Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William McNeil was born in July 1885 in Glasgow, Scotland, the 2nd of 6 sons born to his parents William and Mary McNeil.  William’s older brother was Gordon and his younger brothers were Douglas, Charles, Loudon and Lex.  William’s brother Loudon migrated to Australia in January 1912 but William was not listed on the same ship with Loudon so it appears that he may have come to Australia before Loudon.  The 1913 Australian electoral roll shows William living with Loudon at 43 Gripps Street, Brisbane QLD.  William worked as a health inspector for the Queensland government.

On the 18th August 1914 William was one of the first to enlist for the AIF at Victoria Barracks in Brisbane aged 29.  He’s described as being 5ft 10ins tall with a fresh complexion, blue eyes, and fair hair.  His service number was 7, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 3rd Field Ambulance A Section.  He proceeded to Enoggera Camp in Brisbane for his initial training. 

William’s brothers Charles and Loudon also enlisted…Charles served with the British Army and was killed in action on 1st July 1916.  Loudon enlisted 6 months after William on 3rd February 1915 and also served with the 3rd Field Ambulance.  Ironically, he arrived at Gallipoli a month after William was evacuated from there so they didn’t serve together.  Loudon died of wounds received when the Corps Rest Station was bombed in France on 11th November 1916, just 4 months after the death of Charles. 

Having completed his training at Enoggera, William and the 3rd Field Ambulance (3rd FA) embarked from Brisbane on 25th September 1914 on HMAT Rangatira and sailed with the first convoy from Albany WA on 1st November 1914.  He arrived in Alexandria Egypt on 9th December and proceeded to Mena Camp just outside Cairo.  He remained there till 3rd March 1915 when he, together with the 3rd FA, embarked from Alexandria on HMAT Malda, anchoring in Mudros Bay off Lemnos Island 3 days later.  A month later, in preparation for the landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the Bearer Division of the 3rd FA with 3 Officers…Captains Conrick, (A Section), Fry (B Section) and McWhae (C Section)…plus 114 ranks, transhipped to HMT Ionian.  On the 19th April they transhipped to HMT Suffolk then on the 21st, Captain Conrick fell ill so Captain Buchanan replaced him to take command of A Section.  On the 24th April the unit transhipped to the HMAT Devanha and then to the Destroyer HMS Ribble which arrived off shore of Anzac Cove in the early hours of the 25th.  The unit disembarked into row boats and went ashore under heavy fire at 4.30am with the first wave landing just north of Anzac Cove.  The following is a quote of Captain Buchanan’s from an article called “The Landing”: 

“I don’t know what it was, shrapnel, maxim or rifle fire - I was frightened to look, but I was never so frightened in my life as when I had to stand up in the bow to dominate the men (to keep rowing)... I could feel the damned things hitting me all the time in my imagination, while we couldn’t see the other boats for the spouts of spray all around, and the men hit yelped and then whined and clawed the air as they died.”

In early June 1915 William was admitted to the 3rd FA with diarrhoea.  Two weeks later he was again admitted to the 3rd FA and then transferred to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station (1ACCS) having twisted the cartilage of his right knee while in camp at Gaba Tepe.  He was evacuated from Gallipoli on 14th July 1915 and admitted to St Andrew’s Hospital on Malta.  From there he was invalided to England on 31st July 1915 where he had surgery on his knee at King George Hospital in London on 17th August 1915.  He was transferred to 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital (1AAH) at Harefield in late September and in early October the medical board declared him unfit for active service.  He was invalided back to Australia on 7th November 1915 on HMAT Runic from Portland and disembarked at Melbourne on 21st December 1915.  He was discharged from the service on 19th February 1916. 

After convalescing and being declared fit for service, William re-enlisted on 26th April 1917 aged 31.  His service number was 18041, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 29th Reinforcements.  He embarked from Sydney on 8th August 1917 on HMAT Anchises and disembarked on 2nd October 1917 at Liverpool UK then proceeded to Parkhouse Camp.  Exactly a month later he proceeded to France vis Southampton and transferred to the 3rd Field Ambulance.  On the 18th December 1917 he was promoted to Lance Corporal. 

On the 9th August 1918 the unit moved to Villers Bretonneux and established a main dressing station.  Just 2 days later William was gassed.  He was admitted to the 6th General Hospital at Rouen and re-joined his unit 2 weeks later at Cerisy, France.  William took leave to the UK for most of November for a very good reason.  On 11th November 1918, 2 years to the day when his brother Loudon died, William married Ann Adam at his parents’ home at 239 Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands, Glasgow, Scotland.  Ann was Red Cross Hospital nurse.  He re-joined his unit in late November at Beugnies, France. 

A week later he was admitted to the 3rd FA with a fever and re-joined his unit at Chatelet in Belgium on 10th February 1919.  A month later he was detached to the 2nd Field Ambulance as the 3rd FA was reduced in size in preparation for demobilization.  He embarked from France on 27th March 1919 and disembarked at Southampton UK then proceeded once again to Parkhouse Camp.  William was granted leave for educational purposes at the Health Department Sanitary Chambers and had that leave extended twice.  He was granted indefinite leave on 8th November 1919 then embarked for Australia with his wife on 20th December 1919 on HMAT Runic.  They disembarked at Melbourne on 6th February 1920 and William was discharged from the service on 23rd March 1920. 

After the war William continued to work as an inspector for Queensland Health Department and from 1940 till 1951, when he retired, he was the Chief Sanitary Inspector for the department.

William McNeil was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.   

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 3rd March 2023.