WEBB, William Hodges
| Service Number: | 1386 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Buckland, Victoria, Australia, 23 July 1880 |
| Home Town: | Koorda, Koorda, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Perth, Western Australia, 1968, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Koorda Honour Roll, Koorda War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 1386, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 1386, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 1386, 32nd Infantry Battalion |
William Hodges Webb
William was an unmarried 35 year old farmer from Western Australia when he enlisted in July 1915. He did his basic training up at Blackboy Hill, Western Australia then on 24 November 1915 embarked in Fremantle on the H.M.A.T Katuna for Adelaide where he then joined the H.M.A.T Geelong for Egypt disembarking on 18 December in the Suez. On 17 June 1916 his group joined the BEF in Alexandria onboard the Transylvania, disembarking in Marseille on 23 June 1916 where they were put on a train for Paris. William spoke about having a leave pass in Paris before joining the front and enjoying the celebrations of Bastille Day with two of his mates.
On 19 July 1916 William suffered gunshot wounds to both thighs which he sustained when he went over the top of the trenches in the first wave at the Battle of Fleur Baix, France. He had vivid memories of the medics passing him over and him laying in blood and mud with rats crawling over him till night when his mates crawled out and dragged him back to the trenches. The 8th Field Ambulance tended to his wounds then he was taken to Wimereux, then to Boulogne-sur-Mere, France and boarded the hospital ship St. George for England and the 4th General Hospital.
27 October 1916 William returned to Australia aboard H.S Karoola. He spent months convalescing then returned to his farm and in 1919 married his love and raised 5 children.
Submitted 9 March 2026 by Jennifer Winter