William Stanley SIMMONS

SIMMONS, William Stanley

Service Number: 2409
Enlisted: 19 October 1915, Adelaide
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 32nd Infantry Battalion
Born: Enfield South Australia, 2 August 1896
Home Town: Adelaide, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Horse driver later larbourer
Died: Keswick, 3 September 1937, aged 41 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section)
Row 1AS Section: LO, Road: 1AS, Site No: 19
Memorials:
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World War 1 Service

19 Oct 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Adelaide
9 Mar 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2409, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: ''
9 Mar 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2409, 32nd Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Adelaide
27 Feb 1918: Discharged AIF WW1
Date unknown: Involvement 32nd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix)

William Stanley Simmons

Thank you Carol for posting this information and your compassion.

Rod Simmons

William Stanley Simmons

Of all my relatives William is the one I have the greatest sympathy. William is the son of William Simmons and Alice Georgina Woodling

On the 21 February 1916 he married Marion (aka Miriam) Gladys Northway at Southark, South Australia

At the age of 2 years he was witness to the horrific death of his mother. His father the left to reside in Victoria leaving William and his siblings to the fostered out.

While William's foster-father was kind and ensured that William had ample food his 'generosity' did not extend to clothing and footwear. William once recalled that he had to wear his shoes on the wrong feet so that 'wore evenly'

William was the first of my relatives to enlist in the AIF. In late October early November William suffered severe wounds to his shoulders, both thighs and right leg.

He returned to Australia in 1918 but his early life plus the war had taken their toll and he died physically and emotionally shattered person in the Keswick Hospital


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