WILSON, Proctor Martin
| Service Number: | 3967 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 August 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Point McLeay, South Australia, 1887 |
| Home Town: | Point McLeay, The Coorong, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Natural causes, South Australia, 25 September 1961 |
| Cemetery: |
Raukkan Aboriginal Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Commissioner of Public Works Roll of Honour, Raukkan Aboriginal Community War Memorial, Raukkan Mission Ngarrindjeri Anzacs Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3967, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3967, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 2 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3967, 10th Infantry Battalion, RMS Malwa, Adelaide | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3967, 10th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road | |
| 8 Jan 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3967, 10th Infantry Battalion, 2nd occasion | |
| 1 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3967, 10th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Wilson Proctor Martin Biography
Wilson Proctor Martin was born in 1887 on a mission station at Point McLeay, South Australia. He was of the Protestant religion and he was from an Aboriginal background. Before the war, he was a labourer. On the 9th of August in 1915, when he was at the age of 28, he decided that he was going to enlist and join the war. He decided he was going to because many of his other family members said they were going to sign up so he wanted to join them. He enlisted in Adelaide and he was part of the 10th Battalion; his rank was Private. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs E Wilson, from Point McLeay in a Mission Station in South Australia and his service number, was 3967. He had black hair, brown eyes, a dark complexion and a tattoo on his right forearm. He weighed 143 pounds or 64.8 Kilograms and was 5 feet and 6 inches tall. On the 2nd of December in 1915, he embarked on his journey to the war on the RMS Malwa from Adelaide, South Australia to Europe.
Wilson Proctor Martin was taken on strength by the 10th Battatlion on the 17th of March 1916. Thirteen days later he went to the hospital because he had mumps. On the 30th of July, he was sent to France to fight. He was injured by a bomb on the battlefield on the 9th of September, leading to a fractured hand. He went to the General Hospital in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, in France. On the 12th of November, he was absent without leave and was not paid for the next two days. He did this again on the 27th of May 1917 and was not paid again. He was wounded again in September 1917 (slightly) and in January 1918, when he was severely injured by a piece of shrapnel that struck his left leg. He was transferred to the General Hospital in Birmingham, West Midlands and had to get his left leg amputated up to his thigh. He no longer participated in the war and on the 5th of January, 1919 he was set to return home to Australia after a service of nearly 3 years. Before he left, however, he received 3 war medals, the Star medal, the Victory medal and the British War medal.
Wilson Proctor Martin travelled back to his home town and lived there for the rest of his life. He died on the 25th of September of 1961 and lived to 74 years of age. He decided to not get married or have children and lived with his family for the rest of his life. He was buried at the Raukkan community cemetery which was very close to his home town.
ANZAC Spirit
Wilson Proctor Martin showed many ANZAC qualities. Some of the qualities he showed were courage, endurance, bravery, determination and patriotism. He showed courage and bravery by signing up for the war, participation in the war and fighting on after each injury until he had a very severe injury that ended in him getting his left leg amputated. He showed endurance and determination by staying in the war for nearly 3 years and overcoming injuries to participate in the fight and only stopped when he got his left leg amputated. He showed patriotism by fighting for his country even though he was from an Aboriginal background and probably didn’t need to join in the war. There was no need for him to sign up and he could have just lived a normal life, but he chose to do something that showed a lot of courage and bravery.
Bibliography
National Archives of Australia n.d., NAA: B2455, WILSON PM, Australia, accessed 20 March 2019, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=2013932
Australian War Memorial 2019, The Anzac Spirit, Australia, accessed 21 March 2019, https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/anzac/spirit
Australian War Memorial n.d., Proctor Martin, Australia, accessed 21 March 2019, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1898246
Virtual War Memorial n.d., Wilson Proctor Martin, Australia, accessed 23 March 2019, https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/125556
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