Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout, Australia and NZ in WWI

Pte William Britton Stone 

Today, under the red flowering poppies which stretch their petals over the old battlefields and the peaceful cemeteries of the Somme which the autumn sun comes to caress with its golden rays, rest in peace, united and peaceful, young men, a generation of men who came from very far and who walked together to defend France for which they fought with admirable courage and for which they fell, remembered with respect, they are not and will never be forgotten.Today, it is the memory of one of these men whom I would like to honor with deep gratitude, I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 400 / B William Britton Stone who fought in the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion and who was killed in action 104 years ago, on November 2, 1916 at the age of 41 on the Somme front.

William Britton Stone was born in 1874 in Glenmaggie, Victoria, Australia and was the son of James and Maria Stone, of 408 Station Street, North Carlton, Victoria.William was educated at Glenmaggie and South Richmond State School, Victoria.Before the outbreak of the war, he married Maude Stone and lived in Tinamba, Victoria, where he worked as a labourer.

Enlisted on January 29, 1916 in Maffra,Victoria,in the 37th Australian Infantry Battalion, A Company, he embarked with his unit from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A34 Persic on June 3, 1916 and sailed for England and arrived in Plymouth on July 25, 1916 where he received his training. Two months later, on September 22, 1916, William was transferred to the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion and embarked for France and was disembarked at Etaples two days later,on September 24, 1916 and was sent with his unit to the Somme front on October 1, 1916.
Unfortunately, a month later, William met his fate and was killed in action at 9: am by shrapnel which he received in the back of his head in the "Pioneer Trench" near Flers, Somme, he was 40 years old.
Today, William Britton Stone rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at A.I.F. Burial Ground, Flers, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "In memory of the dearly loved husband of M. Stone of Victoria".

William, Sir, it is with deep respect and with all my heart that I would like to say thank you for everything you have done, not only for your country but also for everything you have done for France and for peace in which we live united today, for humanity. You who courageously responded to the call of duty under the flag of Australia which lost a great deal of its sons on the battlefields, in the muddy, wet and icy trenches of the great war, you have fought with great bravery on the scarred lands of the Somme that were hell on earth, holding out under avalanches of steel and rains of bullets that claimed the lives of a whole generation of men who had no chance to return home , other of their comrades returned to their countries, sometimes injured, traumatized, amputated and they too were marked as by a hot iron by the horrors they had gone through.all fought together and served their country beyond their limits, beyond bravery and beyond what they could do and endure and all showed admirable courage and made the pride of their country which, alongside the French and the Commonwealth soldiers all faced adversity together, they faced their fears and death which never ceased to surround them, they fought side by side for the same causes and for peace, standing with courage and determination, they always moved forward together, always watching over each other in a bond of brotherhood, they were brothers in arms and fought like a family and fell together knowing that they had done their duty with honor and that they had not died in vain. They fell and gave their todays for our tomorrow, their lives so that millions of people could live after them More than a hundred years have passed and these young men rest in peace here, in the peaceful lands of the Somme, more than a hundred years have passed and they have not and will never be forgotten, we who have the privilege of living and enjoying the peace for which they fought, we will always watch over them with the greatest respect, with love and with honor that they deserve.we will never forget who these men were and what they did for us, we will always take care of them who rest in peace here, we will take care of their graves and their memory that we will pass on to the next generations so that they know that young and brave men, united and courageous did for us so that in their turn they would never forget. Thank you William, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, your name and your face, in our hearts and in the light of the flame of Remembrance, will never be forgotten.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.