pilgrimage to Will Meyer's grave in Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium in 2015.
I have attached files of the photo's and letters for your interest. The third photo is of Will's grave, the letter on the back was written by his sister-in-law Edie Meyer, the first wife of Carl Otto Meyer, Will's brother.
Regards,
Debb
Jeff and Debb Schiller ([email protected])
Submitted 11 September 2014 by Julianne Ryan
Biography
Father Johann Heinrich Friedrich Meyer and
Mother Louise Christiana Meyer (nee Ahrns), Hilltown, near Clare SA.
Brother - Carl Otto Meyer; Sister - Anna Bertha Auguste Hentschke (nee Meyer) – b. 1879
Next of kin:
Great-great niece Debb Schiller (Loxton, South Australia - 2014).
Described on enlisting as 22 years 1 month old; single; 6’ tall; 164 lbs; fair complexion;
blue eyes; light brown hair; Methodist.
28/3/1916 Enlisted in Kadina as a Private
18/4/1916 Commanding Officer appointed William to A Company 2nd Depot.
Mitcham Camp
1/5 - 15/6/1916 19th reinforcement / 10th battalion
16-18/6/1916 18th reinforcement / 10th battalion
19/6/1916 19th reinforcement / 10th battalion
12/8/1916 Embarked from Outer Harbour, Port Adelaide on board HMAT A70 Ballarat
as a Private in 10th Infantry Battalion, 19th Reinforcements
30/9/1916 Disembarked at Plymouth
17/12/1916 Proceeded overseas to France – on board SS Golden Eagle, ex Folkestone
18/12/1916 Marched in from England
22/12/1916 Marched out to join unit – Etaples, France
29/12/1916 Taken on strength – 10th Infantry Battalion AIF - France
BY the time Car joined the Battalion it had returned to the Somme from Belgium and went into winter quarters near Guedecourt - the coldest winter in living memory.
In 1917, the battalion took part in the follow up of the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line and then returned to Belgium to take part in the major British offensive of that year - the Third Battle of Ypres.
27/4 -11/5/1917 Sick to hospital – Hernia
45th Clearing Casualty Station, France, 10th General Hospital - Rouen
11/5/1917 March out to Unit
18/5/1917 Rejoined battalion from hospital - France
21 - 25/7/1917 Admitted to 3rd Australian Field Ambulance hospital - trench fever - France
25/7/1917 Rejoined Commanding Officer with 10th Infantry Battalion - France
22/9/1917 Wounded in action – Belgium
3/11/1917 Previously reported ‘wounded in action – now reported missing in action
**16/5/1918** Acknowledged – Private ‘killed in action’ – 21/9/1917
21/9/1917 Killed in action - Belgium (24yrs 3 mths)
The Battle of Menin Road near Polygon Wood, Ypres, Belgium
26/4/1921 Re-interred to Tyne Cot Cemetery
5 ¼ miles, E.N.E of Ypres
Plot XLI (41); Row A’ Grave No. 21
West-Vlaanderen, Flanders, Passchendaele, Belgium
MEDALS:
British War medal (44947); Victory medal (44435);
Memorial Plaque and Memorial Scroll (345716).
Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 4 September 2014. Lest we forget.
Click images to start slideshow.