KITCHIN, William
| Service Number: | 4158 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 11th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Lancashire, England, 24 July 1875 |
| Home Town: | Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer/Farm Servant |
| Died: | Killed in Action, United Kingdom, France, 24 October 1918, aged 43 years |
| Cemetery: |
Sutton Veny (St. John) Churchyard, Wiltshire, England Mr. Kitchin is buried at grave no. 11. He was buried on 30.10.18 at 3.p.m. He had a Military funeral. , Sutton Veny (St John) Churchyard, Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, St Sever Cemetery Extension, Haute-Normandie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Mercunda Mantung Roll of Honour, Willunga War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 4158, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 4158, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 24 Oct 1918: | Involvement Driver, 4158, 11th Field Artillery Brigade , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4158 awm_unit: 11th Australian Field Artillery Brigade awm_rank: Driver awm_died_date: 1918-10-24 |
William Kitchen
William Kitchin worked as a farmer in the Willunga district after emigrating from the UK. He may have lodged with the Atkinson family in Willunga.
Private Kitchin was single and is the oldest soldier depicted in the Willunga Cheer Up Society Collage apart from Captain James Malpas.
William was appointed as a driver but suffered ongoing illnesses, including jaundice. In 1917, on leave for two months from his posting in France, William returned to his home village, (in Lancashire, England)where he spent time in a Military Hospital. He re-joined his unit in France in September 1917. A year later he was again admitted to a military hospital when he died of influenza and pneumonia.
Excerpt from the Book; "A Picture of Fortitude" with approval by the Willunga Recreational Park.
Submitted 12 January 2023 by Peter Cates
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